{"id":1450,"date":"2017-01-22T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2017-01-22T10:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjcmetheology.wpengine.com\/?p=1450"},"modified":"2017-01-22T05:00:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-22T10:00:18","slug":"every-kind-of-thing-shall-be-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/every-kind-of-thing-shall-be-well\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cEVERY KIND OF THING SHALL BE WELL\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2013 the Revelations of Julian of Norwich<\/p>\n

For our third installment on contemplat<\/span>ion<\/span>, having <\/span>looked at<\/span> Jesus as <\/span>our model of contemplation and <\/span>experiencing <\/span>the twentieth-century gift of <\/span>Thomas Merton<\/span> and the necessary blending of action and contemplation<\/span>, we go backward to medieval times and the mystics.<\/span> <\/span>Though her writing is of the fourteenth<\/span>–<\/span>century, <\/span>Julian of Norwich (1342-<\/span>c.<\/span>1416) resonates <\/span>deeply within our aching modern world<\/span> <\/span>as <\/span>she<\/span> <\/span>has much to <\/span>teach us about<\/span> contemplation,<\/span> <\/span>our<\/span> relationship with <\/span>the <\/span>blessed <\/span>Trinity<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>and love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Julian is one of the four English Mystics<\/span> of the Middle Ages<\/span> \u2013 the others being Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, and the anonymous author of <\/span>The Cloud of Unknowing<\/span>. Despite her popularity today, we <\/span>know<\/span> very little about her. We do not even know her name as she is known by the name of the church<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>St. Julian\u2019s Church in Norwich, England<\/span>, <\/span>to which her cell was attached.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Image of the original St. Julian\u2019s Church, Norwich, Norfolk, England.<\/p><\/div>\n

Julian <\/span>was Catholic and <\/span>a<\/span>n <\/span>anchoress, a <\/span>female anchorite. <\/span>Choosing an extreme form of religious life, an <\/span>anchoress\/<\/span>anchorit<\/span>e <\/span>(from Greek, <\/span>anchorein<\/span>, to withdraw) <\/span>left <\/span>the <\/span>secular <\/span>world to live <\/span>an interior life of<\/span> prayer. <\/span>Irreversibly w<\/span>alled up in a cell<\/span> in which the last rites were administered before the door was sealed<\/span> (<\/span>talk about being<\/span> \u201cdead to the world<\/span>!<\/span>\u201d)<\/span>, <\/span>an anchor<\/span>ess\/<\/span>anchorite<\/span> would participate in church services through one window which looked onto t<\/span>he church <\/span>and <\/span>often <\/span>provide spiritual guidance through another window which would look onto the street. <\/span>Many of us at times may want to withdraw from <\/span>our lives or even <\/span>the world, but I doubt <\/span>we<\/span> could handle the life of an anchoress\/<\/span> <\/span>anchorite for very long. <\/span>Julian lived in her cell for over 20 years<\/span>, contemplating the meaning of her visions<\/span>. How could this <\/span>fourteenth-century<\/span> <\/span>recluse<\/span> <\/span>have any <\/span>possible <\/span>meaning for us <\/span>today<\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n

Julian of Norwich\u2019s mystical writings <\/span>Revelations of Divine Love <\/span><\/em>is found in two versions the \u201cShort Text\u201d written shortly after her mystical experiences and the \u201cLong Text\u201d which was \"\"<\/a>written after a couple of decades of reflection on those experiences.<\/span> She tells us her revelations occurred on <\/span>8<\/span> May 1373 <\/span>(13 May as expressed in her writing which were based on the old Julian calendar) <\/span>when she was 3<\/span>0<\/span> years old and a lay woman. Julian was born <\/span>into and wrote during<\/span> a time of grea<\/span>t political and social unrest\u2013 the black <\/span>plague was rampant, the Hundred Years War was in fu<\/span>ll swing, a<\/span>nd the Church was <\/span>in disarray<\/span> with the Great <\/span>Western <\/span>Schism<\/span> <\/span>(<\/span>Can<\/span> you find any pa<\/span>rallels <\/span>to <\/span>today\u2019s world?<\/span>)<\/span> <\/span>Julian\u2019s mystical experiences have been described as near death experiences as she was so close to death <\/span>a<\/span> priest had given her the last rites. <\/span>She had a vision <\/span>of Jesus<\/span> dying on the cross, and in <\/span>that <\/span>one night had sixteen visions<\/span> or showings<\/span> in which Christ <\/span>spoke to her<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Julian understood that the way to union with God was through the suffering humanity <\/span>of Christ<\/span> (Lane 26). However, i<\/span>nstead of trying to understand the mystery of suffering<\/span> (which will be revealed in the next life)<\/span>, Julian chose to concentrate her energy on what has been revealed<\/span> \u2013 choosing to concentrate on<\/span> the revelation not the mystery. Christ told Julian, \u201cI know how to make all things well, and I wish to make all things well. I shall make all things well. You will see for yourself: every kind of thing shall be well\u201d (LT 31<\/span>, Julian<\/span> 74<\/span>). Julian explains our faulty reasoning with understanding these <\/span>words<\/span> (<\/span>note: <\/span>I am using Mirabai Starr\u2019s <\/span>contemporary translation <\/span>of<\/span> Julian\u2019s Middle English).<\/span><\/p>\n

From our point of view, there are many actions in this world that seem to be done with evil intent, and we see that they cause great harm. It seems impossible to us that such things could ever have a\u00a0<\/span>good outcome. When we think about this<\/span>, our hearts are filled with such sorrow and grief that we cannot rest joyfully beholding our God, which we would like to do. The problem lies with our faulty reason. We are too blind to comprehend the <\/span>wondrous<\/span> wisdom of God, too limited to grasp the power and goodness of the blessed Trinity. That\u2019s why he says, \u201cYou will see for yourself: every kind of thing shall be well\u201d \u2026 the loving goodness of our Lord God wishes for us to be aware that it will be done, yet his power and wisdom, which stem from the same love, choose to hide from us exactly what it will be and how it will be done\u2026he wishes our souls to rest in ease and our hearts to abide in peaceful love\u2026And so how could it be that every kind of thing shall be well? \u2026 it seems impossible! The only answer I could find in any of my showings was when our beloved said, \u201cWhat is impossible for you is not impossible for me. I shall keep my word in all things, and I shall make all things well\u201d <\/span>\u2026This is the great blessing our Beloved will bestow, and by which he will keep his word and make everything well that is not well. Still, what that deed is and how he will do it remain a mystery to any mind inferior to the mind of Christ. <\/span><\/em>(<\/span>LT<\/span> 32<\/span>, Julian 77-79)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMore than anything else in her life, Julian needed the reassurance that well-being in an ultimate sense was possible, no matter how many terrible things happened in the world\u201d (Rolf 384). <\/span>Many of us need that reassurance as well. <\/span>We <\/span>should not <\/span>be anxious<\/span> <\/span>about<\/span> <\/span>things of this world, though we <\/span>need to take action when<\/span> necessary<\/span>. W<\/span>e need to trust God\u2019s wisdom<\/span> and \u201ctrust that we will know whatever we need to know in this life\u201d (LT 1<\/span>, Julian 4)<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Julian also emphasized<\/span> our oneness with God, our union with the Trinity (and as such, with each other), her description of \u201cour soul dwelling in God\u201d provides a fresh perspective <\/span>and helps put the \u201c<\/span>a<\/span>ll shall be well\u201d in a <\/span>new<\/span> <\/span>context<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

We would be right to rejoice that God dwells within our own souls, and even more so that our souls dwell in God. Our soul was created to be God\u2019s dwelling place, and he who is uncreated is also the place where we dwell. It is a sublime realization to see with inner eyes that God, our Creator, dwells inside us, and it is an even more exalted thing to understand inwardly that the essence of our soul, which is created, dwells in God. It is by this essence that, through God, we are what we are. I saw no difference between the divine substance and the human substance; it was all God. I was able to accept that our essence is in God, that our essence is a creation of God, and God is simply God. <\/span><\/em>(LT 54, Julian 149).<\/span><\/p>\n

How can all <\/span>not be well<\/span><\/em> if we dwell in God? <\/span>Julian knew that only in the contemplation of God can our soul find rest, thus we must seek our soul in God. <\/span>Everything is nothing without the love of God. As with St. Augustine, Julian knew the happy life cannot be obtained except in God. <\/span>The f<\/span>ullness of joy is to contemplate God in everything \u2013 every form of creation, every form of life. <\/span><\/p>\n

Julian <\/span>reflects on<\/span> the <\/span>m<\/span>otherhood of God<\/span>, in connection with her fourteenth revelation, <\/span>as she pondered, \u201cDo I know what such love is?\u201d (Rolf 512). <\/span>She <\/span>equates<\/span> the<\/span> <\/span>m<\/span>otherhood of God with Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, w<\/span>ho gives birth to the entire creation (Col 1:16), w<\/span>ho is wisdom<\/span>,<\/span> and who loves us and longs for us.<\/span> <\/span>\u201cAs truly as God is our Father, just as truly God is our Mother,\u201d states Julian, for in the \u201cIt is I<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d God means<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>I am the Power and the Goodness of the Fatherhood. I am the Wisdom and the Loving-kindness of the Motherhood. I am the Light and Grace of all blessed love. I am the Threefold nature of the Divine. I am Unity. I am the supreme goodness in every kind of thing. I am the one who causes you to love. I am the one who causes you to yearn. It is I, the endless fulfillment of all desire<\/span><\/em> (LT<\/span> 59, Julian 163).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Julian <\/span>goes on to state<\/span>, \u201cI <\/span>saw that there is<\/span> no greater statue in this life than <\/span>that of a child, who is naturally humble and free from the encumbrances of power and intelligence, until our Divine Mother brings us up to the bliss of our Divine Father (LT 63, Julian 174-175<\/span>). <\/span>This is what Christ meant when he said, \u201cAll will be well. You will see for yourself: every kind of thing shall be well\u201d (Julian 175).<\/span><\/p>\n

Julian <\/span>provides<\/span> us the three medicines needed to heal every soul: contrition, compassion, true yearning for God. These gifts from God help us along our spiritual journey: \u201cBy contrition we are washed clean. By compassion we are made ready. By true longing for God we are rendered worthy\u201d (LT 39, Julian 95). This is the true blending of contemplation and action. Our contrition and humility, our compassion towards all of creation (our love), and our longing for God (<\/span>and<\/span> finding God in every form of life) are all important.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the<\/span> meaning of Julian\u2019s revelations is <\/span>love<\/span>: <\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the time of my showings, I wished to know what our Beloved meant. More than fifteen years later, the answer came in a spiritual vision. This is what I heard. \u201cWould you like to know our Lord\u2019s meaning in all this? Know it well: love was his meaning. Who revealed it to you? Love. What did he reveal to you? Love. Why did he reveal it to you? For love. Stay with this and you will know more of the same. You will never know anything but love, without end\u201d And so what I saw most clearly was that love is his meaning. God wants us to know that he loved us before he even made us, and this love has never diminished and never will. All his actions unfold from this love, and through this love he makes everything that happens of value to us, and in this love we find everlasting life. Our creation has a starting point, but the love in which he made us has no beginning, and this love is our true sourc<\/em>e (LT 86, Julian 224-225).<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, with God\u2019s love, <\/span>all will be well<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fawn Waranauskas<\/strong> teaches spirituality for Saint Joseph’s College Online Theology Programs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works cited\/consulted:<\/span><\/p>\n

Julian of Norwich.<\/span> <\/span>The Showings of Julian of Norwich<\/span>: A New Translation<\/span>. Translated by Mirabai Starr, Hampton Roads, 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lane, Margaret. \u201cJulian, a Woman for Our Time.\u201d <\/span>Journey to the Heart: Christian Contemplation through the Centuries<\/span>,\u201d Edited by Kim Nataraja, Orbis Books, 2011, pp. 260-270.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rolf, Veronica Mary. <\/span>Julian\u2019s Gospel: Illuminating the Life &<\/span> <\/span>Revelations of Julian of Norwich<\/span>. <\/span>Orbis Books, 2013. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2013 the Revelations of Julian of Norwich For our third installment on contemplation, having looked at Jesus as our model of contemplation and experiencing the twentieth-century gift of Thomas Merton and the necessary blending of action and contemplation, we go … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}