Posted 670 days ago
Celtic Christianity at a Glance
The term Celtic is used to refer to those countries and regions where the spoken language is derived from that of the ancient Celts. Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Brittany and Cornwall are all considered to have a Celtic heritage. After Rome was sacked in 410 C.E. most of Europe entered what is known as the Dark Ages in the Celtic lands, on the western fringes of Europe saintly men and women lived as lights in the times of darkness. They established monastic centres that attracted pilgrims from far and wide. They laboriously copied sacred texts thus preserving much of what would have been lost, they educated the sons of European leaders and they instructed men and women in the Christian faith.
In Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Dark Ages are known as the Age of Saints. It is hard to tell exactly when the Celtic church began, but the movement spread in the early 5th century through the work of Patrick. Born in England in 390 C.E. he was kidnapped as a teenager and taken to Ireland. In the harshness of life as a slave he learned to trust God. After six years he escaped and returned home. Shortly after he received a vision in which he heard “the voice of the Irish” pleading with him to come and walk amongst them once more. Patrick and his small team not only successfully evangelized Ireland in three decades without violence or bloodshed, but also gave rise to what we believe was the beginning of the believers movement, centuries before the Reformation. The Celtic Christian movement that Patrick and his companions birthed was not a part of the Roman Catholic Church but it did have some distant connections to the Desert Fathers in Egypt.
What distinguished Celtic Christian faith was that it emphasized the importance of calling people to a vital personal faith in Jesus Christ that impacted every area of life. Their faith was emphatically Trinitarian in nature with prayers often being offered to “the Three in One and the One in Three” It was also incarnational and Jesus was intimately known as “God with us”. There was also a strong connection to creation and the knowledge that because all that is created comes from a loving and generous God, all aspects of creation can be God’s means of revelation and testimony. The Celtic saints saw people miraculously healed and delivered, churches planted and thousands evangelized. Their monasteries were the center of this fresh breeze of the Spirit. Between the 5th and 7th centuries missionaries were sent out from the Monasteries on Iona and Holy Island to re-evangelize Europe. One can still find remnants of that influence today.
The Celtic Christian movement was also distinguished by their care for the poor, their love of creation, their invitation to women to serve in leadership and their instinctive commitment to a whole life faith. Their piety was not limited to a brief prayer in the morning and then plowing into their days activities. Rather they saw all of life as a sacrament to God. They had prayers for all their activities from milking the cows in the morning to banking their fires at the end of the day.
We find many people, particularly those who are younger, searching for a more vital whole-life faith like that practiced by these Celtic saints. When introduced to the Celtic Christian tradition they feel like they have come home to a spirituality that touches every part of their lives and God's good creation. The Celtic saints lived during times of social and economic upheaval and violence not unlike the upheaval of our own age. They knew hardship, harsh conditions and uncertainty. In the midst of this they also knew the value of community, soul friends and hospitality. These men and women come to us today with their offer of friendship and with the wisdom and encouragement we need to guide us every step of the way as we seek to live as faithful Christians. Their resilient faith offers much that is healing and strengthening as we walk with Christ into an unknown and uncertain future.
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