St. Patrick's Breastplate

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop [deck],
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

Quoted in the Catholic Encyclopedia

Posted via email from sawagner30's posterous

Keeping Christmas

Keeping Christmas (HT Gunnar Simonsen)

Henry Van Dyke

________________________________________



There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.



Are you willing...



• to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you;



• to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world;



• to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;



• to see that men and women are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy;



• to own up to the fact that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life;



• to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness.



Are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.



Are you willing...



• to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children;



• to remember the weakness and loneliness of people growing old;



• to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough;



• to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts;



• to try to understand what those who live in the same home with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you;



• to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you;



• to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open—



Are you willing to do these things, even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.



Are you willing...



• to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world—



• stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death—



• and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?



Then you can keep Christmas.



And if you can keep it for a day, why not always?



But you can never keep it alone.



- Henry Van Dyke

Posted via email from sawagner30's posterous