Certain secular practices associated with sacred feasts baffle me, but no day on the liturgical calendar causes me more bewilderment than the one honoring St. Patrick, the "Apostle of Ireland."
Today, everyone is Irish. That, I suppose, wouldn't be that odd, except for the fact that on the patronal feast days of other countries, I don't see similar occasions of everyone pretending to be from there. On the Feast of St. George, patron of Canada, I don't see everyone drinking Tim Horton's coffee and chasing it with Molson. I don't play extra games of Katamari Damacy on December 3, the feast of St. Francis Xavier, patron of Japan. And I don't listen to Bjork on the feast of Thorlac Thorhallson, patron of Iceland (come to think of it, I don't really listen to her on other days either).
So today, while you're mimicking a drunken leprechaun and coloring rivers green, pinching all the party poopers and faking your brogue, just be sure not to neglect similar nationalistic expressions on other feast days. I don't want to see any of you messing with Sicilians when death is on the line on the Feast of St. Nicholas, December 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment