May this small part of St. Patrick's prayer, "The Breastplate of St. Patrick", bring you peace today:
“Christ shield me this day: 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 arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me” (from “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”).
There are many legends, some true and some not, that abound about Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with driving all of the snakes out of Ireland, but some people say there weren't any real snakes anyway, but that it was druid ways, often symbolized by serpents, that he drove out. There is the story about how Patrick used the shamrock, in great abundance in Ireland, to demonstrate the Holy Trinity. (Interestingly, a 4-leaf clover would make a wonderful picture of the cross of Christ.) Whether true or not, it's a wonderful word picture even today. But one thing remains uncontested - Patrick is known for being humble and courageous. May we all be the same as we live out our lives.
P.S. The quote in my title is from St. Patrick's Confession which you can read here.
6 comments:
Did you know Patrick wasn't Irish? He was born in Roman Britain and kidnapped by Irish attackers. After escaping captivity, Patrick returned to Britain and became a priest, and later a bishop. He returned to Ireland 30 years later and, despite the danger, witnessed Christ among the Irish, converting thousands.
I got this from a fascinating article I'm reading called The Creational Theology of the Celts.
Oh, and Happy St Paddy's Day!
Ali - I did know that and should have given a little more specific. He also spent some time in France after his kidnapping. Thanks for the book name, sounds fascinating!
Its not a book chicka. Just a series of whats called "scholarly articles".
No dumb housewives here eh? ;)
Ali - you even mentioned it was an article. LOL How did I miss that!
Hey - you're right no dumb housewives here - just scholarly domestic engineers!
Amen. I love this. I realized this morning I was behind on my reading of your blog. Things have been crazy with my mother, and I'm always playing catchup. We had corned beef and cabbage in honor of Ireland and St. Patrick.~~Dee
Dee - Love corned beef and cabbage! I hope life settles down a bit for you soon!
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