Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Forget Me Nots

As you read the following, also known as the Breastplate of St. Patrick, I invite you to remember the real reason we celebrate St. Patrick's day.  It isn't a day for drinking, for wearing green, or even for remembering Ireland, but instead it is a day to remember the great faith of a servant of God and to learn from his life and to be encouraged to bring even a small measure of that faith into our own lives.

I Bind Unto Myself Today

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 forever,

by power of faith, Christ's incarnation

his baptism in Jordan's river,

His death on cross for my salvation,

his bursting forth from the spic`ed tomb,

his riding up the heavenly ways,

his coming at the day of doom,

I bind unto myself today.


I bind unto myself today

the virtues of the star-lit 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.


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.

Words ascribed to St. Patrick
Translated by Cecil Frances Alexander
As written in the Hymn Book of the Anglican Church

p.s. ~ the painting above of Forget Me Nots was completed this morning.  

Comments

maire said…
Thank you so much, Lisa...these words refresh my spirit!! Hugs, Maire
Obrigada Lisa! Eu gostei de saber sobre St.Patrick!
Um abraço!
Egléa
Anonymous said…
Thank you Lisa. I am always inspired by the story of his life. A reminder to stay faithful to the calling Christ has put on our lives.
Your sister in the Lord,
Gayle S.
wendy said…
Thank you for sharing! I also love your painting of Forget me nots, one of my favorites, I have them planted in our yard and some have came up randomly on their own which is always a welcoming surprise! Have a wonderful day! Wendy
Laurie said…
Beautiful post Lisa. We were talking tonight about St. Patrick's Day and how it's been turned from a holy day in Ireland, to a drinking bash here. Our town has a Pub Crawl every year, which is basically crowds of people going from bar to bar, starting early in the afternoon. Sad. I love the hymn, thank-you so much for sharing.

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