The Beltane Blessing

Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful,
Myself, my spouse, and my children,
My tender children and their beloved mother at their head.
On the fragrant plain, on the gay mountain sheiling,
On the fragrant plain, on the gay mountain sheiling.

Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,
All kine and crops, all flocks and corn,
From Hallow Eve to Beltane Eve,
With goodly progress and gentle blessing,
From sea to sea, and every river mouth,
From wave to wave, arid base of waterfall.

Be the Three Persons taking possession of all to me belonging,
Be the sure Trinity protecting me in truth;
Oh! satisfy my soul in the words of Paul,
And shield my loved ones beneath the wing of Thy glory,
Shield my loved ones beneath the wing of Thy glory.

Bless everything and every one,
Of this little household by my side;
Place the cross of Christ on us with the power of love,
Till we see the land of joy,
Till we see the land of joy.

What time the kine shall forsake the stalls,
What time the sheep shall forsake the folds,
What time the goats shall ascend to the mount of mist,
May the tending of the Triune follow them,
May the tending of the Triune follow them.

Thou being who didst create me at the beginning,
Listen and attend me as I bend the knee to Thee,
Morning and evening as is becoming in me,
In Thine own presence, O God of life,
In Thine own presence, O God of life.



-- prayer of the people of the Outer Hebrides, collected by Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912) in the Carmina Gadelica I, 183–185

Beltane is a Celtic May Day festival, halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. A "sheiling" is a pasture.

Benediction: May the Source of life hold you in faith

May the Source of life hold you in the faith;
the Word of life speak clearly in truth around you;
and Breath of life, of grace, of wisdom,
sing in your inmost being this day and all your days. Amen.

--The Rev. Jeff Shrowder, The Billabong

The Baptism of Jesus (First Sunday after Epiphany)

Beginning here we glimpse the Three-in-one;
The river runs, the clouds are torn apart,
The Father speaks, the Sprit and the Son
Reveal to us the single loving heart
That beats behind the being of all things
And calls and keeps and kindles us to light.
The dove descends, the spirit soars and sings
‘You are belovèd, you are my delight!’

In that quick light and life, as water spills
And streams around the Man like quickening rain,
The voice that made the universe reveals
The God in Man who makes it new again.
He calls us too, to step into that river
To die and rise and live and love forever.

--The Rev. Malcolm Guite (1954- ), Anglican priest, poet, musician, and theologian, from his blog.

Holy, holy, holy

For S. S.

How to love the Trinity, its vagueness,
non-sense, God talking to God on the cross? 
Theological geometry, stumper of metaphor,
God humbled to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 
Only when I heard that voice singing Our songs 
shall rise to thee did I feel a welling of love 
that, at best, visits me occasionally in prayer, 
indwelling and expanding within me. 
Yes, God, the darkness hideth thee.
Too often as I sit in the pews, nothing
happens. Or worse, Nothing happens, 
doubt a scrim over every word I pray, 
a tepid mutter of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
But that hymn’s falsetto, surrender, the not-
knowingness of it—Lord, though I can not see, 
I did hear a shimmer, some wick in me caught 
fire, and fear, that liar, left me, momentarily, 
free in the Holy, music, the blessed Trinity. 

--Anya Silver (1968-2018), American poet

from Jerusalem Sonnets (27)

Three dark buds for the Trinity 
On one twig I found in the lining of my coat 

Forgotten since I broke them from the tree 
That grows opposite the RSA building

At the top of Vulcan Lane — there I would lay down my parka 
On the grass and meditate, cross-legged; there was a girl 

Who sat beside me there;
She would hold a blue flower at the centre of the bullring

While the twigs on the tree became black 
And then slowly green again — she was young — if I had said, 

‘Have my coat; have my money’ —
She would have gone away; but because I gave her nothing

She came again and again to share that nothing
Like a bird that nest in the open hand.

--James K. Baxter (1926-1972) New Zealand poet and teacher

Sleeping Prayer

I am placing my soul and my body 
On Thy sanctuary this night, O God, 
On Thy sanctuary, O Jesus Christ, 
On Thy sanctuary, O Spirit of perfect truth, 
The Three who would defend my cause, 
Nor turn their backs upon me. 

Thou, Father, who art kind and just, 
Thou, Son, who didst overcome death,
Thou, Holy Spirit of power,
Be keeping me this night from harm;
The Three who would justify me
Keeping me this night and always.

--from the Carmina Gadelica, collected by Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912) from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland

From The School of the Heart

The whole round world is not enough to fill
The heart's three corners, but it craveth still;
None but the Trinity, who made it, can
Suffice the vast triangulated heart of man.

Christopher Harvey (1597–1663), English poet

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.

-- anonymous, collected by Alexander Carmichael, folklorist, and published in Carmina Gadelica (Hymns of the Gael) III

The Bat

I was reading about rationalism,
the kind of thing we do up north
in early winter, when the sun
leaves work for the day at 4:15.

Maybe the world is intelligible
to the rational mind;
and

maybe we light the lamps at dusk
for nothing...

Then I heard wings overhead.

The cats and I chased the bat
in circles-- living room, kitchen,
pantry, kitchen, living room...
At every turn it evaded us

like the identity of the third person
of the Trinity: the one
who spoke through the prophets,
the one who astounded Mary
by suddenly coming near.

--Jane Kenyon (1947-1995), American poet and translator, from Collected Poems, 2005

Vesper Prayer (Lent)

Holy God, in love you created us and called our being “good.” With open hearts, we praise you for your unfailing love. With open hands, we offer you our labors. Bless and guide us now as our day turns toward evening; through your grace, may we share with others the love we receive from you. In the name of God our Creator, Jesus our brother, and the Spirit who lights our way. Amen.

--from Daily Prayer for All Seasons, authorized by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, 2014, p. 74

Celtic Benediction

God be with thee in every pass,

Jesus be with thee on every hill,

Spirit be with thee on every stream,

Headland and ridge and lawn;

Each sea and land,

each moor and meadow,

Each lying down, each rising up,

In the trough of the waves,

on the crest of the billows,

Each step of the journey thou goest. 

—Traditional Celtic Prayer, from 40 Prayers from Celtic Christianity, by Ray Simpson

A prayer of Dame Julian of Norwich

In you, Father all-mighty, we have
     our preservation and our bliss.
In you, Christ, we have our restoring and our saving.
You are our mother, brother, and Saviour.
In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit,
     is marvellous and plenteous grace.
You are our clothing; for love you wrap us
     and embrace us.
You are our maker, our lover, our keeper.
Teach us to believe that by your grace
     all shall be well,
     and all shall be well,
     and all manner of thing shall be well.
AMEN.

-- Dame Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)

St. Patrick's Breastplate, or The Deer's Cry-- A Lorica (Prayer) of St. Patrick

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity
Through belief in the Threeness
Through confession of the Oneness
Towards the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgement of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim
In obedience to the Angels,
In the service of the Archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of Holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun
Brilliance of moon
Splendor of fire
Speed of lightning
Swiftness of wind
Depth of sea
Stability of earth
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s host to secure me
against snares of devils
against temptations of vices
against inclinations of nature
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear,
alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me and these evils
Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of heathenry,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that endangers man’s body and soul.

Christ to protect me today
against poison, against burning,
against drowning, against wounding,
so that there may come abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Thrones,
Through confession of the Oneness
Towards the Creator of creation.

Salvation is of the Lord
Salvation is of the Lord
Salvation is of Christ
May thy salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.