Day Eleven of Lent, Monday, March 17, 2014

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Michael Powers, was an Irish Catholic that came over from Ireland to the United States in the mid-1700's.  It was rumored that he came over as a stowaway.

He lived in Waterford, New London, Connecticut where there was a large Irish population.

As I consider my roots, I've always appreciated the Celtic expression of Christianity.

Statue of St Patrick on the Hill of Slane.
The plaque below tells a legend about St Patrick.
Check out the Celtic cross in the background.

This prayer was attributed to St. Patrick although it could have been written in the tradition of St. Patrick a few centuries later. Regardless, it is still a good prayer - one of my favorites that I would like prayed at my funeral some day.  It certainly speaks to me of preceding grace:

  Christ be with us,
  Christ before us,
  Christ behind us,
  Christ in us,
  Christ beneath us,
  Christ above us,
  Christ on our right,
  Christ on our left,
  Christ where we lie,
  Christ where we sit,
  Christ where we arise,
  Christ in the heart of every one
     who thinks of us,
  Christ in every eye
     that sees us,
  Christ in every ear
     that hears us.
  Salvation is of the Lord,
     Salvation is of the Christ.
  May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

Photo by Jotempe (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons