“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses . . .” Hebrews 12:1

“Holy angels, the citizens of the heavenly kingdom, were flying down with amazing speed, dressed in white robes, and began to gather round the holy man.  After they had conversed a little while with St. Columba, the heavenly crowd-as though they could feel that they were being spied on-quickly returned to the heights of heaven.” Adomnan of Iona: Life of St. Columba, ed. Richard Sharpe.

I battle loneliness.  It’s been especially pronounced this winter living in the secluded mountains of Allenspark.  It’s so quiet.  I haven’t many any people in the community.  Perfect for an introvert—but that’s not me.  I’ve been reminding myself that I’m not alone.  Never alone.  And neither are you, because we are surrounded by angels and all the heavenly host.

This was prominent in the belief of the Celts.  They experienced the presence of God in a variety of ways, not the least of which was by the awareness of angels and the company of heaven.  We see this reality reflected in the above reading. It illustrates how closely connected the Celts were to the spiritual realm.  The place being described is on a place called “The Hill of the Angels” located on the machir at Iona.  I’ve stood there.  Though not surrounded by angels, at least as far as I was aware, it is a serene and peaceful place.  One doesn’t have to try very hard to envision heaven. “The spiritual realm of angels, archangels and heavenly hosts, and indeed of devils and demons, was as real and as tangible to Celtic Christians as the physical world.”[1]

The belief in the presence of angels and the heavenly host was not unique to Celts.  Certainly we see abundant evidence of the presence of such in the New Testament, especially in the book of Acts and The Revelation.  But this awareness was honed and dare we say cultivated by the Celts.  Some have traced the reason to the residual effects of the ancient Celtic culture (though far too pluralistic and varied to define too narrowly) which placed such great emphasis on fairies.  It is thought by some that the Christians simply adapted these pagan beliefs, as was done with so many other things such as Christ Himself who was presented as the “Chief Druid” by St. Patrick, in order to make a transition into the realm of angels in the Christian Faith.

Far more likely, in my opinion, is the emphasis that Columba himself, who was uniquely responsible for influencing the practices and beliefs in Scotland, placed on angels and the heavenly realm.  Bradley sited numerous accounts of the presence of angels in the life of Columba.  Most notable may have occurred at his death when “His servant Diarmaid, following the dying saint into the monastic church on Iona, saw the whole building filled with angelic light around the saint.  At the moment of the saints’ passing an elderly monk named Lugaid saw troops of angels coming down from heaven to bear his holy soul upwards.”[2]  This elevated view of angels and the heavenly host is depicted in one of the artistic illustrations in the Book of Kells, currently on display at Trinity University in Dublin, “which depicts Christ sitting on top of the Temple in Jerusalem forming the head of the body of the church while above him hover angels and archangels.”[3]

More examples could be given, but the point is that Celtic Spirituality has a keen sense of the presence of God in angels and the heavenly host.  They are, as I pointed out last week, not “out there” somewhere, but as near and as real as the earthly elements that surround one and the people that inhabit them.

So what does this mean?  In one word:  Comfort. Life for the Celts was short and dear and dreary (the reason they drank whiskey, in my opinion) and difficult, and they needed the reassurance that there was something better not only awaiting them in the next life, but with them in this life. 

But what does it mean to you?  What does it mean for you to be never alone, surrounded by angels and the eternal “others”? What part, if any, do angels play in your spirituality?

During my time at Iona there was another volunteer there from an Eastern European country.  Previously she had experienced the challenges that come from living in a place where followers of Christianity are persecuted by the state. Hers was a silent, yet very solid faith.  One Friday morning I had the opportunity to work with her as we prepared to welcome a new batch of guests.  I asked her what sustained her in her faith.  Her immediate answer:  “My guardian angel”.  She went into detail about her angel, even naming it.  Then she asked me about mine.  I was silent.  I didn’t have one.  She encouraged me to carefully consider how important it was to be acquainted with one’s angel. 

So much more that could be written.  But I’ll leave you with this evening prayer of St. Columba.God, send your angel to have charge over me, dear Father of mercifulness, who shepherds the fold of your mighty saints, to make his rounds about me this night.

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[1] Following The Celtic Way, by Ian Bradley.  P. 86

[2] IBID, p. 88

[3] IBID, p. 89