Monthly Reflections
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St. Patrick’s Breastplate
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.
Though the above quoted prayer is often attributed to St. Patrick it is unlikely that “The Apostle to The Irish” composed this beautiful prayer/poem. Scholars are agreed that it most likely comes from the eighth century. Nevertheless, though the writing is not from the pen of Patrick, it is fair to say that the sentiments are certainly in keeping with the beliefs and spirituality of Ireland’s patron Saint.
There are three ideas, which I would like to point out regarding the content of the prayer.
Firstly, the prayer speaks of the great sense that the author has of God’s all-embracing presence. This is something that was at the heart of Patrick’s life. The pre-Christian Irish had a great appreciation for the presence of the divine in nature. This was especially evident in their respect for nature and in the places they worshiped, such as, wells, trees and mountains. Patrick took these “pagan” practices and introduced a Christian element into them. In other words, he recognized what was good and holy in the lives of his flock and celebrated it with them. He opened the eyes of his adopted people to a new vision of how the creator is part of and takes delight in creation. This is expressed in the first chapter of Genesis where we read, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”
In our time there is a growing movement of people who are genuinely concerned about the state of the earth’s health. Some Christian leaders see this as a return to paganism. I however, interpret it as a call to return to the command of the creator to people that, we respect and take care of the precious gifts given to us to sustain our lives on earth.
Secondly, this prayer is what we can call theologically, Christocentric. For Patrick and the early Irish Christians Christ was the center and rock on which they built their faith. Patrick and his followers took to heart the message of St. Paul in Romans Ch. 8: “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” This was what sustained Patrick in all of his trials in bringing the Good News to the Irish. It continues to inspire us today and invites us to share our sufferings with him who reaches out to save us from whatever bedevils us on life’s journey.
Thirdly, at the heart of this prayer is a reminder of the truth reflected in the words of the poet, John Dunne: “no man is and island.” Christianity is above all a faith, which calls on its devotees to take responsibility for each other and the whole of humanity. The story of the Good Samaritan was important to the early Irish Christians. This is a parable that is particularly relevant to our time when there is such a tendency to take care of number one. Human beings do not thrive when isolated from others. We become more human, more mature, more Christ like as we grow in our capacity to truly empathize with others. When we give of ourselves in the service of others, especially the poor who cannot repay us, then we are truly fulfilling the law of Christ.
If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the office Tel. 312-337-8445; Cell 773-677-5341; or you can e-mail me at the following: siochan@catholic.org.