Show IRELANDS PATRON SAINT W 7 v ab N L A I 1 ml 71 i inq rl ev i 4 ireland thinks to the saints eloquence and fervor b acamo tc came amo a christian country ra ills 1119 grand work accomplished st patrick died at Down downpatrick patrick march IT 17 40 it la Is said aid HIS GREAT LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE st patricks confession shows how ardently he longed for their welfare epistle has been declared worthy of th the greatest of tho the teachers of the word breastplate of prayer a short litany his synod OW yearningly st patrick loved H HOW his people may bo be learned from the following pail passage sage in his contes confession wo worthy arthy of st augustine or st baui paui paul it if I 1 have ever done any good for tho the sake of my god whom I 1 love 1 I beg him to grant me that I 1 may shed ray my blood with these proselytes prose lytes and captives for blasage hla bla sake even though I 1 should never receive burial or each member of my body should be most horribly thrown to td the dogs doga and wild beasts or the birds of prey should feed upon it par 24 ills confession ends with these words and this la Is my confession before I 1 dle die par 25 for its humility sweetness faith love and self sacrifice it must pe be ad mired by all who read it the breastplate of prayer of st patrick Is a sort of short litany pro ax pilgrims at ac st patricks cross saingim island lough berg bessing belief in and invoking the blessed our ar lords encarna llon resurrection and ascension calling on tho the of heaver of af earth etc invoking christ for or himself and allot all ot 0 his from other works not surely burely composed by st Pd PAtr trIck lck though reflecting the belleta and practices of his times or those boon soon aft after r him in ireland the synod arnod of st patrick la Is composed of 31 canons the twelfth la Is entitled on our oar obligation dawm towai 1 2 the dead and in the eighteenth Is an original interpretation of A 1 V A PRAYER by st patrick apostle of ire 3 land at taras hill 31 at tara tam today the strength ot of god pilot me the power of 0 god preserve me the wisdom of god instruct me the eye ot of god 3 watch over mo me the ear ot of god hear me ma the word of 0 god give i me sweet talk the hand band of god defend me the way of god guide me christ be with me christ be before 0 o re me christ after me christ in me christ under P me christ over me christ on i i my right hand christ on my left hand christ on this side i christ on that side christ carst at ray my back christ in the heart of 0 every person to whom I 1 speak christ in the mouth ot of every person who speaks speak alo to me christ in the car of every per 3 son who bears ms me at tara to day I 1 invoke the mighty power of the trinity salvation n Is the lords salvation Is the ahe lords salvation Is christs may thy salvation 0 lyd be always B with us 01 11 1 11 ity T V 7 T 7 T rl T ft YIN V V iv 1 1 the three different ferent dlf degrees of fruit falness of the gospel seed declaring that those who are to reap a hundredfold dred fold reward are tho the bishops and doctors who are all things to all men those who are to have the f id are the clergy and widows the thirty told shall be received by the laymen who are faithful lie ile also places monks and virgins with those who shall have the hundredfold ile he who does not receive communion at easter is declared to be not a fa faithful ahful canon 22 it Is interesting to note that the synod forbids a man mael to take his dead brothers widow to wife and declares that she shall be to him only a sister canon 25 I 1 little sympathy was given to avarice among the clergy according to decrees IV vill VIII and XIII while decree XIV Is interesting in showing that for murder evil living or consulting auspices the tha sinner shall do penance tor for a year and afterward lie he shall be absolved by b the priest after these follow a few other canons attributed to st patrick then the charter of st patrick on the antiquity of the church of Gaston bury in england very quaint and entertaining tal ta next wo we have tho the book of 0 st patrick the bishop on an the three dwellings a profound yet practical arld and unctuous sermon on heaven hell and this world saint knew persecution rz if st patricks conversion of ireland was waa without persecution cution in the ordinary sense of the word as used in the history of the church yet he assures us ua 1 I went about everywhere for your gilces in many dangers even to the tha furthest district beyond which nobody and where no one had ever gone to capuzo or to ordain clerics or to encourage the people by the help of the tha lord I 1 have done all thene things most faithfully and freely for your salvation lie he tells us even that on an a 4 certain dreadful day they tried exit cot earnestly to kill me and they threw me into chains but on the fourte fourteenth euth day tho the lorl lom delia wed sred gefrom mo asom their power |