Today He who is the King of angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona nobis pacem.


All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood.


So many of the things I crave and seek are vain. They do not satisfy the innermost cravings of my heart. They never could. I know that no matter how hard I try to chase other loves, none but Christ will satisfy. Only He could possibly reach the depths of me, let alone clean out the rot and fill the emptiness. He is more precious than the finest of earthly treasures. I have set my gaze to seek an pursue Him all the days of my life.

But oh, the vain things are charming. Pursuing God means an end to pursuing myself, an exchange well worth it but still incredibly difficult. The things that draw me in shout and speak and coax and whisper, "No, it's about you. I will satisfy you." They lie, of course, but charmers do. I let my gaze glance away from Christ. I allow or even force my ever-present sense of Him to blur. He isn't satisfying me right now, so I will turn my back on Him in hope of a quick fix elsewhere. I find the sin less satisfying than even my selfish discontent, my awareness of God snaps back into focus, I find that I've denied the one I love, and I end up brokenhearted at the sight of His broken heart.

He is quick to forgive. His blood soaks me again, and I come out clean, like a bride in her splendor. I deserve none of it, I writhe in my guilt, but he says, "I do not condemn you. I love you. Enter into the joy of your salvation."

What else can I do? If that's what He wants, if that's what will make Him happy, I will accept this gift, this grace, and rejoice, and love him with all I am once again.

I know myself well enough to know that I will fall again. If not in this way, than in another. Christ became my sin for me, and I am called to become His righteousness for Him. I stink at becoming righteousness.

But because my eyes are fixed on Him again, I'll try. And as long as my eyes are fixed on Him, I'll succeed. The God who asks it of me is also the God who empowers me. This is my Jesus, whom I love. And all the vain things that charm me most, I'll sacrifice them to His blood.


Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: give us peace.

a prayer of St. Patrick

I usually spend Tuesday afternoons taking care of Dan's kids. I often peruse his little library while the kids are napping, and I've been through a number of good books during those stolen corners of time. You've probably heard of Jesus Freaks, a book by D.C. Talk and Voice of the Martyrs--it's essentially a modern update to Foxe's Book of Martyrs. The stories are brief and often compelling. On Dan's shelf right now is a sequel to Jesus Freaks, which tells not only tales of martyrs, but of other Christians who lived lives of extreme sacrifice for Christ's sake.

Among the mini-biographies in Jesus Freaks II is a profile of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and a man who would probably be horrified to be commemorated with worldwide drinking parties. His life story is rather fascinating, and I encourage you to check out this Catholic Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, or the book to learn more about him.

This prayer is widely attributed to St. Patrick. It was sung as a hymn, reads like a poem, and I can only imagine how my life would change if I prayed it every day, as he and his followers did. This is the awareness I wish I maintained in my life.

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

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the 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 shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

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 when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

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