The Celtic Way:
The story of two crosses
NT text 30 – 90 AD
Early 60’s Nero persecutions
Temple Destroyed 70 AD
Roman candles
Domitian persecution 81-96 AD
Diocletian persecution 303
Church moves east to west
Jewish to a Greek movement
Centre at Rome
Roads, economy, persecution
Christendom
312 Constantine’s revelation
“Conquer by this”
Christianity become legal and the official state religion
Sunday
Roman structure overlay the church
Desert Fathers
Egyptian Desert 330
Reaction to the immoral, powerful and hedonistic society
Desire for pure faith
In line with John the Baptist and Jesus
Solitude
St Antony 251-356
Spiritual disciplines; silence, prayer, fasting, obedience, manual
labour, community, education
“The things of God and the things of Caesar”
Roman vs. Celtic Church
Roman
Celtic
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Force
Doctrine
Bureaucratic
Hierarchy
Sacred Buildings
Creeds
cities
Assimilation
Experience
Fraternal
Family / clan
Sacred Nature
Story telling
rural
The fall of Rome 500ish
St Patrick 432-?
First non Roman area to adopt monasticism was Ireland
Ireland: the only European country not to be conquered by the Roman
Empire
Benedictine Renewal Movement
Benedict of Nursia 480-543
Benedictine rule 500
Prayer, work, education, health care
Community, social welfare
First universities, trade schools agricultural development, wine industry
Economic units
The Celts
A diverse group of tribal societies in Iron age Europe
Celts: hidden
Roman roads and domination
Spread to Ireland, Wales, Cornwell, Scotland, Isle of Man &
Brittany
(six Celtic states)
Druids
Highly organised inter tribal fraternal.
Mystery because no written material
on Druids
Druid study 3x7
Law
Religion - magic, diviners, seers
History
Medicine
Science
Art
Astronomy
Geography
Natural philosophy
Believed to immortality therefore no fear of death
The reason they were so fierce in battle was that they had no concept of death, rather it was a
passing from one world to the next world.
The soul does not die at death but passes from one body into another.
No one could be a Druid and a Roman citizen 41- 54 AD
Banning all religious practices of Druid
St Columba
St Columba: Born 7th December 521 Gartan, Co Donegal
Prince of the Ui Neill kingship
Destined to be a King?
Kingship: loose federation of tribal kingships in both Ireland and Scotland
St Columba referred to Christ
as his Druid
And he was a Druid for Christ
Baptised as Crimthann (fox), later nick name Colmcille - dove of
the church because of his childhood passion and interest in
the church
563
St Columba leaves Ireland
a) Guilt and penitence
b) Mission
c) Pilgrimage
d) Political expansion
The king maker 574
St Columba gifted Iona by Conall king of Dal Riata (Argyll)
Early work of St Columba was not as a missionary but as a diplomat, securing peace
and forming political alliances.
Vision from God to appoint Aidan as king
Pilgrim
Peregini
Genesis 12:1
“leave your own country, your kin, and your fathers house”
The way of Christ
Sometimes you have to leave home to find Christ
Martyrdom
the gift you only use once (unless you are Irish)
Red - death
White – pilgrimage /mission
Green – wilderness / nature
D
Pioneer of monastic communities
Communities of Hospitality, service, work, worship, artistic
expression and education
Anam Cara
Soul friend / spiritual director
Creativity
You may be thinking, “This is fine for artists, who are a small and
elite group of people, far distant from my own hard-working,
bill-paying, laundry-washing world.” But the ancient Celts
affirmed that we are all artists of one sort or another. The
Celtic way is to knot things together : the sacred and secular,
art and ordinary life. If we heed the distant call from the Celts’
ancient world, we will begin to re-tie the sacred knot in our
lives.
God made you in God’s image; God is the Creator; and so you
too are a creator of one sort or another . Whatever talents you
have— and you have many potential talents you have
forgotten or not yet developed— reflect the Maker who dwells
inside you. Your imagination may be asleep, but it is ready to
wake up.
“The world will pass away,
but love and music last forever.”
—Gaelic proverb
The Celtic Cross
More that you’d expect
The conversion of Druid “Standing Stones” by St Patrick
The circle
a) Pagan symbol for the sun
b) To make the stone cross stronger
c) Symbol for life
The cross was not seen as a symbol of the Atonement “Christ saving death on
the cross” but as a declaration of Christ as Lord over all of creation.
To tell a significant story
Art as a teacher
Used as a tool for prayer and discernment
A direction finder
Sin; a broken relationship
with God’s creation
Western Christianity has tended to view sin as a moral action.
The Celtic way would see sin as being “out of sorts”
with God and God’s creation.
Salvation then is the healing of a broken relationship.
Sin
Instead, sin is, in essence, forgetting the Great Song,
forgetting the beauty of life, forgetting the holy thread
running through our own lives, thereby forgetting the
divine wisdom within the Creation and all the orders of
Creation. Sin is what makes it possible for humans to
destroy one another and the planet. Sin is what makes it
possible for industrial plants to dump gallons of toxins
into the water supply.
St Ninian
“What is the fruit of study?” The answer is: “To perceive the eternal
Word of God reflected in every plant and insect, every bird and
animal, every man and woman”.
A way of seeing: a soft gaze
When walking out on the land, it is good to invite the “eyes of the seer” and the “eyes
of the poet” to be present. These are eyes that see the true shape of things.
Poets and seers see things differently.
GO GENTLY
Go gently as you climb Máméan of Connamora.
Walk in a manner appropriate for the mountain
and for the greater good.
Take two hands,
one for the mountain and one for yourself.
Tread softly upon the ground.
With each step your foot will be received by creation's waiting.
This ground will love you and wound you deeply.
There is no safe pass on this pilgrimage but,
do not be afraid
"I am" is with you.
Looking straight into the wind
allow the tears to flow across your face
as you remember
where you have come from
and the people who have gifted you with legacy.
When you stumble at the station of the cross
take the third hand,
the hand of grace
that lifts you back to your feet again.
Take off your shoes and stand still,
this is holy ground
and listening for the still small voice that calls your name
turn sideways into the wind,
surrender,
and as you return to a world in waiting
go gently . . .
Andrew Norton, July 2013