Monday, March 17, 2025
“Be/Wear Green”
Today’s Lenten Challenge is to Be/Wear Green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Green is the color we most associate with St. Patrick, so we’ll likely see plenty of green today. Some folks will wear green to prevent from being pinched by leprechauns if we get too close to their hidden treasure. Others will wear green to honor the Church since green represents the color of life, something that was very important to St. Patrick. Still, other folks will wear green because this is the one day we can wear special outfits from our closets.
Of course, since today’s Challenge is to Wear Green, we’ll have one more viable reason to act accordingly. But part of the Challenge is also to “Be Green”, representing the Bold example of St. Patrick. As a young man, St. Patrick was captured at his home in Britain and enslaved by pirates who took him to Ireland. Six years later, he escaped, returning to Britain to eventually become a priest. Sometime after his ordination as a priest, St. Patrick felt that he was called by God to return to Ireland as a missionary of the Church.
After returning to Ireland, St. Patrick established over 300 churches and several monasteries during his lifetime. The churches flourished. The monasteries played crucial roles in preserving and copying the Bible in multiple languages, and many people considered these monasteries the finest centers of education in the world.
But why green? St. Patrick was originally associated with the color blue. It wasn’t until much later that the color green was adopted by the Irish to represent defiance of foreign rule. The Irish people wanted independence and were willing to put their lives on the line to achieve it. They adopted the shamrock as a symbol to remember the courage of St. Patrick, and as the Irish crossed the oceans to America, green became the standard color for everyone on St. Patrick’s Day.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Be and Wear Green today. By doing so, you’ll keep the leprechauns at bay. But remember, if you do get pinched and you’re wearing green, it’s because you’re close to the secret stash, so open your eyes, and you might get lucky!
“Don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.” (Ephesians 6:19-20, The Message)
