living fully alive

St. Patrick's Day.

Many of us will wear green in honor of it. Many of us will eat and drink different things specially to celebrate it.

But I wanted to share part of who St. Patrick was.

The history of today's holiday was never that important to me. But one day recently, I came across the quote that was engraved on the front of St Patrick's breastplate. It was later turned into a hymn for the Irish church in the late 1800s, and oh, how powerful it is!

So I started looking up a little bit about him...

Patrick was born in Roman Britain, thought to be back in the mid 300s. When he was 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken back to Ireland as a slave for years, until he escaped and made his way back to his family.

From Wikipedia:

The saint recounts in his "Confessio" how he heard a voice in his sleep compelling him to leave his master and find a ship that awaited him, and after the six years of servitude he fled his cruel master. "And it was there of course that one night in my sleep I heard a voice saying to me: "You do well to fast: soon you will depart for your home country." And again, a very short time later, there was a voice prophesying: "Behold, your ship is ready." And it was not close by, but, as it happened, two hundred miles away, where I had never been nor knew any person. And shortly thereafter I turned about and fled from the man with whom I had been for six years, and I came, by the power of God who directed my route to advantage (and I was afraid of nothing), until I reached that ship."

Later in his life, he returned to Ireland - the people who had kidnapped him - as a missionary, and was later deemed a patron saint of Ireland.

The prayer engraved on St. Patrick's breastplate which he wore in defense of the Druids during his time of missions in Ireland, is so powerful.

Maybe we should all prayer like this daily...

ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the 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 obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In 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 temptations 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 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.

Let's celebrate St. Patrick today - celebrate his courage and his devotion to God.

And let's learn to live a life just as - and more - meaningful.