17 Wednesday Mar 2021
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From my Irish ancestors to you and all the beautiful babies that are being born with such recognition and light in their faces, knowing a God who is Love, I send this greeting on St. Patrick’s Feast Day:
May God give you…for every storm a rainbow. For every tear, a smile, for every care, a promise, and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh, a sweet song, and an answer for each prayer.
May this day be a blessing to us all!
17 Tuesday Mar 2020
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I am not far from “the Greatest Generation,” a designation of people who shepherded the United States through the 20th century – most having come here from other countries and the majority from Europe. I grew up hearing about people who had “the map of Ireland on his/her face” and recognizing what in their speech was never called an accent but rather a “brogue.” The most important lessons I learned from my parents and extended Irish-American family (the first generation born in the U.S.A.) were about faith and love of God, gratitude for the beauty of the world and in the good things in life, and perseverance in the difficult times. Undergirding all was the music that told the stories of all those things and made us long for Ireland as if we had lived, struggled and celebrated there at least for awhile.
Central to this legendary life (please pardon my hyperbole!) was St. Patrick, patron saint of “the old sod.” I will leave the stories to your research as there are many. I must, however, nod to Patrick’s faith by quoting from what is likely the most famous prayer attributed to him. Whenever I pray it I feel compelled to stand (just as at the pledge of allegiance to our flag) and feel the sun rise inside me as I proclaim:
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 see 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 be before me, God’s shield to protect me…Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me… (St. Patrick’s Breastplate)
17 Sunday Mar 2019
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baptism, family, Irish blessing, liturgical celebration, music, St. Patrick, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, words
The gift of yesterday will certainly be difficult to match but because the participants and the situation will differ this afternoon I have high hopes for day two of our four-day weekend extravaganza!
My lesson from yesterday included the power of music and word in the exquisite talents of instruments and voice, story and familiar texts all woven together in a liturgical celebration impossible to describe and not likely to be repeated. We often say among us (Sisters) that “this was the best jubilee ever!” but yesterday was, in truth, my vote for that honor. I mused later that we may be getting older but we certainly can still sing! The power of community was evident from the anticipatory morning greetings to the sharing of prayer, memories and laughter in the small group that celebrated our Sister Grace before bedtime.
Today I expect the best from family. In the context of the larger “Church family” I hope to see the smiles and know the hugs of cousins from near and far – three generations of them! It will certainly be “the more, the merrier” – all to celebrate the newest addition to the O’Malley-Maloney family on this most appropriate of feasts, St. Patrick’s Day!
May the blessing of Patrick bring you joy today. May God hold you always in the hollow of his hand.
17 Saturday Mar 2018
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There is a line from the lectionary psalm for today that says: A shield before me is God (PS 7:11) which reminds me of St. Patrick’s famous Breastplate Prayer. I would be remiss if I did not honor my ancestors – including my parents – by praying at least part of it on this feast of Patrick, so I chose a few bits from the middle that speak most powerfully to me today.
I bind to myself today the power of heaven, the light of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the splendor of fire, the flashing of lightning, the swiftness of wind, the depth of sea, the stability of earth, the compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today God’s Power to guide me, God’s Might to uphold me, God’s Wisdom to teach me, God’s Eye to watch over me, God’s Ear to hear me, God’s Word to give me speech, God’s Hand to guide me, God’s Way to lie before me, God’s Shield to shelter me, God’s Host to secure me…
Happy Feast of St. Patrick to all!
17 Friday Mar 2017
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armor, breastplate, lorica, prayer, protection from evil, St Patrick's Day, St. Patrick, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Trinity
I learned something this morning as I was looking for translations of the prayer called St. Patrick’s Breastplate in celebration of Patrick’s feast day. The entire prayer is quite long and not often quoted in its entirety. I myself am not a fan of some of it as it speaks of protections against evil in many forms that do not otherwise ever enter my consciousness. I’ve always found the title of the prayer rather ironic as there is no way all those words could fit on the frontispiece of a soldier’s armor. Today I learned that this prayer is a lorica, a monastic protection prayer in which the petitioner invokes all the power of God as a safeguard against evil in its many forms. The Latin word lorica originally meant “armor” or “breastplate.” Both meanings come together in the practice of placing verbal inscriptions on the shields or armorial trappings of knights who might recite them before going into battle. (Wikipedia)
So today, although I am not in severe combat with evil in my personal life, I am grateful for the protection of God that (in probably the 6th century) the author of the prayer ascribed to St. Patrick. Here are some verses that I am happy to give voice to today:
I bind to myself today the power of heaven, the light of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the splendor of fire, the flashing of lightning, the swiftness of wind, the depth of sea, the stability of earth, the compactness of rock. I bind to myself today God’s power to guide me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to teach me, God’s eye to watch over me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to give me speech, God’s hand to guide me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to shelter me, God’s host to secure me…I bind to myself today the strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity; I believe the Trinity in the Unity, the Creator of the Universe.
17 Thursday Mar 2016
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God, heart, Ireland, Lorica of Saint Patrick, missionary, prayer, shamrock, St Patrick's Day, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Breastplate, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Trinity
St Patrick’s Day (March 17th) has become – in the USA at least – one of those feasts some call “a greeting card holiday.” Shamrocks and other green decorations, store sales, parades and parties abound and last much longer than the actual 24-hour day. It’s quite an interesting phenomenon actually, especially for a country like ours that is such a melting pot of national ancestries. I often wonder what it feels like to folks who have no Irish blood coursing through their veins when they hear the staunchest defenders of this day shout, “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!”
All of that said, and because I am the granddaughter of four Irish immigrants to this country whose love for the land, the history and the faith of the Irish people rests in the very heart of me, I turn today to an ancient prayer of St. Patrick for inspiration. The prayer is reputed to have been written by Patrick, who lived in the 5th century, as a hymn to strengthen himself with God’s protection in his work as a missionary in Ireland. It is long and inclusive of belief in the Trinity, all creatures of heaven and earth and his will to be guided by God in all things. Later translations begin with the words, “I arise today…” but the older, stronger version speaks more clearly to Patrick’s deep desire to be as close as possible to God and to remember God’s presence at all times as he says: “I bind to myself today…” I will not quote the entire prayer but offer the following verses as a witness to the bright side and depth of the heritage that I claim with gratitude and love.
…I bind to myself today the power of Heaven, the light of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the splendor of fire, the flashing of lightning, the swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea, the stability of earth, the compactness of rocks. I bind to myself today God’s power to guide me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to teach me, God’s eye to watch over me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to give me speech, God’s hand to guide me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to shelter me, God’s host to secure me…Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left…Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I bind to myself today the strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity. I believe the Trinity in the Unity, the Creator of the Universe.
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 