Party with St. Patrick

It's St. Patrick's day! Although this day is known for drinking it is, at least in principle, a celebration of the devoted, driven, and pious man known as Patrick of Ireland. They don't call him "Saint" for nothing. His life was as holy as it was action-packed, yielding many stories that warrant drunkenly being shared during St. Patrick's day festivities. What better way to honor one of Christian history's most butt-kicking characters?

The man himself

Although he is known as an Irishman, Patrick was actually born to Roman parents in Southern England around 385. At this point in history, Christianity in the British Isles was limited to Romans living in Southern England. At the tender age of sixteen, Patrick was abducted from his home and taken to Ireland to be a slave, tending the flocks of the Druidic High-Priest Milchu. While in slavery, Patrick's faith in God grew strong as he prayed often while tending the flocks alone in the cold. He also learned the Celtic language spoken by Ireland's people. After six years, God came to Patrick in a dream and led him from slavery back to England.

ButGod then called Patrick back to Ireland. He trained as a priest and then returned to Ireland to begin his ministry. Walking from town to town, he would meet with the Chiefs and Kings of various clans and tribes, proclaiming the power of Jesus Christ. There was often resistance to his message. One king, Dichu (who does not evolve into Pikachu) drew his sword to slay Patric but suddenlyfound that he could not move his arm. He gave his life to Jesus on the spot and his arm started working again. In gratitude to Patrick, he donated his barn to the ministry. A plain barn seems like a dumb gift, but this barn was turned into the first Christian sanctuary in Ireland. You can visit the spot today in Saul, County Down.

While Dichu's story is nice, Patrick's old master Milchu freaked out when he found out his former slave was back and gaining influence among the people. In fact, Milchu was so afraid of Patrick's success that he put all of his stuff into a mansion, set it on fire, and threw himself on the flames. A prideful master vanquished by his former slave... Django Unchained anyone?

Although his adventures and legends are impressive, my favorite thing about St. Patrick is the way that he talked about Christ to the Irish people. Rather than trying to eradicate their customs and beliefs, Patrick incorporated Irish culture into his presentation of the Gospel, and spoke the people's language while doing it. The Celts customarily had bonfires to honor their gods, so Patrick had bonfires to honor Christ. The "Celtic cross" was created when Patrick combined a circle representing the sun, an important native Irish symbol, with the cross, the central Christian symbol. Patrick was not imperialistic or arrogant, but talked about the Good News in such a way that it remained good news to those who heard it, rather than proclaiming the death of their culture. This was before the era of colonizing armies and missionaries. Patrick was just one man with a faith he wanted to share, against the odds and at great personal risk.

A Celtic cross

This model of humble, gentle, respectful witness is one that I think Christians would do well to emulate, especially given some pretty catastrophic failures in the past.

Today's drink is not theological, but it is a classic Irish cocktail.

Irish Coffee

There are many poor attempts to emulate this drink. I would like to set the record straight: Irish Coffee does NOT involve Bailey's (although Bailey's and coffee is fantastic).

Ingredients: 6 oz. hot coffee, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1.5 oz. Irish Whiskey, heavy cream (must be cold).

Get a mug, clear glass if you can, and fill it with hot water to pre-heat it. Dump out the water, quickly dry the glass, and pour in the coffee. Stir in the brown sugar and then the whiskey. Here's the tricky part: pour the heavy cream over the back of a spoon on to the top of the drink so it floats. The spoon must be VERY close to the coffee. Shaking the cream to make it slightly frothy may help it float. Good luck.

The cream technique

Drink the coffee through the cream. And please only drink one or your heart might explode, and it won't be from the love of God.

My friend enjoys his Irish Coffee.