The Breastplate of St. Patrick

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;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

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
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.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 when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

 

 

About Fr. Stephen Freeman

Fr. Stephen is a retired Archpriest of the Orthodox Church in America, Pastor Emeritus of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is also author of Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe, and Face to Face: Knowing God Beyond Our Shame, as well as the Glory to God podcast series on Ancient Faith Radio.



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3 responses to “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”

  1. fatherstephen Avatar

    His Feast day is March 17.

  2. Steve Avatar

    St. Patricks day has been an important day for me, some 9 years now? I was in an intra-denominational group at the University of Texas at Dallas. I was chasing this one girl that I really had no chance with, and near the end of this process I began to see how powerless I really was. One night as our group was singing some praise songs, the Reality of my Sin pressed down on me, and I knew that God saw me. It would take years before I knew God loved me, but on that night, I knew that He saw me. He knew my sin, He knew my failures, He knew my powerlessness. I knew I was a creature, and I was not God.

    It’s taken some time for these realizations to dig deeply into my heart, but that St. Patrick’s night is one I remember fondly. A short while later I was baptized by my roommate, one of the leaders of our college Christian group.

  3. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    I love holy Patrick. What a courageous prophet, faithful bishop, ascetic athlete, humble follower of Christ.

    Truly we stand on the shoulders of giants.

    And, oh, for the good days in the West before the schism, when the Celtic Church bravely shone the light of learning and faith throughout western Europe after the barbarian invasions.

    St. Patrick, pray for us!

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