I Arise Today
Praying with St. Patrick: The story behind my first book.
Even the Algorithms Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
I’ve self-published three books so far, with a fourth on the way very soon. But with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I want to take you back to where it all began, with my first book, I Arise Today.
It’s a 40-day devotional that unpacks St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer line by line. You might recognize the famous stanza:
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…
I love this prayer for its depth and simplicity. If you’d like, you can pray the full text along with me using the video below.
Since this book was published in 2019, it has found its way into more than 900 hands. Most of those sales come in March. Apparently, even the algorithm celebrates St. Patrick’s Day. However it happens, I’m grateful, and I pray it’s been more than just a seasonal read for those who picked it up.
Below, I’ve included the full introduction to the book. It tells the story of how this project was born and why this prayer still matters today. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps make this devotional part of your own spiritual journey.
Introduction: 40 Days on Patrick’s Mountain
Tuesday, June 21st, 2016 –
I boarded a plane for a 10-day spiritual pilgrimage through Ireland with my spiritual director from seminary, Dr. Reg Johnson, along with a group of other Asbury Seminary Alumni. My heart has long been stirred by the art, music, and rich spiritual traditions from this “Land of Saints and Scholars” and the early Celtic Saints, though I knew very little about them before this pilgrimage.
One month before my trip, I wrote the following entry in my journal:
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” (John 1:38-39a)
I cannot fully understand the echoes of Celtic Christianity that resonate within me, yet I hear their call all the same. In truth, I know very little about these mystical saints of old. The intricate detail of Celtic art, the beauty of Celtic music and the Irish landscape, and the mystery of their intimacy with the Holy inspire me to draw near… to learn… and to know my Creator more deeply than I have ever known.
“Rabbi, where are you staying?” I ask.
I know he stays in my church, my home, my Bible, my heart… indeed the Risen Christ is present everywhere I turn. But these places are noisy, cluttered, and distorted by modern cultural lenses and the blur of everyday routine.
Once upon a time, the Rabbi stayed on the quiet green hills of Ireland while the rest of the world struggled through war and darkness. It was said to be a haven for saints and scholars who as Thomas Cahill puts it, would later save all western civilization. In this season I prepare to go to this ancient, quiet, and sacred place… a Thin Place… in search of a fresh awakening of God’s Holy Presence within me.
I still know very little about the great Irish saints. It is difficult to truly know them, at least in part because we have so little written record of their lives and ministries. The limited sources we do have tend to blur historical facts with myths and legends. I find the legends of the saints fascinating, as they reflect the miraculous, larger than life impact these Godly men and women had on the ancient people of Ireland.
Every day in Ireland, we prayed portions of St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer, or “The Lorica of St. Patrick.” It is a prayer not for direction or answers, at least not to the kinds of questions I was asking about God’s next steps for my life. Rather, this is a prayer of “being,” a way of being fully present with God and surrendering in full reliance on God each day, no matter where the path may lead.
Before coming home, I vowed I would spend time drinking deeply from the sacred well of this prayer. As it happens, life took over and my great intentions quickly faded.
In January 2019, I finally committed to a one-year journey through the Breastplate Prayer of St. Patrick using my blog as a means of personal accountability. As I began laying out the lines and stanzas of the prayer on the calendar, I was surprised to find that it fit nicely into 40 days. While many people use 40-day devotionals for Lent, I invite you to join me in this prayer any time of year. 40 days with St. Patrick’s prayer might offer a perfect beginning for a new year or perhaps a season of reflection and self-examination in the fall as the year comes to an end. Whenever you choose to use these reflections, I pray God will richly bless your journey.
The idea of a 40-day devotional cemented even further when I thought about the life of St. Patrick. Croagh Patrick or “Patrick’s Mountain” remains one of my favorite places in Ireland. On this mountain it is said that St. Patrick fasted and prayed for 40 days, after which he cast all the snakes out of Ireland.
Now there were never any real snakes in Ireland, but his 40-day fast on the mountain helped prepare Patrick to bring Christianity to what much of the Western world viewed as a God-forsaken island of pagans. St. Patrick’s mission to “drive all the snakes out of Ireland” has quite literally become the stuff of legend. I believe the spirit of St. Patrick’s Breastplate prayer reflects the kinds of prayers Patrick must have prayed upon this mountain and throughout his life as he risked everything to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the very people who had once enslaved him as a boy.
And so, I invite you to join me for the next 40 days on St. Patrick’s Mountain, just as Christ prayed for 40 days in the wilderness. Such 40-day journeys often mark seasons of preparation. Preparation for what? We may not yet know. But I believe God honors such devotion and by the time you are ready to come down from this mountain, my prayer is that God’s call for the next season of your life and mission in the world will become clearer.
Throughout this journey and beyond, may you arise each day in the mighty strength of the Three-One God, “driving out the snakes” along your path wherever the Spirit may lead.
Take the Journey
If this prayer resonates with you, I’d love for you to walk the full 40 days with me. I Arise Today is available here.
This St. Patrick’s Day, why not honor the saint with more than parades and pints? Let his prayer become your own and see what new life they stir in you.
Let us pray…
These reflections are always offered freely. If they’ve been meaningful to you, you can support my work by buying me a coffee as a small gesture of encouragement. Thank you for reading and journeying alongside me.
Coming Soon: From Puzzle Solving to Scrabble
Purpose can feel like something we’re supposed to figure out. But what if it’s something we participate in instead? In the next post, I reflect on moving forward when we cannot yet see the whole picture.