Monday, May 08, 2006

All shall be well...

Today the Church remembers Mother Julian, a woman from 14th century Norwich whose own name is unrecorded (she is known by the name of the church where she became an anchoress) , who travelled nowhere, had no influential friends, but whose Revelations of Divine Love have been a huge gift to so many through the centuries.

And from the time that it was shown, I desired often to know what our Lord's meaning was. And fifteen years and more afterward I was answered in my spiritual understanding, thus: 'Would you know your Lord's meaning in this thing? Know it well, love was his meaning. Who showed it to you? Love. What did he show you? Love. Why did he show it? For love. Keep yourself therein and you shall know and understand more in the same. But you shall never know nor understand any other thing, forever.' Thus I was taught that love was our Lord's meaning. And I saw quite clearly in this and in all, that before God made us, he loved us, which love was never slaked nor ever shall be. And in this love he has done all his work, and in this love he has made all things profitable to us. And in this love our life is everlasting. In our creation we had a beginning. But the love wherein he made us was in him with no beginning. And all this shall be seen in God without end ..

Most holy God, the ground of our beseeching,
who through your servant Julian
revealed the wonders of your love;
grant that as we are created in your nature
and restored by your grace,
our wills may be made one with yours
that we may come to see you face to face
and gaze on you forever:
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever Common Worship Collect for Julian of Norwich, Spiritual Writer

3 comments:

Rebecca said...

I heart Julian of Norwich, she's one of my favourite women in Christianity (see also Phoebe, Deaconness). We were planning a holiday in Norfolk and I would have visited her church and so on, but we appear to be going to Hereford instead. She's an inspiration to agnostics like myself :D

Sue said...

Thanks. This is a beautiful post.

Catherine said...

I feel so blessed to have been born on the day we celebrate her...it gives me cause for hope and peace within. Thank you for posting all that you have for her day, and for mine.