CSN - LightWing Messages - To Honor St. Patrick A Man of God 3/17/2024
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Predicts His Death
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:13-28 (New International Version)
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE:
In the past two weeks, due to the month of March being designated as Women’s History Month, we have offered messages of brave and famous women from different historical periods and two different continents. The LightWing Messages began the month of March with a biblical passage from the book of Judith, the ancient lady of Judea who walked into the enemy army’s camp and cut off the enemy general’s head to save her people from devastation.
However in that edition, we focused on two ladies from America’s colonial period, Abigail Adams and Phillis Wheatley. Both women also lived in a time of warfare – the War for Independence. In last week’s edition featured another brave and famous woman of God in a time of war: Florence Nightingale, whose story of faith-driven exploits may have surprised some of our readers.
Today however, is St. Patrick’s Day, so we will not be focusing on a famous woman of God in our featured article. And, despite how the secular world may deal with this holiday, our edition will offer an article on this man of God that I wrote just the other day based off of some previous writing I have done on St. Patrick. It focuses on part of the testimony of the boy who became a slave and the man who became the saint. St. Patrick’s true history is quite often unfamiliar to a lot of people of the world – even those who claim to be Irish! St. Patrick’s true history is more moving than the myths and rumors of magic that obscure the man of God who became a saint.
The second featured message in today’s edition is from St. Patrick himself. It is his “Confessio” and was written in the 5th century AD. It was likely written toward the end of his life. It is quite revealing about his conversion to a life of faith. For those interested, the two messages in this edition can shed much light on the real story of St. Patrick.
Tomorrow, we will hold our regular Zoom call discussion.
We invite our readers to call in and check in with other like-minded readers for mutual support in such turbulent times. We will discuss the transformation of St. Patrick from slave to saint. Our readers can participate in the question and answer session, or just listen. If readers are not already on our list to receive a link to the call, please send an email request to this address: d.jamzon@gmail.com We’ll add you to our mailing list. We continue to hope those folks who are seeking more from the Citizens Sentinels Network are able to join us on the Monday Zoom calls. Our LightWing discussions have been successful from last year, and in 2024, they are only getting better.
CSN LightWing Mission – Zoom call Monday 3/18/24 at 5:00pm PST NOW Mondays at 5pm PST (6pm MST; 7pm CST; 8pm EST).
These words are being freely offered to you – intended to shine light unto our paths, as written: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 - KJV
May God bless our readers and all of their loved ones. May God bless All His Children!
May we who are called by our Heavenly Father, may we humble ourselves , may we seek His face, may we repent, and may we turn from wicked ways - even if that may mean to become more serious about clearing our path to more proactively and purposely seek His Kingdom and His righteousness.
St. Patrick’s Long Journey from Slave to Saint
By Dennis Jamison 3/16/2024
It may be extremely hard for people celebrating St. Patrick Day to acknowledge the saint at the center of St. Patrick’s Day. It may be even harder to digest that Saint Patrick was once a slave in Ireland, not native born. For six years, he was the property of an Irish Druid Chieftain. Most wanna-be-Irish celebrants are often shocked to learn that St. Patrick initially went to Ireland as a captured slave.Yet, it is possible that many who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day could honestly care less about St. Patrick. Those more concerned with downing multiple rounds of Guinness than getting down on their knees in prayer, leave a hollow honor to the man being honored by all things green.
St. Patrick’s escape from slavery lost in the cobwebs of history
The truth is that while frivolity is the main focus of Saint Patrick’s Day today, this holiday misses the history of a boy who was kidnapped and plunged into the abyss of slavery. A story of a boy who grew into a young man willing to challenge death to escape to freedom is a compelling tale, but few would link it to St. Patrick. Yet, it is the story of Patricius, born as a Roman citizen on the edge of the ‘civilized’ world, who was enslaved in Ireland and who chose to return to the land of his slave masters with a mission to repay them with the consciousness of Christianity. Given the current misperceptions about slavery in the United States, St. Patrick’s true story could serve as an inspiration to millions. Sadly, the frivolity and mythology surrounding St. Patrick’s Day buries the truth of the real St. Patrick and his journey from slave to saint.
St. Patrick – Born into a wealthy Roman family, born a Roman citizen
One mistaken perception about St. Patrick’s Day is that March 17 is a celebration of St. Patrick’s birthday. Truly, it is not. No one knows the real date when Patrick was born. Yet, March 17 is the known date of when, much later as an old man, he died. However, speculation as to the year of his birth is near 387 AD, during the reign of Roman Emperor Theodosius I (r.379 to 395).
After his own conversion, Theodosius I converted the entire Roman Empire to Christianity in 380 AD. The truth is that baby Patrick was born to Calpurnius and Conchessa, Roman citizens who gave their child an appropriate Roman name: “Patricius” meaning “noble of the patrician class,” referring to the class that had ruled Rome since the early Republic. As Romans ruling over foreign lands, this class was naturally wealthy. Patrick’s parents would have been considered as part of this noble class and the family owned slaves on the estate where Patricius was born.
Many historians have speculated that young Patricius lived along the western coast of Roman Britannia somewhere between the border of present day Scotland and Hadrian’s Wall, which was built by the Romans to keep the ancient Picts away from the “civilized” Roman domain.
Historical records indicate Patricius’ father, Calpurnius, was a Decurion (a cavalry officer), in command of Roman soldiers, originally sent to the northern area of Britannia to keep order on the outskirts of an Empire in decline. Roman troops would have had to deal with the Picts of Scotland and the Celts in Ireland, who were never conquered by Rome. Calpurnius had also held a position as tax collector for the Roman government and also served as a deacon in the Catholic Church. St. Patrick’s grandfather, Potitus, was a Catholic priest, and likely maintained some persuasion over the family in religious matters.
Patricius – Kidnapped as a teen, plunged into slavery in Ireland
The privileged life Patricius was accustomed to was turned upside down when he was just a teen of 15 or 16 years. His life was changed forever one ominous day when Celtic raiders stormed the family villa. While his parents were in the nearby village, the raiders captured the young man along with other potential slaves.
Put in irons, the captives were taken across the Irish Sea to Ireland. Young Patricius was sold as a slave to a Druid Chieftain known as Milchu who forced him to tend his flocks of sheep.
Looking back upon his six-year period of slavery, Saint Patrick later explained that he accepted his enslavement because he had committed a serious sin and had broken religious laws (it was possibly one of the Ten Commandments). The Christian foundation Patricius had received in his childhood eventually began to make more sense to him.
Patrick also related in his writings that his grandfather, Potitus, was a Catholic priest; so, grandfather must have had some latent influence over Patricius in matters of faith.
As a result of his sins, Patricius nurtured no desire to escape
Patricius became a shepherd over Milchu’s flocks on land in northeast Ireland believed to be in an area known today as County Antrim, near Belfast. Supposedly near Slemish Mountain, Patricius was enslaved for six years. During his years of slavery, while out tending sheep, Patricus spent much time in prayer, repairing and redeveloping his relationship with God.
He declared in his “Confession” that he prayed every day, several times a day: “… and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer…”
As Patricius grew into a young man, he continued to pray. He later testified that he began to develop a genuine relationship with God, a relationship that would ultimately change his life forever. This relationship transformed his life, and led him on a further journey to sainthood.
Patricus hears the voice of God and obeys
Eventually, Patricus confessed he heard God’s voice telling him that he would soon be leaving Ireland for home. When he first heard the voice, he dismissed it, as it was difficult to believe God had actually spoken to him. However, when Patricius heard the voice again, he moved past his resistance later writing that the voice was quite clear: “Behold, your ship is ready.”
The voice also instructed him that he would have to walk across Ireland to find the ship.
After six long years as a captive, Patricius made his escape, making his way across the Emerald Isle’s wilderness and the marshes to his freedom. Patrick overcame the fear that fugitive slaves when caught in Ireland, were taken to the local king, punished, and returned to their masters who punished them again.
Patricius also had to also overcome his fears of verbally seeking help because if he spoke, and his British accent was discerned, he could be exposed as a run-away. He conquered his fears as he later explained because he had received permission from God to escape from his enslavement.
Patrick’s long journey home
Patrick became amazingly obedient to God’s voice, made a new start, and he found the ship. Patrick explained the most difficult portion of his journey was to reveal himself to the crew; he needed to be very clever to persuade the ship’s captain to provide him passage home. The ship’s captain could easily turn over the scrawny young man with a foreign accent to local authorities, or take him aboard intending to sell him as a slave for personal profit.
Yet, after the 200-mile trek, he found passage with the crew of what may have been a pirate ship. Young Patrick was able to sail away from his emerald prison and eventually made it back to his home. However, It became a new start, not an end. But, the six years as a slave had changed him forever.
Saint Patrick’s testimony later in his life reveals how much during this time he transformed:
“God used the time to shape and mold me into something better. He made me into what I am now – someone very different from what I once was, someone who can care about others and work to help them. Before I was a slave, I didn’t even care about myself.”
St. Patrick’s return to Ireland
When Patrick went back to Ireland as a Bishop of the Church, he had overcome many of his fears. He had no fear of the Druids’ religious beliefs. He also did not fear the barbaric methods of intimidation toward other religions practiced by the Druid priests and chieftains who controlled the country.
Amazingly, during his time as a slave he had fallen in love with God in the Emerald Isle, and after returning home, he discovered he had fallen in love with the land and the Irish people.
It was this love that conquered all his fears and helped the people of Ireland fall in love with God and St. Patrick, too.
In moving beyond the frivolity and myth shrouding St. Patrick’s Day, genuine reflection on the true story of St. Patrick, can provide one great meaning for the life God has given to us. Before he became a slave, he was a young man without much purpose. After he lost his freedom, he repented for his past sins, whatever they were. He prayed and sought a genuine relationship with God in the midst of enslavement. He summoned courage, and God provided Patricius with a clear plan - to escape from his bondage by totally trusting in God and aligning with God’s Will for him – creating a cooperative covenant.
St. Patrick’s true story is like a blueprint for securing true freedom
Patrick’s story is a blueprint for our own total deliverance, not by magic, not by mysterious manifestations beyond natural law. When God’s Providence is carefully examined, His hand throughout history surely works in mysterious ways, but He works through people of absolute faith who obey and put into practice what He asked them to do. In such a time as this, we must seek His face, and definitely repent for our sins, whatever they may be. But, there is more. I am absolutely certain that our Heavenly Father will help His children when we place our complete trust in Him, freely express our love for Him, and demonstrate our obedience to His Will, especially through truly loving all His children.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘
Confessio: The Confession of St. Patrick
Confession of St. Patrick originally written in Latin
The following provides extensive excerpts from St. Patrick’s “Confessio,” but the full message can be accessed via a legitimate site by following a link at the end of the article.
I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many, had for father the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Potitus, a priest, of the settlement [vicus] of Bannavem Taburniae; he had a small villa nearby where I was taken captive. I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people, according to our desserts, for quite drawn away from God, we did not keep his precepts, nor were we obedient to our priests who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought down on us the fury of his being and scattered us among many nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I, in my smallness, am now to be found among foreigners.
And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance. And he watched over me before I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.
Therefore, indeed, I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God, and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every nation under heaven.
For there is no other God, nor ever was before, nor shall be hereafter, but God the Father..
He himself said through the prophet: 'Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.' And… 'It is right to reveal and publish abroad the works of God.'
I am imperfect in many things, nevertheless I want my brethren and kinsfolk to know my nature so that they may be able to perceive my soul's desire.
I am not ignorant of what is said of my Lord in the Psalm: 'You destroy those who speak a lie.' And again: 'A lying mouth deals death to the soul.' And likewise the Lord says in the Gospel: 'On the day of judgment men shall render account for every idle word they utter.'
So it is that I should mightily fear, with terror and trembling, this judgment on the day when no one shall be able to steal away or hide, but each and all shall render account for even our smallest sins before the judgment seat of Christ the Lord.
And therefore for some time I have thought of writing, but I have hesitated until now, for truly, I feared to expose myself to the criticism of men, because I have not studied like others, who have assimilated both Law and the Holy Scriptures equally and have never changed their idiom since their infancy, but instead were always learning it increasingly, to perfection, while my idiom and language have been translated into a foreign tongue. So it is easy to prove from a sample of my writing, my ability in rhetoric and the extent of my preparation and knowledge, for as it is said, 'wisdom shall be recognized in speech, and in understanding, and in knowledge and in the learning of truth.'
But why make excuses close to the truth, especially when now I am presuming to try to grasp in my old age what I did not gain in my youth because my sins prevented me from making what I had read my own? But who will believe me, even though I should say it again? A young man, almost a beardless boy, I was taken captive before I knew what I should desire and what I should shun. So, consequently, today I feel ashamed and I am mightily afraid to expose my ignorance, because,[not] eloquent, with a small vocabulary, I am unable to explain as the spirit is eager to do and as the soul and the mind indicate.
But had it been given to me as to others, in gratitude I should not have kept silent, and if it should appear that I put myself before others, with my ignorance and my slower speech, in truth, it is written: 'The tongue of the stammerers shall speak rapidly and distinctly.' How much harder must we try to attain it, we of whom it is said: 'You are an epistle of Christ in greeting to the ends of the earth ... written on your hearts, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God.' And again, the Spirit witnessed that the rustic life was created by the Most High.
I am, then, first of all, countryfied, an exile, evidently unlearned, one who is not able to see into the future, but I know for certain, that before I was humbled, I was like a stone lying in deep mire, and he that is mighty came and in his mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for his great favours in this world and forever, that the mind of man cannot measure.
Therefore be amazed, you great and small who fear God, and you men of God, eloquent speakers, listen and contemplate. Who was it summoned me, a fool, from the midst of those who appear wise and learned in the law and powerful in rhetoric and in all things? Me, truly wretched in this world, he inspired before others that I could be-- if I would-- such a one who, with fear and reverence, and faithfully, without complaint, would come to the people to whom the love of Christ brought me and gave me in my lifetime, if I should be worthy, to serve them truly and with humility.
According, therefore, to the measure of one's faith in the Trinity, one should proceed without holding back from danger to make known the gift of God and everlasting consolation, to spread God's name everywhere with confidence and without fear, in order to leave behind, after my death, foundations for my brethren and sons whom I baptized in the Lord in so many thousands.
And I was not worthy, nor was I such that the Lord should grant his humble servant this, that after hardships and such great trials, after captivity, after many years, he should give me so much favour in these people, a thing which in the time of my youth I neither hoped for nor imagined.
But after I reached Ireland I used to pasture the flock each day and I used to pray many times a day. More and more did the love of God, and my fear of him and faith increase, and my spirit was moved so that in a day [I said] from one up to a hundred prayers, and in the night a like number; besides I used to stay out in the forests and on the mountain and I would wake up before daylight to pray in the snow, in icy coldness, in rain, and I used to feel neither ill, nor any slothfulness, because, as I now see, the Spirit was burning in me at that time.
And it was there of course that one night in my sleep I heard a voice saying to me: 'You do well to fast: soon you will depart for your home country.' And again, a very short time later, there was a voice prophesying: 'Behold, your ship is ready.' And it was not close by, but, as it happened, two hundred miles away, where I had never been nor knew any person. And shortly thereafter I turned about and fled from the man with whom I had been for six years, and I came, by the power of God who directed my route to advantage (and I was afraid of nothing), until I reached that ship.
And on the same day that I arrived, the ship was setting out from the place, and I said that I had the wherewithal to sail with them; and the steersman was displeased and replied in anger, sharply: 'By no means attempt to go with us.' Hearing this I left them to go to the hut where I was staying, and on the way I began to pray, and before the prayer was finished I heard one of them shouting loudly after me: 'Come quickly because the men are calling you.' And immediately I went back to them and they started to say to me: 'Come,because we are
admitting you out of good faith; make friendship with us in any way you wish.' (And so, on that day, I refused to suck the breasts of these men from fear of God, but nevertheless I had hopes that they would come to faith in Jesus Christ, because they were barbarians). And for this I continued with them, and forthwith we put to sea.
And after three days we reached land, and for twenty-eight days journeyed through uninhabited country, and the food ran out and hunger overtook them; and one day the steersman began saying: 'Why is it, Christian? You say your God is great and all-powerful; then why can you not pray for us? For we may perish of hunger; it is unlikely indeed that we shall ever see another human being.' In fact, I said to them, confidently: 'Be converted by faith with all your heart to my Lord God, because nothing is impossible for him, so that today he will send food for you on your road, until you be sated, because everywhere he abounds.' And with God's help this came to pass; and behold, a herd of swine appeared on the road before our eyes, and they slew many of them, and remained there for two nights, and the were full of their meat and well restored, for many of them had fainted and would otherwise have been left half-dead by the wayside. And after this they gave the utmost thanks to God, and I was esteemed in their eyes, and from that day they had food abundantly…
Read the entire message here: The Confession of St. Patrick
A Bit of History
From The American Minute with Bill Federer: American Minute for March 17 – This is the day St. Patrick died
From Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts: Who Was St. Patrick and the History Behind Saint Patrick's Day | Drive Thru History Special – 3/13/2022
From Great Documentaries: St. Patrick Apostle Of Ireland – 3/17/2023
Onward and Upward!
From Ireland - over 300 churches from our island sing a blessing over Ireland and beyond: The Irish Blessing 2020 - 5/31/2020 (Be Thou My Vision)
From World Outreach Church with Allen Jackson: Clarify Your Identity [Freedom] | Pastor Allen Jackson – 3/9/2024
From Celtic Woman: Celtic Woman - You Raise Me Up – 11/30/2009
From Rabbi Jonathan Cahn: The Nehemiah Secrets of Building God’s Kingdom and Restoring Lives | Jonathan Cahn Sermon – 2/22/24
From Home Free: How Great Thou Art by Home Free - 10/28/2016
ICYMI > From Fire Power with Mario Murillo: An URGENT Message for the American Church – 3/6/24