For Us Sun Lovers: St. Patrick on Worshiping the Sun

I might have worshiped the sun.

Because this Wisconsin country girl gets tempted to bow to the sun in these long, blizzards-in-March winters. I understand why the ancients would worship that brilliant, spectacular created thing. I sympathize with sun lovers.

Not only in winter—I love the sun the whole year long. That is, I go out of my way to seek sunshine, especially, I think, since I live in a hickory forest.

As I type this, I sit in the laundry room in the beanbag chair that I dragged from my son’s bedroom to the only room in the house where morning sunlight streams down. 

Is that worshiping the sun? Is it worshiping a thing to orient one’s life around it?

And is it worshiping the sun when next week, Lord willing, I walk the sunny Sanibel Island beach? When I schedule spring break week around sunrise and sunset walks on the beach? Is it?

Is it bowing down to invest one’s wealth to bask for a week in the sunshiny south?

I am not flippant mean when I say, that I might have worshiped the sun.

Had the true sun not captured my heart,
I might have worshiped the other one.

St. Patrick might have been tempted to bow beside me.

No Light Thing, to Worship the Sun

As a self-described “rustic,” Patrick loved Ireland’s verdant hills and vibrant sunsets. He also may have been tempted to sun worship, that is, to worship and serve a created thing, “rather than the creator, who is forever blessed” (Romans 1:25).

That’s why, as a fellow beauty junkie, I latched on to Patrick’s 60th Confession.

In case you’re new to the Patrician realm, Patrick was an English missionary in the 5th century to a pagan Ireland. St. Patrick wrote to to people not terribly far removed from the abominable sun worship described in Scripture.

In Deuteronomy 4:19 and 17:2–5 we read explicit prohibitions on sun worship. Despite the warnings, Israel did bow to the sun. In his reforms, King Josiah did away with the priests who had sacrificed to the sun (2 Kings 23:11). Later, Ezekiel revealed that sun worship took place at the entrance to the temple, “between the portico and the altar,” as men literally turned their backs on the temple of the Lord (Ezekiel 8:16). 

It is no light thing to worship the sun. In case there was a doubt in your mind, the prophet Jeremiah made that plain (Jeremiah 8:1–2),

They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried.

St. Patrick was as real as Ezekiel and Jeremiah and really did write words we can still read today. Most of his are found in the “Confessions.”

Hear these words of the St. Patrick on the one, true sun. (You can actually hear them here.)

Patrick’s Confession #60

The sun, which we see rising for us every day, rises at his command; but it will never rule over the universe, nor will its splendour continue forever. And all those who worship it will come to a bad, miserable penalty. But not we, who believe in and worship the true sun, Christ. He shall never perish. And neither will anyone who does His will—instead he will live forever just as Christ will live forever, who reigns with God the Father almighty and with the Holy Spirit since before the ages began, and now, and for all the ages of ages. Amen.

Those are St. Patrick’s real words to sun lovers—idolatrous sun lovers and true sun lovers.

Aren’t they grand?

Be Thou My Vision

Irish saints who wrote about high kings and heaven and sun. Maybe a century after Patrick wrote his Confessions, a saint who reportedly lost his sight wrote a poem called Be Thou My Vision (sung here, in by Irishman, Robin Mark).

Do you know the last verse?

High King of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys,

O bright heaven’s sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

In celebration of Patrick’s God, I pray you’ll savor the sun that rose at God’s command today, and that you’ll worship the true sun who brilliantly rules over every day.

Before I close, in case you wondered, it is right, good and biblical to call God the sun.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.

—Psalm 84:11 (ESV)

🍀 So then, I wish a brilliant and blessed St. Patrick’s day to all of you who worship the one, true sun!

Postscript:

If I’ve piqued your interest in Patrick, you might enjoy these posts. If you’d like like to read more about my Irish trip of a lifetime in June, 2025, that’s here too.

Now here’s the JoyPrO St. Patrcik collection: In this one, I introduced a grateful saint. The day Covid closed my town down, I wrote this. Then I shared a bittersweet confession about when I climbed Patrick’s holy mountain alone, and also 5 Reasons Why Saint Patrick Is My Homeboy. For the writers reading this, I also wrote about the reason both Patrick and I write.

🍀 Is there something about Patrick that you admire? I’d love to hear about it.

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