Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. You will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:13-17
Let’s suppose that for some reason you had to go live on a deserted island and could only bring one hymn with you. Which one would you choose? No doubt there would be as many different answers as there are people reading this Daily Moment!
Well, if I were in this situation, I would pack the hymn known as “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” in my suitcase. Why? Because it invokes the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, angels, apostles, patriarchs, prophets, the powers of heaven and earth, and asks Christ to be present for protection in all times and situations of life.
At seven stanzas, there’s more material than I can do justice to in one reflection, but the powerful opening statement will give you an idea of the strength that this hymn possesses: “I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity, by invocation of the same, the Three in One, the One in Three.”
You can find the entire hymn at #370 in our hymnal, and the YouTube attachment below has captioned lyrics you can follow while listening.
Here’s what the Hymnal 1982 Companion says about the origin of this hymn:
“This hymn of great antiquity has been attributed to St. Patrick since at least the year 690. It is a “lorica” or breastplate prayer, to be chanted while dressing oneself for battle. Legend has it that Patrick sang this lorica as protection from the pagan Irish king Loegaire mac Neill and the Druid fire-worshippers who were attempting to prevent Patrick and his followers from reaching Tara where they would proclaim the Christian faith. The power of the lorica caused his company to appear to be a herd of deer, sparing them from attack by Loegaire; thus, the hymn has also been known as ‘The Deer’s Cry.’”
Of the seven stanzas of this hymn found in most current hymnals, the sixth is probably the best known: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”
