ST.  PATRICK: 

SITTING  ON HIS SHOULDERS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “St. Patrick: Sitting on His Shoulders.”

One of the gifts of the saints is that they can help us to see better.

We can stand or sit on their shoulders and see what we can’t see from down below.

We put saints on pedestals.

Paradoxically, they can be pedestals for us to stand on and see above the crowd – to see what we might not be seeing. To see bigger and be better.

 A LIST OF SAINTS

Tell me your favorite Saint and you’ll be telling me about your values and your goals – your hopes and your ideals.

St. Peter teaches me that I can put your foot in my mouth and recover. I can make promises and not fulfill them – be forgiven and start again, 70 times seven times.

St. Thomas the Apostle teaches me I can have doubts and beg for an increase of faith. I hope we all say Thomas simple prayer: “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

St. Andrew the Apostle teaches me about the importance of bringing people to Jesus.

St. Monica teaches us – even if a kid is messing up – even years of messing up – keep nagging – keep praying – keep giving good example.

St. Augustine teaches us we can make a lot of mistakes and still make it.

St. Therese of Lisieux teaches us keep it simple – or the kiss principle: “Keep it simple stupid.” The Little Way can be a humbling best way.

St. Vincent de Paul teaches us to be concerned for the poor – making sure they have food to eat  and a place to stay.

St. Martin of Tours teaches us to give the coat off our back – especially to the person who is cold.

ST PATRICK

What does St. Patrick teach us?

See God in all of creation. Irish and Celtic spirituality is very earth and nature center. Irish Blessings and prayers often talk about the ocean, the sea, lakes, the mountains, the land, the trees, the breeze, the smile, bread, beer, the wrinkled skin of a grandmother and the smooth skin of a child.

What does St. Patrick teach us?

To laugh and to cry. St. Patrick was born in England and think of all the problems the Irish had with the English and vice versa. You have to be able to laugh – to enjoy life. Pray for a sense of humor.

St. Patrick helps me to think big. Irish are everywhere – all around the world.  Why not celebrate that we are part of a history – a big history – that we are Christians – because of all those Christians whose shoulders we stand on.  There can be Christians who will have the gift of faith in the future because we are Christians now. Faith is learned by example. Faith is passed down.  Faith is needed for the journey called, “Life!”  We need faith for the twists and turns on the road of life – enjoying the journey when the wind is at our back – as the Irish Blessing puts it – and stop in to enjoy a pub or a friend’s house when the wind is in our face.

CONCLUSION

I get these thoughts big time because I think of why I am a Catholic in the first place.

 I have fond memories of being a little kid in a big crowd at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City on many a St. Patrick’s Day parade.  All I could see was legs till my daddy put me up on his shoulders and I could see the whole world – especially the parade going by – especially when I saw men in plaid skirts playing music and screeching strange sounds with their bag pipes and big burly guys banging big base drums with power and panache.     [P.S. That’s not a Gaelic word.]

Looking back St. Patrick helped all those Irish who move from one country to another – all those who were slaves of some sort or other – all those who were poor – all those who were looked down upon as dirty and stupid, poor foreigners, uneducated and outsiders, as humans, persons, someones. 

St. Patrick or anyone standing on his shoulders – anyone who starts from the bottom and rises upwards – on other people’s shoulders – hopefully they when they see all those below them – new immigrants, illegals, when they look down on them – it’s not in snobbish pride – but Christian love – and concern.

My dad gave me a great love of all colors and types of people – because those were the people he worked with at Nabisco in New York City – never making more than 100 a week. I saw how he interacted with everyone well. As well as my mom, - who was also from Ireland I had a great teacher my dad – whose shoulders I stand on.