Tradition has it that the Celtic cross was developed by St. Patrick as an evangelizing tool. The remote nature of the British Isles allowed Christianity to grow there with fewer requirements for conformity. While most evangelism efforts on the European continent included a commitment to eradicate pagan beliefs, in Ireland people’s love of creation was incorporated into a creative and vibrant theology uninhibited by constraints often put in place by Rome.
Look closely at the image of the Celtic cross. Do you see how the sun is cast behind it? This is not an image of the sun with a cross inside. This is the cross, standing at the center of creation. Celtic Christianity did not try to beat the paganism out of the Irish, but rather attempted to place the things they valued in a new light. Rather than tossing out the people’s emphasis on creation, Celtic Christianity was intentionally built upon it. If there is any symbol for historic Christianity with both a historic and present concern for our environment, the Celtic cross seems to be it.
This message is excerpted from “Calla lilies and crosses” by Dave Daubert in the March 2019 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, 461.
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