Thought for the Day – 17 March
The amazing influence of one man! How do you teach a classroom that’s as big as a whole country? How do you teach a whole country about God? St. Patrick’s classroom was the whole country of Ireland and his lesson was the good news of Jesus Christ. ow in the world did he do it? Well, it was only possible because he depended totally on God. But letting God give him strength and direction didn’t always come naturally to St. Patrick. That was a lesson the Lord had to teach him. And he didn’t get to learn it from understanding, gentle teachers in a comfortable classroom. He learned it from a band of thieving, roving pirates. But when he learned he learned it perfectly and he became the most wondrously hardworking, untiring apostle for Christ. When one considers the state of Ireland when he began his mission work, the vast extent of his labours and how the seeds he planted which continued to grow and flourish – making Ireland one of the greatest Catholic countries in history, which itself proceeded to evangelise the whole world, one can only admire the kind of man Patrick must have been. We have no way of knowing the fruits of our own lives or how many people our lives may touch. And this is power of holiness – it endures forever!
St Patrick please pray for us.
AnaStpaul 