Thank you, Cardinal Dolan for your kind invitation and warm welcome.
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go leir.
We know from his own writings that Patrick was trafficked into slavery in Ireland as a young teenager, but despite his isolation and the pain of loneliness, so far from his home and family, Patrick turned with all his heart to God, and dared to hope.
Much later in his life, as a priest and bishop, he heard the “voice of the Irish” calling him and Patrick had the courage to return to the land of his captivity, this time as a missionary to spread the Good News to the people of Ireland and a message of hope and trust in the Lord. No doubt he was inspired by those words in today’s Gospel reading: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch” and again, “Follow me; do not be afraid; for from now on it is men that you will be catching”.
When I was ordained a priest I chose for my ordination card a verse from psalm 31: “Be strong let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord (Psalm 31:24).”
And I have been privileged during my years as a priest and a bishop to witness hope in the lives of many people – including people who “dare to hope” even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Friends nowadays there seem to be so many reasons to give up on hope – the terrible wars, violence and injustices that seem intractable; the shocking disregard for human dignity and vulnerable life; the almost relentless advance of climate change.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose all hope. And yet sadly we live in a world where too many people feel overwhelmed by the pressures and worries of everyday and are tempted to despair. But as people of God we can never allow ourselves, or the world, to stop daring to hope. That phrase, to ‘dare to hope’ comes from chapter 3 of the Old Testament book of Lamentations:
“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; … therefore, I will hope in Him!’”
That’s the kind of hope that kept Saint Patrick going in his captivity; that’s the Hope which sustained the faith of our fathers in Ireland in spite of persecution, famine and forced displacement. That’s the Hope which sustained the Irish who came here as immigrants in famine times with little more than the clothes on their backs, but were inspired to dream, to pull themselves up, and to help build a brighter future for themselves and their families.
The Christian Hope which we celebrate during this Jubilee year is much more than human optimism. It is a Hope forged in adversity which confronts the difficulties of this life with eyes fixed on the Risen Lord.
I’ve been thinking today about those who built the two beautiful Cathedrals of Saint Patrick, here in New York, and back home in Armagh. Both Cathedrals were constructed in tough times largely from the pennies of the Irish, at home and in the diaspora. The two cathedrals were opened in the 1870s, just six years apart; and interestingly, both have twin spires, reaching to the skies, daring to ‘hope against Hope’ and pointing to our shared heavenly homeland.
Our patron Saint Patrick was indeed a pilgrim of hope who felt strengthened and protected by God in good times and bad, even when insulted and imprisoned. He tells us himself that he simply couldn’t be silent about the great blessings and gifts so kindly bestowed on him in the land his captivity. He had a deep conviction that he was called to be a witness to faith, hope and love, to spread the name of God ‘faithfully and without fear’ – Patrick believed that the work of a missionary was a ‘holy and wonderful work’, something for which he was prepared to willingly give up his life.
No doubt our ancient ancestors would have spoken about Patrick in words like those of the prophet Isaiah in todays first reading:
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news and announces salvation”. Isaiah 52:7
I’ve been thinking a lot about peace during my pilgrimage of hope this last few days. On Friday I travelled to Capitol Hill in Washington DC to reflect with my good friend the Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell about the unfinished work of peace and reconciliation in Ireland. Many of the young adults who were attending our talk had little or no memory or knowledge of the violence and conflict that had happened in the island of Ireland. I thanked God for the fact that the beautiful island of Saint Patrick is no longer making the headlines because of death and destruction on our streets.
One young man took me aside afterwards and said “Archbishop, we need to speak more than ever about peace and reconciliation and fraternity, because the world seems to be getting more fragile and fragmented. There’s more talk now about rearmament among nations than about the needs of the hungry and the common good”. I sensed in his words a yearning for Hope.
Yesterday when I visited the Ground Zero 9/11 memorial with a group of young people from Saint Paul’s High School, Bessbrook in County Armagh. One of the young girls asked me, “Archbishop could this happen again?” And I said, you and I must have hope in God and work and pray for peace to make sure that it never does.
Friends, as sons and daughters of Saint Patrick, somewhere deep inside all of us, the voice of God is challenging us to be pilgrims of hope in this troubled world. I pray this Saint Patrick’s Day day that every one of us here will have the courage and strength: to be fearless ambassadors of Hope and charity; energetic peacemakers; compassionate carers for the sick and the lonely; faithful stewards of God’s creation; generous helpers of the poor and the marginalised, and welcoming friends for those who, like Patrick and so many of our Irish ancestors, are forcibly displaced from their homeland.
Guím beannacht ár bPatrúin Naomh Pádraig oraibh uilig, inniu agus i gcónaí. Amen.