Community Leader
Fear not, for God will be unto us a helper, a mariner, and a pilot. May God do unto us his servants and his little vessel as he willeth.
- Saint Brendan
Walt's Tattoo Gallery
Water
Saint Brendan's Celtic Community Shop
Help us spread the word about Saint Brendan's with products that bear our logo. You can find out more at Saint Brendan's Celtic Community Shop. All products are provided at cost. We're not interested in making money, just in spreading the word about our progressive Celtic spiritual community!
In Hebrew cosmology, there existed a layer of water above the firmament or vault of the sky, referred to as the "waters above the waters." This water above the firmament was the source of rain, the first appearance of which was at the mythical flood of Noah in the book of Genesis, Chapters 6-9, where God opened the windows of the firmament and allowed vast quantities of water to fall to the earth, flooding it and destroying all people and creatures except those who had taken refuge in the ark. The waters of the firmament can be interpreted as a testimony that the natural world is the orderly creation of a sovereign God, and as a symbol of cleansing, since in the context of the Great Flood story, the waters are cleansing the earth of the presence of evil.
Water is also an important symbol connected with life and birth. The oceans consist of salt water, and the oceans are believed to have given birth to life on planet earth. Likewise, the amniotic fluid of the womb is primarily saline water. The presence of water during labor ("water breaking") heralds the birth of a new life. (Note that the dominant depiction of water in the tattoo is of waves of water "breaking.")
This is, in part, the meaning of the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, where Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5) The "water" refers to natural birth, followed by being "born again" spiritually. This spiritual birth or re-birth came to be understood as taking place through baptism.
Baptism employs water to signify spiritual regeneration. Baptism, through "washing" with water, indicates a spiritual cleansing not unlike the physical cleansing of a bath. Baptism indicates the mystical union with Christ of the baptized in Christ's death and resurrection. The apostle Paul said to the Roman Christians, "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:3, 4) The immersion in the water of baptism therefore indicates the death and burial of sinful life (which is the consequence of the fall of humanity) and the resurrection to godly life (the fruit of the redemption of humanity).
Water is also an important symbol connected with life and birth. The oceans consist of salt water, and the oceans are believed to have given birth to life on planet earth. Likewise, the amniotic fluid of the womb is primarily saline water. The presence of water during labor ("water breaking") heralds the birth of a new life. (Note that the dominant depiction of water in the tattoo is of waves of water "breaking.")
This is, in part, the meaning of the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, where Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5) The "water" refers to natural birth, followed by being "born again" spiritually. This spiritual birth or re-birth came to be understood as taking place through baptism.
Baptism employs water to signify spiritual regeneration. Baptism, through "washing" with water, indicates a spiritual cleansing not unlike the physical cleansing of a bath. Baptism indicates the mystical union with Christ of the baptized in Christ's death and resurrection. The apostle Paul said to the Roman Christians, "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:3, 4) The immersion in the water of baptism therefore indicates the death and burial of sinful life (which is the consequence of the fall of humanity) and the resurrection to godly life (the fruit of the redemption of humanity).
Copyright 2012 Saint Brendan's Celtic Community
Saint Brendan's
Online Donations
Do you feel moved to assist Saint Brendan's in its work to spread the light of Celtic spirituality? You can help by making an online donation. Just click on the PayPal Donate Button below to get started. Thank you for your support!Online Donations