Irish Blessings

"Ireland is rich in literature
that understands a soul's yearnings,
and dancing that understands a happy heart."
~Margaret Jackson

I love looking up Irish blessings. I guess that's why I have so many in my novel, Brigid of Ireland. The Irish have a wonderful wit. Stories are important, fun is paramount, and learning is held in high esteem.

Here are a few for your reading pleasure. Feel free to share some more in the comments section.

May the Lord keep you in His hand
and never close His fist too tight.

May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you, The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

I Am With You Always

photo via creative commons by elaine faith

Lent is traditionally a time of denial and sacrifice. Easter marks the end of Lent, a feast day, a great celebration. Even the ancient Celtic monks, who denied themselves meat and ale for most all of the year, celebrated on this day because Easter means that there is hope--hope for Heaven, hope for a better life, and forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 28 (NIV)

The Resurrection

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

...skipping to verse 16:

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

St. Patrick's Breastplate Part Three

photo via creative commons by Ted

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [traveling by land]
Christ in the poop. [traveling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

~~~
Continuing the prayer for protection, this section calls specifically on Christ and prays for Him to be everywhere: before me, within me, everywhere I go. And then the prayer acknowledges that Christ is in others. The last section calls on this power, the power of the Trinity, to be bound to the speaker. I know I'm repeating myself, but that's why this is a breastplate prayer, meant to be worn, kept close to the heart, and meant to shield you.

There are many English versions of this prayer. That's why what I have here might differ from what you might find elsewhere.

The ancient Celtic prayers were often (if not always) sung. I thought you might enjoy this version.

St. Patrick's Breastplate Part Two

photo via creative commons by Tony Hisgett

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

~~~
This is truly the part invoking protection. The first part is acknowledging the wonders of the natural world, the world God created. Have you ever stood somewhere and gazed in utter wonder? I have felt the vastness of the creation while gazing at the Grand Canyon, while out on a boat on the ocean, while riding out a violent storm inside my house and watching the wind bend and even break the trees. Even quiet times can bring the wonder of God's touch into your life: a sunrise, a sunset, a soft rain shower. This power, God's power, is what this prayer seeks to bind the speaker to.

And then the prayer goes on to describe the perils that this breastplate is meant to protect oneself from, such things as the snare of demons and the lust of nature, false prophets, heresy, idolatry, and even women and smiths. The writer of this prayer might have had sexual sin in mind when he prayed for protection from women, but smiths? I don't know! Maybe someone can enlighten me on that one.

The last line of this section intrigues me:
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
That seems to be a summation, but the idea that "knowledge" can bind the soul goes against what we're taught today about knowledge being good and powerful. But in thinking about that a little more, I realize that there are some things I'd be better off not knowing intimately, and those are things that can lead to addictions, which "bind souls."

Jesus, speaking to the Jews, said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8: 31-32 NIV. So the kind of knowledge that sets me free is what I want to bind myself to.

Your thoughts???