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| Page from Book of Kells (Celtic) |
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slide 11 of 16
When Saint Patrick was sent to Ireland, he was confronted by a Druidic society headed by kings and tribal chieftains. In reply to a question from a Druid’s daughter about the nature of the Christian God, Patrick said, “Our God is the God of all men, the God of Heaven and Earth, of sea and river, of sun and moon and stars, of the lofty mountain and the lowly valley, the God above Heaven, the God in Heaven, the God under Heaven. He has His dwelling round Heaven and Earth and the sea and all that is in them. He inspires all, He quickens all, He rules over all, He sustains all. He lights the light of the sun; He furnishes the light of the light; He has put springs in the dry land and has set stars to minister to the greater lights.…"
Patrick of Ireland (385-471)
The fear of God prepares a place for love. But once love has begun
to dwell in our hearts, the fear that prepared the place for it is driven out.… In sewing, the needle introduces the thread into the cloth. The needle goes in, but the thread cannot follow unless the needle comes out first. In the same way, the fear of God first occupies our minds, but it does not remain there, because it enters only in order to introduce love.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
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