Saint Patrick gave his life for the Gospel, in his “Confession” he said that the love that Christ gave him was for the service of his people.
He was living in a period of time where people didn’t know God, where people were living in ignorance of Jesus and in the middle of idolatry. In that context we can say that there are similar circumstances today in our society where we are invited to be Missionary disciples in order to announce the Gospel.
Our Saint was conscious of his condition as a sinner, but it didn’t stop him of the calling to announce that there is a possibility of conversion for everyone and that the circumstances of adversity, prison and slavery can be used to announce Jesus’ message.
In today’s celebration we give thanks for the “Yes” that Saint Patrick gave to God, for his disposition to serve and to announce the Gospel. He was transformed by prayer and by his experience of God’s mercy.
Saint Patrick was a migrant, may he intercede for us to open our hearts to our brothers and sisters that come into our midst looking for better conditions of life or escaping from violence or persecution.
Let us continue to work for healing and reconciliation in our nation.
This period of Lent is an opportunity for us to transform ourselves to be better people. We, like Saint Patrick, cannot keep for ourselves all the blessings that we have received. Today’s Gospel in particular is an invitation to the entire Church to go up to the mountain to pray, but to pray in a different way – listening, “This is my Beloved son, listen to Him.” Let us continue our Lenten Journey listening to Him. Amen.