The Impact of Christianity…

    

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin

   Just before leaving Ireland for the remainder of the tour in Great Britain, our group spent two days in the area around Dublin. The tremendous impact of Saint Patrick, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century AD,  was evident as we visited the awe- inspiring St. Patrick’s Cathedral. According to tradition, he baptized people in a well which was on that site. The first church was built there in the fifth century and after that a number of churches until the present one, constructed in 1370. It is now the recognized as the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland and is the center of worship of a large Anglican congregation.

    There are two symbols widely identified with Ireland which are attributed to Saint Patrick. One is the shamrock which he supposedly used in order to explain the concept of the Trinity to his followers. The other is the Celtic cross—a cross superimposed on a round disk, the sun. According to one interpretation, it represented the transition of people from sun worship to the worship of God’s Son and the acceptance Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

    It was interesting to see the campus of Trinity College in session as we walked to the library and went through the exhibit of the Book of Kells, a beautifully illustrated, handwritten manuscript by 9th century monks. This treasured book contains the four gospels painstakingly copied in Latin, for the purpose of educating people and “turning darkness into light,” as one monk described it.

Tower at Gledalough

    Our final excursion before departing to Wales was to Glendalough, a peaceful Catholic retreat center and monastic village which began with St. Kevin around 690 AD. Two very impressive cylindrical stone towers with conical roofs and the ruins of several ancient churches laid scattered through the countryside between two lakes, testament to the village which thrived there for centuries. Glendalough is still used today as a place of study and meditation for people around the world.

   From Dublin, our group boarded a ferry boat to Holyhead, Wales, about an hour ride across the Irish Sea. On the way, Al and I talked to a young man from Ireland who was immigrating to the United States, like millions of Irish in centuries past. He was going to spend a year as an intern at an Irish Cultural Arts Center in New York. First, though, he was going to visit friends in London to watch a highly charged Rugby match between Wales and England.

   He was very friendly, informing me that my Irish-English ancestors were definitely Protestant! I was surprised that he got it right; however, according to him, the Irish can tell Protestants from Catholics by their names. Hmmm, food for thought!

   Once in Wales, we were met by a new bus driver and were transported through green countryside reminiscent of Ireland, to the impressive Conwy Castle. By this time, Al was getting tired of castles, but still hung in there as we explored the castle grounds, walked on a portion of the high stone wall and climbed to the top of one of the eight tall towers where there was a great view of the Conwy River. King Edward I had it built in five years, from 1283-1287, an amazing accomplishment without modern equipment and engineering.  

    When thinking about the impact of Christianity from the past to the present in Ireland and Great Britain, I am reminded of the great impact it has had upon my own life. Knowing Christ personally and believing that His love for me is “wholehearted, constant and unconditional” has given me joy, peace, purpose in this life and confidence in the life yet to come. (“The Heart of Revival,” Nicky Gumble p. 62) How thankful I am for that!

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV 

Book of Kells

Ancient Celtic Crosses in graveyard at Glendalough