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WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE CELTS??? FOOD PRAYER LOVES TEACH

Celtic Spirituality

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Page 1: Celtic Spirituality

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW

ABOUT THE CELTS???

FOOD

PRAYER

LOVES

TEACH

Page 3: Celtic Spirituality

LOVES

They loved to

tell stories

around the fire,

they loved their

farms, they

loved art and

beauty.

Page 4: Celtic Spirituality

PRAYER

The Celts prayed with gratitude to God and often prayed blessings over their families and neighbours.

Page 5: Celtic Spirituality

TEACH

They didn’t write

things down and so

through oral tradition

they passed on

information about

family, love, tragedy

and their genealogy.

Page 6: Celtic Spirituality

The word Celt

(Kelt) comes from

the Greek word

Keltoy

(pronounced Kel-

too) - it refers to

Barbarian people

to the north of

Greece.

Page 7: Celtic Spirituality

The Celts once

covered much of

Europe developing

linguistically in the

Hallstatt culture in

modern Austria

between 700-1000BCE

and spread their

culture across

modern-day Germany

and France and into

the Balkans as far as

Page 8: Celtic Spirituality
Page 9: Celtic Spirituality

43CE – Romans invade Britain and Ireland

312 CE – Christianity becomes the official religion of Britain and

the Roman Empire.

410CE Last of the Romans leave.

431CE Christianity accepted in Ireland. Paladius sent to

Ireland to evangelize. Patrick follows. St. Patrick, the best-

known legend is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland.

There probably never were any snakes in Ireland to begin with

because it has been isolated as an island since the end of the

Ice Age. The snake myth is obviously symbolism for the saint's

abolishment of pagan practices.

Page 10: Celtic Spirituality

After Patrick, the pathway opened for

Christianity in Ireland. What followed

was the development of a uniquely

Celtic style of Christianity. The most

significant effect of Christianity's advent

was the arrival of literacy in Ireland.

Page 11: Celtic Spirituality

596CE – The Gregorian Mission - Over the next

few hundred years after Patrick, Ireland became a

center for education. It was the stronghold for

preservation of classical learning while the rest of

Europe floundered in the Dark Ages. The high

standards of scholarship in Irish monasteries drew

students and teachers from both near and far.

1100CE The Church gains dominance over Celtic

religions.

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The Celtic Christians formed their

communities successfully by living a rule of

life:

• By being a spiritual centre,• A learning centre and • A community centre.

• They believed that God was present in such a community and they fostered a sense and belief

in sacred space, especially where true community existed.

Page 13: Celtic Spirituality

There are several prevalent

misunderstandings concerning the

Celtic Christians 1. They developed independently from the Roman

Catholic Church. There was no distinctive ‘Celtic

Church’ because the Celtic Christians always saw

themselves as unified with Rome. The fact that the

Roman Culture did not make it to Ireland because

of its isolation shows that they developed a model of

ministry different from the model of the Apostolic or

Christendom paradigms. The church was not

affected by Roman bureaucracy, law, architecture or

art.

Page 14: Celtic Spirituality

2. Christianity developed primarily in Ireland but in

Wales and Scotland from 4th-9th centuries. It

remained prevalent in Ireland but altered with the

coming of the Normans and the Christendom

paradigm in the 12th century.

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3. A unique style of Christianity evolved in Ireland

because the structure of the religion had to operate in a

strictly rural setting. At this time in Irish history there were

no towns, just nomadic settlements and loose,

unconnected tribal kingdoms. Therefore the core of

Christianity in Ireland was not the diocese and bishop.

Everything was centered at the monasteries.

This resulted in an independence that spawned unique

practices and liturgies. The Roman structure of urban-

based bishops simply couldn't function. It had to be

tailored to fit the local environment.

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4. The Celtic Christians were not pantheists, they did not worship rocks and trees as gods, even though that is how the belief of the pagan Celts were perceived. They saw that each created thing had a purpose, a story and a reason for its existence and location. Every object and creature on earth is interconnected and comes from God and reveals the Creator.

5. Celtic Christianity for all its ‘pagan’ elements is very orthodox. There is no division of the Trinity into 3 separate divisions or persons. For them God, Son and Spirit are in unity.

6.Because God is always present, Celtic spirituality is highly contemplative

Page 17: Celtic Spirituality

Everything in the Celtic mind was circular. Everything was connected and all of reality has no beginning and end. There was no division between the sacred and the secular, between God and the world.

The Celtic cross is symbolic of their faith and understanding of eternity. The circle was characteristic of the cosmos. You began life and continued to live the circle until death and then life came again. The Celts could see this life in the earth, in the heavens and in the seasons.

Beliefs and Practices

Page 18: Celtic Spirituality

The circle behind the cross is a

sign of this eternal truth in Christ.

This innovation did not mean a

breakdown in Christian faith, it

showed how the faith of Christ

was connected to what they

believed. “The son on the sun”.

Page 19: Celtic Spirituality

Another element of Celtic Spirituality is the

idea of the spiritual life as journey. Life

with Christ was like a journey.

We see this theme in the ‘Knots’ of Celtic

art. The interlocked circles symbolize the

moving in and out of life, going in different

directions but always looking for and

arriving at the same end.

Spirals symbolize the mystical path to

God. They indicate the way of

contemplation of the spiritual path. Life in

God is to always be searching, never quite

being content until we arrive at the end in

the Heart of God.

Page 20: Celtic Spirituality

The labyrinth is also a symbol of

journeying to the centre of

oneself. Labyrinths are truly

sacred places. The space and

the experience of walking it are

also very sacred and powerful

and help us feel a greater sense

of Oneness. It is a tool for

people of all beliefs to come

together for a common spiritual

experience.

Page 21: Celtic Spirituality

They took the image of spiritual journey literally; they went on pilgrimages far and wide. They were also very evangelical in the process, they told other people about Christ on the way. On the earthly journey or pilgrimage you did penance for the wrongs you had done. To them it was positive action – it involved not just the mind but the body in the spiritual life. They fasted often, spent long periods in prayer and did the cross vigil with arms outstretched like Christ on the cross.

Page 22: Celtic Spirituality

A practice for Celts was to take a stone from

one holy place and bring it home as a holy

relic. They leave a stone from home in its

place. For them it confirms that everything is

connected and has a story. Everything is part

of a great circle and in a way this circle is the

ultimate community. Every created thing is

part of this cosmic community in God.

Another element which is interconnected with

all other aspects of Celtic spirituality was the

sense of family. For Celtic people their family

and clan were all important. Like the Jews

they were very proud of their genealogy and

carefully memorized their family heritage.

Page 23: Celtic Spirituality

We are often guilty of separating God from the earth,

thinking that spiritual things are not of this world. The

spiritual world was a step away. They thought that just a

movement away right next to you was the place people

went after death. To the Celtic Christian ordinary life is

sacred.

Place was important to the Celts, travellers always

searched for their ‘place of resurrection’. It was the place

where a person could become the person they might

hope to be. They also believed in the presence of God in

the world. God is not far off. God is here in creation. The

incarnation of Christ makes the truth more vivid.

Page 24: Celtic Spirituality

The importance of family and clan. With no roads as we know them, if you were to leave your family and kin you were in the wilderness. When you journeyed from their territory you could be in hostile ground. Without clan and family you had no identity, very similar to the story of the Jews.

The early Celtic Christian communities can be a model for us as we develop a new paradigm for ministry in our time. They can provide examples of true communities serving as centres for ministry, education, spirituality and contemplation and outreach.

Page 25: Celtic Spirituality

The early Celtic communities were up against many of

the same conditions as today. When the Romans left

Britain in the 5th century CE, after 400 years of

occupation, their society changed rapidly. People began

to move into Britain who were not Christian or Celtic. Life

was chaotic. In Ireland the Church had to show that it

was different and relevant in people’s lives. It had to face

the diversity, go to the people and use the culture to

teach the faith and evangelize. There were no martyrs in

the Christianizing of Ireland. People had to be witnesses

in new ways, by their lifestyle and their commitment to

living as a Christian rather than their untimely death.

Page 26: Celtic Spirituality

Individualism has caused our society to be less

communal and more fragmented.

People are in desperate need of community in spite

of being afraid or unaware of it.

The Church can provide community, but it must go to

where the people are and adjust tot h culture without

forfeiting essential beliefs.

We have the same challenges in our contemporary

culture

Page 27: Celtic Spirituality

The Church must be inclusive, realistic,

contemplative communities who heal, convert and

show the Spirit of God.

Churches and congregations must be seen as

sacred places where heaven and earth meet. They

must be centres of prayer, worship and especially

compassion.

Unity College is both church and congregation and

we as staff must see our ministry to all the people

around us, who are called to be in relationship with

God.

Page 28: Celtic Spirituality

Welcome

Hospitality

Prayer & Contemplation

A sense of awe and wonder

A reverence for nature

The virtues of Celtic Christian Spirituality alive in our charism

The circle symbolising God’s infinite love

Page 29: Celtic Spirituality

WELCOME

In the Gaelic tradition, and especially in the Gaelic language there is a real sense of the sacredness of another person. The way that you met someone was through blessing.“God be with you” .

“May God come to your assistance and keep you.” There is a recognition that the divine is present in others.

To be truly welcoming to others then we need to be welcome each day with hope and happiness.

Page 30: Celtic Spirituality

For The Celts hospitality embodied a great sense of reverence. In Ireland and parts of Scotland customary law obliged the householder to give assistance if required, to give board and lodging to the traveller.

HOSPITALITY

Page 31: Celtic Spirituality

PRAYER & CONTEMPLATION Celtic spirituality fosters a contemplative approach to all creation. Monastery life reflected this contemplative approach. The early Celts believed we must have stillness to see the beauty of God in all of creation and to stop and listen to the needs of others.

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A SENSE OF AWE & WONDER

The Celtic Christians recognized the sacredness of creation and the divine in each person. In their sense of awe and wonder of creation, they saw the oneness or connectivity of everything.

Page 33: Celtic Spirituality

Creation was a reflection of God’s sense of beauty and it was extremely sacred for them.

For the Celtic person the new day was lived amidst nature and nature was just not matter, it was a spiritual place for them. Talamh, Goath, Uisce and Tine was their source of life.

REVERENCE FOR NATURE

Page 34: Celtic Spirituality

The CIRCLE symbolising God’s infinite love

The circle is one of the oldest and most powerful symbols , it is never broken and reenergizes in its cyclical nature. It is symbolic of God’s never ending love.

Page 35: Celtic Spirituality