Lent and the Confessio of Saint Patrick of Ireland

Lent and the Confessio of Saint Patrick of Ireland

By Colin O’Connor

The Church finds herself well into the penitential season of Lent. This is the season of the Church year during which we set ourselves to the introspective work of repentance. It may not be the most pleasant notion to ponder, that we are indeed, miserable offenders in great need of the mercy of God. Yet, if we truly take the time to count the offenses we have committed against our Father, this should cause us truly to lament our sins and acknowledge our wretchedness and throw ourselves upon the mercy of God. However, while we are taking account of ourselves and the times we miss the mark, we must remember that it is always the property of our Lord to have mercy. And while feeling the weight and the grave shadow that our sin casts upon our souls, let us not neglect to apply the medicine prescribed by the Church. During Lent, sacramental confession is piously observed, most frequently right before or during Holy Week. For those not in the practice of regularly having a priest hear their confession, it may seem a bit unnerving or for some even something to be feared. I confess to you that the first time I gave my confession, I was a bit nervous about it. However, the joy that came after far outweighed the nervousness I felt leading into it. Blessed is he who’s transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1). When the priest announced absolution and declared that the Lord had put away my sins, I felt a huge weight drop off my shoulders and peace flood into my soul. Some of you reading this may still have reservations and may be having thoughts like, “what do I say?” or “How do I tell the priest my confession?” These are both understandable questions. Rest assured, our priests (and many priests overall) will graciously guide you through the sacrament.

This past week, what prompted me to write this, was my annual reading of St. Patrick’s Confession. I usually share a link to the confession of St. Patrick on my social media accounts every year and am always surprised to hear that many Christians are not aware that we have a record attributed to St. Patrick of Ireland at all. The manuscript evidence for the Confessio of St. Patrick is relatively strong for a late antique text and it relies on a small but early set of witnesses that have helped us with its reconstruction. St. Patrick’s Confessio is rather short (not nearly as long as the Confessions of St. Augustine) but is rather beautiful in its honesty and it reveals a fair amount of detail concerning the life of the Saint. In it also is his Regula Fidei (Rule of Faith) that perfectly and concisely puts forth the orthodox and apostolic faith. I encourage you all to give it a read! Access it here. Look at how St. Patrick opens his Confessio:

My name is Patrick…

I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers.

Such honesty… reminiscent of St. Paul’s self-abasing declaration in his first epistle to the church at Corinth: For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. If these two men whom the Church has declared to be capital “S” Saints; two men that we Anglicans venerate on their respective feast days, can make such confessions, then we too should be able to find it within ourselves to begin our confessions with Bless me Father, for I have sinned very much, in thought, word, deed, and by omission…

Part of what makes St. Patrick a great Saint to emulate is his admission that he is, indeed, a sinner. You will find this level of humility consistently if you search in the writings of the Saints… you could even say that confessing one’s sinfulness is a distinct attribute of what makes a Saint saintly. Confessing that we are sinners in need of mercy and grace is the first step on the road to receiving said mercy and grace. So, as we approach the feast of St. Patrick on the 17^th of March, right in the middle of the Lenten season, may we not be ashamed or hesitant to, like St. Patrick, admit we are sinners. Let us remember that if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the Propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:1-2). We have been gifted with great priests that would love nothing more than for you to feel the weight of your sin lifted off of your soul and for you to know that your sins have been put away from you. Reach out to one of them and schedule a time for them to hear your confession before Holy Week!

St. Patrick of Ireland, Pray for Us!