St. Patrick's "breastplate" and an Irish hymn for your day

Today is St. Patrick's Day, the 5th century English saint whose mission to the Irish made him an icon of Ireland and Celtic spirituality.  It is also Saturday, a day I hope you find not just chores but rest, and maybe a green beer at the end of the day.

Among the most traditional hymns of our Church is St. Patrick's Breastplate,  based on a prayer said to have been written by St. Patrick. Most likely it came later, but no matter, and many verses have been added over the centuries. Here is a beautifully lyrical version sung by Angelina, followed by another version below it by Alison Krauss:

A place to find prayer online, and an Irish blessing to you

The other evening at our Vestry meeting, Pastor Ann Willms brought this website to our attention: it is an online daily prayer meditation written by Jesuit Irish brothers (how appropriate for St. Patrick's Day!), called sacredspace.ie. You can reach it by clicking HERE.

The website has prayers, a short scripture reading, and as you progress it even has an icon called "Need Inspiration?" with a brief reflection on the day's scriptural passage. Please enjoy. Here is part of today's blessing from sacredspace:

I remind myself that I am in your presence O Lord.
I will take refuge in your loving heart.
You are my strength in times of weakness.
You are my comforter in times of sorrow.
God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.

The real Saint Patrick

Today is the Feast of Saint Patrick, Bishop and Missionary to Ireland, 390-461. Parades for the Irish will fill the streets in many cities, tonight many an elbow will be hoisted in his honor, and once upon a time the California State Capitol was lit green (anyone know if they still do that?).

A few churches today will be singing "Saint Patrick's Breastplate," binding themselves unto thee (never mind that he didn't write it), and the legends of Patrick with snakes and shamrocks will be told and embellished once again.

It is all good fun and a great break from the dreariness of Lent. But today I'd like you to also pause and consider the real Patrick and what little we know of him. Patrick is more of an Abraham figure. Born in England, kidnapped to Ireland as a boy, he was a shepherd. He somehow made it back to England as a teenager, and had a conversion experience and took holy orders, becoming a bishop.

Patrick went back to Ireland, where he converted people and their kings to Christianity. He adapted the popular religious customs of the day to Christianity, for example the now-popular Celtic crosses were an adaptation of elaborate Druid markers dotting the countryside.

Though Patrick is the saint of Ireland, he was truly a sojourner in a strange land. He traveled far from home to spread the Gospel, he was doubtless homesick at times, but he went anyway (and I know the feeling well).

Patrick left a few letters and from them it is known that the Irish viewed him as a foreigner (how ironic is that?), and he riled the Irish aristocracy by refusing to accept their gifts. He probably lived more like Saint Francis than as a regal bishop. Much of what we celebrate today in our Celtic Christian tradition we owe to Patrick, and his life and example are truly worth celebrating even without the extra blarney.

The Monday Funnies

It is Saint Patty's Day coming up this week, so we of course must have an Irish joke. And a few more jokes after that. Thanks to Pat Hill, as always, for sending jokes, and Lloyd Snook for passing along this cartoon. Enjoy your Monday Funnies...

* * *

Two Irishmen were sitting a pub having beer and watching the brothel across the street. They saw a Baptist minister walk into the brothel, and one of them said, "Aye, 'tis a shame to see a man of the cloth goin' bad."

Then they saw a rabbi enter the brothel, and the other Irishman said, "Aye, 'tis a shame to see that the Jews are fallin' victim to temptation."

Then they saw a Catholic priest enter the brothel, and one of the Irishmen said, "What a terrible pity, one of the poor lasses must be gravely ill."

* * *

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed him "playing church" with their cat. He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work.

A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water. She called out, "Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!"

Johnny looked up at her and said, "He should have thought about that before he joined my church."

* * *

Ways To Know You Are In The Wrong Church:

- The staff consists of Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor, and Socio-Pastor.

- They have ATM machines in the lobby.

- No cover charge, but communion is a two drink minimum.

- Services are B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Snakes)

- They have karaoke worship time.

- The guy that takes the minutes in business meeting votes against everything because he can't spell "unanimous".

- The only song the church organist knows is Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida.

- The church bus has gun racks.

- The Bible they use is the "Dr. Seuss" version.

- The choir wears leather robes.

- When you go in, the usher asks you, "Do you want smoking or non-smoking?"