It is a common saying that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Everyone apparently wants "a piece" of Patrick, but much of what is known about him is merely popular myth. Indeed such is the mystique around the man born in the 4th century since Christ, that it is nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction.

Once again we celebrate a life that has been in many ways fashioned by legend and mysticism, a life that, however, by God’s grace has influenced many generations and millions of people worldwide. Forces at work centuries ago were not dissimilar to the spiritual winds we feel today: forces that seek to bend truth, pervert the gospel and influence hearts. A new "spiritualism," a new paganism, now holds as many in bondage to sin today as in Patrick’s day.

We find out as we study history that Patrick was not Irish, but Roman, and that he never chased the (nonexistent) snakes out of Ireland. He was a resident of what we call England when, as a teenager, he was captured by Celtic slave-traders and sold to an Irish chieftain. After escaping back to England, he had a dream that he believed was sent by God. This caused him to return to Ireland to brave constant perils of murderous Druids and warring clans. These were not the only challenges he faced. He was also held in contempt by contemporary churchmen and greatly discouraged by them in his attempt to convert pagan Ireland. By God’s grace he was singularly successful.

Although he triumphantly resisted attempts to press him into the ecclesiastical mold of his day, since his death he has been "re-created" and marketed as something he was not.

Patrick, we can safely acknowledge, would despise the current crass commercialism and drunkenness that some excuse while allegedly honoring his legacy. Far from being a hermit who sought to isolate himself from the debauchery of his day, or attempting to keep himself safe from the terrors of unknown pagan frontiers, he gave himself tirelessly in missionary zeal for the cause of Christ. He strode the edge of civilization with the knowledge that every day might be his last and the confidence that God forgives sin. The age’s long result of his obedience to God and faithful testimony is that Ireland was for centuries the holder of scriptural wealth and the fountain of missionary dispersal.

In mortal combat with the evil of his day in the form of the high king of the Druids on Mount Tara during their high feast day, he wrote this prayer:

I bind to myself this day,

The Power of His Incarnation,

The Power of His Crucifixion,

The Power of His Resurrection,

With His Ascension.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in the hearts of all that love me,

Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger.

May this prayer become ours as we face uncertain days with the certainty of Christ’s sufficient grace. May we also have the basic understanding of our greatest need as Patrick did his. "Ego Patricius peccator," I am Patrick, a sinner ... He is Patrick of God. We too can receive like standing before God if we come humbly, seeking forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus.

The Rev. Bruce McCardel is pastor at the Susquehanna Valley Baptist Church in Oneonta.