St Patrick's Prayer

One of my favorite memories working with active older adults in the Y was planning for our annual St. Patrick’s Potluck. Now this wasn’t any old potluck. This was a potluck consisting of only green food. You had to be a bit creative to think outside the green salad box. It was pretty hilarious the food that would come in for the festivities. Of course, COVID has forced potlucks to be a thing of the past, for now.

I must say, I love St. Patrick’s day! It’s such a festive day and I’m Irish as well! But step aside from all the green-dyed festivities of the day, there is something to appreciate about the spiritual legacy of the real Saint Patrick, a 5th-century missionary and primary patron saint of Ireland.

The most popular prayer attributed to St Patrick’s was St. Patrick’s Breastplate or often known as “Morning Prayer.” Here is a portion of it:

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
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down…”

St Patrick, who was originally kept as a slave, eventually rose to freedom and inspired many. God blessed St Patrick greatly as he went around Ireland and ministered to people. I imagine that God brought Him close to him in the midst of his challenges. St. Patrick’s life was not about wearing green, enjoying green food, 4 leaf clovers or even green beer! It was about enjoying a relationship with God through Christ His Savior. Can you sense how close Christ was to St. Patrick in this prayer? Oh, may that be true for us as well!

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.