St. Patrick Was Italian...& Encouraged Hugging

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St. Patrick's Day...quite the celebratory occasion for many of the humans, no?

Some of us paint our faces or hair green. Some of us dump green dye into our city's rivers, lakes or fountains. Some of us make our eggs, bagels, or even beer a lovely shade of emerald.

Lots of folks celebrate with an excess of said beer (or other libations), green or not, from the break of dawn to ... tomorrow's break of dawn, I suppose.

And when the holiday happens to fall on a weekend, well, that's just a valid argument for a three-day extravaganza to beat the band, now isn't it?

Growing up, I could always count on certain St. Patrick's Day traditions to be upheld:

​-Me Irish Mum would always make sure we had festive pins (i.e. "Kiss Me, I'm Irish!" or "It's a Great Day for Wee Folk") to wear. Green was the only color option for garments. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT WEARING RED OR ORANGE, YO.

-My Italian Pop would remind us all that St. Patrick was, in fact, Italian.

-We'd listen to Irish music; notably, "The Orange and the Green" made its way around the turntable many, many times.

-There'd be some type of Irish food (always potatoes and usually, some Irish-themed dessert) served.

-Inevitably a discussion would ensue about how St. Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland and explained the Holy Trinity with an analogy about a shamrock.

But the most important thing I remember about St. Patrick's Day? We always took time to share a laugh together.

​So, however you choose to celebrate today, remember: be safe, be smart, and spend some time with those you love most in the wide world. Hug 'em tons.

I think St. Patrick would like that a lot, Capisce? #HappyStPatricksDay


Responsorial Psalm PS 7:2-3, 9BC-10, 11-12 R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,  Lest I become like the lion's prey, to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me. Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just, and because of the innocence that is mine. Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but sustain the just, O searcher of heart and soul, O just God. A shield before me is God, who saves the upright of heart; A just judge is God, a God who punishes day by day. Verse Before The Gospel SEE LK 8:15 Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

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