St. Patrick's Breastplate is contained in the ancient Book of Armagh, from the early ninth century, along with Patrick's authentic "Confession." St. Patrick is said to have written this prayer to strengthen himself with God's protection as he prepared to confront and convert Loegaire, high king of Ireland. I see in it some similarities to Paul's exhortation to "put on the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18), except that it is much more detailed. I recommend St. Patrick's prayer to you as a wonderful prayer of spiritual preparedness.
I bind to myself todayThe strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:I believe the Trinity in the UnityThe Creator of the Universe.I bind to myself todayThe virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.I bind to myself todayThe virtue of the love of seraphim,In the obedience of angels,In the hope of resurrection unto reward,In prayers of Patriarchs,In predictions of Prophets,In preaching of Apostles,In faith of Confessors,In purity of holy Virgins,In deeds of righteous men.I bind to myself todayThe power of Heaven,The light of the sun,The brightness of the moon,The splendor of fire,The flashing of lightning,The swiftness of wind,The depth of sea,The stability of earth,The compactness of rocks.
This rather literal version is from Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran,"St. Patrick,"Catholic Encyclopedia(1911), Volume XI (Robert Appleton Company, 1911), Online Edition (2003), by K. Knight (www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm). A quite similar is found in Philip Schaff,History of the Christian Church, Vol. 4,§14, critical note on St. Patrick. Schaff, notes that this Irish hymn is found in the Book of Armagh, and is "calledS. Patricii Canticum Scotticum, which Patrick is said to have written when he was about to convert the chief monarch of the island (Laoghaire or Loegaire). The hymn is a prayer for the special aid of Almighty God for so important a work; it contains the principal doctrines of orthodox Christianity ... but without an invocation of Mary and the saints, such as we might expect from the Patrick of tradition and in a composition intended as a breast-plate or corselet against spiritual foes."
Other translations are also available. In 1889, Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), penned the following version at the request of H. H. Dickinson, Dean of the Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle. He recalls, "I wrote to her suggesting that she should fill a gap in our Irish Church Hymnal by giving us a metrical version of St. Patrick's "Lorica" and I sent her a carefully collated copy of the best prose translations of it. Within a week she sent me that exquisitely beautiful as well as faithful version which appears in the appendix to our Church Hymnal." The traditional (but not very memorable) tune, was written by Charles V. Stanford (1902). (Information obtained from CyberHymnal.org where aMIDIof the music is available.)
I bind this today to me foreverBy power of faith, Christ's incarnation;His baptism in Jordan river,His death on Cross for my salvation;His bursting from the spiced tomb,His riding up the heavenly way,His coming at the day of doomI bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the powerOf the great love of cherubim;The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour,The service of the seraphim,Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,The Patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls,All good deeds done unto the LordAnd purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself todayThe virtues of the star lit 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 seaAround the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself todayThe 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;Or few or many, far or nigh,In every place and in all hours,Against their fierce hostilityI 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, the 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.By Whom all nature hath creation,Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:Praise to the Lord of my salvation,Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
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