Friday, 3rd week of Lent, March 17th,
2023 AKA St. Patrick’s day
Ah the one saint’s feast day everyone in the United
States celebrates whether they are Irish Catholic or not. The city of Chicago once again proudly dyed
their namesake river a shade of Kelly green instead of its usual putrid
green. There were big post Covid joyous
parades and drinking celebrations as well.
Only downside to the celebration is Cardinal Blaze Cupich is holding
every Chicago Catholic to the Lenten Friday meat abstinence rule. However, if you’re dying for that pickled
beef brisket & cooked brassica oleracia just hop on a plane & head to
Boston. Cardinal Patrick O’Malley will
tell you where you can get the best corned beef & cabbage in Beantown.
Now the obvious answer to why St. Patrick’s day is
such a big deal in the US is because 4.5 million Irish people immigrated to the
US between 1820- 1930 with the bulk of them probably between 1847-1852
including my ancestors. As to why Polish, Jewish, Flemish, Italian,
Mexican, Ugandan, Chinese, Japanese, Sudanese, Pakistani, et-cetera-y join in
the fun of the jigs & reels is because, in my humble opinion, the Irish
were the 1st to undergo the great American immigrant hazing ritual. This is why everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s
Day because every immigrant group to the US has experienced the following things
that the Irish experienced 1st.
The Irish were
the first group of immigrants to get a political backlash thanks to the Know
Nothing party of the 19th century a.k.a. the KKK before the KKK
existed. The Irish were the 1st
to get badly stereotyped such as a police van being referred to as a “Paddy Wagon”
because allegedly every criminal was named Patrick & probably under arrest
for getting themselves involved in a drunken barfight. The Irish were the first to be discriminated
against as when I heard Irish paternal Grandmother talk about how her Irish grandparents
often saw signs stating Irish need not apply.
The Irish were the 1st to believe in something other than the
mainstream Protestant religion of the US with many of those US Protestants fearing
the Pope implementing Catholic Cannon law on every person in the US if ever an
Irish Catholic became President. Nowadays being a Catholic politician is no
big deal especially since most Catholic Democratic politicians are Catholic in
name only. The Irish were the first immigrant group to
take the crappy jobs no one else wanted for even crappier pay. The Irish were the first to maybe speak a
different language since I’m sure there were a few who still spoke Gaelic when
they arrived to the US shores. The Irish
were the first to influence the culture in a great way with Country music owing
a debt to the Irish folk singers and of course their fiddle playing. The Irish were first to “Americanize” their
traditions into something else For example, the traditional Irish St. Patrick’s
Day feast is loin of bacon to be drunk with a pint of Guinness stout not corned
beef & and a German style green lagger. And yes, the concept of celebrating a day of
ethnic pride in all the Irish American immigrants have accomplished was the
forerunner to things like Cinco de Mayo, Chinese New Year, and Paczki’s on Fat Tuesday.
As aforementioned before I am a descendant of those
proud Irish American immigrants. This
means something arises deep within my Irish soul every year. Every year I enjoy the Irish soda bread my
local Jewel puts on sale along with McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes. I listen to some classic Irish folk &
drinking songs. I make sure I have a
Shamrock & the color green on every St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe I’ll watch an Irish themed movie.
(Disney’s “Darby O’Gill & the Little People”, or maybe John Ford’s “The
Quiet Man” or I might check out Oscar nominee “The Banshees of Inisherin” instead). I know I’ll go to my in-laws house sometime
this weekend to celebrate with a corned beef & cabbage dinner even though
my mother in law is only 1/4 Irish making my husband & my brother-in-law only
1/8 Irish. So that’s how I’ll
celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
But, part of me is begging the question-how would St.
Patrick celebrate his heavenly birthday?
Maybe some of you know St. Patrick’s life story. My husband often reminds me that the greatest
Irish saint is in fact a Britton. He
was living in a Roman colony somewhere of the coast of modern day Wales when he
was kidnapped by Irish pirates & turned into a slave. He spent many years living in Ireland as a
herder until he finally got the chance to escape & return home. When he did he kept having visions to return
to the land of his captors & evangelize the Celts & the Druids. Legend has it he often slept with rocks as
his pillow & endured other pains for repentance of the souls of the Irish
people. To this day if you wish to
make a pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick’s aka the mountain St. Patrick spent 40
days & nights fasting & praying like Jesus in Ireland it is recommended
that you walk there barefoot in penance for your sins. I’m
sure Patrick would want everyone to evangelize about the good news as summed up
by the famous John 3:16 and maybe he’d be in agreement with Chicago Cardinal
Blaze Cupich’s assessment that it’s important to maintain that Lenten fast
& to do other acts of penance as well like go to confession.
So, to this end I went Daily Mass. I prayed my Rosary & I did the Stations
of the Cross too. I was dead tired
while working my work shift today despite trying to drug myself with a free Irish
Oatmilk latte and some free Pepsi my work offers employees in the breakroom but
I offered it up to Jesus. And as
I write this tonight, I ponder the prayer of St. Patrick.
As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit, Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen."
No comments:
Post a Comment