St. Patrick's Breastplate (unexpurgated)

Please listen to the organ music as you read the text below.




From Satucket.com's lectionary pages for today (please note the verses in brackets are not to be found in your Hymnal.

THE LORICA, OR, ST PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE

I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever,
by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
his baptism in the Jordan river;
his death on cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spiced tomb;
his riding up he heavenly way;
his coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
of the great love of cherubim;
the sweet "Well done" in judgement hour;
the service of the seraphim;
confessors' faith, apostles' word,
the patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.

[Against the demon snares of sin,
the vice that gives temptation force,
the natural lusts that war within,
the hostile men that mar my course;
of few or many, far or nigh,
in every place, and in all hours
against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
against false words of heresy,
against the knowledge that defiles
against the heart's idolatry,
against the wizard's evil craft,
against the death-wound and the burning
the choking wave and poisoned shaft,
protect me, Christ, till thy returning.]

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

A more literal translation, by Kuno Meyer, is the following:

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 judgement of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of the Cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of the resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In prediction 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,
Splendour 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 to 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 temptation of vices,
From every one who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in a 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 women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poising, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So there 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 every one who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye of every one who 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.

There'll Always Be An Episcopalian

There'll Always Be An Episcopalian

I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen.
I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen.
May this fair dear Church we love so well
In dignity and freedom dwell.
Though Bishops may change and go awry
While there is still one orthodox voice to cry - - -

There'll always be an Episcopalian
While there's a dispute,
Wherever there's an orthodox small
'Gainst a Bishop of ill repute.

There'll always be an Episcopalian
While there's a labyrinth,
We'll voice our loud displeasure,
Until our dying breath.

Father, Spirit, and Jesus; what does it mean to us?
Surely you're proud, shout it aloud,
"Episcopalians, awake!"
The Anglicans too, we can depend on you.
Freedom remains. These are the chains
Nothing can break.

There'll always be an Episcopalian,
Who someday shall be free
From apostate priests, Bishops, and heresy,
If the Church means as much to you
As the Church means to me.

Adapted from Parker & Charles "There'll Always Be An England"



(Deanna Durbin) From "Nice Girl" (British Version)

Where Have All the Dioceses Gone?

With apologies to Pete Seeger,

Where have all the Dioceses gone?
Long time leaving
Where have all the Dioceses gone?
Not so long ago
Where have all the Dioceses gone?
Christians have packed them up every one
When will we ever learn
When will we ever learn

Where have all the Christians gone?
Long time leaving
Where have all the Christians gone?
Not so long ago
Where have all the Christians gone?
To a new Province on the run
When will we ever learn
When will we ever learn

Where has the Episcopal Church gone?
Long time passing
Where has the Episcopal Church gone?
Not so long ago
Where has the Episcopal Church gone?
Gone to the courtroom every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the sinners gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the sinners gone?
Not so long ago
Where have all the sinners gone?
Cleansed by Christ's blood every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

Remember the McCain(e)

There were several songs about the sinking of the ill fated Maine in Havana harbor in 1898. There may not be much interest in the ill fated battleship McCain. Further investigations will be made to determine if his sinking was due to external causes or self destruction. Now is the time for editorializing and rallying the troops. Therefore, it falls on me to try a little song re-writing.

The original can be found here.

Lend your ear to the whisper, it floats from afar,
It has traveled from where, underneath her lone star,
The fair isle of Cuba impatiently waits
The summons to enter our circle of states.
From the depths of her anguish the throes of her pain,
That whisper comes to us, "Remember the 'Maine'."

Lend your ear to the whisper, it tells of the brave,
Who with sword yet in sheath, know not even a grave;
Can we say had that sword but been wakened in time,
That back from the shot-riven air and the grime
Of the conflict, our sons might have reached us again,
While their foemen would ever "Remember the 'Maine'."

Lend your ear to the whisper, nay lend more your hand,
'Twill be needed, if men yet remain in this land,
That so proudly lays claim to the title of free,
And that now in its sorrow is summoned to be
A saviour, if not an avenger; how plain
Comes the message, O brothers "Remember the 'Maine'."

Lend your ear to the whisper, 'tis growing more strong,
'Tis a whisper no longer, 'tis sweeping along
Through the length and the breadth of this land of the free,
From city to mountain, from mountain to sea,
And the voice of America tells thee, O Spain,
That the men of our country "Remember the 'Maine'."

-Arthur H. MacOwen 1898

My adaptation follows,

He had traveled from where, underneath her lone star,
The fair state of Zona impatiently wants
The summons to enter our circle of Presidents.
From the depths of her anguish the throes of her pain,
That whisper comes to us, "Remember the 'McCain'."

Lend your ear to the whisper, it tells of the brave,
Who with votes not yet cast, knew of their grave;
Can we say had those voters but been wakened in time,
That back from the stumps and the grime
Of the campaign, our son might have reached us again,
While their foemen would ever "Remember the 'McCain'."

Lend your ear to the whisper, nay lend more your hand,
'Twill be needed, if men yet remain in this land,
That so proudly lays claim to the title of free,
And that now in its sorrow is summoned to be
A saviour, if not an avenger; how plain
Comes the message, O brothers "Remember the 'McCain'."

Lend your ear to the whisper, 'tis growing more strong,
'Tis a whisper no longer, 'tis sweeping along
Through the length and the breadth of this land of the free,
From city to mountain, from mountain to sea,
And the voice of America tells thee, O. Hussein,
That the men of our country "Remember the 'McCain'."

-Wallace H. Hartley

(Note that no changes were needed to the third verse)

Gentlemen-Rankers out on the Spree

The Episcopal Church's Bishops may want to sing this song as they head to Mory's,


WHIFFENPOOF SONG
(words Meade Minnegerode; tune attributed to Tod Galloway)

From the tables down at Mory's, to the place where Louie dwells,
To the dear old Temple bar we love so well.
Sang the whiffenpoofs assembled with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing cast its spell.

Yes, the magic of their singing of the songs we love so well,
``Shall I Wasting'' and ``Mavoureen'' and the rest.
We will serenade our Louie while life and voice shall last
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest.

cho: We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Bah, bah, bah.
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Bah, bah, bah.
Gentlemen songsters off on a spree
Damned from here to eternity
Lord have mercy on such as we!
Bah, bah, bah.

The Bishops may prefer to sing Kipling's original poem,

Gentlemen-Rankers
By Rudyard Kipling

To the legion of the lost ones, to the cohort of the damned,
To my brethren in their sorrow overseas,
Sings a gentleman of England cleanly bred, machinely crammed,
And a trooper of the Empress, if you please.
Yea, a trooper of the forces who has run his own six horses,
And faith he went the pace and went it blind,
And the world was more than kin while he held the ready tin,
But to-day the Sergeant's something less than kind.
We're poor little lambs who've lost our way,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We're little black sheep who've gone astray,
Baa--aa--aa!
Gentlemen-rankers out on the spree,
Damned from here to Eternity,
God ha' mercy on such as we,
Baa! Yah! Bah!

Oh, it's sweet to sweat through stables, sweet to empty kitchen slops,
And it's sweet to hear the tales the troopers tell,
To dance with blowzy housemaids at the regimental hops
And thrash the cad who says you waltz too well.
Yes, it makes you cock-a-hoop to be "Rider" to your troop,
And branded with a blasted worsted spur,
When you envy, O how keenly, one poor Tommy being cleanly
Who blacks your boots and sometimes calls you "Sir".

If the home we never write to, and the oaths we never keep,
And all we know most distant and most dear,
Across the snoring barrack-room return to break our sleep,
Can you blame us if we soak ourselves in beer?
When the drunken comrade mutters and the great guard-lantern gutters
And the horror of our fall is written plain,
Every secret, self-revealing on the aching white-washed ceiling,
Do you wonder that we drug ourselves from pain?

We have done with Hope and Honour, we are lost to Love and Truth,
We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung,
And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth.
God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Our shame is clean repentance for the crime that brought the sentence,
Our pride it is to know no spur of pride,
And the Curse of Reuben holds us till an alien turf enfolds us
And we die, and none can tell Them where we died.
We're poor little lambs who've lost our way,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We're little black sheep who've gone astray,
Baa--aa--aa!
Gentlemen-rankers out on the spree,
Damned from here to Eternity,
God ha' mercy on such as we,
Baa! Yah! Bah!

This Church was Made for You and Me

What is going on with the Bishop in Pittsburg? He is charged with "abandonment of communion or discipline of this church." Does "this church" mean the Episcopal Church USA or does it mean the Anglican Communion?

Apologies to Woody Guthrie,

This church is your church, this church is my church
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This church was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This church was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While All around me a voice was sounding
Saying this church was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This church was made for you and me.

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn't say nothing;
That side was made for you and me.

This church is your church, this church is my church
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This church was made for you and me.

Will Divisions Ever Cease?

Whenever there is a dispute, someone will pull out Matthew 12:25 (King James Version)

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Today I could not help but remember that verse when reading about the divisions in our Church. The divisions seem to encompass all of the structures listed in the quotation:

Kingdom: One holy catholic and apostolic Church
City: Anglican
House: The Episcopal Church USA

Okay, this is taking a verse out of context. Recall that Jesus was responding to the Pharisees who were not happy with healing done on the Sabbath, and Jesus was referring to the house of Satan.

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you

Despite being taken out of context, the truths in the quotation are timeless. And the notion that not even Satan would be divided against himself puts our modern religious issues in a pretty bad light.
(From Washington.edu)

Will there ever be an end to divisions? Perhaps that is one of those "Kingdom of God" things that we pray for but don't understand.

Hymn # 607 Words by: William Watkins Reid Jr.

O God of every nation, of every race and land,
Redeem the whole creation with your almighty hand;
Where hate and fear divide us and bitter threats are hurled,
In love and mercy guide us and heal our strife-torn world.

From search for wealth and power and scorn of truth and right,
From trust in bombs that shower destruction through the night,
From pride of race and nation and blindness to your way,
Deliver every nation, eternal God, we pray!

Lord, strengthen all who labor that we may find release
From fear of rattling saber, from dread of war’s increase;
When hope and courage falter, your still small voice be heard;
With faith that none can alter, your servants undergird.

Keep bright in us the vision of days when war shall cease,
When hatred and division give way to love and peace,
Till dawns the morning glorious when truth and justice reign
And Christ shall rule victorious o’er all the world’s domain.

(From Washington.edu)