Touched By Many: Celtic Christian Spirituality is like a bolt of tartan that has been woven together over a long period of time, centuries. There have been may hands that tended to the sheep, protecting the heard from the wolves, protecting life, allowing the fleece to grow, passing through many hands. That touch is necessary, touched by people touched by God, being prepared, made ready for the wool to be made, into a garment, each strand playing its part so that it is recognizable as tartan. It has many color pallets this fabric, but when seen by those in the know, it is recognizable as tartan or plaid as it is referred to in the USA. The clans of old would have seen the tartan and the color variety, and recognized the clan, a lot like our logos of today enabling us to recognize the company. The tartan of the clans or tribes, would be recognizable and with it the clan name and its leader and they would have known the traits of that community, its unique color and texture plus their beliefs and virtues, and the stories and tales of the woe and hardship, their kinship, and their loyalty, and if they are a friend or a foe.
Historic In Nature: After the fall of Rome and their withdrawal around AD 410, this left a vacuum that needed to be filled, socially, politically, and religiously, and the Celtic people without a hiccup would have continued with their belief structure having not fully conformed to the Roman rule.It was viewed as being imported into their land for the sole purpose of business and comers. The ordinary indigenous people would not have fully embraced the Roman beliefs and customs. They would have maintained their own beliefs and faith and the freedom that came with this. When Rome left, the info structure crumbled with their departure, making the roads what the Romans are famous, over a period of time un-kept and no longer maintained or passable with ease. These byways would have still been used and still a route of travel but more difficult with the passing of time and deterioration occurred, and the cities to go to for trade were gone. Out of the chaos, God allowed light through people, those who were being the hands and feet of Christ, people finding friendship, love, care, compassion, stability, and some order through the Christians that remained, who were making a difference in this dark period of time.
The Importance Of Community: This is where the Christian community begins to have its place in society, a place of safety from thieves, and those who want to take advantage of the weak. The Christian settlements / communities would be like a B&B or a Rest stop or Service station of refueling and healing for the weary traveler. The Christian communities would be lead by men and women of faith, having a heart for God and for people, providing a place of welcome and hospitality for the guest, also a haven or sanctuary. However a lot of the communities would gravitate to the coast, where trade and fishing would be the wealth of the community and travel by water would be the next mode of public transport, making it easier to travel.
It is easy to drift away from our center, our reason for doing something, our vision.
Friendship The Importance Of This: I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, they were asking what I do other than work part time at the Library, and the conversation swung around to my interest in Celtic Christian Spirituality and my website development. This friend did not know anything about the subject of Celtic Christian Spirituality (CCS), and she noticed how I switched between CCS and Celtic Spirituality (CS). This is an important point she brought to my attention. Christ has to be at the center of Celtic Christian Spirituality or it would become like any other Spirituality. It is good to see the need for the spiritual in our lives, but not at the expense of leaving Christ behind, and distracted by the disciplines or tools. I realize it is so easy to forfeit the reason for spiritual reading and research, yes gain knowledge, but it is to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. I fall into the danger of acquiring information but not receiving the transformation. “Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual need, for the kingdom of God belongs to them! A verse from Matthew 5: 1-10 this is a paraphrase. We do need to have a yearning for God, but not at the cost of being so driven that we are not resting in God, the one who is the sustainer, the one who brings restoration and transformation, with the aid of the Holy Spirit who guides us into truth, the truth we need right now, in this very moment, becoming the new creation, this is being worked out in our lives. Christ is necessary, for without Christ at the center it could be influenced by many other beliefs and philosophies. Thus, why it is important to have an Anam Cara, a soul friend who walks by your side, yes a friend who knows you, warts and all. Can this be the Holy Spirit also, who leads into truth, and know every aspect of your life?
Christ Is Supreme “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,[e]
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.[f]
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.
Colossians 1:15-23 New Living Translation
Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary things: We are to proclaim Christ, and learn from the people who walked the sacred way before us, they are called saints now. But where ordinary people like you and me, who were godly, devoted to following God, seekers of Jesus, very devoted to drawing nearer to Jesus, taking time out to be alone with God, and enjoying God and creation. There was an openness to the Holy Spirit, or the Wild Goose, the symbol of the Holy Spirit in CCS, who is free to fly and do the will of the Father, to help the community of believers see the supernatural, to have an encounter with the divine.
Mark's Treasury Of Celtic Christian Spirituality 
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