St. Patrick’s Breastplate
March 11, 2009
The feast day of St. Patrick will be upon us next week. In preparation I thought it might be useful for us to read one of the passages from which portions of the morning canticle are drawn. The “Lorica of St. Patrick”, also known as “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”, is a prayer attributed to the saint. It is theologically rich with it’s emphasis upon God’s nature as Trinity but at the same time a very earthy, practical prayer of protection.
Legend has it that when St. Patrick and his followers were being pursued by a non-Christian king they prayed this prayer together. As a result God disguised them as deer allowing them to run away and escape their pursuers. From this the prayer draws it’s third name “The Deer’s Cry”.
- I arise today
- through a mighty strength,
- the invocation of the Trinity,
- through belief in the Threeness,
- through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
- I arise today
- through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,
- through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial,
- through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
- through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.
The following portion includes the section from which CDP’s morning canticle is derived:
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 in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me…
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