Apparently, Patrick was a soft-sell kind of evangelist. He cared about the people he preached to, and used their own beliefs and traditions to teach them Christian beliefs and ways, even blending the two. For example the Celtic cross may actually have come from a combination of the Christian cross symbol and a pagan symbol.
Legend has it that Patrick used a shamrock to help some of the native Irish understand the concept of the Trinity.
These are two characteristics of Patrick that I have always admired, his respect for the people and culture that he was with, and the fact that he used nature to help others understand what God was like. (When you are taught by Irish nuns and priests for eight years, you can't help but absorb a little about Ireland's favorite saint.)
So on St. Patrick's Day I celebrate Patrick's approach to spreading the love of Jesus by loving others the way Jesus would love them, and respecting their world views as they have developed in their own context. And I celebrate also that a lot can be understood about God from observing nature in all its wonderful aspects. In fact, for me personally, that has always been the best way, and I pray that all human beings will have the opportunity to spend time in natural surroundings often, so that we can all learn more and more about our loving Creator, and be able to pass it on.
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