Who Knew?

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Dear readers,

This piece was so popular last year (and the year before) I am repeating it for the benefit of all the followers I’ve picked up since then. Enjoy (again!).                                                                                                                                                                                   Annie

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”   Matthew 28: 19

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

So … How much do you really know about St. Patrick?

Try taking this four-question quiz. Whatever your score, you will probably learn something new. And there’s a prize at the end!

(Answers follow each question, so don’t scroll down until you’ve tried to answer each! Then have fun seeing if you can stump your friends.)

1.) What was Patrick’s nationality?

A.) Irish                                                                                                                                                   B.) American                                                                                                                                          C.) British                                                                                                                                              D) French

Answer: C. Patrick was born in Britain and grew up on the coast of Wales.

2.) How did Patrick end up in Ireland? 

A.) He ran away from home.                                                                                                          B.)He was kidnapped by pirates.                                                                                                     C.) His drunken father lost him to Irish gypsies in a card game.                                               D.) He went to the University of Dublin.

Answer: B At the age of sixteen Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery.

3.) After escaping, why would Patrick want to go back to where he had been a slave?

A.) He wanted to take revenge on his master and free the other slaves.                                  B.) To kill the snakes infesting Ireland.                                                                                            C.) He wanted to conquer Ireland for Wales.                                                                                   D.) He wanted to evangelize the Irish.

Answer: D. Patrick had become a committed Christian. He had had visions and dreams about sharing his faith with the Irish pagans. As a Christian, not only was he given the supernatural ability to forgive years of slavery, but he wanted the Irish to have the same blessings he had. Hence, Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.

4) Why is the shamrock the symbol of St. Patrick?   

A.) It was an object lesson                                                                                                                 B) Irish children welcomed Patrick with shamrocks                                                                    C) Shamrocks in Ireland were infested with snakes.                                                                  D) According to legend, shamrocks sprang up overnight to cover Patrick’s first church in green, symbolizing life.

Answer: A. In explaining the Trinity, Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate one God in three Persons:

  1. God the Father, creator of all things,
  2. Jesus, His Son, who died to save Mankind from sin and death, and
  3. the Holy Spirit, sent from God to live inside believers

(P.S. Snakes are not and have never been indigenous to Ireland.)

If Saint Patrick were standing  here today holding a shamrock, he would tell you that

  1. God the Father loves you and wants to be your Father. You can be adopted into His family by believing in
  2. Jesus, His Son, who died on the Cross to save us all from our sin. Sin can’t just be swept under the carpet – somebody must pay the price, and Jesus paid your debt in full! Just think – He loves you so much, He was willing to go to the cross so that you wouldn’t have to spend eternity away from Him! By repenting of your sins and believing in Him, you can not only “born again” into the family of God, you escape eternal death and be can be filled with …
  3. the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He will help you discern right and wrong and give you the strength to do the right things – even things you couldn’t do before.

    You can live the life you were created to live.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Here’s the prize:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Those who believe in Christ are promised ETERNAL LIFE. So, we don’t even need to fear death! Jesus rose from the dead, and because He did, those who believe inHim will, too.(That’s way better than green beer, which has absolutely nothing to do with Saint Patrick.)

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

    Happy FOREVER!

Prayer: Father, thank You for showing us the signs of Your hand at work throughout history, as You did a miraculous, forgiving work in St. Patrick. May the story of my life give You glory, too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

Published

54 thoughts on “Who Knew?”

  7. This was such a great idea for a post.
    I have to admit that I knew all the answers, because I read up on it on another blog just earlier today.
    However, I bet that many people had trouble with answering those questions.
    It is a bit of a pity that all those that “celebrate” St. Patrick’s have no idea who he was and what he did.

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  8. I originally had this idea for an outreach when I was at the Louisville St. Patrick’s Day parade, where it’s estimated that about 10,000 people attend. I looked at that sea of faces and wondered how many of them had any clue what they were celebrating.. I was also “inspired” by some church folks standing on a corner with a bullhorn, yelling at the celebrants about their sin. I thought, “There’s gotta be a better way to share the gospel…”

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  12. Oh, this was cool! I got 2/4 correct!🤫🤭
    I really should know more about St. Patrick because I’m part-way Irish! I knew he wasn’t Irish, but I still got question 1 wrong!😔
    I just started following you and get wait for more awesome posts!

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  14. Hey Ann I’m wondering if you’d mind if I refer to your ‘what the ?!?’ post in my latest blog? I loved your message and inspiration through that post..let me know!!…btw I’m behind reading posts again!!!! Ahhhh!!

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  18. I had just heard about the shamrock representing the Trinity here recently from my husband..I was so relieved because I have a shamrock tattooed on my shoulder from years and years ago and I’ve always felt guilty over it because I only got it thinking it was cute but after years went by I kept associating it with “luck” which I don’t believe in, So I was to the point where I despised this tattoo and obviously since it’s permanent there wasn’t much I can do about it …but then my husband told me that story and now to read what you have here makes me feel a little bit better 😂

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  19. If it’s got three leaves, it is definitely a shamrock. You also see a lot of four-leafed clovers around this time of year and the phrase “the luck of the Irish.”
    If your tattoo is a four-leafed clover, I guess the fourth leaf could be you, joined with the Godhead as a member of the Body of Christ. … Just off the top of my head. 😉 Whatever it is, ask God to show you how it can be used as a conversation-starter. 🙂

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  24. Pingback: Who Knew? | Ann's Corner

    1. Haha, then you did better than most. Isn’t it funny how we can celebrate something or someone) for years and not get the whole story? (Something for Christians to keep in mind as Easter approaches – it’s NOT about chocolate rabbits and jelly beans. 😉 )

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    2. Just so you know, I tried to open up your blog and couldn’t. This is happening with a bunch of them, but not all, so I don’r know whether it’s a problem with my laptop or the internet in general or WordPress. Just wanted to let you know I tried. Maybe in the future we can connect. I hope so.

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  30. Responding to your comment: I’ll have to check out Exodus sometime with the Hebrew for the relevant passage(s). I’m actualy a slow responder, those posts I have on Bible contradictions take a long time from me because I want to be careful and make sure what I’m writing and saying

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