Introduction
This is the first part of a short series on St. Patrick's famous prayer called the Breastplate of St. Patrick. Saint Patrick was actually born on the island where Britain is now, in the south of Scotland. He was kidnapped as a young boy and taken to Ireland and lived for several years as a slave shepherding sheep. It was during this time of great suffering and duress that Patrick rediscovered the faith of his youth. He said of himself that he prayed as many as a hundred prayers in the day and as many at night. He had frequent angelic visitations, and in fact was led to escape from his captors by an angel. He returned to his boyhood home, but eventually went to Gaul to seek out spiritual training amongst the Christians there. Patrick tells us in his Confessions the powerful experience that led him back to the place of his captivity, Ireland:
And there I saw in the night the vision of a man, whose name was Victoricus, coming as it were from Ireland, with countless letters. And he gave me one of them, and I read the opening words of the letter, which were, `The voice of the Irish'; and as I read the beginning of the letter I thought that at the same moment I heard their voice---they were those beside the Wood of Voclut, which is near the Western Sea---and thus did they cry out as with one mouth: `We ask thee, boy, come and walk among us once more.'
And I was quite broken in heart, and could read no further, and so I woke up. Thanks be to God, after many years the Lord gave to them according to their cry.
And another night---whether within me, or beside me, I know not, God knoweth---they called me most unmistakably with words which I heard but could not understand, except that at the end of the prayer He spoke thus: `He that has laid down His life for thee, it is He that speaketh in thee'; and so I awoke full of joy.
So it was that at age forty-eight Patrick left with the blessings of his elders and a few companions to reach the Irish with God's message of love, freedom and reconciliation.
Invocation
The first section of the Breastplate begins with the statement "I arise today..." Other translations also say, " I bind to myself today..." The word "arise" implies choice on the part of the believer, an intention to seek and walk in covenant with God, in a binding, unbreakable union guaranteed by the very nature of God Himself. This is your choice to choose God's choosing of you.
The next part of the prayer declares where the strength to arise comes from, the mighty strength of an almighty God. When we pray, when we work, when we love, when we rest, we do it all in the power of the One who is that energetic, all-consuming, eternal fire. God is the fire within us. God does not give us strength, He IS our strength.
To invoke is to declare or decree on behalf of an authority. The next statement, "the invocation of the Trinity," is a call to the God of the scriptures to show up, to become manifest presently, and exercise authority and rule. When you invoke the Trinity, you are quite literally playing with Fire. When you invoke the Trinity, you are calling on Him to come and hear what you are about to say. In a word, you are serious!
The essence of the next phrase, "Through a belief in the Threeness," is belief. You come to God in an attitude and posture of trust and confidence in His ability to hear you and do what you ask. Your trust and belief is in Him. This is not mere mental assent or agreement to a set of doctrines or creeds, but a real experiential knowledge of his goodness, faithfulness and love toward you. It is in this confidence, this belief, that you pray.
True belief leads to confession. The love of God is downloaded to our hearts by the kind intention of the Father. We experience God's goodness in salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son. We are convinced of the faithfulness of God through the witness of Scripture enlightening our hearts and minds through the power of the Holy Spirit. Reminded of these things, we are engulfed in the praise that comes forth from a grateful heart, leading to a confession, a song bursting forth, of the wonder, the magnificence, the beauty and the grandeur of the God who is the Creator of all creation.
It's time to pray the Breastplate...
St. Patrick's Breastplate
I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
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.
I arise today
through the strength of Heaven,
the rays of the sun,
the radiance of the moon,
the splendor of fire,
the speed of lightning,
the swiftness of the wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of the earth
the firmness of rock.
I arise today
through the power of God:
God's might to comfort 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 lead me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's Heavenly Host to save me
from the snares of the devil,
from temptations to sin,
from all who wish me ill,
from near and afar,
alone and with others.
May Christ shield me today
against poison and fire,
against drowning and wounding,
so that I may fulfill my mission
and bear fruit in abundance.
Christ behind and before me,
Christ beneath and above me,
Christ with me and in me,
Christ around and about me,
Christ on my right and on my left,
Christ when I lie down at night,
Christ when I rise in the morning,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone that speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Editor's Note: If you want to read the entire series I Arise: Ancient Paths To Prayer With Power in an e-book format(pdf), click on the picture above.
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