Saturday, September 29, 2007

A Patrick Prayer


I'm not really much of a prayer-book kind of gal. The Presbyterians I grew up with did not have prayer books. We had Bibles and hymnbooks and that was sufficient unto the day. Then I hung with the Quakers for a number of years while sometimes sneaking into Episcopal churches. Later, I found myself delighted with the growing liturgical sensibilities of Presbyterians. But recently I've been more into silence and trees and secular poetry. Not so much the prayer books. However, I keep hanging out with all these Episcopalians online and getting saint days and angelogy and daily offices and such. So I got out my prayer book today (being much in need of whatever help I could find -- see below) to find this lovely little bit of celtic assurance. Enjoy.

(from a much longer prayer by Patrick of Ireland--389-461)

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.

6 comments:

June Butler said...

LJ, that's one of my favorites.

God is in the silence and the trees and secular poetry, too.

lauraj said...

Amen to that, Mimi! (See my elk entry for more places to find God).

pj said...

I think you've crystalized for me what draws me to the Piskies: wordiness! :)

Terri said...

This prayer, and my memory of it, have helped me through many a dark time. I'm sorry to hear about your boss. I pray that you will have clarity of direction and stamina for wherever that direction takes you.

Diane M. Roth said...

I LOVE this prayer. the lutherans I grew up with weren't Prayer Book sort of people either. They were Catechism and Hymnbook sort of people. but like you, I've come to appreciate a lot of different things.

Anonymous said...

I love this prayer too, LJ.

It makes a great mediatation when you do an Anglican Rosary.