St. Patrick: The Man Behind the Holiday!

I don’t think I really started to think about St. Patrick, the man until I got married to an Irish/German/American, and had kids. Growing up, St. Patrick’s Day was all about wearing green and drinking beer. Yet, if St. Patrick was alive today, I think he’d be heartbroken over what his name has come to mean.

To set the record straight (as straight as I know it) St. Patrick’s Day has NOTHING to do with beer. It has everything to do with honoring a man who committed his life to brining the good news of God’s love and savior, Jesus Christ, to the people of Ireland.

When I first readPatrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie DePaola, I was overcome with the beauty and humbleness of the patron Saint of Ireland. You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate Patrick’s life and devotion especially in adversity. You can say his was a modern day story of Joseph and the dream coat. Here’s just a sampling from the book.

Did you know Patrick was stolen from his native home of Britain and sold as a slave, spent years tending sheep in the fields praying night and day, and finally with God’s help found his way home only to hear from God that he needed to return to the people of Ireland and share the good news of God’s love. While there he was met with adversity, but God protected his life.

Did you know Patrick used the three leaf clover to explain the trinity? His is an amazing story of love , forgiveness, miracles and devotion to a people. If you’ve never heard the story or St. Patrick, make sure you do this year. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Celebrate with Truth

While coloring the kids’ milk green, having pistachio pudding for lunch, reading Green Eggs and Ham, and talking about leprechauns are fun ways to celebrate the day, why not look into who the holiday is really about and maybe celebrate with a story or two of the real St. Patrick!

Celebrate the Day with Food

One year I made this Grilled Reuben Sandwich recipe. The kids liked everything but the sauerkraut. In fact, one of my boys (when he was about five) took a bite and in all seriousness said, “I don’t like this sauercrap.” We’ve been laughing about it every since!

2 slices of Rye Bread
1 Tbs Thousand Island Dressing
2 slices of swiss cheese
1/4 cup of sauerkraut, drained
2 slices of corned beef
1 Tbs of Miracle Whip

We always have our traditional cornbeef and cabbage meal on St. Patrick’s Day and I wonder why we don’t eat it more often!

What do you do and make for St. Patrick’s Day?