The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy

by Calvin Miller

Discover an ancient way of prayer that leads us to new union with God. "Long ago," Calvin Miller writes, "when the Celts built their own rustic kingdom of God in what would later be the British Isles, their fervor in prayer washed their world in a vital revival." In uncertain and dangerous days of high infant-mortality rates, leprosy and plagues, the Celts breathed candid prayers out of the reality of their lives: Desperate prayers for protection. Praise for the God who was king over all creation. Honest prayers of confession. In these pages, Miller introduces us to six types of Celtic prayer that can connect us to God more deeply by helping us pray out of the circumstances and uncertainties of our own life. "This book proposes a kind of prayer that can end our amputated feelings of separateness from God," says Miller. What was true for the Celts is still true for us: "Hunger for Christ keeps us talking to God till our separation is swallowed up in our unending togetherness with him." As rich as the faith they describe, these pages lead us on an ancient path that gives guidance for present and future prayers, until the day the Celts longed for, when all separation is gone and we live forever in the presence of God.

Genres: Prayer, Christian, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology, Faith

170 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Calvin Miller has written over 40 books of popular theology and inspiration. A former pastor, he is professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Joyce, have two grown children.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calvin Miller takes his study of Celtic Christianity and presents 6 different models of prayer: Confessional, Lorica (meaning breastplate, or prayers for protection), Nature, Long Wandering, Scripture, and Trinity.
Some chapters resonated more than others, but I liked the structure of each: explanation, history, quotes, and template.
His Celtic Devotions was more inspirational to me personally, but this book has a lot of food for thought.

[Robert Irish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but was largely disappointed. I guess I had hoped that Miller would take us into the Celtic mindset in prayer, but found instead that he extracted some nuggets from the Celtic mindset to try to present them to the American Evangelical--as a way of deepening shallow prayer.
So, it did have substance. Miller works through six types of prayer: Trinity prayer, scripture prayer, long wandering prayer, nature prayer, lorica prayer (prayer for protection, based on St. Patricks' breastplate [or lorica]), and confessional prayer. The last two were the most interesting, and the best rooted in the Celtic tradition (although with confessional prayer, he drew equally on Augustine). I felt like finally the book might be getting somewhere.
There were lots of good moments and insights in this book, but it could easily have been only half as long and lost virtually nothing.

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tonight I finished reading Calvin Miller's book The Path of Celtic Prayer An Ancient Path to Everyday joy. I enjoyed Miller's writing style, found his knowledge of when Christianity first came to the British Isles enlightening and fascinating, and I found his writing about what prayer is actually like in daily experience to be very poignant.This book was a spiritually nourishing read, and has been one of the best books on prayer I have ever read. I highly recommend it.
"Prayer is a privilege that grows out of our love affair with God."
"The Celtic faith has generated abstractions that haunt the eye. Their great artists created a linear form that defies the mind to find a beginning or end. These intriguing lines remind us of the eternal, tribune God who stood beneath, behind and above it issued in their sculpture, crafts, poetry and songs. Celtic singing and dancing and poetry was shaped by God as they found him revealed in nature and Scripture."
"Like most of the ancients, Celts did not distinguish between the sacred and the profane. They had a holistic worldview. For them, there was only one world, that world included faith and reason seamlessly together. Thus Celtic art intertwined the natural and the supernatural worlds.While they were a 'God intoxicated people,' they 'relished their humanity, their love of learning and of life." -Calvin Miller

[Marc Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miller informs the reader of six different forms of Celtic Prayer. He describes the idea behind each type of prayer, provides examples of each, and gives a template for writing your own prayer based on each of the six types.

I found this book informative and helpful in my understanding of different types of prayer. I plan to use the templates to write my own prayers for each of the different types.

I suggest actively reading this book if you seek a deeper relationship with the Triune God, for, as Miller states in the afterword, "Genuine prayer rarely emanates from how-to sources. It is always born from the hunger and passion that rises from the believer's hunger for a relationship with the Almighty" (p. 160).

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only skimmed this as I had it for only a limited time from the library. I'd like to re-read it slowly.

[DW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, but didn't reach the depth I was hoping for.

[Dawn Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource and prayer guide

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

[Al Gritten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent!! This is a wonderful read if you are interested in Celtic spirituality or simply interested in a deeper prayer life. Perhaps my bias (being of Scots-Irish descent) has given me a fondness for Celtic spirituality and religious practice, but nevertheless as a person of faith and as a seeker after deeper understandings of God, there is much to digest here. "'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof' (Psalm 24:1, KJV). And we have been given a mandate to care for God's property (Genesis 2:15). If we allow our environment to deteriorate, not only will we have disobeyed God but humans will have no place to live and worship. ...Never did the sun rise but what the Celts saw the triune God in the light." Miller explores Celtic prayer in nature, in journey and in pilgrimage, as lectio divina, and more. If you have a desire for a deeper prayer life, or if you enjoy Celtic spirituality, Miller's exploration of Celtic culture, poetry, and religion will move you to the means for a deeper encounter with God.

[Alumine Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Miller for a few years now and this is one of his latest books. He is on a boat on his way to Ireland and is hit by a desire to investigate and emulate the Celtic mystics. He writes this book after his time of learning and praying and it is a beautiful book.
It is decorated with Celtic knots, borders and crosses. It includes a bit of background to each type of prayer and exercises we can follow in the pursuit of prayer. It is a very experiential book, in which we are drawn into a deeper understanding of and experience of prayer. The Celts had an amazing relationship with nature and the elements and it permeates their prayers. I enjoyed it and will re-read it often because of its refreshing approach to an ancient custom.

I have also read 'Once Upon a Tree' and ' Into the depth of God' by Miller and enjoyed them both.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and have added some of the prayers into my regular prayer life. Since I am of Scotch, Irish, English descent I am particularly drawn to most things from the Christian Celtic Tradition. Here is one prayer I like to pray first thing in the morning...

"I awake in the name of the Father who made me.
I arise in the name of the Son who died to save me.
I rise to greet the dawn in the name of the
Spirit who fills me with life."

[Darlene Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Calvin Miller's "The Singer" was a favourite of mine growing up, and I was delighted to find this book coming across my path so many years later. Calvin Miller explores different types of Celtic prayers (which I LOVE) and then gave guidelines for creating them ourselves. Kinda cool. Recommended.

[Saffron Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good and really well written. I have used the prayers in my day to day life and they have proven helpful. Writing your own based on their forms did not appeal to me but getting to see Celtic prayers certainly did.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this! Love this! Love this! Being of Celtic heritage myself I found both humbled and hopeful by hearing of the life of faith of the Celtic people.

[Dennis Podryadchikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource to enhance one's prayer life. The book offers six different ways from the centuries to try approaching prayer.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some moments of insight, especially the chapter on wandering prayer. These are enough that I'm glad I read the book. However, there was much filler. It was an article stretched into a book.