Okay, okay, I know it's September and not March, but I ran across this prayer tonight in a little booklet on St. Patrick that I bought several years ago at Family Christian Store. Rather than wait slightly over six months (and after hearing a sermon at Lake Murray on Patrick in December -- good ol' Rollo!), I thought I'd blog on St. Patrick anyway (and will again on his feast day as well, I'm sure). The booklet contains the story of his life, prayers that he wrote, prayers written for his intercession, and devotions. As I glanced through this booklet that sits on the bookshelf above my desk while I waited for my computer to stop having a fit (which happens every 6.4 minutes, unfortunately), this little introduction caught my eye:
"It is certainly not surprising that the word 'saint' is derived from the Latin word for "holy." The saints are known to us, first and foremost, as men and women of outstanding holiness, who surrendered their lives to God in loving fidelity to His will. Whether they were mystics or missionaries, educators or apostles, popes or laypeople, we remember and honor them primarily for the quality of their spiritual lives.
"Saint Patrick, for example, was a man of great holiness, who believed that God was with him at every moment. But he was also a profoundly human being -- in his humility about his own gifts as a missionary; in his embarrassment over his lack of formal education; in the emotional strength he displayed in enduring the many hardships of life in Ireland."
Later in the booklet I spied this little prayer, one that we all should pray along with St. Patrick:
Prayer for the Faithful by Saint Patrick
May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guard us --
Against the snares of the evil one.
May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!
May Thy Grace, Lord
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and
forevermore. Amen.
May it indeed be so, in all our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment