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.
If you attended a Catholic School, today is a day you may remember as one that required wearing some bit of green. No matter that you had not a drop of Irish blood in your veins. Being of Dutch descent, I once rebelled and wore orange instead. Only once.
Patrick left two documents that are believed to be authentic and from them we gather most of what we know about him, “The Confession of Saint Patrick”detailing much of his life. What remains with me is not the hagiography, the ridding the Emerald Isle of snakes (Some say it never had snakes, and the legend grew from Patrick’s battles with the Druids.), or even using the shamrock to illustrate the mystery of the Trinity.
What I remember is that he was kidnapped from Britain as a teenager, taken as a slave to Ireland where he tended sheep for six years, retuned to his homeland and chose to return to the place of his captivity to bring the Good News. Would that we all could be so forgiving of slights and hurts in our lives. Patrick saw the need for someone to share faith in Jesus Christ to the people of Ireland, but it did not have to be him.
Forgiving someone who hurts you is difficult enough, but to go beyond that and to do good for that person, takes heart. Patrick must have had a big one. One that was filled not only with compassion, but also with the desire to share what he believed passionately
I have included a link to what is probably the most well-known prayer attributed to him, The Breastplate of St. Patrick. It is most often quoted in an abridged form. Here you can read it in its entirety. It is also called “Lorica of Saint Patrick.” In Christian monastic tradition, a Lorica was an incantation or prayer of protection, and the word can be translated “breastplate.”
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
© 2011 Mary van Balen
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