St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world’s most popular saints, and is celebrated by most in our culture today.
He was born in Roman Britain and when he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession. In The Confession, he wrote:
“The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”
As a young man he endured “a little Lent.” Returning to mainland Britain from six years of slavery in Ireland, the record says that he wandered in the wilderness for 28 days, and was famished. The allusion to Jesus in the wilderness is clear enough. So he is a good Lenten companion for us, especially this year, where we find ourselves isolated in ways never expected.
Perhaps most significantly, Patrick returned to the land where he had endured terrible slavery to be a missionary and a bishop. His many years in Ireland, some 40, were not easy, and he was always at risk, and never secure – not least because he refused to become the lacky of any local king. And while the extent of his missionary activities is not clear, by the 7th century (two centuries after his life), he was held in great veneration. Today he is one of the most famous and beloved of the saints.
Attributed to Patrick is the famous prayer, Saint Patrick’s Breastplate. (We need a spiritually protective breastplate.) The original is quite long, and is usually abbreviated. Here are a couple of versions that are good for prayer:
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 day to me forever,
by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
His baptism in the Jordan river,
His death on cross for my salvation,
His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself today
the power of the great love of the cherubim,
the sweet “Well done” in judgement 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 virgins’ souls.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit 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,
God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay,
God’s ear to hearken to my need,
the wisdom of my God to teach,
God’s hand to guide, God’s shield to ward,
the Word of God to give me speech,
God’s heavenly host to be my guard.
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,
of whom all nature has creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
salvation is of Christ the Lord!
Another popular version is below:
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 see 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 secure me –
against snares of devils,
against temptations and vices,
against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me
ill, afar and anear,
alone and in a crowd…
Christ, be 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 where I lie, Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
Kontakion of Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland
Fourth Tone
“The Master revealed thee as a skillful fisher of men; and casting forth nets of Gospel preaching, thou drewest up the heathen to piety. Those who were the children of idolatrous darkness thou didst render sons of day through holy Baptism. O Patrick, intercede for us who honour thy memory.”