Celtic daily prayer – Book One

Celtic daily prayer - Book One

From the Northumbria Community

At first, I didn’t think that Celtic daily prayer - Book One would be for me, as I am part of a church community that doesn’t use many written prayers.  But of course we often pray Scripture, the written Word of God.

On further investigation, I found that both Celtic daily prayer - Book One and Book Two contain much more than prayers.  There are also stories, illustrations and meditations to illumine our journey.  Many of the prayers are short, but surprisingly challenging.  Most contributions have references to Scriptures which have inspired them or to which they allude.

They were compiled gradually, and reflect the journey of the Northumbria Community.  In order to understand their own journey, these modern-day men and women explored ‘the old paths’ of the Celtic saints.  They researched the testimonies of these remarkable believers who loved God and followed Jesus wherever the Spirit sent them.  They lit a fire in the Dark Ages that brought faith to vast numbers of people, as well as warmth, culture and learning.

‘As we researched and studied these saints (and the Desert Fathers and Mothers, who were their spiritual predecessors), we found that many of the lessons they taught gave us hope and coherence on our own journey: that people matter more than things, and relationships more than reputation; that prayer and action, contemplation and involvement, all belong together.

While resisting the temptation to hark back to some mythical golden age (which probably never existed), we have attempted to be true to what we have learned … some of the prayers, stories and illustrations in these books are very old; others are more current.  We make no apologies for this mix.  If the early Celtic saints … have much to say to us in our own generation and culture, then it must be interpreted in a more contemporary idiom where necessary.’

There are many ways to use Celtic Daily Prayer - Book One and Book Two, and they each contain different sections, many but not all with a dated portion suggested for each day.  Some people work their way day by day through one or more sections at a time.  Others dip in and out.  Some start with Book One, and others are drawn to Book Two.  But be assured that however you use these volumes, your own journey will be enriched.

The Northumbria Community is centred on Lindisfarne, a small island situated off the beautiful coast of Northumberland in north east England.  It is also known as Holy Island, and is only accessible at low tide.