Daily Devotional

St. Patrick, the beloved patron saint of Ireland, was originally from Roman Britain. When he was fourteen, Irish pirates captured him and took him to Ireland as a slave. His strong faith provided comfort and hope during his six years in captivity. A divine dream inspired Patrick to escape, and he eventually returned to Britain and reunited with his family. Feeling a sacred calling, Patrick became a priest and was later ordained a bishop. He was driven to bring Christianity to Ireland, arriving in Slane on 25 March 433.

Without further questions, “the official believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.” When the priest says, “Go forth, the Mass is ended”, consider these words as coming from Jesus’ lips. Go home joyful, hopeful and happy. Go with positive expectations. The behaviour of this official is similar to that of Hannah, who believed the prophet Eli’s word.

The blindness of the Pharisees was caused by: 1. Envy. When you are envious of others, you are prepared to pull them down by any means, but no matter how hard you try, they remain above you. They couldn’t believe that Jesus was now doing what they themselves could not do. 2. Hatred. When you hate someone, there is nothing the person would do that would make sense. While others praised God, the Pharisees found fault: “He cannot be God because he did this on the Sabbath day.” Watch out when you become highly critical of others; it is a sign of hatred brewing in your heart.