Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Perhaps you're wearing an article of green clothing, you've seen a button that reads “Kiss me I'm Irish,” and you've heard Gaelic music on the radio.

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday that is celebrated around the world on March 17. The day is named after Saint Patrick, the most familiar patron saint of Ireland, who died on March 17, 493.

Patrick, born in Roman Britain circa 387, was a son of privilege and position. As a teenager, however, he was taken from his home by marauders and sold into slavery in Ireland. He worked as a shepherd in his owner's pastures and kindled his Christian faith he had inherited from his family.

Patrick eventually escaped slavery in Ireland and went home. After returning to Britain, legend says that God appeared to Patrick in a dream and told him to go back to Ireland, the land of his captors, with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He returned as a bishop and in time came to be known as the patron saint of Ireland.

Attributed to him is a prayer known as Saint Patrick's Breastplate Prayer, which begins: “I bind unto myself today, the strong name of the Trinity. By invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three.”

The prayer is beautiful. It speaks of the Trinity, Christ's incarnation, the Scriptures, salvation and many other elements of our Christian faith and theology.

The most well-known stanza of the prayer states:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ is hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

The above words bring to mind Christ's last announcement to his disciples in the gospel according to Matthew: “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus Christ is with us always; he is within us always. Jesus Christ is behind, before and beside us “to the very end of the age.” Jesus Christ is a source of comfort and restoration. Jesus Christ has won us.

We recently entered the Lenten season and we're journeying to Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter. Over the next several weeks we'll reflect upon the life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have, as the hymn says, victory in Jesus; he has won us.

The last words of Saint Patrick's prayer are: “Praise to the Lord of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord.”

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Captain Mark Braye and his wife, Nancy, are the officers/pastors of The Salvation Army Tri-Town Community Church in Temiskaming Shores, Ont. They have two children, Hannah and Micah. The four of them love to play and watch Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and The Wiggles.