Luck of the Irish

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Hope you all wore your green! It's a day where we celebrate all things Irish (which somehow translates into drinking, wearing green, dying things green, and eating cabbage, potatoes, and corned beef).

One of the funniest things I saw yesterday was a faux trailer on Funny or Die's website called "Boston Movie." It was a mash up of a number of Boston films — "Good Will Hunting," "The Departed," "The Town," "The Fighter," and "Fever Pitch," among others. It's fun to see those things and think about those things that have become iconic to this type of celebration.

But, of course, St. Patrick's Day has a deeper meaning. It is a day in which we honor Saint Patrick, who is associated with Ireland, where he served as a minister and brought Christianity to the pagans of that region. The original color associated with St. Patrick was blue, but over the years the Shamrock became more of a symbol of his ministry.

You see, one of the ways Patrick communicated the truth of the trinity to the masses was by using the Shamrock — which normally have three leaves that all make up the same flower. Wearing of the shamrock became a symbol of the day, and over the years green has become a symbol of the celebration.

As with so many religious holidays, the way it's commonly observed in 2011 has little to do with religion. But it's amazing to me to think about the roots.

Patrick didn't go to preach to the lost in Ireland to get a holiday named in his honor, he did it to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Saint Patrick died in 432 A.D., but his legend and his work endure. We should all be so lucky to make such an enduring impact for the kingdom of God.