Growing up, I was always a little envious of the Irish girls in my class.  When St. Patrick’s Day came around, their moms would let them put some green food coloring in their hair as part of the celebration of their heritage.  My Mom would not.  We weren’t Irish.  We didn’t do things like put food coloring in our hair.

We did, however, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage, which at the time, I absolutely hated.  My mother told us that “we are all Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.”  (Just not Irish enough to dye our hair green!)

In Ireland, they don’t celebrate with corned beef and cabbage, that’s a dish that came into being with Irish immigrants living in the tenements of New York City and eating the local fare provided by the merchants who lived in the neighborhoods.  Corned beef is a food with Jewish roots.  In Ireland, they eat their cabbage with bacon.

It’s a lean bacon that was generally available when beef was not.  They do eat lots of cabbage, potatoes and carrots.   Those are foods that were always in the garden.   Still are.  The Irish Famine tells in sad detail the dependence that the Irish people had on the one staple that failed them – the potato.

But, I digress.  When I married into an Irish family, my knowledge and appreciation of the Irish people increased dramatically.  I have had the pleasure of visiting Ireland on multiple occasions, each time leaving with pleasant memories and regrets about having the visits end.  My husband’s love of his Irish roots prompted him, along with a fellow Irishman, to start an Irish Heritage Festival (Burlington VT) which is celebrating its 25th^d year in 2020.  The goal of the festival has always been to highlight the contributions made by the Irish to cultural pursuits such as music, dance, literature and the arts in general, as well as, contributions to the spiritual lives of its people.

One of the funny ironies about St. Patrick is that he was probably not an Irishman.  History is a little unclear about his ancestry, but he may have been a Roman; an Italian.  He was sent by the Roman church to bring the word of Christ to the pagan lands of the Celts.  He was doing as Jesus had instructed his Apostles after His resurrection.  “…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16 vs.15)

The story of Patrick’s mission in Ireland reads like a great adventure story.  He had to overcome some large hurdles, but his success remains evident to this day.  The Irish celebrate Patrick’s feast day, not with boisterous parties and shenanigans, but with prayer and church services, with a reverence for the gifts which they received when Patrick brought the word of Christ to them.  It is not always obvious to the observer that God has blessed the Irish people.  Theirs is a history fraught with conflict and sorrow.  However, through it all, they remain, with the grace of God, a resilient and brave people.  They are a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for His people.

So, now that I am a grown-up, I could dye my hair green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but I choose to honor the saint who followed the instructions of Jesus to bring His words of love and grace to all the world.  Read Mark 16 and always remember that God loves you unconditionally!

Terri