There are moments in life when words fail us and all we can say is, “My God, help me.” Sometimes that simple prayer is enough. In those few words lies an entire act of faith — an acknowledgement of need, a turning toward love, a quiet trust that we are heard.
It was that same impulse, over a thousand years ago, that inspired an Irish monk named Máel Ísu Ua Brolcháin to compose the hymn “Deus Meus, Adiuva Me” (“My God, help me”). Dating from the late 11th century, it remains one of the earliest surviving treasures of Ireland’s Christian tradition, as you can listen to below:
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Written in both Latin and Old Irish, the hymn is macaronic — a song that shifts between the language of the universal Church and the everyday speech of the faithful. Its alternating lines reflect something deeply Irish: a love for both the sacred and the familiar, a faith that unites heaven and earth.
The Latin refrain, “Deus meus, adiuva me,” is repeated throughout, like the beating heart of the prayer, while the Irish verses speak of love for God and the soul’s longing for heaven.
It’s easy to imagine the hymn being sung by monks in candlelit chapels or whispered by pilgrims on lonely roads. Its rhythm is steady and humble, designed for communal prayer rather than performance. In joining their voices, the faithful could share not only melody but need — each voice echoing the same plea: My God, help me.
Timeless endurance
That simplicity is what gives the hymn its timeless beauty. There is no ornamentation, no lofty language, just an open-hearted cry for grace. It reminds us that holiness often begins with honesty — the courage to ask, even when we have no answers.
When you listen to the priest's version above, that same purity still shines through. His haunting rendition carries both reverence and tenderness, reminding us that this ancient chant is not a relic of the past but a living prayer. The sound seems to hover between earth and heaven, a bridge across centuries of faith.
The Irish monastic tradition that gave birth to “Deus Meus, Adiuva Me” was one of quiet endurance. Through invasions, exile, and change, these monks held fast to prayer and learning. Their hymns — this one especially — reveal the heart of that spirituality: simple, steadfast, and filled with longing for God.
What’s remarkable is how something so old still feels so immediate. Perhaps it’s because the human need for help hasn’t changed. Whether chanted in Latin a thousand years ago or in our own language today, those four words still reach heaven in exactly the same way.
And maybe that’s the hymn’s real miracle. It reminds us that faith isn’t about knowing all the answers or speaking in eloquent phrases. Sometimes, it’s just about asking — My God, help me — and trusting that the asking itself brings the help we need.
