St. Patrick (or I Can Wear Green for That Guy)

The story of St. Patrick of Ireland is an incredible one. In short, Patrick, as a young Roman man of noble birth, was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken into slavery. As a slave, he labored for years with little to eat, mud for a bed, and no freedom. During this time, however, he grew in his walk with Christ.

Eventually he escaped and crossed about 200 miles of land through hostile territory to make it to a harbor where he managed to get on a ship that would carry him back to Britain. After being reunited with his parents, he soon realized that the Irish people had no one that was willing to share the Gospel with them. Many of his peers considered the Irish sub-human and did not believe that they could even understand the Gospel.

Against his parents’ urging, Patrick decided to return to the pagan Ireland to give them the Gospel. He spent the rest of his days there faithfully proclaiming the message of salvation. His life was often threatened by pillaging kings and angry Druids. In the end though, he effectively established many thriving churches on the island.

His story is one of faith and courage. Below is a prayer that, according to legend, was written by Patrick and prayed each morning. A few parts of it can sound kind of odd, but they make a lot of sense in the context of his life. Also, this prayer is often referred to as the “Breastplate of Patrick.” Man, they had some cool names for things back in the day… Here it is:

I rise today

with a mighty power, calling on the Trinity,

with a belief in the threeness

with a faith in the oneness

of the creator of creation.

I rise today

with the power of Christ’s birth and baptism,

with the power of his crucifixion and burial,

with the power of his resurrection and ascension,

with the power of his return for the final judgment.

I rise today

with the power of the love of the cherubim,

in obedience of angels,

in service of archangels,

in hope of the resurrection and reward,

in the prayers of the patriarchs,

in the foretelling of the prophets,

in the preaching of the apostles,

in the faith of the confessors,

in the innocence of the holy virgins,

in the deeds of righteous men.

I rise today

with the strength of the sky

with the light of the sun,

with the splendor of the moon,

with the brilliance of fire,

with the blaze of lightning,

with the swiftness of wind,

with the depth of the ocean,

with the firmness of the earth,

and the strength of rock.

I rise today

with the power of God to guide me,

with the strength of God to raise me,

with the wisdom of God to lead me,

with the vision of God to see for me,

with the ears of God to hear for me,

with the words of God to speak for me,

with the hand of God to protect me,

with the path of God before me,

with the shield of God to guard me,

with the friendship of God to keep me safe from

the contriving of demons

the temptations of sin

the inclinations of my nature,

and everyone who wishes me harm,

far and near,

alone and in the crowd.

I summon today all those powers to protect me

against every cruel force which may attack my body and soul,

against the incantations of false prophets,

against the evil laws of unbelievers,

against the false laws of the heretics,

against the subtle temptations of idolatry,

against the magic of women, blacksmiths, and Druids,

against every knowledge which corrupts body and soul.

Christ protect me today

from poison and burning,

from drowning and wounding,

so that I might gain an abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me,

Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me,

Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I stand,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye which sees me,

Christ in every ear which hears me.

I rise today

with a mighty power, calling on the Trinity,

with a belief in the threeness,

with a faith in the oneness

of the creator of creation.

++This was translated by Philip Freeman, check out his book: St. Patrick of Ireland, you can borrow it from me sometime if you like...++