Celtic spirituality

Blessings

A lonely soul

In the stillness
See the wonder of God’s art
In the silence
Feel Christ’s presence
In the sunlight
Watch the Holy Spirit dance
In the darkness
Find faith’s essence.
Jane M. MacKichan

Car

Bless the car to me O Lord
Bless me to my car.
Be in my driving
Be in my concentration
Be in my decisions.

Bless this journey to me, O Lord.
It is a small reflection of my journey through life,
My life given to you.
My way chosen by you.
A journey with you
A journey to you.
A journey to knowing myself
A journey to knowing you
A journey of being saved and healed.

Bless the people I drive by, O Lord.
May they be aware of you in this place.
Bless the owners of these businesses.
May they deal justly and honestly.
Bless the schools, polytechnics and universities.
Give a teachable spirit to both pupil and teacher.
Carole Parker

Despair

Despair can be caused by crushing disappointments.  Often, however, it is caused by painful experiences that lie deeply buried under the surface of our everyday consciousness.  Sometimes, sanity-destroying flashbacks bring these to mind.

If you get such a flash-back, focus on an image of Christ being crucified., and
say a blessing on yourself in this pit of despair.

Christ of the agony,
Christ of the bleeding
Christ racked and stretched out on the Tree

I place upon you my own agony
I place upon you my bleeding heart
I place upon you my   despair

Take it,
Break it
Re-make it

Your Tree of death became the Tree of Life
Give your blessing of life to me.

Gardens

It is good to bless a new garden, a re-landscaped garden, or even a new season for a garden.

There is no plant in the ground
That does not tell of your beauty, Lord.
May this garden speak to us of the fragrance of your love.
May the fruits of the earth speak to us of your mercy.

Bless the moon that is above us;
The earth that is beneath us;
The hard work to be done here
The seedlings that shall grow here;
The neighbours we shall greet here;
And all who overlook here.

New Job

Bless to me, O God, everything my eye shall see
Bless to me, O God, everything my hand shall do
Bless to me, O God, everything my brain shall think
Bless to me, O God, each person I shall work with
Bless to me, O God, the place and the equipment.
Bless to me, O God, the people we shall serve through our work

Be in the interruptions and the setbacks
Be in the eye of the person who is difficult
Be in the eye of the person who is a delight.

Parties and nights out

Circle us, Lord
Keep these graces within:
The grace of form
The grace of beauty
The grace of movement
The grace of eating
The grace of conversation
The grace of laughter
The grace of listening
The grace of restraint.
The grace of self-forgetfulness

Circle us, Lord
Keep these evils without:
The evil of fear
The evil of boasting
The evil of pretence
The evil of excess
The evil of abuse.

Plants

There is no plant in the ground
But is full of your virtue
O King of the virtues
May these plants bring your blessing to us

There is no life in the earth
But proclaims your goodness
O King of goodness
May these plants bring your goodness to us.

Travel

God be with you whatever you pass
Jesus be with you whatever you climb
Spirit be with you wherever you stay

When away from home

Don’t take with us worries about those we’ve left behind.  Release them.  These prayers can help us to do this.

We release into your hands, O Lord,
our homes,
those whom we love and care for
any who are dependent on us who may feel vulnerable without us.
Lord, you love those whom we love.

We release into your hands, O Lord,
those for whom we have responsibilities
those who are in need at this time
those we have supported.
Lord, you care for all those for whom we care.

We release into your hands, O Lord,
our work
the pressures that weary us
the problems that would pursue us
the things we have forgotten
the tasks left unfinished.
Lord, you rule over all things

Arriving in a new place

Lord, we offer you our conflicting feelings
Our apprehensions and our aspirations
The strange bed, the changed roles, the fear of the unknown.

Risen Christ, we acknowledge that you are in our midst
Circle this place and make it your own
Keep peace within, keep evil out.
May all memories, influences or powers that are not of you
flee from this place
May the angels guard and welcome us all.

We turn our eyes upon you
Calm us and settle us
Help us to feel at home with you and with one another
So there is no need to pretend.
Help us to be at ease with ourselves
And to look upon these new faces as your family.

Victim of Crime

Into your loss
Come
O Being of Gift
O Being of Peace
O Being of Life eternal

Into your threat
Come
O Being of Strength
O Being of Peace
O Being of Life eternal

Into your despair
Come
O Being of Hope
O Being of Peace
O Being of life eternal.

Into your devastation
Come
O Being of Love
O Being of Peace
O Being of life eternal.

Work

May my work be faithful
May my work be honest
May my work be blessed
May my work bless others
May my work bless you.

Bathroom or toilets

May all who bathe their bodies here bathe them in the mild rays of the Sun of suns, as Mary bathed Christ in the rich milk of Egypt.
The sweetness of Christ be in your mouth as you clean your teeth;
The beauty of Christ be upon your face as you comb your hair;
The love of Christ flow over you as wash your frame.
As you look in a mirror may you see
The hands of Mary washing you,
The hands of angels cleansing you,
The hands of the saints straightening you,
The hands of Jesus restoring you.

Blessings

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
The rain fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again
may God hold you
in the hollow of his hand.

when a loved one dies

Go to your eternal home of welcome my loved companion
Go into the sleep of Jesus
The restoring sleep of Jesus
The young sleep of Jesus
Go into the kiss and the peace and glory of Jesus
Into the arms of the Jesus of blessings
Into the generous Christ with his hands around you
Drawing near to the Trinity
Freed from your pains
Pardoned from your sins
Christ beside you bringing peace to your mind.

Morning

Encircle my soul
In morning stillness
Scatter the shadows of fear

Be at my side In midday bustle
Weave through the knotwork of time

Talk to my heart
In teatime chatter
Speak through the discords of life

Lighten the load
O incoming darkness
Glow like a star at midnight
Jane M MacKichan

Washing

I wash my face in the sun
In the nine rays of the sun
As Mary washed her Son
In the rich fermented milk.

Love be in my countenance,
Benevolence in my mind,
Dew of honey in my tongue
My breath as the incense.
Carmina Gadelica

Blessings on meals

May this food restore our strength, give new energy to tired limbs, new thoughts to weary minds.
May this drink restore our souls, give new vision to dry spirits, new warmth to cold hearts.
And once refreshed, may we give new pleasure to You, who gives us all.

Sleep

Sleep in peace
Sleep soundly
Sleep in love.
Weaver of dreams
Weave well in you as you sleep.

Summer

O, King of the Tree of Life,
The blossoms on the branches are your people,
The singing birds are your angels,
The whispering breeze is your Spirit.

O, King of the Tree of Life,
May the blossoms bring forth the sweetest fruit,
May the birds sing out the highest praise,
May your Spirit cover all with his gentle breath.
Carmina Gadelica

Christmas

Child of Glory
Child of Mary
Born in the stable
The King of all
You came to our wasteland
In our place suffered
Draw near to us who to you call.

Bless to us this Day of Joy
Open to us Heaven’s generous gates
Strengthen our hope
Revive our tired souls
‘Til we sing the joys of your glory
With all the angels of heaven.

Christmas Tree

Bless, O Lord, this Christmas Tree,
all that goes on to it
and all that goes on around it.

May the decorations remind us to buy things in a spirit of joy, thoughtfulness and generosity.

May the needles that fall to the ground make us mindful of the needs of poor and homeless people the world over.

May the branches that point upwards leads us to wonder and worship the Creator who came from heaven to earth as a little child.

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