With St. Patrick's Day coming up, it is neat to read from his own words in his Confession:
"Even if I wished to leave [Ireland] and go to Britain---and how I would have
loved to go to my country and my parents, and also to Gaul in order to visit
the brethren and to see the face of the saints of my Lord! God knows it! that I
much desired it; but I am bound by the Spirit, who gives evidence against me if
I do this, telling me that I shall be guilty; and I am afraid of losing the
labour which I have begun---nay, not I, but Christ the Lord who bade me come
here and stay with them for the rest of my life, if the Lord will, and will
guard me from every evil way that I may not sin before Him.
This, I presume, I ought to do, but I do not trust myself as long as I
am in this body of death, for strong is he who daily strives to turn me away
from the faith and the purity of true religion to which I have devoted myself
to the end of my life to Christ my Lord. But the hostile flesh is ever
dragging us unto death, that I is, towards the forbidden satisfaction of one's
desires; and I know that in part I did not lead a perfect life as did the other
faithful; but I acknowledge it to my Lord, and do not blush before Him,
because I lie not: from the time I came to know Him in my youth, the love of
God and the fear of Him have grown in me, and up to now, thanks to the grace of
God, I have kept the faith.
Hence I ought unceasingly to give thanks to God who often pardoned my
folly and my carelessness, and on more than one occasion spared His great wrath
on me, who was chosen to be His helper and who was slow to do as was shown me
and as the Spirit suggested. And the Lord had mercy on me thousands and
thousands of times because He saw that I was ready, but that I did not know
what to do in the circumstances. For many tried to prevent this my mission;
they would even talk to each other behind my back and say: `Why does this
fellow throw himself into danger among enemies who have no knowledge of God?'
It was not malice, but it did not appeal to them because---and to this I own
myself---of my rusticity. And I did not realize at once the grace that was then
in me; now I understand that I should have done so before.
Now I have given a simple account to my brethren and fellow servants who
have believed me because of what I said and still say in order to strengthen
and confirm your faith. Would that you, too, would strive for greater things
and do better! This will be my glory, for a wise son is the glory of his
father."
I find these words both incredibly encouraging and challenging. Wherever God has brought us, and whatever we have been called to leave behind, let us keep on striving!
