St Patrick: A Spiritual Model for Our Times
How St Patrick can give us a path to greater hope and faith in God.
St Patrick came to Ireland as a slave and a stranger; however, he went on to be one of the most important spiritual figures of the country, even becoming its patron saint. He did not let what happened to him define him, instead he sought God and soon realised that God had never left him. As a spiritual man, he had a great prayer life, experiencing visions that guided his steps. So, what might we be able to take away from this remarkable person and how can his spirituality and wisdom be relevant for us?
When I think of St Patrick, I often think of his breastplate prayer. Also called the Lorica, from the Latin word for “Roman armour,” or deer prayer. It is a prayer that was likely written by him for spiritual protection. From what we know of him, it captures St Patrick’s spirituality rather well. Much of the prayer reads like a creed that he could use to teach the Irish people about the Christian faith. However, its sageness is not lost in the 5th century and can be regarded as a wisdom that all should carry around with us. Both in our pockets and in our hearts.
The most familiar part of this prayer is often sung as a hymn. It is a very real description of Christ’s presence in all our daily lives. One that can grant us hope and comfort at every moment of every 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 sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
His words truly remind us that God’s unbounded love surrounds us wherever we are. This is sometimes hard to remember. When times are difficult, illness strikes, the daily budget is difficult to stretch, or it is raining for the 20th day in a row, comfort can be taken from the breastplate prayer. Realising God is our hope and protection through all of life's struggles. From many of his actions of St Patrick, we know he was well-versed in Holy Scripture. It is therefore unsurprising that the prayer echoes St Peter's words in his letter to the Ephesians.
Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:11-17)
St Patrick must have kept these words close to heart, as a shield against the difficult position he found himself in, knowing that Christ was his shield against loneliness in a strange country. He kept an open heart, listening to God’s will for him and escaped his slavery. He was even brave enough to act when he discerned that God wanted him to return with the purpose of bringing the people of Ireland to Christ. I think bravery and a listening heart is something many of us would benefit from.
But where to start, how can we listen to God. Many will experience God’s presence in prayer, however, are we truly listening to Him in those times, or are we only speaking to him. The 7th century Archbishop of Seville, St. Isidore noted that “Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. If we want to be always in God’s company, we must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection.”
A particularly great way of listening and discerning God’s will for us can be done through prayerful reading of Scripture through the ancient practice of divine reading, also known as Lectio Divina. Pope Benedict XVI advocated this way of prayerful reading, seeing it as key to growth in holiness, as we are all called to be holy. He noted that "Christ is calling each of you to work with him and to take up your responsibilities in order to build the civilization of Love." Moreover, In his 2010 encyclical, “The Word of the Lord,” He recommended the prayer method that has been part of the Benediction tradition for centuries. A practice easily done alone or in a group, it is a wonderful way of both reading God's Word and hearing His voice. The method is very simple. You choose a passage from one of the Gospels or epistles and read the scripture passage slowly aloud. Pause and recall if some word or phrase stood out or something touched one’s heart. Then go back and read the passage again. Listen how God speaks to you after which you respond following the prompting of the heart. This kind of reflective listening allows the Holy Spirit to deepen awareness of God’s taking the initiative to speak with us. Discerning His will for us and acting accordingly just as St Patrick did, bravely stepping out. As St Paul tells us “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).
In prayerfully spending time with scripture, we can be granted discernment of His will. Moreover, I have personally been filled with hope, a hope filling me with the trust that God only wants the best for us (Jer 29:11), and hope for what is to come. St Patrick’s breastplate prayer does much the same. It grants us the hope that the battle and journey through life doesn’t have to be done alone. God is with us just as he was with St Patrick during his years as a slave, and with him when he was busy bringing the faith to the pagan people of Ireland.
If you have ever practised Lectio Divina in a group and shared your thoughts you may have noticed that the Holy Spirit met each person ever so gently, and exactly where they found themselves at that point in time. St Patrick must have known how important it is to do the same. A good example of this is found in the story of how he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity and one God in 3 persons to the pagan Irish population. Due to their nature-centric druidical religion, this would have made sense. In Ireland finding shamrocks will not have been difficult, making it possible for the newly baptised Christians to be reminded that God is all around them. Like the breastplate prayer Christ is found everywhere, because he is with us always, until the end of time (Matt 28:20)
In his prayer, St Patrick gave us a spiritual weapon that we can draw on wherever we find ourselves and a reminder of God’s unbounded love. We have always hope to rely on. If we can keep our hearts open, we can, much like St Patrick, discern God’s will for us, living the life He intends for us, knowing we have His protection to rely on always. In the saints’ own words “For daily I expect to be murdered or betrayed or reduced to slavery if the occasion arises. But I fear nothing, because of the promises of Heaven; for I have cast myself into the hands of Almighty God, who reigns everywhere.”
By Kirsten Schouwenaars-Harms