Showing posts with label St. Patrick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Patrick. Show all posts

Thursday, March 15, 2007

What's On Your Breastplate?

There's a very common commercial for a credit card company that concludes with the question, "What's in your wallet?" I was praying the prayer supposedly found on St. Patrick's Breastplate and it occured to me that it would be interesting to ponder what words I might put on my breastplate. What inspiration, what power of words would I want closest to my heart in times of peace or trouble, in times of silence or contention, in times of prayer or partying. What would I hold there? St. Patrick chose to inscribe words about the omnipresence of Jesus--his "everywhere-ness". That works for me. I so often forget Jesus' closeness and tend to think of him out there or with some truly holy person, rather than right here with and in me. However, I truly love the last two lines, "Praise to the Lord of my salvation--Salvation is of Christ the Lord!" Salvation is not in my worrying, my craftiness, my tech-savvy, my connections, my political clout, etc. etc. etc. Salvation is of Christ the Lord! That's a good one! I think I might have to simplify the good Saint's words and inscribe, "Jesus in my heart--baptized! Jesus in my joy--forgiven! Jesus in my hands--nourished! Jesus in my soul--consecrated! Jesus in my hour of death--called! Amen!