Powerful Prayer for Spiritual Protection
“You’d better take down your article,” I was advised in an email. “The Blessed Mother has warned that anyone who interferes with her message will suffer consequences.” Ah the joy of writing about condemned apparitions. The article being referred to was five years old. The odds of me taking down an article I had carefully researched in response to a supposed threat from the Blessed Mother were zero to none. I don’t believe that is her style.
Discerning true from false apparitions is ultimately in the hands of the local bishop and after much investigation, if he declares it “constat de non supernaturalitate” (the older term is “condemned”) the conclusion is that there is nothing supernatural occurring. It also means that Catholics should stay away.
The Church investigates claims of private revelations cautiously because the devil can use them to ensnare otherwise serious Catholics. It’s a ruse that begins with great promise but ultimately leads to disobedience and distorted teachings. But once convinced, followers imperceptibly veer off little by little and often rebel against Church authority.
The email threat only served to reinforce how false the reported visions are. But then, it seemed that all hell broke loose at my house, a black cloud of troubles and dissension. Could it be a spiritual attack?
I mentioned it to a friend who suggested I start praying the St. Patrick Breastplate prayer. I called Msgr. Esseff, one of the oldest exorcists in the country, to ask his prayers for spiritual protection. He prayed for my family and also suggested that I pray the St. Patrick Breastplate prayer, which he uses for his own spiritual protection. I followed his advice. The darkness lifted, and peace returned.
For the record, I don’t fret about the possibility of spiritual backlash. Was I on the receiving end of it? Perhaps. But anyone doing God’s work is a target. We should all go about the business of serving God in whatever way he calls us to while staying close to him through prayer and the sacraments.
Coincidentally, after I began saying the St. Patrick prayer daily, while speaking at a conference but never mentioning this incident, a complete stranger came up to me and gave me a prayer card of the St. Patrick Breastplate prayer. She thought I might like it.
I love St. Patrick— he is my patron saint and I am half Irish—and I have been praying his prayer for over two years now. The St. Patrick’s Breast-Plate prayer was composed in preparation for his spiritual battle against the Druid pagans, trusting in Christ as his shield. He won souls and converted Ireland for the Catholic Church. What a beautiful and powerful prayer to recite for our own spiritual battles.
Saint Patrick Breastplate Prayer
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself today
The 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 Judgement Day.
I bind to myself today
The 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 today
The 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.
I bind to myself today
God’s Power to guide me,
God’s Might to uphold me,
God’s Wisdom to teach me,
God’s Eye to watch over me,
God’s Ear to hear me,
God’s Word to give me speech,
God’s Hand to guide me,
God’s Way to lie before me,
God’s Shield to shelter me,
God’s Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop [deck],
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
