Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The Celtic Way of Prayer

 In the Celtic Christian tradition there was no separation between the sacred and the secular. Life was seen as a hole and the Trinity present in every moment. Prayer therefore was a natural as breathing. The Celt practice was to pray or invoke God's involement for, during and about everything (good, beautiful,...). This facilitates a very natural and organic approach to prayer  and practicing the  presence of God.
Prayers for frequent activities like lighting the fireplace, milking the cow etc. were learned by heart and handed down by word of mouth or later in writing.
 

Being an oral and creative culture facilitated this very natural approach to prayer.The use of the imagination became second nature. For example, by imagining that Jesus, his mother or friends are in our back garden, workplace or bedroom! As we imagine this, we begin to sense what they would think and do if they were us and respond in very natural way.

The Celtic way is to bless everything in life (except evil), however earthy or ordinary. Animals, bicycles, computers, exams, food, gifts, jobs, love-making, meals, parties, travel – try it!



A living water from an ancient well  reprint from 2008

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