shamrock – Blisswood

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2024!

Shamrock Image by Jenneth Graser from Pixabay

Today on the old style (Julian) calendar, we celebrate the 5th century St. Patrick of Ireland. He is also known as St. Patrick, Bishop of Armagh, Enlightener of Ireland. (March 17th falls 13 days later on the Julian Calendar)

Here are some fascinating historical documents about St. Patrick, written by the 7th century monk Muirchú from the Royal Irish Academy.

Icons of St. Patrick often show him holding a three-leafed shamrock growing on a single stem, he used this to illustrate the Holy Trinity – our One God in Three Persons.

St. Patrick wrote many hymns. Here is an excerpt from a beautiful, longer hymn, the Lorica (Breastplate) of St. Patrick. “I bind unto myself today, the Strong Name of the Trinity! By Invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three!” ~ St. Patrick

Abbreviated Lorica Hymn of St. Patrick’s Prayer, recorded and sung below, by our Youth Choir in 2019.

One of his many miracles: During a perilous journey to share the Christian faith in King Loegaire’s territory, the saint discovered they were in mortal danger of an ambush. He prayed the Lorica Prayer, and to those lying in ambush, the saint and his company of monks appeared to them as if they were wild deer, and not humans. Because of this miracle, the Lorica Prayer is also known as The Deer’s Cry.

The early fifth century Enlightenment of Ireland by St. Patrick and his brethren, has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the church.

A short recording by my GG’s

Today is also the 4th anniversary of my first Blisswood posting (A Shamrock Day) which fell upon St. Patrick’s Day in 2020! Thank you for visiting!

Below are two easy, tasty, recipes to celebrate St. Patrick’s day – or any day!

An online Plant Based Colcannon (Potato/Cabbage) Side Dish Recipe, and…

Here’s my own, new, Sweet’n Savory Irish Beer Bread Recipe!

May Christ’s Divine Joy and Peace fill our hearts – as we strive to live in the awareness of His Glorious Presence.

Holy St. Patrick, pray to God for us!

A Touch of Green on Forgiveness Sunday

Image by Kerstin Riemer from Pixabay

Today there are many celebrations!

It is Forgiveness Sunday and tomorrow is the first day of Great Lent (Orthodox Style).

Pascha (Easter) comes late this year. (May 5th)

Today is also St. Owen’s Day (March 17/4)!

On the new style calendar, today is also St. Patrick of Ireland. (The equivalent Julian calendar date for March 17th is 13 days later – on March 30th)

Here are some fascinating historical documents about St. Patrick, written by the 7th century monk Muirchú from the Royal Irish Academy.

Icons of St. Patrick often show him holding a three-leafed shamrock growing on a single stem, he used this to illustrate the Holy Trinity – our One God in Three Persons.

Abbreviated Lorica Hymn of St. Patrick’s Prayer, recorded and sung below, by our Youth Choir in 2019.

As today is Forgiveness Sunday, I’ll conclude with sincerely asking your forgiveness… For any offense I may have given to any of my readers/subscribers, at any time.

God Forgives!

May our Lenten Journey ahead, be Peaceful and Fruitful!

Another (very short) recording of St. Patrick’s Prayer sung outside, by my GG’s a few years ago. The precious robin chirping at the end… was totally unrehearsed!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 30/17

I just received this joyful golden Lenten Lily (Daffodil) photo from a dear (anonymous) friend this morning, along with beautiful heart-warming greetings, which I’m allowed to share.

May you be Protected and Inspired by Real Gold – God’s Promises, and the Mystical Enlightenment of St. Patrick – today and always.

Another friend has sent me this about St. Patrick, written by the 7th century monk Muirchú from the Royal Irish Academy.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day March 30/17 (Julian), is also the second anniversary of the beginning of my Blisswood “Posts” section.

Thank you so much for visiting!

Through the holy prayers of St. Patrick may this day of your Lenten Journey, be particularly peaceful and fruitful.

With love in Christ.

Three in One

Image by Nhân Nguyễn from Pixabay

As the Holy Trinity, our God is One Being, although Three Persons, so, likewise, we ourselves must be one. As our God is indivisible, we also must be indivisible, as though we were one man, one mind, one will, one heart, one goodness, without the smallest admixture of malice – in a word, one pure love, as God is Love. “That they may be one, even as We are One.” (St. John 17:22) ~ St. John of Kronstadt.

…we shall begin… by applying identical expressions to the Three. ‘He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world’ (St. John 1:9) – yes, the Father. ‘He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world’ -yes, the Son. ‘He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world’ -yes, the Comforter. These are the three subjects and three verbs – He was and He was and He was. But a single reality was. There are three predicates – light and light and light. But the light is one, God is one. This is the beginning of David’s prophetic vision: ‘In Your light shall we see light’ (Psalm 36:9). We receive the Son’s light from the Father’s light in the light of the Spirit: that is what we ourselves have seen and what we now proclaim – it is the plain and simple explanation of the Trinity. ~St. Gregory Nazianzus (On Christ and God, Oration 31:3)

The three-leafed shamrock on a single stem, was used by 5th century St. Patrick to illustrate the Holy Trinity – our One God in Three Persons. St. Patrick wrote many hymns. Here is a short excerpt from a longer, beautiful hymn. “I bind unto myself today, the Strong Name of the Trinity! By Invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three!”

St. Patrick Enlightener of Ireland

Thank you Vera, for sharing the St. Patrick icon!

St. Patrick is so beloved and well-known, that I’m posting this today… for both calendars (March 17/March 30).

St. Patrick led an amazing life. Born in Scotland around the year 385 AD, he was the son of a deacon and the grandson of a priest. Patrick wasn’t particularly religious during his youth, but he lived a quiet life.

That all changed at the age of sixteen, when he was kidnapped by pirates raiding the British coast. Taken to Ireland and sold as a slave, Patrick spent the next six years as a herder on an isolated mountain.

Labouring in solitude, he remembered the faith of his youth, and turned to prayer, finding solace in God. Patrick had a vision revealing he would soon be free and that a ship would be waiting for him. An opportunity arose for his escape, and he fled… traveling many days on foot, until he reached the coast to find the ship from his vision, preparing to sail to Gaul (France).

St. Patrick studied for several years in a monastery under the holy Bishop Germanus. He was ordained a priest and eventually consecrated a bishop. St. Patrick had another vision, that the people in the land of his captors were calling him back to Eire. St. Patrick understood that this was to be his mission… he was to return to Ireland and help establish the Church there. He was one of several missionaries who arrived in Ireland around 432 AD.

When asked to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity in a simple manner, St. Patrick used a tiny shamrock (a low growing plant of the clover family) with its three lobed leaves on a single stem, to demonstrate how God the Father- God the Son- and God the Holy Spirit are the Holy Trinity; Three in One, One in Three… Undivided.

Lorica of St. Patrick sung by the GG’s (Abridged Version)

Once, during his travels, he destroyed an idol where human sacrifices would occur. This idol sat on a large rock. When the saint struck the idol with his crozier (bishop staff), the idol crumbled to dust, and the imprint of the crozier remained upon the rock.

As a bishop he faced many struggles and dangers, including hostility from those loyal to the pagan gods. With God’s help, St. Patrick worked through these obstacles while guiding his flock, and baptising new converts. St. Patrick prayed tirelessly, and continued his work of establishing churches and monasteries. It is said he chanted the entire Psalter every day.

His writings include several works of prayers, and letters. One of these prayers is well known as the Lorica (Breastplate) of St. Patrick… A prayer for protection.

During a perilous journey to share the Christian faith in King Loegaire’s territory, the saint discovered they were in mortal danger of an ambush. He prayed the Lorica Prayer, and to those lying in ambush, the saint and his company of monks appeared to them as if they were wild deer, and not humans. Because of this miracle, the Lorica Prayer is also known as The Deer’s Cry.

The early fifth century Enlightenment of Ireland by St. Patrick and his brethren, has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the church.

This post is collected from various sources over the years… and are but a smidgeon of the countless, wondrous, and miraculous events, regarding the life of St. Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland.

Today we also celebrate the 7th century British St. Owen of Lichfield.

A Shamrock Day

Regardless of it being March 30th on the civil calendar today, it’s also March 17th on the ancient Julian calendar – thus, St. Patrick Day again for some. 🙂

Icons of St. Patrick often show him holding a three-leafed shamrock growing on a single stem, he used this to illustrate the Holy Trinity – our One God in Three Persons.

St. Patrick’s Lorica Hymn, sung by the GG’s (Abridged Version)