Saint Patrick's Legacy

Today is March 17th, 2010. Every year on this day we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. This celebration usually consists of drinking copius amounts of green beer and sometimes passing out in the parking lot outside the local pub. So this year, before imbibing too much lime colored ale, let's take five minutes to consider the heart of St. Patrick, on this the day which bears his name. Would he have enjoyed a pint of ale from the local brewery? Probably. But that was not what got him up in the morning and it certainly was not the legacy he would have hoped to leave behind.

Born a wealthy in Roman Britain, Patrick became a rebel in his youth, a slave in his young adult years, a Christian in his desperation, and a pastor and a missionary for the last two thirds of his life. He was a man of the cross, who lived his life, poured himself out, for love of Jesus and the witness of the Gospel. He went to the hardest place he could imagine, Ireland, the land in which he was previously enslaved and there preached the good news of Jesus Christ. He gloried in the message of the Cross and saw tribe after tribe of the "barbarian" Celts come to know Jesus.

The great irony in our celebration of St. Patrick's day is that we have gotten it backawards. We remember the name of Patrick, all the while acting like the pre-Patrick Celts of Ireland. Patrick did not spend last 40 years of his life on the Emerald Isle for the beer, he did for Jesus and His namesake. He lived so Jesus would be glorified and the people (of Ireland) would see His glory. In his own words, "I am a servant of Christ to a foreign nation for the unspeakable glory of life everlasting which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

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 for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd 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 the 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 lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.