Patrick: A Heart Afire

After three days at sea, Patrick and the crew reach France, where war has devastated the countryside and destroyed the trading opportunities they expected to find. What Patrick does immediately afterward is uncertain: he may have traveled farther through Europe to study with church leaders, or he may have returned directly to England. As Whit tells the story to Jared, they follow Patrick home.

Patrick discovers that his old village has been rebuilt larger than before, but his family’s ruined house still bears the scars of the Irish raid. Wearing a hood and looking like a stranger after years away, he asks an old man where the family now lives. When Patrick reveals that he once lived there, the man recognizes him as his son. After seven years of separation, Patrick and his father embrace and thank God for their reunion.

Patrick’s homecoming is not the end of his journey. In another dream, a messenger brings him countless letters from Ireland. As Patrick opens them, he hears the Irish people calling with one voice for him to return and work among them. The thought brings both despair and joy: Ireland is the land where he has suffered as a slave, yet Patrick believes Jesus is summoning him. He chooses to obey, even if it means leaving his family and returning to those who once held him captive.

After preparing for ministry, Patrick sails to Ireland with a small band of priests. Armed men meet them on the shore and demand that the British strangers leave. Patrick explains that they carry no weapons and have come as messengers of Jesus Christ. He refuses to bow to the druids’ gods and asks to be announced to King Leary.

The druid Lochrue warns the king that the Christians are dangerous and urges him to drive them away. Queen Eiley notices his fear and reasons that, if the druids’ gods are truly powerful, a few unarmed priests should pose no threat. At her urging, the king allows Patrick and his companions to approach the castle. Lochrue secretly hires armed renegades to ambush them along the forest road.

As Patrick and the priests near the ambush, Lochrue sees them coming, but the soldiers see only deer. They refuse to attack harmless animals, and Patrick’s party passes safely by while Lochrue rages helplessly. Patrick is no magician; he is a man of prayer, and no one can explain exactly why the attackers fail to recognize him. When he reaches the castle, he impresses the king and queen enough that they permit him to preach throughout Ireland. Patrick and his companions travel across the country, sharing the gospel and leading many people to Christ.

As Patrick’s influence grows, the druids pressure the king to restrain him while Queen Eiley remains sympathetic to his message. The struggle reaches a crisis when the druids’ spring festival falls on Easter. Irish custom forbids anyone to light a fire before the king’s great ceremonial blaze on Tara Hill, a symbol of the druids’ power. Patrick boldly lights an even greater Easter fire on nearby Slane Hill and prays that God will break the power of darkness.

The enormous flame is visible from the king’s banquet hall. Furious at Patrick’s defiance but wary of provoking his many followers, King Leary follows the queen’s advice and orders soldiers to bring Patrick to the castle. Lochrue turns to Lucitmael for a way to destroy him. She gives him a deadly poison and instructs him to place it in Patrick’s wine.

At the banquet table, Patrick rejects the king’s suggestion that Christianity can simply take a place beside Ireland’s other religions. He declares that there is one true God and that false gods become weapons of fear in the hands of oppressors. Lochrue presses him to drink, but Patrick recognizes the trap. He offers Lochrue his own cup and challenges him to drink it. When the druid refuses, Patrick openly identifies the poison, condemns the fear and sacrifices by which the druids control the people, and leaves after promising to keep praying for the king.

Queen Eiley continues testing Lochrue’s story by ordering him to drink Patrick’s cup. He makes excuses until King Leary lifts it himself. Lochrue panics and begs the king not to drink, exposing the plot. Leary reveals that he never intended to swallow the wine. Patrick’s faith and courage have impressed him, while Lochrue has ruled through deception and fear. The king banishes Lochrue and Lucitmael from his court and resolves to learn more about Christianity.

In the months that follow, the king keeps his word. The druids lose their influence, their idols are destroyed, and Patrick becomes loved even by many who do not accept his message. Back at Whit’s End, Jared finally understands why Patrick is remembered. His green sweater now reminds him of a former slave whose devotion to Jesus has changed an entire nation.