This morning’s Thought for the Day for BBC Scotland. One of the great blessings of these strange times is that I no longer have to go to the studio – just nip upstairs to a spare bedroom!
My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many.
It’s St Patrick’s Day – and these are the words of St Patrick himself – the opening of his Confessions, his statement of faith.
So forget the St Patrick’s Day razzmatazz – the parades, the green beer and the rest – which have become part of St Patrick’s Day as the Irish diaspora celebrates its identity. Patrick is simplicity, humility and quiet faith.
Covid of course has put us in a place where that’s what we are left with in the world of faith. Churches are closed. Organised and institutional religion can’t function as it usually does. A priest writing in the Irish Times recently said, ‘The pandemic means religion for religion’s sake is gone. That’s not a bad thing. Leadership will not come from a moribund clerical caste, but from those who must now step up to the bar’
None of us can know what the long-term impact on faith and faith communities is going to be. But I suspect that there is going to be, as that article suggested, something of a shake-out. Authenticity will trump tradition. The spiritual will outweigh the institutional. Spontaneity and the personal will outdistance routine.
I haven’t mentioned the snakes – because of course St Patrick is also celebrated for getting rid of snakes from Ireland. And that is seen as symbolising the driving away of evil.
So Patrick can also stand for better and more wholesome lifestyles
We are just beginning the long process of coming out of lockdown. We crave social contact, friendships and ultimately the ability to move around. But it won’t just be the same. We are living in a time which gives us the opportunity of rediscovering simplicity –greener lifestyles, better relationships, a focus on home as a place of family but also of work and learning – and maybe a little of Patrick’s spiritual simplicity.