I don't remember exactly when I discovered that the whole armor of God, described in Ephesians, was something I could use for protection. It may well have been in 1977, when a lot of hostility was directed toward me and the other women who were the first ones to be ordained priests in the Episcopal Church. I knew enough not to take the hostility personally, but I still felt the need for some kind of psychological and spiritual insulation, so that my soul would not be injured. What I did was to follow St. Paul's instruction "to put on the whole armor of God", and it seemed to make a difference. I didn't, then, have a very clear idea of exactly what I was doing; probably I just read that passage over carefully before I went into a situation that might be hurtful. Over the years, I've discovered that there are lots of situations like that: talking with someone who is angry; telling someone that I won't do what they want me to do; receving a negative evaluation from a supervisor; being accused of wrongdoing or accusing someone else of wrongdoing. Somewhere along the way, I realized I should tell people I was counselling, about this spiritual defense.

I have to choose my words carefully in describing this, because it is not a physical defense, and it is not an object, like a bullet-proof vest. More than anything else, it is a way of connecting with, and drawing strength from, the indwelling presence of God. So it is not magic, and it will only "work" for someone who is a Christian. It is really something St. Paul learned in all his experiences of being persecuted, thrown in jail, and run out of town. In his letters and in the book of Acts, we read how he came to rely more and more on the guidance of the Spirit, telling him which cities to visit, and when to move on. He was frequently forced to leave in haste because of riots, being stoned, and being expelled by magistrates.

In the letters of St. Paul, he frequently used the metaphor of clothing to describe the process of change that takes place when a person comes to faith in Christ. We hear this in the language of "putting off" and "putting on" which conveys the idea of changing clothes. He says, "put off your old nature wich belongs to your former manner of life . . . be renewed in your mind and clothe yourselves with the new nature..." (Eph 4:22-24). The old nature is the attitudes, values and beliefs which alienate us from God, and the new nature is the attitudes, values and beliefs which we have received from Christ. He says a similar thing in Galatians: "as many of you as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ" (3:27). This kind of imagery was used in the Hebrew scriptures in several places, most notably in the prophecy of Isaiah, when the people say that "God has clothed me with the garments of salvation and covered me with the robe of righteousnessÓ (61:10). This metaphor is used in an obscure place in our 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the Reconciliation of a Penitent, which is the liturgy for an individual sacramental confession. In the words leading up to the actual confession, the penitent says to God, "through the water of baptism, you have clothed me with the shining garment of Christ's righeousness" (p.450).

I suspect this metaphor is more vivid for us than it would have been 50 years ago, because there is a much wider variety of attire today. I am not thinking so much of the changes in fashion, or the greater informality of our clothing, as of how normal it seems today to see a mother with her hair completely covered with a headscarf, walking with her daughter, who is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, or to see a man in the kente cloth of west Africa, or me, as I was dressed on Friday, in a long black skirt, black clergy shirt, and colorful vest. And then there are all the uniforms, from police to waiters to postal clerks. Our clothing does speak to the public of our work, our nationality, our self-identification, and of our beliefs.

So when St. Paul urges us to put off the old nature, the old clothes,, he is talking about a decision to accept a new identification, as well as new beliefs. Although in a literal sense, clothes are a superficial covering for our bodies, St. Paul is really talking about an interior change, which is then reflected in our outward appearance and behavior. There is no possibility of repairing the old clothes in this metaphor--it is a total change that St. Paul is describing. Once that change has happened, a follower of Christ may be attacked for their faith, as St. Paul was, or may need to take a stand within the Christian community, as St. Paul also did, or may simply have to face a personal problem: surgery, or losing a relationship, or unemployment. In thse situations, St. Paul says, "put on the whole armor of God".

The whole armor, translates the Greek word panoplia, or panoply, which means the regular set of armor worn and carried by a Roman legionary. This armor consists of six elements: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. St. Paul is suggesting here a way to visualize and connect to the real presence of Christ within. If someone says to you, be strong, their words may be appreciated, but it won't help much. If, on the other hand, you have committed yourself to Christ in faith, you know (at least theoretically) that Christ dwells within you. Based on that knowledge, that trust, you and I can, by an act of will, strap on the belt of truth, which was originally one of the gifts worn by the Messiah, according to Isaiah. It means we will have the strength to speak the truth even when it is difficult, and the ability to identify the truth when we hear it. The breastplate of righteousness is our belief, as explained by St. Paul, that we have been accounted righteous by the saving work of Christ. So the righteousness is not something we have earned or achieved; it is the gift of Christ. Putting on that breastplate or vest of righteousness over the heart, is to remember and trust in Christ's saving work.

The shoes of peace, or the shoes of the gospel of peace, are in my opinion, the ability to stand simultaneously in one's own place, and in the shoes of one's adversary. When I can suspend my own point of view long enough to imagine the point of view of my adversary, then I am walking in the shoes of peace. The shield of faith is specifically a protection against hatred and despair. If someone is saying or doing hurtful things, our faith is a shield against serious wounds to the soul. Faith is trust in God's love for me, which cannot be diminished by anything that a human being says about me, or does to me. God's love is eternal, and to hold that love up as a shield, is to protect the soul. Similarly, when we are tempted to despair over the devastation of a hurricane, or the senseless destruction of war, faith is a shield against that despair, because God still loves us all, and is at work in the midst of disaster.

The helmet of salvation is specifically a reference to the helmet which the Messiah wears in Isaiah 59:17. It is not a battle helmet, but a crown of victory, and signifies that the battle has already been won. This helmet or crown is a gift to the followers of Christ, to remind us that Christ has already triumphed over evil. Finally, we are asked to take up the sword of the Spirit, which means the Word of God which is given by the Spirit. In other words, the one part of the armor which might be considered an offensive weapon, is actually the ability to announce the Good News, and also the ability to prophesy by the Spirit.

The way you can use this panoply, this set of God's armor, is to read this passage, and intentionally put on each of the six pieces: belt of truth, vest of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit. By prayer and by deliberate choice, take these spiritual protections as your own, and then go in peace into the situation you dread. Remember that this is not a physical protection ordinarily; it is a spiritual protection.

The most remarkable instance of its use, however, did turn out to be a physical protection as well. It is the famous story of the missionary work of St. Patrick, who went to Ireland to convert the Celtic peoples. He was on his way, with several companions, to the high king Laoghaire at Tara. They happened to camp one night just a few miles away from Tara, and because it was the night before Easter, they lit the new fire of the Easter vigil. They did not know that the king had ordered all fires in his land to be put out that night. When the king saw St. Patrick's fire in the distance, he sent out soldiers to kill the lawbreaker. St. Patrick and his companions saw the soldiers coming, and prayed to Christ for protection. The result was that the soldiers did not find the little band of Christians, but they did see seven deer walking through the woods.

The prayer St. Patrick prayed is called "the Deer's Cry", and the music to which it is set is called St. Patrick's Breastplate. It has exactly the same meaning as the whole armor of God, using different words:

"I bind unto myself today, the strong name of the Trinity

by invocation of the same, the three in one and one in three.
I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead

his eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my word.
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me."

It matters not whether you use the words of St. Paul, or St. Patrick; when you need strength to go into a difficult situation, take some time to put on the whole armor of God, and go in peace.