So the body of the Church, enriched by the splendour of its Founder, is augmented by the hosts of saints and is made resplendent by religion and learning, so that those who come after draw profit from the concourse of the learned.

  - The Monk Jonas, Life of St. Columban, Italian, 7th century[1]

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

- Romans 15.4

At The Fellowship of Ailbe, our mission is to encourage and lead believers in Jesus to realize more of the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God in their lives. We want seeking the Kingdom and righteousness of God to realize its proper place in the lives of all those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.

We pursue this mission by a variety of means—various writings, assorted resources, webinars and courses, and more—many of which involve drawing on the example and resources of our Christian forebears, especially those from the Celtic Christian tradition.

We are not a Celtic Christian fellowship, but a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic tradition. Those who stood for the cross and carried the Gospel of the Kingdom to so many lands between the 5^th and 9^th centuries, have much to teach us about how to live full Biblical faith.

In our teaching letters, courses, and other resources, we introduce insights from Celtic Christian leaders, or we urge perspectives and practices they found helpful and which we believe can benefit us in our walk with and work for the Lord today.

There is no virtue in being ignorant of our Christian heritage; yet the period of Celtic Christianity remains terra incognita for most pastors and church leaders today.

The greatest benefit that comes from studying this period is in discovering the way these saints help to expand our view of Scripture. They enlarge our vision of how to think about and appropriate the victory Christ has achieved for us, and they teach us how to depend on the Word of God more consistently in every area of our lives. Their views of creation, spiritual realities, community life, and mission contain many insights, based in Scripture, that can help us become a more faithful and fruitful generation of believers.

Part of our mission at The Fellowship of Ailbe is to introduce these ancient folk and their insights to you, that you might be enriched by the scope and power of their Christian vision and experience.

We can only know what true Christianity is as we search the Scriptures, and as we learn from the heritage and practice handed down to us from the generations past. We stand on the shoulders of giants, yet we know very little about any of them. A line of orthodox belief and practice traces from the apostles through the Church Fathers and saints great and small throughout Church history. The period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD) is an important link in that full-faith chain.

We hope you find these twice-weekly meditations and reflections instructive. We won’t be taking the Celtic tonsure any time soon, changing the date we celebrate Easter, or making Gaelic the official language of our ministry; however, if together we can acquire a bit of the deep spirituality, passion for mission, vision for culture, seriousness about Christian life, and everyday wisdom that these Celtic Christians demonstrated, then this effort will have been worthwhile.

We encourage you to take every opportunity to learn from our Christian forebears. Without them and their faithfulness, we would not have the faith as our inheritance today. We owe them a great debt of gratitude, and it is our intention to help lead you into greater appreciation of what these long-departed saints have to offer.

Thanks for being part of The Ailbe Community. May you know the rich blessings and Presence of our Lord today and always.

For reflection
1. What are some ways you might become better acquainted with our Christian heritage?

2. Why should you do so?

Psalm 78.4, 5 (Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
The glorious deeds of our God in His might,
and all of the works He has done in our sight,
together with all of the words of His Law,
would we on ourselves and our children bestow.

Thank You, Lord, for those who have gone before. Help me to learn from them, so that in my life I will…

Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Resources on Celtic Christianity
We have prepared several free resources on the topic of Celtic Christianity. You can download these from our bookstore and put them on your e-reader. You can also share them with friends. They all include questions for discussion, so you can even use them in your study group. Here are links to the books in this series:

Patrick: A Devotional History
Colum Cille: A Devotional History
Columbanus: A Devotional History
The Celtic Revival: A Brief Introduction
Lives of Irish Saints: A Tribute
Living to Rule: An Introduction to Celtic Christian Spirituality
The Theology of the Celtic Revival II: Foundations

Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Munro, p. 11.