Julian of Norwich
Biography:
Julian of Norwich was a 14th-century English mystic, anchoress, and spiritual writer best known for her book Revelations of Divine Love, considered the earliest known work in English written by a woman. Little is known about her early life, but she lived in Norwich during a time marked by plague, political unrest, and religious uncertainty.
At around the age of thirty, Julian experienced a series of intense visions while suffering from a severe illness that was believed to be fatal. After recovering, she spent many years reflecting on these revelations and eventually recorded them in both shorter and longer versions of her writings.
Living as an anchoress attached to a church, Julian devoted herself to prayer, contemplation, and offering spiritual counsel to visitors who sought her guidance. Her writings focused deeply on divine love, compassion, mercy, and the mysterious relationship between suffering and grace. She is especially remembered for the line, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” which became one of the most enduring statements in Christian mystical literature.
Julian also wrote of Christ in unusually intimate and compassionate terms, at times comparing divine care to motherhood. Though her work remained relatively obscure for centuries, she later became recognized as one of the great voices of Christian mysticism and contemplative thought.
Inner Meaning:
Julian comes to unveil the mysteries of divine love.
In her amazing book Revelations of Divine Love, she relates to this divine love through the form of Jesus Christ. And at one point Jesus says to her, to paraphrase a bit, “You know that feeling you get when you wrap yourself in your most comfy blanket? That feeling is me.” I am the comfort in your comfort. I am the joy in your joy. I am the love in your love.
This is divine intimacy beyond relating to an other. This is the entire field of experiencing as a form of divine intimacy.
And Christ shares with her the words to take away all fear, to remove all anxiety. All is well, all is well, all is well. And all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be made well.
This sacred mantra of divine love is Julian’s gift to us. We don’t need to understand these words. We don’t need to debate them. We only need to let them in—deep into our hearts, into our souls, into the very fabric of our being. Whatever is troubling us, whatever we have suffered, whatever we fear from the future—all is well, all is well, all is well. All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be made well.
May this divine love envelop us as a blanket of grace and comfort. May we surrender ourselves to this beatific presence of the Beloved. May we allow, truly allow, for all things to be well, and all things to be made well.
In the name of the Almighty—amen.
Julian of Norwich
Biography:
Julian of Norwich was a 14th-century English mystic, anchoress, and spiritual writer best known for her book Revelations of Divine Love, considered the earliest known work in English written by a woman. Little is known about her early life, but she lived in Norwich during a time marked by plague, political unrest, and religious uncertainty.
At around the age of thirty, Julian experienced a series of intense visions while suffering from a severe illness that was believed to be fatal. After recovering, she spent many years reflecting on these revelations and eventually recorded them in both shorter and longer versions of her writings.
Living as an anchoress attached to a church, Julian devoted herself to prayer, contemplation, and offering spiritual counsel to visitors who sought her guidance. Her writings focused deeply on divine love, compassion, mercy, and the mysterious relationship between suffering and grace. She is especially remembered for the line, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” which became one of the most enduring statements in Christian mystical literature.
Julian also wrote of Christ in unusually intimate and compassionate terms, at times comparing divine care to motherhood. Though her work remained relatively obscure for centuries, she later became recognized as one of the great voices of Christian mysticism and contemplative thought.
Inner Meaning:
Julian comes to unveil the mysteries of divine love.
In her amazing book Revelations of Divine Love, she relates to this divine love through the form of Jesus Christ. And at one point Jesus says to her, to paraphrase a bit, “You know that feeling you get when you wrap yourself in your most comfy blanket? That feeling is me.” I am the comfort in your comfort. I am the joy in your joy. I am the love in your love.
This is divine intimacy beyond relating to an other. This is the entire field of experiencing as a form of divine intimacy.
And Christ shares with her the words to take away all fear, to remove all anxiety. All is well, all is well, all is well. And all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be made well.
This sacred mantra of divine love is Julian’s gift to us. We don’t need to understand these words. We don’t need to debate them. We only need to let them in—deep into our hearts, into our souls, into the very fabric of our being. Whatever is troubling us, whatever we have suffered, whatever we fear from the future—all is well, all is well, all is well. All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be made well.
May this divine love envelop us as a blanket of grace and comfort. May we surrender ourselves to this beatific presence of the Beloved. May we allow, truly allow, for all things to be well, and all things to be made well.
In the name of the Almighty—amen.