More from the Carmina Gadelica

St Canice Church, Kilkenny

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddievirago/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Blessing of Angels

The ancient Celtic Christians sought the blessings of angels and apostles. They were as close as your breath in their spiritual experience. I think this is a beautiful blessing.


The name of Ariel of beauteous bloom,
The name of Gabriel herald of the Lamb,
The name of Raphael prince of power,
Surrounding them and saving them.

The name of Muriel and of Mary Virgin,
The name of Peter and of Paul,
The name of James and of John,
Each angel and apostle on their track,
Keeping them alive and their progeny,
Keeping them alive and their progeny.

More Carmina Gadelica

©Cindy Thomson

There are many Celtic blessings for traveling. I was just thinking about this because of the perilous traveling conditions right now in snowy Ohio. It's not a bad idea to whisper a prayer or to bless someone who is about to hit the road. Here's a blessing from the Carmina Gadelica.

Travelling moorland, travelling townland,
Travelling mossland long and wide,
Be the herding of God the Son about your feet,
Save and whole may ye home return,
Be the herding of God the Son about your feet,
Safe and whole may ye home return.

photo via creative commons by Riccardo Cuppini

The Carmina Gadelica is a collection of prayers, poems, songs, and blessings collected in the Gaelic speaking regions of Scotland from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century. The collector, Alexander Carmichael, translated these things into English. These collections were the everyday recitations of the people. There are many inspirational bits and pieces, and I thought this week I'd share some.

I will kindle my fire this morning
In presence of the holy angels of heaven,
In presence of Ariel of the loveliest form,
In the presence of Uriel of the myriad charms,
Without malice, without jealousy, without envy,
Without fear, without terror of any one under the sun,
But the Holy Son of God to shield me.
Without malice, without jealousy, without envy,
Without fear, without terror of any one under the sun,
But the Holy Son of God to shield me.

God kindle Thou in my heart within
A flame of love to my neighbour,
To my foe, to my firend, to my kindred all,
To the brave, to the knave, to the thrall,
O Son of the loveliest Mary,
From the lowliest thing that liveth,
To the Name that is highest of all.
O Son of the loveliest Mary,
From the lowliest thing that liveth,
To the Name that is highest of all.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

photo via creative commons by Lawrence OP

Did you know that St. Valentine's resting place is in Ireland? It's interesting because he died and was buried in Rome. Actually there are several St. Valentines but the one martyred in the 3rd century is traditionally the St. Valentine that the tradition honors.

It's said that this priest defied orders from the Roman Emperor and married soliders and their girlfriends. For this he was sentenced to death. While in prison, these

Shrine of St. Valentine in Dublin
photo via creative commons by Canadian Pacific

grateful couples passed notes to him through the bars. He wrote, either to them or to someone he had fallen in love with, and signed his note "From Your Valentine."

But how did he get to Ireland? Saints' relics were often given as gifts or transported to other lands by the Crusaders. The relics were considered holy and the possession of them would bring protection and good fortune. In the case of St. Valentine, a 19th century Irish Carmelite priest was granted Valentine's remains by Pope Gregory XVI. The remains were exhumed and reburied under Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. There is a shrine there, and today it's visited by those seeking blessings on their love lives. Patrick Roberts has written about that in the Irish Central.

So, Ireland has St. Valentine! It seems that every major holiday has an Irish connection, doesn't it?