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Dear Covenant Friends,
I’ve long been an admirer of Celtic Christianity, which originated in Ireland in the 5th century with St. Patrick. Esther De Waal puts it well; “The Celtic approach to God opens up a world in which nothing is too common to be exalted and nothing is so exalted that it cannot be made common.” They believed that the presence of God infused daily life and thus transforms it, so that at any moment, any object, any job of work, can become a place for encounter with God. In everyday happenings and ordinary ways, so that we have prayers for getting up, lighting the fire, getting dressed, milking the cow etc.
One of the most famous prayers is the Breastplate of St. Patrick. The version below appears in the (PCUSA) Book of Common Worship. I invite you to pray this Lenten weekend, and I hope to see you in church on St. Patrick’s Day!
I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on the cross for my salvation.
His bursting up from the spiced tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the star-lit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay,
God’s ear to hearken to my need,
the wisdom of my God to teach,
God’s hand to guide, God’s shield to ward,
the word of God to give me speech,
God’s heavenly host to be my guard.
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.
I bind unto myself the name,
the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, the One in Three,
of whom all nature has creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Here are the Lenten devotions for this week.
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