It is St. Patrick’s Day. I have been away for the last two weeks helping take care of a new grandchild and her sister, so I haven’t had much time to write. Instead, I’ll offer some links and a prayer associated with Patrick.

A Few Links

The first is a video I did a year ago about St. Patrick and Celtic Christianity. The Irish church played a tremendously important role in church history, and this video tells about some of its contributions.

We have only two surviving documents from Patrick himself. The first is his Confession, which was written late in his life to defend his mission work in Ireland to critics in Britain. It’s a relatively short piece written in simple Latin, reflecting his lack of formal education.

The second is his Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus. Coroticus was a British Christian warlord who attacked Christians in Ireland, killed some, and captured and enslaved others. Patrick’s letter is a fiery denunciation of Coroticus’s actions. In it, he excommunicates Coroticus, calls for his repentence, and demands the return of the captives.

Patrick’s Breastplate

Even though it is found in the Book of Armagh (dated to AD 807) with Patrick’s Confession, the prayer “Patrick’s Breastplate” was not in fact composed by Patrick, legends to the contrary notwithstanding. Judging by its language, it dates to about the eighth century, about 300 years after Patrick. Nonetheless, it is associated with St. Patrick’s Day and continues to be used as a prayer for spiritual protection today.

One word of explanations: Smiths were considered magicians. In their work, they changed the properties of metals through the tempering process. This was seen as transmutation, a form of natural magic. And so protection from the spells of smiths is included in the prayer.

Here is the text:

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:
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 temptation 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 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 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.

If you are interested in more on Celtic Christianity, you can find my suggested reading list here.