Celtic Daily Protection Prayer

Daily Protection Celtic Prayer

“May the guiding hands of God be on my shoulders,
may the presence of the Holy Spirit be on my head,
may the sign of Christ be on my forehead,
may the voice of the Holy Spirit be in my ears,
may the smell of the Holy Spirit be in my nose,
may the sight of the company of heaven be in my eyes,
may the speech of the company of heaven be in my mouth,
may the work of the church of God be in my hands,
may the serving of God and my neighbor be in my feet,
may God make my heart his home,
and may I belong to God, my Father, completely.”—Lorica of St. Fursa (Fursey), 7th Century, Translation composite, from Facebook Page of the Rev. Dr. Frederick Schmidt.

Celtic Trinity Knot by angeleyesuncut

Fred Schmidt puts a prayer on his Facebook page almost every day. I cannot get this one out of my mind. St. Fursa was an Irish monk who was among the first to spread Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England in the seventh century. A “Lorica” is a protection prayer in the Irish Celtic tradition, often used before going to battle. It may have come from the original Latin word lorica, meaning breastplate or armor. It may have been inspired by Paul’s writing in Ephesians 6:11 to “put on the whole armor of Christ.”

As modern Christians, we can learn much from the Celts. We have a treasury of their wisdom, because writing and education were so important to them. On the other hand, I think of others who worshiped God, whose traditions we know nothing about because their experience—and not the writing—was primary to them. We need both.

This form of prayer should meet us as we wake up in the morning, maybe with that first cup of coffee or tea or even before.

We may need to return to it during the day, leaving a copy in a convenient place so we do not forget to put on “the whole armor of God.” Sometimes, life seems like going into battle. However, my experience is that when prayers like this become part of our being, we recognize that the struggle is over and love has already won.

clay banks unsplash

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

knowing which way to go

Knowing which way to go

 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”— Isaiah 30:21.

fork in the road Westport Mass Joyce Burns

How do we hear the voice of God telling us what to do and where to go? There is a multitude of possibilities, perhaps more than the stars. The purpose of all our spiritual practices is putting us in a position to connect to the God of our understanding and hear God’s voice.

Many believe God is the dream maker who speaks to us in the language of dreams at night. However, my experience is that only in a dream group can I find meaning. Looking back on what I thought this dream meant, the answer was obvious, but only other people could see it.

Many discernment processes can help decide the next path. The one I use the most is Ignatian discernment, where we visualize or imagine our lives in one situation and then in the other. Ignatius suggests we can discern our path by evaluating how we felt after imagining in each situation, instead of how we felt while imagining in it.

Many use spiritual direction from another person to guide them. The director is there to help the person connect to their soul within where answers come from.

My experience is that the hours just after waking in the morning are often when situations become clearer. So I try to be silent and wait to see if answers come.

This reading from Isaiah also reminds me of Benedict’s direction in the prologue to his Rule: “Listen with the ear of your heart.”

Joanna Seibert https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Image Gently

Image Gently

“Relationship is not a project, it is a grace.”—Thomas Moore in Soul Mates: Honoring the Mysteries of Love and Relationship (HarperCollins, 1994), p. 256.

My friend, Marilyn Goske, also a pediatric radiologist, spearheaded Image Gently’s campaign to decrease radiation to children in diagnostic radiology. This organization encourages physicians to use the least radiation when performing tests on children. It applies to conventional X-rays, fluoroscopy, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, computed tomography, dentistry, cardiac imaging, and imaging in the setting of minor head trauma.

 In addition, the organization aims to make physicians, technologists, and nurses aware of the amount of radiation used and the importance of reassuring parents about their concerns. This educational program involves communication with all those directly involved in these studies and all medical organizations that support them. It has had overwhelming success, with over 1.9 million pledges participating in this program.

Marilyn shows us how to change the world by communicating and dialoguing with all people who share a particular interest. It involves trying to solve a problem, talking together, working together, celebrating when answers come, and honoring those bringing the vision to reality. In this way, we see the power of community.

I realize how important this could be in our spiritual lives. We find more answers to our spiritual questions in community, whereas often, we cannot understand our concerns by ourselves.

 I remember meeting with my spiritual director, who helped me understand a dream that had baffled me for days. Each day in the early morning, I return to the dream and uncover another insight, as though she and all those who have taught me about dream work are still guiding me.

We also have many parts of ourselves: inner masculine, inner feminine, the child within, and so many more. They reveal answers when we see them as helpful voices, rather than unwanted adversaries, especially coming from the weaker parts of ourselves. It is in our weakness, in our vulnerability, especially in community, that God the Holy Spirit creeps in and helps us discern a path—where before we saw only a jungle.

In community, we image gently.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/