I Arise Today...

Green beer. Leprechauns. Blarney and pots of gold. All sorts of things come out of the woodwork every March 17^th in the United States as we get ready to celebrate everything Irish for St. Patrick’s Day. This Saturday, I plan on indulging in my favorite St. Patrick’s Day tradition. No, I don’t paint my cheeks with “Erin Go Bragh” or pin a leprechaun button on my shirt. Instead, I pull my copy of The Confession of St. Patrick off of my bookshelf and reacquaint myself with the amazing man whose name has become famous but whose life and legacy are often forgotten. I won’t give you a biography of St. Patrick today, but merely a glimpse of what you can discover through his written work.

Yes, St. Patrick did exist. While exact dates of birth, death, and work in Ireland are hazy at best, the fact remains that he was real and he did spread the word of God in Ireland. He was not the first to do so but he seems to have been the most effective. While other missionaries, namely Palladius, were not familiar with the Irish people they were trying to convert, Patrick had lived in Ireland for many years and had a deep respect and love for the Irish and their culture. Two historical documents have come down to the 21^st century from this holy man of long ago. One is A Letter to Coroticus, Patrick’s response to a Roman general that had been kidnapping Irish people and forcing them into slavery. A former slave himself, Patrick’s ardor and strength of character are evident in every word. The second document is my favorite. The Confession of St. Patrick is an autobiography of sorts, in which Patrick explains the beginning of his own faith and dependence on God, his call to Ireland, and his work there. It reveals a man who was very different from the well-known depictions of an aged, white-haired, stooped man in a cloak. Patrick was tough, he was strong, he was quick-witted. He greatly respected the Irish people; he knew the Irish language. He felt uncomfortable and embarrassed of his lack of learning, especially his Latin. He was adamant and he didn’t back down. He was a force to be reckoned with, but also gentle and caring. He admired women and welcomed them with equal fervor to the fold. He felt grief, he felt doubt, he felt shame for the sins he committed in the past. He embraced the Celtic Irish culture, allowing it to flourish alongside the new Christian religion, thus preserving a language and an oral literature that otherwise would have disappeared. And, most admirably of all (for me), he had a very strong faith, a true faith. Not a faith of recent times, dripping in judgment and hypocrisy. But a true, unwavering faith in a power that loved all man... not because we deserve it, but because grace is stronger than our proclivity to sin. I think I would have liked to have known him- each time I read his work, I feel a little closer to a man I greatly admire and gain a little more inspiration on how to live my own life.

There is a poem attributed to St. Patrick that is fitting for today called “Faed Fiada” in Irish and “The Cry of the Deer” or “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” in English. Simple yet profound, it is a fitting symbol of how the Christian faith and the Celtic culture converged and intertwined, creating a beautiful and powerful new culture. As Katherine Scherman writes in The Flowering of Ireland, “If Patrick did write it...it exhibits not only his glowing imagination but an intuitive appreciation of the pagan background of his adopted country.” When I read it, I picture a man standing on a hilltop, shouting his words to the sun and the wind, celebrating God, celebrating the Earth, celebrating life. It is moving in its imagery and I share it with you today.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the 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 obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,

Radiance of moon,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,

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 way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of devils,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel 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 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.

Slainte.

The Top Ten- Part 1

Currently Reading: Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
There are probably many other things I could be doing right now: I still have about 40 thank-you notes to go, my genealogy is begging me to update it, and there's a graduate school application essay calling my name. But.... once the urge to revisit favorite books comes a'knocking, there is nothing that will stand in its way.

Tonight's post will be the merest of outlines of five of my ten favorite books, although I'm sure there will be whole posts devoted to many of these in the weeks, months, years to come. Get excited! Some of these may be familiar, others obscure. Some you may not agree with; maybe you'll even get inspired to pick some of them up yourself. They're favorites for a variety of complex and undefinable reasons (see previous post) but I will attempt to give some explanation of their importance in my life. I have many thoughts, emotions, and opinions about each book, but I will go into those in depth someday. In creating a "top ten" list, I have obviously had to exclude books that I do truly love; in picking these, for this blog's purposes, I chose the ones for which I would use my one and only call on a desert pay phone to Fed-Ex, to have them shipped to my desert island where I would be waiting impatiently for their arrival.

Clarification: The books are listed in no particular order, except for Number One, which is truly Number One in my book.

Jane and I on my wedding day, getting my hair done. I wasn't kidding.

Second clarification: This list does not include the Bible, for although that is my "top book", I do not define the Bible as a "book" in the same way I define books as "books." The Bible is a guide to life and to one's spiritual journey, and therefore is very different in my mind from books. There are books. There is the Bible. To me, they are very different.

1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
            I have no words to describe my relationship with this book. I first read Jane Eyre at the age of eleven, when I went through my middle school "classics binge." From the beginning, I was smitten. Since then, I have grown to love and appreciate this book all the more. I find something new within its pages every time I read it (which at this point, not counting reading snippets here and there, has been about 15 times). With each reread, I feel rejuvenated and refreshed, ready to face life with a new sense of calm. It is amazing the spell that book has over me.

2) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
              A book about a book... how does it get any better than that? This book is absolutely phenomenal, mostly because it's historical, well written, and covers many different stories in one- which is something I love in books. People of the Book explores the long, tragic, and bloody history of a Jewish religious book as it is passed down through the centuries, saved from those who would destroy it. It provides a fascinating history of the Jewish people in Eastern Europe, as well as gives a "book-lover" and researcher like me a thrill as the main character, a present-day book conservator, restores this deliciously old book.

3) Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
              Anne is one of those literary heroines that I wish existed in the real world; her sunny disposition and lively imagination has been an inspiration to me since I was a girl. I have never met a single person who has not loved these books. (And yes, I count a series as "one" book...see how sneaky I am?) In my opinion, the best time to read these books is the summer, because there is something about Montgomery's lush descriptions of Prince Edward Island that make me want to read my book lying in the grass or sitting under a tree or while walking through a field of daisies.

4) The Sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier
             Looking back, I can say that the Sevenwaters trilogy truly changed my life. They are not perhaps on the same realm of Shakespeare or Dickens, but they are life-changing all the same. I first read these books, which could best be defined as historical fantasy set in medieval Ireland, when I was a sophomore in high school. From there, I became obsessed with learning more about Irish history and Celtic mythology. I couldn't get enough. I started yearning to visit Ireland and I began reading anything about Ireland that I could get my hands on. I continued my personal Irish studies throughout college, taking an Independent Study course on Celtic religion; my senior thesis focused on the Irish Literary Revival of the 1890s, which included poets and playwrights W.B. Yeats and J.M. Synge. Now, eight years after reading those books for the first time, Nathan and I are planning our first trip to Ireland this spring. Talk about life-changing.  

5) The Confession of St. Patrick by St. Patrick
             One of the works from Irish history that I enjoy returning to is called The Confession of St. Patrick. And yes, this is THE St. Patrick. Many people think they know St. Patrick's story and of course, America loves to wear green and drink its way through March 17th, but this is actually St. Patrick's story from St. Patrick himself! It's amazing that we even have these documents, which were written sometime during the 5th century AD. In this short tract (which also includes a letter he wrote to a Roman general), St. Patrick gives us the story of his life and his work for God. Talk about inspirational. Reading this gave me a completely different view of this remarkable man- and what it means to truly live a life devoted to God's work. He wasn't perfect- he committed a terrible sin (most likely murder) when he was younger and he could be quick to anger, but he truly loved the Irish people, which explains why his mission was successful. Forget green plastic necklaces and green beer- reading this every St. Patrick's Day is how I celebrate. :)

Have a happy Wednesday! Go say hi to one of your favorite books!