Archbishop Eamon Martin tells St. Patrick’s Day Mass in New York of how arms are being prioritised over the poor and hungry

Derry Journal

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00:00Friends, St. Patrick was a pilgrim of hope, and in this Jubilee Year of Hope, I'm honoured

00:08to be with you in New York as a pilgrim of hope myself, and to bring you greetings from

00:14Armagh, the home of St. Patrick.

00:17Thank you, Your Eminence, for your kind invitation and warm welcome.

00:22Bon apetit, na feile Padre, Gareth Gulliér.

00:25We know from his own writings that Patrick was trafficked into slavery in Ireland as

00:31a young teenager, but despite his isolation and the pain of loneliness so far from his

00:40home and family, Patrick turned with all his heart to God.

00:45He dared to hope.

00:48Much later in his life, as a priest and as a bishop, he heard the voice of the Irish

00:53calling him back, and Patrick had the courage to return to the land of his captivity, this

01:00time as a missionary to spread the good news to the people of Ireland and a message of

01:06hope and trust in the Lord.

01:09No doubt he was inspired by the words in today's Gospel reading, put out into deep water and

01:18lower your nets for a catch.

01:21And again, follow me, do not be afraid, for from now on it is men that you will be catching.

01:30When I was ordained a priest, I chose for my ordination card a verse from Psalm 31,

01:37be strong, let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

01:43And I've been privileged during my years as a priest and as a bishop to witness hope in

01:50the lives of many people, including people who dare to hope even in the most difficult

01:57of circumstances.

01:58Friends, nowadays there seem to be so many reasons to give up on hope, the terrible wars

02:07and violence and injustices that seem intractable at times, the shocking disregard for human

02:15dignity and vulnerable life, the almost relentless advance of climate change.

02:22I can't imagine what it must be like to lose all hope.

02:28And yet, sadly, we live in a world where too many people feel overwhelmed by the pressures

02:35and worries of every day and are tempted to despair.

02:40But as people of God, we can never allow ourselves to stop daring to hope.

02:47That phrase, to dare to hope, comes from chapter 3 of the Old Testament book of Lamentations,

02:53where it says, I still dare to hope when I remember this, the faithful love of the Lord

03:01never ends, his mercies never cease, great is his faithfulness, therefore I will hope

03:08in the Lord.

03:11That's the kind of hope that kept St. Patrick going in his captivity.

03:16That's the hope which sustained the faith of our fathers in Ireland in spite of persecution,

03:22famine, and forced displacement.

03:25That's the hope which sustained the Irish who came here as immigrants in famine times

03:31with little more than the clothes on their backs but were inspired to dream, to pull

03:38themselves up, and to help build a better future for themselves and their families.

03:44The Christian hope which we celebrate during the Jubilee year is much more than human optimism.

03:52It's a hope forged in adversity which confronts the difficulties of this life with eyes fixed

04:00on the risen Lord.

04:03I've been thinking today as I came in about those who built the two beautiful cathedrals

04:09of St. Patrick, here in New York, of course, and back home in Armagh.

04:14Both cathedrals were constructed in tough times, largely from the pennies of the Irish

04:21at home and in the diaspora.

04:24The two cathedrals were both opened in the 1870s, just six years apart.

04:30And interestingly, both of the cathedrals have twin spires reaching to the skies, daring

04:38to hope against hope, and pointing to our shared heavenly homelands.

04:45Our patron St. Patrick was indeed a pilgrim of hope who felt strengthened and protected

04:51by God in good times and bad, on his right, his left, behind, before him.

04:57He was protected even when he was insulted and imprisoned.

05:02And he tells us himself that he simply couldn't be silent about the great blessings and gifts

05:08so kindly bestowed on him in the land of his captivity.

05:12He had a deep conviction that he was called to be a witness to faith, hope, and love,

05:19to spread the name of God faithfully and without fear.

05:24Patrick believed that the work of a missionary was a holy and wonderful work, something for

05:30which he was prepared to willingly give up his life.

05:35No doubt our ancient ancestors would have spoken about Patrick in the same words as

05:42those of the prophet Isaiah in today's first reading.

05:45How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who

05:52brings good news, and announces salvation.

05:57I've been thinking a lot about peace during my pilgrimage of hope here these last few

06:03days.

06:05On Friday, I traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to reflect with my good friend, the

06:11Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell, about the unfinished work of peace and reconciliation

06:18in Ireland.

06:20Many of the young adults who were attending our talk had little or no memory or knowledge

06:27of the violence and conflict that happened on the island of Ireland.

06:33And I thanked God for that and for the fact that the beautiful island of St. Patrick is

06:40no longer making the headlines because of death and destruction on our streets, thanks

06:46be to God.

06:48But one young man took me aside afterwards and he said, Archbishop, we need to speak

06:53more than ever about peace and reconciliation and fraternity in the world because our world

07:00at the moment seems more fragile and fragmented than ever.

07:05There's more talk now about rearmament among nations than about the needs of the hungry

07:12and the common good.

07:13And I sensed in his words a yearning for hope.

07:18And yesterday, I had a really moving moment when I visited Ground Zero 9-11 Memorial with

07:25a group of young people from St. Paul's High School in Bessbrook in Armagh.

07:30And one of the young girls asked me, Archbishop, could this happen again?

07:37And I said, you and I must have hope in God.

07:42We must work and pray for peace to make sure that it never does.

07:48Friends as sons and daughters of St. Patrick, somewhere deep inside all of us, the voice

07:54of God is challenging us to be pilgrims of hope in this troubled world.

08:01And I pray this St. Patrick's Day that every one of us here will have the courage and strength

08:08to be fearless ambassadors of hope and charity, to be energetic peacemakers, to be compassionate

08:16carers for the sick and the lonely, faithful stewards of God's creation, strong protectors

08:23of life, generous helpers of the poor and the marginalized, and welcoming friends for

08:31those who, like St. Patrick and so many of our Irish ancestors, are forcibly displaced

08:38from their homeland.

08:40Go raibh maith agat ar báth ruaibh níomh Padraig ar abhaileg, an miúch agus ag go níoch.

08:46Amen.

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