St Patrick's Day

It's St Patrick's Day

I don't have a drop of Irish blood in me.
I can't stand beer, let alone green beer.
I am not wearing anything green today.
Interestingly, the longest-running Saint Patrick's Day parade in Canada takes place each year in Montreal, where the parade began in 1824.

And just to remind everyone, Patrick wasn't a wild, drunk party meister.
I doubt seriously that he ever drank green beer.
He wasn't even Irish. The country and it's people adopted him, after they kidnapped him.
He was a Christian.
He was a Priest.
He was a "sent one" - an apostle.
He infected a people with the Kingdom of God.
There's a quote from him:

"I give unceasing thanks to my God, who kept me faithful in the day of my testing. Today I can offer Him sacrifice with confidence, giving myself as a living victim to Christ, my Lord, who kept me safe through all my trials. I can say now: Who am I, Lord, and what is my calling, that you worked through me with such divine power? You did all this so that today among the Gentiles I might constantly rejoice and glorify your name wherever I may be, both in prosperity and in adversity. You did it so that, whatever happened to me, I might accept good and evil equally, always giving thanks to God. God showed me how to have faith in him for ever, as one who is never to be doubted." -from the Confession of St. Patrick

Now that's relevant.
And just as when the Bible says the same thing, not that we are to accept "evil" as from God and thank him for it, but that we are to have such a faith in Him that we are able to live through it and thank Him as we constantly do - that we have a hope built into us that is unquenchable because it comes from Him. Give us that kind of maturity Father.

In 2005 the Chicago River was dyed green:

Religion Facts states that:

St. Patrick's Day is the Roman Catholic feast day that honors St. Patrick (387-461 AD), the patron saint of Ireland. Because of St. Patrick's patronage, St. Patrick's Day (March 17) has come to be closely associated with Ireland and Irish culture.

Since the earliest centuries of Christianity, it has been a custom to celebrate the anniversary of saints' deaths. This allows believers to honor the saint's accomplishments and celebrate their entry into heaven. A "feast day" is designated for every saint, even when the exact date of death of a saint is not known.

St. Patrick was a fifth-century English (or perhaps Scottish) missionary to Ireland. Scholars agree he is a historical figure and that he converted many of the pagans on the island to Christianity, but dismiss most of the legend that has developed about him over the centuries.