Dear Friends,
There’s more to St. Patrick’s Day than meets the eye. It’s
the tip of a rich form of Christianity that began with Patrick in the 5th
century, grew with Brigid, Abbess of Kildaire, also in the 5th century and took off across the Irish Sea with
Columba, a 6th century monk from northern Ireland, who landed on the small island of
Iona in the Inner Hebrides. There in 563, Columba founded Iona Monastery. Long
before Columba’s arrival, Iona had been considered a holy place, where Vikings,
the Irish and Scots had buried their kings. It was considered to be a thin place, that is a place where the membrane between
heaven and earth was so thin that someone standing there could easily touch
heaven.
Columba’s monastery flourished. The monks farmed, taught
local people and worked on illustrated copies of the Scriptures, preserving
them in this isolated place while the continent of Europe seemed to be shrouded
in forgetful darkness. The famous Book of
Kells, enshrined at Trinity College,
Dublin, is actually an illuminated manuscript labored over by the monks of
Iona, beginning 800.
By the middle of the 7th century, a Roman style
of structuring the Church was being promoted in the Isles. This Roman style consisted of dioceses with bishops, priests, deacons and
parishes. The Celtic style implied that local communities were clustered around
monasteries, where people prayed, studied and were kept safe from marauders. In
664, with the Abbess Hilda presiding over the Synod of Whitby, King Oswy of Northumbria chose the
Roman style of structuring church. While the
Abbey of Iona resisted the Roman
mission well into the latter part of the 9th Century, the formally
structured Celtic mission was ended in 1203. People in Ireland and Scotland
nonetheless continued the Celtic prayers, songs
and theology on their own. Since
1900, Celtic Christianity has experienced a revival which many of our peers
find helpful for prayer and spiritual growth. It is not antithetical to other
expressions of Christianity. Rather, it is a way of listening to God and acting
out of the inner beckoning of God.
Good and holy things,
like Celtic Spirituality, have a way of reappearing and appealing to people who
revive them for the good of all. I am skipping a lot of history but want to
tell you that, today, the Abbey of Iona is flourishing, as part of the Church of
Scotland with strong ecumenical ties. Celtic spirituality flourishes today
through the music of John Bell, the writings of John Phillip Newell and John
Donohue. Celtic Christianity as seen
through their music, prayer and writings emphasizes God at the heart of
Creation and the goodness of all life. There is a profound Trinitarian motif running through Celtic
Spirituality, as we see in this ancient prayer:
“The Sacred Three/ My fortress be/ Encircling me/ Come and be/ ‘round my
hearth and home.”
John Donohue revived the ancient term ,”anam cara”, the name
given to a person who acted as a spiritual guide, companion and teacher –
someone who was the truest mirror to reflect our soul.
According to the spiritual vision of the ancient Celts,
Jesus is the secret Anam Cara (the soul friend) of every person, What a wonderful way to pray. Jesus, Soul Friend. Jesus , Anam
Cara.
~Sister Joan Sobala
