St. Patrick’s Day

 

Breastplate of St. Patrick

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

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Lovely Celtic Christians.  St. Patrick is credited with bringing the Gospel to the Celts and what a wonderful form of Christianity poured from those Isles (Ireland, Britain, and Brittany–France)!  Their faith and faith journeys have become a part of my own and, I have a feeling, will be with me all along my own path.  Much of their faith practices come out of their monastic living and were influenced by druid practices that existed prior to the coming of Christianity …

Journey/Pilgrimage Celtic Christians practiced journey and saw faith as a journey.  This was so true that they would pick up from their current location, take very little with them and journey to the furthest place they could so that when they looked back, they couldn’t see home: they were in a foreign place.   In the pilgrimage spirituality, human existence was not seen as something to passively accept; rather, it called the human to the action of casting oneself upon the mystery of God which was symbolized by the uncontrolled, unpredictable elements of nature.Pilgrimage involved leaving all that a person knew and loved—home, family, friends, original religious community, and protection—and flinging themselves into the wild places to combat wild beasts and to wrestle with sensual appetites…and there, they would identify with Christ, who becoming like us came to earth.  They lived on the edge, because their understanding of Christ was that HE lived on the edge.

And, along the way, they would form relationships with people, converse with them, travel with them and on the way, ask them if they would like to profess faith in Christ.  There was no coercion or manipulation. 

Soul Friends Celtic Christians believed that every person should have a soul friend.  In fact, a popular saying was that you were as one without a head if you didn’t have a soul friend…so go get you one!  Soul friends were teacher, mentor, confidant, confessor, and spiritual guide. The friendship didn’t end with death, rather the relationship transcended time and space.  Soul friends influenced one another through relationship. after a person receives help and guidance from a soul friend, she goes on to become someone else’s soul friend.  A soul friend shared the greatest joys and fears of the other, discerned hidden gifts, and provided space for the confession of the worst and most persistent faults of the other.

Story  The Celts taught through stories (hagiographies) of the saints. By connecting with the stories of culture, the hagiographies were speaking the artistic language of a particular culture, telling similar stories with a totally different purpose—the purpose of following Christ.  These stories communicated effectively with the cultures to which the Celts brought Christianity: it was a way of speaking their language.

 

So, here’s to the Celts, today and to the man who brought the story and journey of Christ to them!  Here’s to living life on the edge for the sake of Christ…

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