Tentpegs

Two different Celtic Christian prayers from the Western Isles of Scotland today. One is a mother’s blessing to her baby; perhaps one of the most beautiful of all the Celtic prayers. The Bible is big on blessing and yet our culture has exchanged “providing” for “blessing” with tragic results. Here is the blessing — consider giving it to your own children. It is a blessing for a newborn baby.

The joy of God in thy face,
Joy to call who see thee,
The circle of God around thy neck,
Angels of God shielding thee,
Angels of God shielding thee,
Joy of night and day be thine,
Joy of sun and moon be thine,
Joy of men and women be thine,
Each land and sea thou goest,
Each land and sea thou goest.

Be thine the compassing of the God of life.
Be thine the compassing of the Christ of love.
Be thine the compassing of the Spirit of Grace,
To befriend thee and to aid thee,
Thou beloved of my heart.

But children do not stay children forever. They grow up. They leave. In the Western Isles in the days before the middle of the last century, leaving was a traumatic event for the likelihood of seeing the child again was very remote. Even getting a message to them or receiving one from them was difficult, expensive, and rare. This prayer comes from South Uist, a tiny island to the west of Skye. The word “benison” in it is an old, old word for “blessing” or “benediction.”

The benison of God be to thee.
The benison of Christ be to thee.
The benison of Spirit be to thee
And to thy children,
To thee and to thy children.

The keeping of God upon thee in every pass.
The shielding of Christ upon thee in every path.
The bathing of Spirit upon thee in every stream,
In every land and sea thou goest.”

May God’s richest blessings be upon you today, my friends.