Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, so I posted
It’s not a literal breastplate. It’s a hymn, which tends to be
- I arise today through a mighty strength,
- the invocation of the trinity,
- through belief in the threeness,
- through confession of the oneness
- of the Creator of creation.
- I arise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism,
- through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
- through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
- through the strength of his descent for the judgment of doom.
- I arise today through the strength of the love of cherubim
- in obedience of angels,
- in the service of the archangels,
- in hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
- in prayers of patriarchs,
- in predictions of prophets,
- in preaching of apostles,
- in faiths of confessors,
- in innocence of holy virgins,
- in deeds of righteous men.
- I arise today through the strength of heaven—
- light of sun, brilliance of moon,
- splendor of fire, speed of lightning,
- swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
- stability of earth, firmness of rock.
- I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me—
- God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
- God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
- God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
- God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
- God’s host to secure me:
- against snares of demons,
- against temptations of vices,
- against inclinations of nature,
- against everyone who shall wish me ill,
- afar and anear, alone and in multitude.
- I summon today all these powers between me and these evils—
- against every cruel and merciless power
- that may oppose my body and my soul,
- against incantations of false prophets,
- against black laws of heathenry,
- against false laws of heretics,
- against craft of idolatry,
- against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
- against every knowledge that endangers man’s body and soul.
- Christ to protect me today
- against poison, against burning,
- against drowning, against wounding,
- so that there may come abundance of reward.
- 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 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 of me.
- Christ in every eye that sees me.
- Christ in every ear that hears me.
- I arise today through a mighty strength,
- the invocation of the trinity,
- through belief in the threeness,
- through confession of the oneness
- of the Creator of creation.
- Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of Christ.
- May your salvation, oh Lord, be ever with us.
- against poison, against burning,
Other translations swap “I bind unto myself” for “I arise today,” so maybe that’s the version you’ve heard before.
The short version.
There is of course a shorter version of the Breastplate which is basically the Christ-here-Christ-there-Christ-everywhere portion of it.
- 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 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 of me.
- Christ in every eye that sees me.
- Christ in every ear that hears me.
When I’ve taught on it before, sometimes kids will say, “How’s that a breastplate?” They’ve seen the diagrams of
Popular belief is that Patrick wrote it somewhere between the years 389 and 461. No doubt he could have, if he wrote hymns; it’s just there’s more and more evidence he didn’t.
Christians are fond of reciting it whenever they feel they need a little extra divine protection. Like when they’re feeling particularly afraid; like when they’re going to scary foreign countries, or into a scary new job, or off to a scary new school. Fear’s the usual motivator for praying for
