WEAR ARMOR INSTEAD OF GREEN
March 17, 2021
Prayer: Thank You Lord, that we have spiritual armor to protect us from our true enemy.
Scripture: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Eph. 6:10-18 NIV
Have you ever wondered where the tradition of wearing green to protect against being pinched on St. Patrick’s Day came from? According to Irish folklore, leprechauns like to pinch people, but for some reason, wearing green makes you invisible to them. So if you don’t wear green, you are a pinching target!
I find an interesting connection between this tradition, Ephesians 6, and a prayer that has long been attributed to St. Patrick. Of course, the armor of God protects us from far more than pinching, and our true enemy is vastly more malevolent than leprechauns. The prayer attributed to St. Patrick is called St. Patrick’s Breastplate. According to legend, Patrick was on a mission to convert a druid chieftain and was protected from ambush by pagan enemies because he prayed this prayer which contains clear echoes of Ephesians 6. When my students wear their green on St. Paddy’s day, I sometimes share a copy of this prayer (that can be found on websites about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day) as part of a discussion about the origins of legends and traditions of St. Patrick’s Day. In the midst of a pandemic, it now seems more relevant than ever.
St. Patrick’s Breastplate
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through
God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.
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,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
Copyright Vicki Milczewsky Email [email protected]
Wow! What a gift Vick. Thank you.
To our CEAI members of Irish heritage: I apologize to those who were offended by my choice of title for this devotional. In no way did I mean to suggest that wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day is wrong, My intent was to highlight that often students when asked why they wear green on St. Patrick’s Day often respond with “So I don’t get pinched!” This opens up a path for discussion about where the pinching idea originated (read about it at https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/wear-green-saint-patricks-day-pinch-rules#:~:text=The%20pinching%20rule%20on%20Saint%20Patrick's%20Day&text=As%20the%20tradition%20goes%2C%20wearing,you%20don't%20wear%20green. ) and what Patrick believed and practiced himself. Spiritual warfare is a daily reality, and we have the armor of God to protect us when we remember to put it on!