Читать книгу 366 Celt: A Year and A Day of Celtic Wisdom and Lore - Carl McColman - Страница 82

So many saints populated the Celtic church in the centuries when it existed independent of Rome: Colman, of Iona and Lindisfarne, who retreated to a remote foundation in Ireland rather than submit to Roman authority; Enda of Inishmore, one of the earliest of Irish monks who mentored Ciaran of Clonmacnoise and advised Brendan the Navigator; Yves Hélory, a Breton lawyer who became canonized because of the kindness he showed to the poor; Maughold, a pirate converted to Christianity who established a great monastery on the Isle of Man; Adomnan, who became a soul friend to Irish kings and the best-known biographer of Columcille. And on the list could go. Every Celtic saint, famous or humble, stands for celebrating the rich tradition of spiritual devotion, and reminds every one of us, ordinary mortals though we might be, to live a life of sanctity and spiritual virtue—yes, even now. Celtic spirituality is the spirituality of intimacy and closeness between the mortal and heavenly worlds. If the spiritual realm is so available to us, then also holiness is within each person’s grasp. You don’t have to be as famous as Patrick or Columcille to manifest the life of devotion. Simply choosing to do it is all it takes to get started on the journey. It’s a long and arduous journey, mind you—but a path that has been trod by many worthy feet before us.