CELTIC MICHELMAS--CELEBRATING ST. MICHAEL AND THE ANGELS

The Celts love St. Michael, particularly those who are close to the shore of the sea and rocky crags over the ocean.  Skellig Michael is one of the world's holiest places in honor of the Archangel--see my previous posts on this day for cool pictures.  But what's exceptionally brilliant about the Celtic celebration of this angel's feast is that it broadens our image of Michael, reminding us that he is the saint of high places, of the seas, and of judgement for it is he who ferries souls to the judgement seat of God.  Here's a great prayer to the saint:

O Michael Militant,

Thou king of the angels,

Shield thy people

With the power of the thy sword,   

Shield thy people

With the power of thy sword.

Spread thy wing

Over sea and land,

East and west,

And shield us from the foe,

East and west,

And shield us from the foe.

Brighten thy feast

From heaven above;

Be with us in the pilgrimage

And in the twistings of the fight;

Be with us in the pilgrimage

And in the twistings of the fight.

Thou chief of chiefs,

Thou chief of the needy,

Be with us in the journey

And in the gleam of the river;

Be with us in the journey    

And in the gleam of the river.

Thou chief of chiefs,

Thou chief of angels

Spread thy wing

Over sea and land,

For thine is their fullness,

Thine is their fullness,

Thine own is their fullness,

Thine own is their fullness.  Amen

 

This ancient Celtic prayer said by the crofters in the Scottish Hebrides reflects the notion of the archangels' care over land and sea (C. S. Lewis showed this well in his Out of the Silent Planet Trilogy how angels take care of planets).  This prayer also reflects the Celtic notion of spiritual warfare--against whom?--why the Tuatha de Danaan of course--the fairies.  The Celts believed these strange beings inhabited the world with them and that they did not belong to Adam or Abraham but were allied with the Proud Father, namely Lucifer, who fell from heaven. 

Want to bake some St. Michael's Bread?  Click the page for more....

St. Michael is also patron of the harvest, so do the Celtic thing and bake some St. Michael' s bread.  It's a great family thing to do in order to remember God's bounty upon us this time of year.

CREAM TOGETHER 2 CUPS SUGAR, 1 CUP OIL, 3 EGGS

SIFT TOGETHER:    3 CUPS FLOUR, 1TSP. SALT, 1TSP. SODA ,  1TSP. CINNAMON

COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS WITH CREAMED MIXTURE.

ADD    2 TSP. VANILLA, 3 CUPS CHOPPED APPLES, 1 CUP NUTS

GREASE AND FLOUR 2 LOAF PANS OR 1 BUNDT PAN.  WHEN IN PAN, SPRINKLE TOP WITH SUGAR.  BAKE AT 325 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR. 

THE BLESSING OF THE STRUAN--ST. MICHAEL'S BREAD

Each grain and fruit,

They have all been mixed together,

In the name of God the Son,

Who gave them growth.

 

Milk, eggs and butter,

The good produce of our farms.

There shall be no lack in our land,

Nor in our dwelling.

 

In the name of St. Michael our guardian,

Who gives us protection,

And with the blessing of the Lamb of God,

And of his Mother, Mary Mild,

We bless this bread, this food of comfort.

 

St. Michael of the Heavenly Host,

Be a sancturary around us,

Protect us from all that is evil and all that oppresses,

And preserve us.

 

Consecrate the produce of our land,

Bestow prosperity and peace,

In the name of the Father, our King,

In the name of the Son, our Brother,

In the name of the Holy Spirit, our Friend,

In the name of the Trinity, we pray.  Amen.

      adapted from Carmina Gadelica

 by Msgr. Eric R. Barr

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Michael Maedoc]

Thanks for this! We celebrated with a nice breakfast and Mass.

By the way, I noticed that celticprayer.net was down or server is having problems.

*****Celticprayer.net back up--not sure what was wrong. This is such a great feast day--enjoy!

[Bernadette]

Monsignor Barr, thank you for today's reflection, prayer, and recipe! We made the bread and it was delicious and we enjoyed being able to bless it in honor of St. Michael's feast day.

[Victor S E Moubarak]

Hi,

Great article. I recognised the picture of St Michael and the devil at his feet. It is a wall statue at Coventry Cathedral England. The old Cathedral was destroyed during the last War WWII and a new Cathedral built next to the ruins of the old one.

Check this: http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/about-us/our-work.php

God bless.

[elie de rosen]

Nice article, delightful to read. Do you, by any chance, know when the Celts invented that prayer to St.Michael?