Prayer to St. Martin of Tours, Soldier and Bishop
St. Martin of Tours (c. 316-397) was a young Roman soldier and not yet baptized when, at the gate of Amiens on a freezing night, he met a beggar with almost nothing to wear. Martin drew his sword, cut his military cloak in two, and wrapped half around the man. That night he saw Christ in a dream, clothed in the half cloak, saying to the angels, "Martin, still a catechumen, has clothed me with this garment" (cf. Matthew 25:40).
Martin was soon baptized, left the army, became a monk, and was later chosen Bishop of Tours, where he founded monasteries and preached tirelessly in the countryside. He is a patron of soldiers, and his feast, November 11, is also Veterans Day in the United States and Armistice Day in much of the world. The traditional collect of his Mass asks for protection against all adversity.
The Prayer
Collect: O God, who knowest that we stand not by any strength of our own, mercifully grant that, by the intercession of blessed Martin, Thy Confessor and Pontiff, we may be protected against all adversities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen. Alleluia verse of his feast: That blessed man, Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, went to his rest; him Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominations, and Powers received into heaven. Alleluia.
St. Martin of Tours, pray for all who serve and have served in the armed forces, for veterans and their families, and for the poor who wait at our gates.
Sources: Collect and Alleluia verse of St. Martin from The Roman Missal Adapted to the Use of the Laity (London, c. 1920 edition reformed under Pope Pius X). Public domain.
Comments