St. Patrick and the Pandemic

 

Caim Prayer

 Circle _________, Gracious God,

keep protection near and danger afar.

 Circle __________, Healing God,

keep hope within, keep despair without.

Circle ____________, Caring God,

keep light near, and darkness afar.

 Circle __________, God,

keep peace within and anxiety without.

 May God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer

shield ___________on every side.      Amen.

A couple of days ago a loved one went into hospital for what proved to be a successful heart procedure. This is a low-risk procedure, but it was the heart, after all, and it's a challenge not to have some anxiety about even the best physicians messing with our tickers. At the conclusion of a Zoom call the evening before Ruth shared the prayer above, a Caim or "circle" prayer. 

I've used it in the past with those undergoing surgery in the midst of literal circles of family and friends. It is a part of the Celtic tradition that includes St. Patrick, the saint of Ireland recognized today.. 

Cast your minds back to four years ago on St. Patrick's Day (a Tuesday then). We were directed to close down many aspects of our society, including regular gathered worship, for as long as it took to protect us all from the greatest health threat in living memory, the COVID pandemic. For the most part we did what we were told, saving thousands of lives. People did die, others developed long-term health affects, businesses foundered, and so did many congregations. If memory serves me correctly it was this Sunday in 2020 that we were told that our church would close for a couple of weeks in the hope of returning for Easter -- little did we know what was before us. 

We still need our prayers for protection and health and wisdom, both individually and societally. I'm not sure what we have learned from the existential threat of the pandemic. At times it seems that we emerged with a collective chip on our shoulder and a "me first" attitude. Yet I earnestly ask God, three-in-one, to lead us forward and to give us the strength to "keep heart". 

Here is my blog entry from March 17, 2020: 

This is St. Patrick's Day and what an irony that government officials have closed down bars to curtail gatherings where people would ignore a public health crisis in order to drink too much. 

Patrick was a devout Christian of the 5th century, one of three patron saints of Ireland along with Brigid and Columba. Patrick is enveloped in lore but he does represent an alternative, Celtic, stream of Christianity which was egalitarian rather than hierarchical, appears to have honoured women in leadership, and was Creation-honouring rather than "pie in the sky when we die." 



There is a prayer called St. Patrick's Breastplate (below)  which is also known as St. Patrick's Lorica. A lorica was a protection prayer, a safeguard against evil.  The Latin word lōrīca originally meant "armour" or "breastplate"  and referred to the protection worn by warriors heading into battle. 

We are certainly feeling vulnerable and beseiged these days yet we can protect ourselves with our own "wash and pray" lorica and by observing the serious but sensible measures governments have instituted. I'm not a fan of Premier Doug Ford by any stretch, and have been disappointed by a number of decisions by Prime Minister Trudeau since he was elected in 2015 That said, I feel that both have responded strongly to the current threat and deserve our support in the midst of uncertainty. 

We can all pray for those in leadership at every level including health care provider and authorities and politicians. Please pray as well for those who are anxious and frightened by an enemy which is invisible yet has the potential to be deadly.

It seems reasonable to bend a socially responsible elbow to the lorica legacy of St. Paddy, and for all the rich possibilities the Celtic Christian tradition continues to offer.