Today we celebrate both the fifth Sunday of Lent and Ireland's patron saint Patrick.
Jesus talks about a grain of wheat falling to the ground, dying and yielding a rich harvest. It is a powerful image of his death on the cross which would bring a harvest of new life. It was not what the crowds expected who had greeted him with palms and hailed him as their king. He alone knew the danger he faced after raising Lazarus from the dead, for the chief priests were angry that people were following him at their expense (John 12:9-12).
Patrick followed the example of his master, when he risked returning to the land where he had been enslaved, to bring the good news to what was essentially a pagan country. In fact we know relatively little about him apart from the information given in the two historical documents which are still extant. Many of the stories about him were told much later. The picture above shows him with snakes. In fact there were probably no snakes in Ireland; but the symbolism might suggest that he banished the evil of ignorance and brought in the light of the gospel.
On 17 March, all over the world, people hold festivals in honour of Patrick the humble, holy man, claiming him as their own for the day.