St. Patrick's Prayer - The Lorica of St. Patrick

email among friends | March 12, 2002 | Pat from Virginia

[ElkGroveDan]

Next Sunday(today) is the Feast of Saint Patrick, the saint for whom my parents named me. I want to share with you a little of the history of St. Patrick, and explain why his day is so important in the history of Christianity in Ireland and indeed all of Christendom.

To many, this day calls to mind raucous celebrations and drinking. And certainly a good amount of such revelry takes place. However, in our home, as in most Irish homes, it is a holy day celebrated by attending Mass and saying prayers of thanksgiving for the life of a man whose faithful dedication to Christ led him to return to the pagan land in which he had been enslaved to proclaim the Gospel.

St. Patrick was born in Britain, the son of a Roman official. He was kidnapped by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland where he was held as a slave. After six years of servitude in Ireland, he was awakened by a dream. He heard a voice in his sleep. "Your hungers are rewarded: You are going home," God told him. "Look, your ship is ready." He stole off into the night and over the next several days and nights walked the 200 miles to the coast where a ship awaited him to return him to England.

There he had a second vision-one that called him back to Ireland. Victoricus, a man Patrick knew in Ireland, appeared to him in this dream, holding countless letters, one of which he handed to Patrick. The letter was entitled "The Voice of the Irish." Upon reading just the title, he heard a multitude of voices crying out to him: "Holy boy, we beg you to come and walk among us once more." He was so moved by this that he was unable to read further and woke up.

But the dream recurred again and again. Eventually Patrick submitted to God's call, and told his dismayed family of his plans to return to evangelize Ireland. He undertook studies for the priesthood, and was ordained. He asked permission from his superiors to take the Gospel to Ireland, but was refused permission. In the 400 years since Christ had lived, all evangelization (even Paul's) had been within the confines of the Roman Empire. Patrick proposed to take the Good News to a barbarian people unconquered by Rome, to people who still performed human sacrifices.

But he was denied permission. After repeated supplications, his superiors relented and he was allowed to go. He was appointed a bishop, the first without any territory under his authority but instead a mission field. He turned to Ireland and converted the entire pagan people to Christ.

Had he never been kidnapped, it would probably have been centuries before Ireland was converted. It certainly would not have been in a position to "save civilization," as Thomas Cahill credits it, when the Roman Empire crumbled and all the written works of western civilization, including the Bible, were lost- except those in the Irish monasteries planted by Patrick and his successors. It was in those lonely outposts of Christianity that those books were painstakingly reproduced. And when the tide of barbarianism receded, the Irish monks set out with those books on their belts to spread The Word across Europe and Asia Minor.

Below is the Lorica, a prayer that was emblazoned on St. Patrick's breastplate. He wore armor because his proclamation of the Gospel threatened the power of the pagan chieftains. They tried many times to kill him. When he speaks of poisoning, burning, drowning and wounding, it is because those are the very real things he endured for the sake of Christ.

As you will see from this prayer, St. Patrick turned to Christ for protection in every aspect of his life.

On Sunday, when an Irishman lifts a toast to "St. Patrick, the glorious apostle of Ireland", I hope you will join in saying a prayer of thanksgiving that this brave evangelist carried the light of Christ to the people of Ireland.

"The Lorica of St. Patrick"

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 mulitude.

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 craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
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.

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

[ElkGroveDan]

I thought this was such a great message for today.

[ElkGroveDan]

PING

[Faith]

Thanks for the information and prayer!