St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day! An annual rite of drunken debauchery. In celebration of a...Christian holy leader? I know I'm not the first to be

So what are we really celebrating? Irish culture. I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I've always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day celebrations. I think that in moderation it's all in good fun, but why do we have to do so in the name of a Christian saint? Why can't it be Irish Day?

Of course, this isn't a first. We often have the same complaints about Easter and Christmas. That a rabbit and a fat man in a red suit take away from the true meaning. But in each of those cases, I would reverse my view. For those that treat Easter and Christmas as secular holidays, that's okay, because there are enough pageants, plays, songs, TV shows, etc. to remind even the most thick headed people what the holiday is really celebrating.

But not St. Patty's. The word "saint" is the only reference at all to the fact that it's a Christian-based holiday.

I'm not Catholic. I struggle mightily with the concepts of "sainthood." But that doesn't change the fact that I acknowledge Saints as the most influential men and women in the history of Christianity, except of course for Jesus himself.

Does Judaism or Islam have a day in which they venerate one of the great historical leaders with massive amounts of alcohol, a parade, and some people vomiting late in the evening? Not that I am aware of.

So can we take some time...even just a few minutes, and remember what we are really celebrating. Maybe we can be a bit more respectful of those great men and women who have come before us and laid the groundwork for our faith and our relationship with God and Christ.