Approach and Invocation
Brothers and sisters, + our help is in the name of the Eternal God,
Who is making the heavens and the earth.
Glory to God, The Three-In-One, The One-In-Three,
Now and ever and unto Ages of Ages. Amen, Alleluia.
If this is the first prayer of the day, add:
We arise today though a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
Call for Peace
Deep within the still center of my being, may I find peace.
{PAUSE]
Silently within the quiet of the grove, may I share peace.
[PAUSE]
Gently within the greater circle of all creation, may I radiate peace.
]PAUSE]
Through the Strength of heaven,
Light of Sun,
Radiance of Moon,
Splendor of Fire,
Speed of Lightning,
Swiftness of Wind,
Depth of Sea,
Stability of Earth,
Firmness of Rock –
May there be peace in the North and the South, in the West and the East,
May there be Peace in the Land, in the Sea, and in the Sky.
May there be Peace through all the world.
The Druid Prayer (Everyone)
Grant, O God, your Protection;
And in protection, strength;
And in strength, understanding;
And in understanding, knowledge;
And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;
And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it;
And in that love, the love of all existences;
And in the love of all existences,
the love of Creator God, Christ God, and Spirit God,
Mary our mother, all the angels and saints,
All of creation that sustains and nourishes us,
and all goodness.
–Adapted from Iolo Morganwg (attributed)
Song
A Chríost, mo Dhraoi!
(AH KReest moe Ghree)
Beannaigh mo chroí.
(Bonnie moe KRee)
A Chríost, mo Dhraoi!
(AH KReest moe Ghree)
Oscail mo chroí
(Osskul moe KRee)
A Chríost, mo Dhraoi!
(AH KReest moe Ghree)
Líon mo chroí
(Lee-un moe KRee)
Le do ghrá
(Leh duh Ghraw)
Le do ghrá
(Leh duh Ghraw)
Le do ghrá dom
(Leh duh Ghraw dum)
Ah Christ, my Druid!
Bless my heart.
Ah Christ, my Druid!
Open my heart.
Ah Christ, my Druid!
Fill my heart
With your love,
With your love,
With your love for me.
— Words by Cáit Finnegan-Grenier, based on St. Columba
Invoking the Holy Spirit
In Druid thought and practice, Awen is seen as the spirit of inspiration, represented by the Goddess Cerridwen for many neo-Pagans. The Awen symbol (left) is three dots and three lines, often contained within a circle. The dots represent the three drops of the brew in Cerridwen’s cauldron that splashed onto the hand of Gwion Bach, granting him wisdom and knowledge. The three lines, or rays, symbolize a myriad of concepts, depending on who you ask. In my own personal practice, I see Awen as the Holy Spirit. Many Druids begin rituals by chanting the word, “Awen” (AH-OO-WEN, drawing out each syllable).
Chanted on a single tone:
AWEN — AWEN — AWEN
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,
And kindle in us the fire of your love.
O God, send out your spirit,
And renew the face of the earth.
Eternal Spirit, flow through our being and open our lips
That our mouths may proclaim your praise.
The Word of God
Psalm 24:1-6
Ant. This is the people that longs to see your face.
The earth is God’s and all that is in it. *
The world and all who dwell therein.
For God founded it upon the seas *
And made it firm upon the river of the deep.
‘Who can ascend the hill of God? *
And who can stand in that holy place?’
‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, *
Who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud.
‘They shall receive a blessing from God *
And a just reward from the God of their salvation.’
Such is the generation of those who seek God, *
Of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel.
Glory to God, the Three-in-One, the One-in-Three, one holy and blessed Trinity, *
Now and ever and unto Ages of Age. Amen.
Ant. This is the people that longs to see your face.
Reading from Scripture: Matthew 5:3-12
Reader: Hear, now, the wisdom of God as revealed in sacred scripture.
A reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Reader: For the Word of God in Scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Everyone: Thanks be to God.
Reflection
Hands that have fed us,
Strong shoulders that have carried us,
Wait like the shadows
With warmth ever with us …
John the Beloved stands beside Thomas, and Hild has her hand upon Reinfrid’s shoulder. They gather around us like faces about a fire, Martin Luther King, Jr., Polycarp and Francis, Thérèse of Lisieux, C.S. Lewis and Aidan. Some names or faces we recognize, but have you met Ita? Or the irrepressible Roland Walls? Let me introduce you, look just in front of him is Brother Charles … and do you know Telemachus? Jean Donovan or Thomas Merton?
There are wise eyes watching out for us, knowing words to sustain us, lives to encourage us – and prayers with the power to alter the outcome of events around the world or shift the heart off its axis. Have you discovered John Hyde hidden behind the others? Then Canaire, Catherine de Hueck, Madeleine L’Engle, Oswald and Fegild. We are surrounded by a gentle company of faithful ones whose struggles were so similar to our own.
Who are the ‘saints’ to us? They are an example to follow. They are continuity. They surround us with love and prayer … We pray with the saints and they pray with us.
— Andy Raine, Celtic Daily Prayer, Book 2: Farther Up and Farther In
Prayers
As we begin our Caeli, we ask God to be present among us and to bless our time together and we ask the company of saints to pray with us:
Please respond to each petition, Pray with us.
[Litany of Saints in Celtic Daily Prayer, Book 1, p. 326; invite people to name others}
Loving and gracious God, we give thanks for this gathering. Bless our time together and pour out your Spirit on us that what we speak and hear and do this weekend may nourish, strengthen, and energize us for the various ministries to which you have called us. We ask this through our Savior, Jesu the Christ, who taught us to pray …
Our Father, …
Closing Prayer
Everyone
Christ as a light illumine and guide me
Christ as a shield overshadow me
Christ under me, Christ over me
Christ beside me, on my left and my right
This day be within and without me
Lowly and meek, yet all powerful
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak
In the mouth of each who speaks unto me
This day be within and without me
Lowly and meek yet all powerful
Christ as a light, Christ as a shield
Christ beside me, on my left and my right.
+May the light of Jesu
shine ever brighter in our hearts,
that with all the saints in light
we may shine forth as lights in the world.
Thanks be to God.
Sources
A Way of Living: A Worship, Prayer, and Liturgy Resource for the Lindisfarne Community, Copyright © 2006, Jane Hall Fitz-Gibbon and Andrew Fitz-Gibbon; The Lindisfarne Community
Celtic Daily Prayer, Book 2: Farther Up and Farther In, Copyright © 2015, The Northumbria Community Trust; The Northumbria Community
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with Amazon and do not receive anything from the purchase of these books, other than the satisfaction of sharing a good resource.
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