“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful” (Col. 3:14-15).
On February 4th, Beeson Divinity School hosted a day-long Spiritual Formation retreat for all Beeson faculty, students and their spouses at the Aldridge Botanical Gardens, and it was a wonderful time for me to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of my life and spend the day in solitude and quietude. Little did I know that God would use this retreat and a specific Celtic prayer to strengthen and encourage me, deepen my personal prayer life, and aid me during times when I struggle while in seminary.
I have always admired Saint Patrick’s life and what he accomplished during his ministry in Ireland. St. Patrick (372-466) was a pious Catholic priest and Christian missionary dedicated to a monastic lifestyle in a largely pagan Ireland 
around the time when the Roman Empire fell apart and barbarians wrecked havoc. He grew up as a child in an affluent family (I believe they were Christians as well) but was captured by Irish raiders in Wales when he was sixteen. He was forced into slavery and brought to Ireland for six years. He returned to his family by the end of it, but God used this terrible experience to lead him back to Ireland as an ordained Roman Catholic bishop in the north and west of the island. Not much is known about what he accomplished in Ireland during his life, but we know now that he brought the gospel message to this land and effectively “Christianized” most of the Irish population. He is now known as the patron saint of Ireland and also as the apostle to Ireland.
Stemming from Saint Patrick, Celtic spirituality is rooted in the monastic life at the furthest part of the world outside the Roman Empire (a.k.a. civilization). Ireland residents lived off the land and thereby felt a special bond to the nature, and its society was defined by closely-knit communities of varying clans, tribes, and kinsmen. Christianity developed an unique, natural, orthodox, and enchanting approach to spiritual formation that continues up to this present day. It has the unique ability to make people pause and look deep inside the dark recesses of their hearts and bring their sins into the light, and also cause people to feel connected to one another. It is capable of connecting believers to the natural world around them while not falling victim to pantheism and remaining faithful to the orthodox teaching of Christianity. Ireland has an enchanting appeal to many people through its breathtaking landscape and the believers’ amazingly deep faith. Celtic spirituality achieved through their poems, moving songs, and heartfelt prayers a delicate balance between a deep awareness of darkness and light and of the past pains that they have endured along with the abiding joy they have received in response to Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.
With this in mind, the Saint Patrick’s Breastplate poem was supposedly composed by Saint Patrick during his darkest days as a slave and also as a Catholic bishop, and it served a poignant reminder for Christians through the ages about how God provides condolence and strength during difficult times. I have found amazing strength and immense comfort through this poem just like Saint Patrick and countless Christians have because it reminds me that God – the One who has called me apart for a specific season in my life to live in a specific place for a specific purpose of preparing myself to be a minister of the gospel – continues to sustain me during my darkest days when I am tempted, lacking in faith, seemingly void of strength, and weak.
This poem may be hard to understand at first (it was admittedly so for me), but I want to encourage you to patiently meditate upon it. Read it several times, or slowly line-by-line. Or even better, print it out and put it on your refrigerator. As you study it, note how Saint Patrick continually talks about the Triune God and how he is always with you. He is strong enough to carry you through the darkest hour of your life when all hope seems lost and your strength is completely spent. Christ’s incarnation and his redemptive work on the cross to secure God’s forgiveness and salvation from our sins is the central message of this poem and the source of strength that Saint Patrick and I draw upon daily.
It is my hope and prayer that as you read Saint Patrick’s Breastplate, you will recognize how intimate God desires to be with us and experience a renewed sense of strength and solace as you bind yourself daily to the Triune God who has created, recreated, and redeemed you from sin and death through the blood of Jesus Christ.
| Saint Patrick’s Breastplate I bind unto myself today The strong Name of the Trinity, By invocation of the same, The Three in One, and One in Three. I bind this day to me forever, By power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation; His baptism in Jordan river; His death on cross for my salvation; His bursting from the spiced tomb; His riding up the heavenly way; His coming at the day of doom*: I bind unto myself today. I bind unto myself the power Of the great love of cherubim; The sweet “Well done” in judgment hour; The service of the seraphim; Confessors’ faith, apostles’ word, The patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls; All good deeds done unto the Lord, And purity of virgin souls. I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven The glorious sun’s life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even, The flashing of the lighting free, The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks, The stable earth, the deep salt sea, Around the old eternal rocks. | |
| Words: attributed to St. Patrick (372-466); * - the phrase day of doom is an Old English phrase meaning "Day of Judgment” |
Sources: Wikipedia; A Brief Historical Overview of Celtic Christianity by Dr. G Krelinger
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