Ancient Graveyard The wisdom of the ancients… I found this striking in an ancient-future kind of way, and serves as a reminder that attempts have been made before to reinvent our faith, and that we ought to be cautious in our own attempts thereat. In particular though, this may drive us back to the ancients, prior to the last reinvention, and perhaps even before that as well; after all, this is Celtic wisdom, and Celtic Christianity dates back to just a few centuries after the time of Christ.

Improving Religion

We say we want to improve our religion.
We clamour for fresh ideas in our faith.
We imagine that we understand more than our ancestors,
And we look with pity at their ignorant mistakes.

Yet how can we improve on the teaching of Patrick?
how can we be fresher than the freshness of Brigit?
How can we have deeper understanding than Columba?
We should look with pity at our own mistakes.

From Robert van de Weyer, Celtic Parables: Stories, Poems, & Prayers, p.97.

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