Friday of the Third Week of Lent
On a day like today, I enjoy claiming to be Irish and not just because I like Notre Dame football or that my favorite meal is fish and chips with a draft of Guinness. Despite my distinctly German last name, I have Irish ancestry. My great-grandfather’s family immigrated to the United States from Ireland in the late 19th century. All of this aside, I’m fascinated by the story of St. Patrick. He dedicated his life to each of the great commandments that Jesus shares in the gospel today.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all you mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31a)
St. Patrick is credited with the evangelization of Ireland in the 5th century. You can find a number of stories and folklore regarding St. Patrick and, of course, today we have shifted the well-known feast into more of a culture festival. Details about the life of St. Patrick are uncertain but what we do know is that he had the courage and the humility to love God and love neighbor. Most people don’t know that St. Patrick was actually British but he responded to a call to do mission work in Ireland.
Today’s Gospel reading is a reminder that God is calling us to do wonderful things with our lives. The best way, really the only way, to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength is to spend time building a relationship with both God and our neighbor. God is with us through all of our fear, our worry, our uncertainty, and our weakness. God has also blessed each and every one of us with gifts and talents to be used to spread the love of our good and gracious God. “The good God can give more than our idea can ever conceive. The whole thing is to have great confidence in the good God.” - St. Julie Billiart
We are just past the halfway point of Lent. Perhaps today is a perfect time for a check-in. How are your heart, soul, and mind? How are your Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving shaping up? How are they helping you to focus on the commandments to love God and neighbor?
Let us celebrate with great joy the example of St. Patrick through the grace of our good God and allow today to invigorate our journey through this beautiful season. Lord, grant us courageous strength in heart, soul, and mind. St. Patrick, pray for us!
Peace,
Brandon Meyer