SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2024 - ST. PATRICK - AND MORE

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. On St. Patrick’s Day, we are all Irish (even the Aborigines of Australia!!). St. Patrick is known for helping Ireland accept Christianity. To explain the Trinity of Christianity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—Patrick used the familiar shamrock plant. Yes, there are three lobes on one stem with the shamrock, but they are all interconnected, not separate leaves—but one.

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But I wanted to go another way today (and if you’ve read my blog before, it will relate to LOVE WINS).

Several centuries after St. Patrick's time, the Protestant Reformation occurred.  Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of a Catholic Church in Germany.  At first, King Henry the 8th defined Catholics (and Ireland) as good.  But, when Henry didn’t have an heir to be King, he divorced his wife and married others (a total of six wives).  When the Roman Church did not approve, Henry said, “Nuts to you.”, I’m going to make my own church (the Church of England).  However, the Irish people stayed with the Catholic tradition (maybe out of loyalty to St. Patrick).  

Moving ahead from King Henry - the English observed the Church of England as the state church and killed various Catholics.  Friction over religion developed between Ireland and England.  During the Irish Potato Famine, if an Irish Catholic suffered from deprivation from famine and became a member of t” (basically the Church of England), that person could get food and privileges not allowed to Irish Catholics.  The persecution continued for years until Irish independence.  

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So, my thought today is, why are there wars between religions?  Many of the main tenets are similar - don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit sin.  But the politics seem to be overwhelming. (I admit I judged for years on the basic of religion.  Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons were all wrong - and I had the right (or duty) to shun them.)

In Islam, Iran is a Shiite country, while Sauda Arabia (and Syria, Egypt, and other areas) are Sunni Muslims. Thus, there is a war between the two factions. Similar animosities exist in other areas of the world - either within a big culture (like Christianity or Islam) or smaller cultures.  

I call this “Man’s inhumanity towards fellow man”. 

And, yet we do it.  We judge each other - for whatever the smallest difference there is.  When I grew up, division lines were formed between Catholics and Protestants.  There were barriers between Black and White.  Now it seems like it is conservative (including conservative Protestants and Catholics working together), against liberals.  The pressure from the conservative side is making the liberals give up on religion.  Jews against Hamas (and Palistinians Arabs). China against Taiwan. Russia against Ukraine.  

Maybe someday I’ll have to wear a gold Star of David emblem (okay, probably not).  Maybe I’ll be excluded from bathrooms, maybe I won’t be able to vote, or, maybe I’ll be moved to a LGBTQ reservation.

Where is the LOVE?  

Beatles sang “All you need is Love, Love.  Love is all you need”.

Dionne Warwick sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”

Karen sings “Jesus Loves Me”.

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St. Patrick would be happier today.  Religion doesn’t seem to divide Ireland like it once did - but the fervor for faith also seems to be less.  

Let’s judge less, and let’s love and forgive more!!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, ©, March 17, 2024