ST PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE

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.

     Attributed to St Patrick – a fifth century Celtic missionary, this is a small part of a longer prayer generally known as St Patrick’s Breastplate.

     It is so called thanks to its emphasis on the protection God offers, through Christ, in the life of the believer - the name itself draws on the passage in Ephesians 6:14 in which Paul talks about wearing a “breastplate of righteousness” as part of the a Christian's armour against the “day of evil”.

    In the second in our series on Great Prayers, DAVID ADAMS  looks at the origins of St Patrick's Breastplate... | more... |

THE PRAYER OF ST FRANCIS

Attributed to the 13th century Italian friar, Francis of Assisi, this prayer is a cry from the heart, dealing with some of the issues which are most central to the Christian faith.

     It a prayer that speaks of the hard road man treads, one in which he encounters pain and suffering. Yet the prayer remains hopeful of the future that is to come in Christ and not wanting to fall into despair, he asks for God to continue to inspire faith, hope, light and joy in his or her life.

     The prayer also talks of the selfless love Christ calls Christians to  - a love which would see the welfare of others put above that of oneself. For there is recognition that it is in the dying to self that the Christian truly finds what they are seeking.

    In the first story in our promised series on Great Prayers, DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the Prayer of St Francis... | more... |