The Three Pillars of Lent are a Path of Love
Today, on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, is a good opportunity to slowly pray through and reflect upon one of the most cherished prayers in Christianity, the Breastplate of St. Patrick. This prayer not only gives us some insight into the heart and mind of St. Patrick, but it also brings together the natural and spiritual worlds as two sides of one whole, two parts well integrated. Both sides give glory and praise to God. This charism is an enormous and important aspect of Celtic spirituality.
This cross fell and the right arm broke off. If you look carefully, you can see the break line in "forever." I glued it back together, instead of replacing it, because that's the whole point of Jesus' cross. He came to heal what was broken.
The cross for today "bodies forth" (to quote Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) this understanding by making the invisible visible. Just as the "Breastplate of St. Patrick" names and recognizes all parts of creation as made by and at the disposal of the good God who created them, this cross also, in a simple way, reminds us that "Wherever and forever, God's love is there." Whether you are a distraught Israelite, who has been captured and is sitting, weeping by the rivers of Babylon (Psalm 137:1), or you are a displaced Roman citizen who is preaching the Good News in a wild country, or you are reading this on a screen in 2024, God's love is there because God is there.
Psalm 139 reminds us that there is, in fact, no place where God is not, even if we act as though that is not true. The psalm says, "From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in Sheol, there you are. If I take the wings of dawn and dwell beyond the sea, even there your hand guides me." (Psalm 139:7-10) There is no time, no place that can escape God.
"Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me."
-from the Breastplate of St. Patrick
With this in mind, prayerfully read through "The Breastplate of St. Patrick: A Shield for Protection"
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.
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 the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The 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 shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and 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 an 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 everyone 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 Trintiy,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness,
of the Creator of creation.
St. Patrick. pray for us!
* Often the lines in bold are prayed separately, as a shortened form of this prayer.