By Kayla I Shown-Dean

“Good luck!” I constantly catch myself saying this phrase, specifically to my students when they are about to take a test or turn in an important assignment to another professor. Sometimes, I think to myself, “I must come off as a superstitious person.” I mean, here I am, an educator, one who believes firmly in studious preparation, and I’m wishing my students luck as if their fate rests in the hands of some supernatural force regardless of the amount of effort they put forth. This, however, does provide a good definition, or picture, of luck: it’s an uncontrollable force that requires nothing from you. I suppose that is what makes it roll off my tongue so effortlessly.

On the other hand, while it might be easy to wish someone luck, it isn’t easy to tell someone to have faith. This term is usually reserved for the religious or the direst of situations, and I’ve come to believe that it’s because faith requires so much more of us than luck. Faith is a journey that requires all one has.

Allow me to illustrate this point with a story.

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who lived a quiet life with his family in England. The little boy lived with his mother and father who, as good Christians, brought their son up in the local church. The child attended Sunday mass, Bible study groups, and starred in the Christmas play each year, bringing great pride to his parents. However, while the knowledge of his Creator had been ingrained into his head, he had yet to make room for Him in heart.

Life continued in its usual way for many years, and the boy grew into a young man. Until one day, his life drastically changed. The young man was roaming the marketplace in his English village when suddenly he was taken—kidnapped by a gang of pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. There the boy grew into a man, away from all that he knew and loved. However, it was there, in Ireland, living among his Druid captors that he met Christ. He remembered his Sunday school lessons and reached out to Christ as a friend and link to his past, and their relationship deepened.

After six years in slavery, the young man finally had an opportunity to escape; he snuck aboard a merchant ship to England and ninety days later, he was reunited with his family. However, as a result of his captivity, the young man was notably behind in his education, so he enrolled in seminary to bring himself up to speed. Yet, once again God had a different plan for this young man’s life as He laid a call to missions upon the young man’s heart, specifically to missions in Ireland.

The young man finished his time in seminary and was obedient to God’s call to Ireland. There, he served and loved those who had once enslaved him. The young man’s name was Maewyn Succat, but today we know him as St. Patrick. The pope gave him the name Patricius, which means father figure, sometime before his ministry in Ireland began. Because of St. Patrick’s dedication to the Lord, the Irish people not only found God, but also developed a love for learning, and in their excitement translated and shared the Word of God, preserving it for generations.

If St. Patrick had believed in luck, he probably would have accepted his circumstances as something merely beyond his control and tried to make the best of them. He may have lived a quiet life in Ireland, working his way out of bondage or at least into the hands of a decent proprietor. Either way, he wouldn’t have had much of an effect on anyone, and he certainly wouldn’t have achieved sainthood. But thankfully, young Maewyn allowed God to lead him through faith instead of taking chances with luck.

St. Patrick’s faith is made evident through his sacrifice. What else but faith could inspire someone to return to one’s captors in humility and love? So while the whole world is adorned in green in atonement to luck, I’ll turn to my faith. I’ll see the green as reminder to grow in it; I’ll pick shamrocks to remind me of the Holy Trinity, and I’ll listen to the stories of fairies and leprechauns and in awe compare them to the majesty of my God. 

For those who choose the journey of faith, I wish you luck!