Prayer of Abandonment

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
Charles de Foucald

With this prayer Fr. Denis Crosby recently started a workshop on St. Brigid and the following are some reflections arising from that workshop.

Statue of St. Brigid at St. Brigid’s Well, Kildare

Much has been written about Brigid and there are lots of local stories and traditions related to her in the various places she is associated with.  She is part of our folk tradition, our Celtic tradition, our spiritual tradition.  Through the rituals and traditions associated with her we can connect again with lost folk traditions and with the world of symbols where the mystical symbols help to make order out of chaos.

Have you ever woven a Brigid’s Cross? Or watched someone else do it and wondered how to go about it.  The tricky bit is getting started!  Interestingly once you have started you only need to hold on to one place at a time – the last rush you put in – the rest will take care of themselves.  We need to take care of the centre; ‘if the centre cannot hold anarchy is released on the world’.  It invites us to live in the here and now and to be mindful in whatever we are doing at any particular time.

Making a Brigid Cross can be a life transforming experience and event.  Recently I was part of a group making crosses; the participants wove in rushes to represent all the different aspects of themselves, the parts they are at ease with, maybe a bit proud of even, and the parts they find awkward and difficult maybe even embarrassing in themselves.  They also included rushes for the relationships that nurture them and the ones they find difficult and a rush for the unknown.  As the work went on the atmosphere in the room seemed to change.  Later as the participants walked around in silence showing their crosses and looking at the crosses others had made there was a palpable sense of being in a sacred moment where people were meeting at a deep level, experiencing acceptance, and being transformed by the meeting.  In his workshop Fr. Denis used the phrase ‘Is mó mé i mise’ and how often do we realise that acutely when we say things like ‘I don’t know what came over me when I said that’ or ‘that isn’t me at all’ as we wish we could rewind, undo or start over!

St. Brigid’s Well, Kildare

We don’t have to confine making Brigid Crosses to Lá le Bríde.  What about the possibility of making one for a particular occasion, say a family gathering?  Imagine weaving in a rush for each member of the family as you think about that particular person.  Just as people make pilgrimages, walk labyrinths, visit holy wells for special intentions, for health, for wellbeing, to resolve particular issues, to bring about healing in relationships, perhaps we could also consider making a Brigid’s Cross for an occasion or an intention.

At the end of the workshop Fr. Denis referred to this Breastplate prayer attributed to St. Fursey

‘The arms of God be around my shoulders
The touch of the
Holy Spirit upon my head,
The sign of Christ’s cross upon my forehead,
The sound of the Holy Spirit in my ears,
The fragrance of the Holy Spirit in my nostrils,
The vision of heaven’s company in my eyes,
The conversation of heaven’s company on my lips,
The work of God’s church in my hands,
The service of God and the neighbour in my feet,
A home for God in my heart,
And to God, my entire being’

May Brigid’s Cross keep each one safe and may Brat Bríde bring the healing we need in this coming year.

Betty O’Riordan & Marie Stuart
South Central Province