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Happy St. Patrick's Day!
St. Patrick is remembered for many things, but perhaps most of all for his legendary use of the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity.
As a way of honoring this impressive saint, as well as reflecting on the Trinity, make and hang this wreath in your Prayer Space on St. Patrick's Day.
I used three separate shamrocks that were hooked together, and each shamrock displays symbols of either God the Father, Jesus the Son or the Holy Spirit. The top shamrock symbolizes God the Father and has angel wings, signifying the court of heavenly angels who are constantly worshipping and praising God. There are also two gold pieces next to the wings, symbols of the gifts, material and spiritual, that fall to us from the hand of God.
The middle shamrock represents Jesus the Son and displays a golden cross of glory, symbolizing the cross of Christ, upon which Jesus offered his self-sacrifice, atoning for our sins and also restoring our relationship to God. The cross is surrounded by earthly elements, such as the leaves and another shamrock at the base. This reminds us of Jesus' earthly journey, and how he remains with us physically still today in the Eucharist.
The final shamrock is for the Holy Spirit. The musical instruments and note point to the action of the Holy Spirit, the breath of God who enlightens us and helps us to speak. Just as it is impossible to play any instrument without breath, so also it is impossible for us to follow the path of Christ without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The smaller shamrock at the top reminds us that although we cannot see the Holy Spirit directly, we know the Spirit's presence through the gifts and fruits, which we certainly can see, just as we can see when there is a lack of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The three green and white bows in between and at the bottom of the shamrocks remind us that the Trinity is 3 persons, yet one God. The various flowers of white, green and yellow offer our praise and glory to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All the instructions to make this wreath are on the St. Patrick's Day Trinity Wreath page.
With or without the wreath, take a few moments in your Prayer Space to pray the Breastplate of St. Patrick. Known for its poetry and incorporation of natural elements to pray, the Breastplate is a timely and timeless prayer to which we can avail ourselves, especially today as we remember and give thanks for St. Patrick.
A life-long Catholic, Sarah has worked for the Catholic church for close to 20 years, helping parents, grandparents, godparents and children of all ages learn about and live their Catholic faith. A big believer in integrating reason with imagination, she especially loves using stories, particularly the stories of C.S.Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings, as well as symbols and physical "stuff" to catechize and ponder over.
She earned her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Dallas, then went on to complete a Master's in Language and Literature at St. Mary's University and years later, while living on a farm in rural Indiana with kids, dogs, chickens and ducks, she earned a Master's degree in Theology from Franciscan University of Stuebenville. She is getting close to finishing a doctoral degree in Romantic Theology, and would love for you to follow her writing on Substack, as well as here at Catholic365.
