“They cried out, as with one voice: ‘We appeal to you...to come and walk among us.’” (Saint Patrick).
There have been moments in time when the Church has grown at an exponential rate. There have been moments in time when in a very short period of time thousands of people have been converted.
For example, in the Acts of the Apostles, we are told that following the preaching of Saint Peter – a simple fisherman – literally thousands of people converted to Christianity during a period of extreme and significant persecution (and on pain of torture and death)…
“Peter replied, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away – all who have been called by the Lord our God.’ Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation!’ Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day – about 3,000 in all.” (Acts 2:38-41).
But that was not the only time that a conversion of thousands occurred. The Christian Spanish conquest of the Incas in the 16th century resulted in the conversion of literally thousands of people, and a huge boom in the Christian faith (and though some historical accounts attribute such a boom to force, this is accepted by historians as conjecture and not fact).
And then there was Saint Patrick…
Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain and enslaved and taken to Ireland when he was fourteen years old. He wrote in his memoirs that his love for God and his faith increased during his time in captivity… “My soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain.” By the time he was free, at twenty years of age, Saint Patrick realised that God was calling him to Ireland… He wrote that he felt the Irish calling out to him… “They cried out, as with one voice: ‘We appeal to you...to come and walk among us.’”
In Ireland, Saint Patrick was ordained a bishop and lived there for 40 years. He suffered greatly prior to his death in 461 and is famous for his prayer, “Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.” Saint Patrick’s work helped to ensure the conversion of Ireland to Christianity…
And I have been thinking about these examples today as I have been thinking about my own life. You see, in all of these instances, the Holy Spirit was at work in His Church. So, when Christ told His apostles that He was leaving so that the Holy Spirit could come, He certainly was not talking in metaphors. And knowing this today, I feel just a little more confident of the Holy Spirit at work in the world. After all, if He could convert thousands, surely He can look after little old me…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
Comments