Have you ever wondered why we celebrate today and call it “St. Patrick’s Day?” Believe it or not, there is way more to the story than wearing green head to toe and searching for the perfect four-leaf clover.
Saint Patrick was an actual person, and his life is fascinating. Born in Britain, he was kidnapped around age 16 by Irish pirates and was sold into slavery in Ireland for six years. Though enslaved, Patrick’s faith grew much stronger during this time.
After finally escaping his captors, he finished school back in Britain, and then eventually moved back to Ireland as a missionary! He shared the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to the very people who had kidnapped him and held him as a slave. He showed the gospel to the people the world told him to hate.
On this day, we celebrate the faith of a man most of us do not know much about. Check out this famous prayer he wrote hundreds of years ago, and try saying this out loud today:
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and 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 obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the 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 hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.
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 in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
This prayer has many names; some call it “The Lorica of St. Patrick,” others call it “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” or “Morning Prayer.”
Posted Mar 17, 2016
Categories: Spiritual (Browse all)
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Tags: holiday, prayer, story
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