A St. Patrick's Day Meditation

[Josh]

Here's a prayer by St. Patrick. Some of us guys were talking on Tuesday about meditation. This is a simple, straightforward one (those are the best for meditation) to repeat in prayer and reflection throughout the day. Think of it as putting on a breastplate-- your armor for the day:

The BREASTPLATE of Saint Patrick

I bind myself today, -
To the power of God to guide me,
The might of God to uphold me,
The wisdom of God to teach me,
The eye of God to watch over me,
The ear of God to bear me,
The Word of God to speak for me,
The hand of God to protect me,
The way of God to lie before me,
The shield of God to shelter me,
The host of God to defend me

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 breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height

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

Salvation is the Lord's,
Salvation is the Lord's,
Salvation is Christ's,
Let thy salvation, 0 Lord, be ever with us.

(The Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick - edited and translated by Whitley Stokes, London, 1887)