St. Patrick's Day

Christ shield me this day:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me


Today, I'm taking a small break from my Lenten posts to write about St. Patrick. As most people probably know, March 17 is St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick is one of those saints that has transcended the Catholic Church and has their days celebrated by all people. (Usually by going to the local Irish bar and having a few pints of Guinness and by wearing green).

But there's more to Saint Patrick than this. Sure we know that he's Irish and we also know that we celebrate his feast day by eating corned beef and cabbage. What else?

Well, to learn more about St. Patrick, please visit this site which tells us what we need to know about him.

The above prayer is his and I love it for it's simplicity and how it shows that this man had a very good love for our Lord.

I'll end this post with a quote from Saint Patrick himself:

I came to the Irish people to preach the Gospel and endure the taunts of unbelievers, putting up with reproaches about my earthly pilgrimage, suffering many persecutions, even bondage, and losing my birthright of freedom for the benefit of others.

If I am worthy, I am ready also to give up my life, without hesitation and most willingly, for Christ's name. I want to spend myself for that country, even in death, if the Lord should grant me this favor.

It is among that people that I want to wait for the promise made by him, who assuredly never tells a lie. He makes this promise in the Gospel: "They shall come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." This is our faith: believers are to come from the whole world.

O Saint Patrick, thank you for your wonderful example. I ask that you pray for all who work to deliver the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world and that today--on your feast day--ask Jesus Christ, whom you love above all things, to touch the hearts of all who read this post.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!