Listening for the Heartbeat of God

J. Philip Newell, Friday, 22.Aug.03

This is a report on the first half of the workshop on Celtic Christianity. Rev. Newell has written a number of books on this topic, most of which are available through Paulist Press. There are two main characteristics which distinguish Celtic Christianity from what Rev. Newell refers to as "Mediterranean Christianity", this latter being the form most of us are familiar with. Those characteristics are:

1. What is deepest in us is in the image of God




1. The wisdom of God has been knitted into us in our mother's womb


2. At the core of our being is the desire to love, and be loved


3. The gift of grace and the gift of nature are both sacred


4. Grace is the gift to become who we really are




2. Creation is essentially good




1. Creation is forever coming forth from the womb of God


2. Creation is a theophany, which is to say, an expression of the God


3. Creation is on-going. God is continuing to bring creation into existence


4. At heart, we have been uttered into existence; if God were to stop speaking, we would cease to be

The Celtic tradition believes that God speaks through two books - the "little book" of scripture and the "big book" of nature. Furthermore, we must read both books equally. In the West, we have become very adept at reading the book of scripture — many of us have seen our lives reflected in the words of scripture. But we don't know how to read the book of nature — we have lost the alphabet.

I've written down a number of quotes from Philip's lecture — many of which could easily become "ideé d’jour". Here's a sampling:

• God is at the heart of each moment


• In Celtic Christianity, there is an emphasis that God is NOW


• Captive to the past, or in bondage to the future, we keep blind to the present


• “Soul is naked of anything that bears names” — Meister Eckhard


• The book of nature repeats male & female intertwined, as equals


• The call to repentence is not "Repent & be like us" but "Repent and become truly yourself


• Furthermore, repentence is a call to return to the beauty of our being, which is deeper than the ugliness of our actions

From the Gnostic, or Apocryphal Gospel of John —
Jesus said: “I am the memory; you have forgotten who you really are. I am here to remind you.”
“I am the mirror ” look into me and see what you are at the deepest level.”

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Elsie and I are going for the second part of the presentation. Titled “Celtic Christianity in ‘The Book of Creation’”, this is billed as a workshop with music and meditation, where we will be invited to experience the devotions and practices of the early Christian Celts. I hope to share these experiences with you in the near future.