I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
An important part of the early so-called Celtic church was the emphasis on what was called soul friendship. This was a partnership between two believers that was a sacred bond and trust that encompassed what we now call discipleship and mentoring. However, this had much more of a Spirit inspired sense to it than just a teacher and pupil relationship. One could have a leader who also was a soul friend, like a priest or bishop, or likewise a bishop could have a soul friend who was just a member of an associated group. Even mixed sex soul friends were allowed, men with women and vice-versa. The only real requirement was that both parties felt God leading them into the relationship. Brigit of Kildare was known to have said, "Anyone without a soul friend is like a body without a head." Do you have a soul friend? Many long for this kind of relationship.
Of course, God has also given angels as helpers to us. This next part of St. Patrick's prayer focuses on angels as given to strengthen us. He mentions Archangels, which are a higher level of being than are cherubim, which are the more common of the angels, according to scripture. Just do me a favor and stop thinking of angels as childish or girlish looking little things with little dresses and rosy red cheeks. Any real angel would cause great fear if it revealed itself in your presence. Just about every instance of a man meeting an angel in the Bible resulted in trembling and fear and a generally serious concern for one's welfare. So they always have to start off the conversation with "fear not." Get it? The good thing is that they are on your side.
The prayers of patriarchs, or spiritual fathers, are the prayers prayed over the centuries on behalf of all believers. When times are tough, like they are now, it's good to know that God remembers prayers on your behalf prayed by faithful intercessors who gave their time to pray for us. It's good to pass this one along and "pray it forward."
Apostles are leaders who train and lead other leaders. There are capital "A" Apostles, like Paul, John, and Peter. These men were personally chosen by Jesus and some were inspired by God to write some of the books of the New Testament. We obviously don't have those kind of apostles anymore. But throughout history we have had lots of leaders of movements and churches who have lived their whole lives teaching, preaching, inspiring and encouraging their generation to "do the stuff" of the Kingdom. These men, and women, are a gift to the rest of us from God, sent to strengthen us in our walk of trust and faith in God.
Whether you call them saints, church fathers, great preachers or professors, they are a great resource and reservoir of wisdom and practice for us all.
The line about "faiths of confessors" may sound a little odd, but it really is very simple. This is a reference to the stories of faithful people who walked with God throughout the ages and left some record of their story. This could be as lofty as Madame Guyon's books on prayer, and as simple as your close friend reminding you that that thing you prayed for him actually happened today. This is the part where we all get to share our stories with one another.
The next line may sound very strange to modern ears as well, but there is a very important point to the phrase "in innocence of virgins." Patrick is reiterating a point made in the New Testament about the moral strength of the whole body of believers being affected by the purity of just one individual believer. We are all in this together. What I do effects you and what you do effects me, whether good or ill, because we are all one in Christ. This is also likely a reference to the holiness and purity of the female members of the monastic community, as well as the reference earlier to confessors possibly being an appreciation of the brothers. Brothers and sisters all living together as a holy community. This sounds impossible in a cynical, skeptical age, but this kind of community and spiritual family relationship does exist on this side of heaven. Maybe even in your town or neighborhood.
They say "a rising tide lifts all boats." When men and women lead lives filled with virtue, goodwill, and even love, we strengthen the very fabric of our whole society. I'll say it this way, albeit in the negative. We choose to live in a world where we have to lock our doors and windows at night. We choose to live in a world of fear and distrust, and "dog-eat-dog" survivalism. We tell ourselves we are nothing but beasts and expect nothing but animal behavior from one another. Is this the world you choose? What if we were to choose to call one another up to our higher Spiritual selves, to choose to expect once again that all men have the ability to be noble and righteous? When Saint Patrick prayed the phrase "In deeds of righteous men," he was praying just such a hope. As an example, you know that Patrick was captured and held as a slave for six years. Did you also know that his distaste and hatred of slavery led to the ban of slavery in virtually all of Ireland hundreds of years before the rest of the "civilized" nations of the world? When men do the right thing, true righteousness is the result.
It's time to pray The Breastplate...
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