Mother Julian

We only know her as Julian of Norwich.  She was born in 1343 and when she was 30, she had a grave illness.  She was not expected to live, and was given the Last Rites, but she did survive and went on to write the first book in English by a female author. 

When she was ill she had several ‘shewings’.  Not dreams and not visions, she saw segments of Jesus’s trial, death and rising, whilst Jesus explained the significance of each bit to her.

After she recovered she became an ‘anchorite’.  A room, or cell, was built on to the side of St Julian’s church in Norwich and she entered it.  Then the doorway was blocked off after her.  She never left that cell again.  The cell had two windows, one into the church, so she could take part in services, and one onto the world where people could come and talk to her and bring her food. 

Julian was not a recluse.  People would come and ask her advise about things, and to talk theology with her.  Margery Kempe, a well-known mystic, went to see her more than once, and it is from her writings we know something of her life, including the fact that she had a cat!

Not long after her illness, Julian wrote an account of her ‘shewings’.  Over the next 25 years she rewrote that account, expanding on the meaning of them.  This was finally published as Revelations of Divine Love.

In an age when the Western Church was actively selling ‘indulgences’, where you paid money to be forgiven of certain sins, and pulpits were filled with preachers who did all they could to make the people downcast and guilty, Julian’s theology was radical.  All through both the long and the short book she keeps returning to two main topics:  that of the love of God and the joy He wants us to accept.  Time after time she writes “What was His meaning?  His meaning was Love.”

Would you learn thy Lord’s meaning in this? Learn it well: Love was His meaning. Who shewed it thee? Love. What shewed He thee? Love. Why shewed it He? For Love.

Another phrase which occurs time and time again is “This is His joy and our bliss”.

For we that shall be saved and shall be Christ’s joy and His bliss.

He says: It is a joy and bliss and endless pleasing to me that ever I suffered Passion for thee. And this is the bliss of Christ’s works, and thus he signifies where He says in that same Shewing: we be His bliss, we be His meed [earned reward], we be His worship, we be His crown.

We are used to the idea that Jesus brings US joy, but Julian points out that WE bring HIM joy.  Once you grasp this idea, you will notice the number of references to it in the New Testament, and hopefully you will not ever forget it!

I saw that God rejoices that He is our Father, and God rejoices that He is our Mother, and God rejoices that He is our Spouse and our soul is His beloved Wife. And Christ rejoices that He is our Brother, and Jesus rejoices that He is our Saviour. These are five high joys that God wants us to enjoy; Him praising, Him thanking, Him loving, Him endlessly blessing.