Remembering Patrick, Missionary Bishop in Ireland

St. Patrick, as he's generally known, is a bit of an anomaly.  The Patron Saint of Ireland, he wasn't Irish.  He was a "Romano-British" Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland, and some parts of his life are the stuff of legend.  Lisa Bitel, Professor of History & Religion at the University of Southern California, writes, "The icon refers to one of Patrick’s legendary miracles in which he is said to have prayed to banish all snakes from Ireland. However, as a historian of medieval Ireland, I can assure you that the real St. Patrick, who lived and worked in the fifth century, never saw a snake or wore a shamrock."   (See her post, "10 Things to Know About the Real St. Patrick".)

Nonetheless, Patrick is revered and venerated in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran Churches, and in the Anglican Communion.

One of the writings credited to him is the beautiful hymn-prayer, "St. Patrick's Breastplate".  It is referred to as a lorica, which is a prayer for protection.  The term 'breastplate' is thought to refer to Paul's words in his letter to the church in Ephasus -- calling them to "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." (Ephesians 6:14-15, NIV, emphasis mine.)

As our world faces swiftly evolving challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, today I invite you to remember Patrick, considering both the spoken word of his lorica -- CLICK HERE -- and a version in song by Canadian singer-songwriter, Steve Bell:

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour 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,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

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 fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop deck,
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.

AMEN.*

*A Modern English translation from the Old Irish Text

Source: Wikipedia