Scribbles from...
From 1855-1899, Alexander Carmichal routinely visited the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in his capacity as an excise man. He spent many a night in a crofter’s cottage as folks gathered for “ceilidh,” an evening filled with recitation of poetry, song, story, and ballad. In this remote, wild land, the dominant language was then still Gaelic and Carmichal became particularly drawn to the hymns, charms, and prayers that were the warp and woof of everyday life.
Within this repository of mysterious words and phrases that fell in lyrical, almost liturgical style, was a strange blend of pagan and Christian imagery that gave witness to a past going back to St. Columban himself.
Following in the footsteps of Patrick, Columban preached Christianity using both Christian and pagan images and language. This was embodied in the prayers that arose, a kind of lost lexicon of piety that heralded back to a distant age.
Carmichal determined to gather as many of these as he could. The end result was CARMINA GADELICA (meaning "Songs of the Gaels"), first published in 1900, in both Gaelic and English.
To read through these prayers is to be immersed in the lived spirituality of a people attuned to the rhythms of nature who marked their days with a sense of the nearness of God. The pattern is almost always trinitarian, Father, Son, and Spirt, and Christ-centered, with a good deal of repetition as happens in oral tradition. The surrounding land, sea, and air breathe through the words and everyday tasks become talismans of grace.
If you are familiar with St. Patrick's Breastplate, aka The Cry of the Deer, the cadence and language will feel familiar to you. (I sent this out in a Scribbles of last August as a movement prayer. You may want to read that again: St Patrick's Breastplate)
My own copy of Carmina Gadelica shares a bookshelf with various Bible translations and commentaries, the Torah, and other collections of poetry and prayers. It was great fun to browse through and come up with some samples to share with you:
PRAYER AT RISING
Bless to me, O God,
Each thing mine eye sees;
Bless to me, O God,
Each sound mine ear hears;
Bless to me, O God,
Each odour that goes to my nostrils
Bless to me, O God,
Each taste that goes to my lips;
Each note that goes to my song,
Each ray that guides my way,
Each thing that I pursue.
Each lure that tempts my will,
The zeal that seeks my living soul.
The Three that seek my heart,
The zeal that seeks my living soul,
The Three that seek my heart.
I LIE DOWN THIS NIGHT
I lie down this night with God,
And God will lie down with me;
I lie down this night with Christ,
And Christ will lie down with me;
I lie down this night with Spirit,
And the Spirit will lie down with me
God and Christ and the Spirit
Be lying down with me.PEACE
Peace between neighbors,
Peace between kindred.
Peace between lovers,
In love of the King of life.
Peace between person and person,
Peace between wife and husband,
Peace between woman and children,
The peace of Christ above all peace.
Bless, O Christ, my face,
Let my face bless every thing;
Bless, O Christ, mine eye,
Let mine eye bless all its sees.
REST BLESSING
Bless Thou, O God, the dwelling,
And each who rests herein this night;
Bless Thou, O God, my dear ones
In every place wherein they sleep;
In the night that is to-night,
And every single night;
In the day that is to-day,
And every single day.
NEW MOON
May thy light be fair to me!
May thy course be smooth to me!
If good to me is thy beginning,
Seven times better be thine end,
Thou great lamp of grace!
He Who created thee
Created me likewise
He Who gave thee weight and light
Gave to me life and death.THE SUN
Hail to thee, thou sun of the seasons,
As thou traverse the skies aloft;
Thy steps are strong on the wing of the heavens,
Thou art the glorious mother of the stars.
Thou liest down in the destructive ocean
Without impairment and without fear
Thou risest up on the peaceful wave-crest
Like a queenly maiden in bloom.There were blessings for all of life's activities: blessings for reaping, for looms and weaving, cattle and sheep, harvesting seaweed, milking, churning, gathering kindling and smooring the fire. There were many prayers for protection and for the journey.
JOURNEY BLESSING
Bless to me, O God,
The earth beneath my foot.
Bless to me, O God,
The path whereon I go;
Bless to me, O God,
The thing of my desire;
Thou Evermore of evermore.
Bless Thou to me my rest.
Bless to me the thing
Whereon is set my mind,
Bless to me the thing
Whereon is set my love;
Bless to me the thing
Whereon is set my hope;
O Thou King of kings,
Bless Thou to me mine eye!PETITION
Be Thou a smooth way before me,
Be Thou a guiding star above me,
Be Thou a keen eye behind me,
This day, this night, for ever.
I am weary, and I forlorn
Lead Thou me to the land of the angels;
Methinks it were time I went for a space
To the court o Christ, to the peace of heaven;
If only Thou, O God of life,
Be at peace with me, be my support,
Be to me as a star, be to me as a helm,
From my lying down in peace to my rising anew.What if...
What if this were more than a simple tale from long ago? A way of life sadly gone, out of touch with today? The remnant of a piety we have forgotten?
What if it were, instead, a different set of glasses with which to view the world? A way to move through each day noting experience as touchstones of God’s presence? A habit of paying attention to nature as God’s love language? An invitation?
What if we clothed ourselves in the protection of God, as we drew our arms through our coat sleeves? What if we blessed the inhabitants of busses that passed down our streets? What if birdsong begat a whispered Amen? What if washing our hands became a prayer to cleanse our hearts? What if plucking basil from the windowsill garden prompted us to thank the earth that held its roots? What if we set out each day hoping, not entirely sure, but hoping we’d meet God that day? What if at the end of day, we sat in God’s company and remembered?
Sometimes on retreats, inspired by these ancient prayer forms, I’ve invited people to create their own simple prayers and have done so myself. I’ve found them to be good companions for the day. They become habit over time a way to keep me mindful. My own have adopted the kind of liturgical rhythm of the Carmina Gadelica, just a preference on my part.
As soon as I realize it is morning and I am awake, I reach upward and say: Glory to You, God of the morning. I wake and I thank you for the blessing of sleep and for the gift of this new day.
In the shower I remember and remind myself to whom I belong: Glory to You, God of the water, I baptize my face once again in the Three.
When I first open the door and step into the day, I do so with intention: Glory to You, God of the footfall. I step out in faith and I follow your lead.
Your turn...
We, too, have patterns to our days, repetition that can be a call to prayer. Instead of a shuttle skimming the loom, our fingers fly over the keyboard. Even so we are creating. Even so we ask for blessing. Even so we hope for beauty. We set not our sails to traverse the waves but follow GPS though grid-lock to home. Even so, our heart leads us. Even so, we wait for welcome. Christ companions the commuter as well as well as the crofter.
Nor are we, after all, removed from nature. The rising sun that spills light through redwoods, spills as surely over skyline, suburbs, and slums. No less brilliant, no less benevolent; this, too, is worthy of praise. Our lives are no less sacred or dear in the eyes of God than those of another time or place. The Spirit hovers over stove tops well as hearth. God leans in to listen to the kneeling child, the rhythm of the runner’s breath, the rosary slipping through bent fingers…
So, take heart, dare to believe in a God that close, a life so dear, a heart so full. Listen to words spoken true by lives that shared the same hope. And find words of your own, with no wrong way to do it.
And if you are so kind and so inclined, share them. I'd love to hear what has stirred in you.
Summer Enrichment, Part Two...
A wonderful conversation was had in July thanks to the Krista Tippett podcast. Thank you to all who participated. I expect August will be just as rich and wonderful. NOTE: There will only be a Tuesday afternoon option.
"DEEP TIME WALK" with DR STEPHAN HARDING
11am-2pm Pacific
noon-3pm Mountain
1-4pm Central
2-5pm Eastern
7-10pm United Kingdom
Spotlight on Teresa...
Those of you who have been with me for a while will recognize the name Teresa Pirola, ThD (Doctorate of Theology). Teresa is a faith educator and writer working in the Catholic community in Australia whose expertise is interfaith dialogue with Judaism and who is the founder of Light of Torah, an educational resource for Christians, designed to foster a love for Torah and respect for the traditions of the Jewish people. The consistent quality of her work and her depth of scholarship are impressive. I am honored and pleased to partner with her in ministry.
Ever since Oct 7, 2023, her ministry has included advocating for the release of the Hamas hostages and supporting their families, Aware of the complexities of the situation, she is even-handed even as she is passionate about her cause. She has worked tirelessly over these last nine months, often drawing a, awareness to brutal and heartbreaking circumstances, a heavy task indeed.
Sunday she posted a story that I'd encourage you to take a look at. In the middle of all that is chaos and pain, she tells about to two parents of Hamas hostages who wish to bring blessing to bear with a week-long project, "Week of Goodness." You will note her enthusiasm for the Jewish people, as she makes a cogent argument for all things good. Sisters in Scriptures students will remember my frequent use of the Hebrew word, hesed or loving-kindness. This is the appeal the couple sends out in their Week of Goodness.
Teresa writes to an Australian audience, but I would love to add our own hesed or goodness to theirs. It will be mid-week when you read this, but we gain a day at the end as our Sunday stretches into their Monday. We could prolong goodness by a day! I'd worry little about what to do and only ask that you intentionally unite your own random kindness to the larger offering of peace and love for the remainder of this week.
In this last week's podcast, Krista Tippett spoke of "critical yeast," small groups of people in unlikely combinations, in a new quality of relationship. It is, in fact such combinations that are the "quiet before" that allows change to happen. Different religions, different continents, different time zones, all enacting intentional kindness. I think we qualify as that kind of group. We may not feel a seismic shift at the end of this week--though we may, but we will have contributed to whatever good is possible before us. Here's the link: Week of Goodness
Responses from Readers...
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