Happy St. Patrick’s Day….

People say that today everyone is Irish.  For most, it’s a happy day, thoughts of leprechauns dancing, pots of gold and green….lots of green, green clothes, green food, green beer???.  It’s also a day to embrace Celtic Spirituality which is also joyous and o’ so beautiful.

The ancient Celts saw God everywhere, especially in the beautiful world that He created.  Faith was a part of every aspect of their ordinary lives.  They also believed in ‘thin places’.  Places where you feel a very intimate connection with God.  Where this world and heaven come very close.  The Celts speak of soul-friends, the value of women, and how we are all closely interconnected.

 St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written to the Celts – it has a different tone to it.  Celtic Spirituality, pre-Roman influence, is fascinating to read about. 

And the Celts loved solitude: 

A Blessing of Solitude

May you recognize in your life, the presence, power and light of your soul.  May you realize that you are never alone,
That your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.
May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
That behind the facade of your life
there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening.
May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride,
and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.

 John O’Donohue (1956-2008)
(from Anam Cara)

Perhaps we should all be Irish for a day…..