Jun 4
Saints and sinners
Came across a fascinating piece on the life of Saint Patrick on the Gray Monk’s blog. We all know the legends and the hype, but the Monk has written a very well researched and thought provoking piece which is worth the effort to read. Entitled “A very human saint” it looks at the life of a man I had not given much thought to – beyond shamrocks and green beer and parades in New York for years.
And suddenly I discover a man who was campaigning against slavery in the 5th Century. As the Monk says in his piece – forget the legends, the real saint Patrick is far more interesting.
Perhaps it is fitting that we should give the real saint a bit more thought in this the 200th anniversary year of the ending of the slave trade in British ships. It is certainly worth while considering the fact that there is a flourishing trade even now in human misery. Certainly less obvious, but just as vile. Saint Patrick has definitely moved up my list of people I hold in esteem, there are quite a few around today who would benefit from taking a closer look at him themselves and trying to emulate some of his strengths.
