Julian of Norwich Part III

God's immense love for us was certainly not a new concept to Julian. But in her showings she understood it much more profoundly and explicitly. Julian saw God through the broad sweep of time. For her the creator, the redeemer and their holy spirit were complete and unchangeable from the beginning.

The union of creator and the souls of the created was perfect and irrevocable. The Incarnation and the Crucifixion and, of course, the Resurrection were always in God’s plan. God holds all of history in his hands. Every act, thought, wish, and glance is known and loved.

Our soul is oned to God, unchangeable goodness. And between God and our soul is neither wrath nor forgiveness in his sight. For our soul is so abundantly oned to God by his own goodness that between God and our soul may be right nought. And to this understanding was the soul led by love and drawn by might in every showing. Chapter 49

Where does sin come into all this? What about God’s famous anger at sin? What about sorrow and forgiveness? What about punishment? Hell? Purgatory? These are questions that Julian put to our Lord and she was given to understand that God has no wrath. He is only love. The punishment for sin is the sin itself and, out of love, God plans great comfort and honor for all of us when we join him in eternity.

Julian asked to see into hell. She had a look and, behold, she saw no one in it.

Our oneness with God trumps our attempts to apply a justice system to our actions, our sins, their effects, and God’s reaction.

For I saw that God never began to love mankind. For just as mankind will be in endless bliss, fulfilling the joy of God…just so has that same mankind, in the foresight of God, been known and loved from without beginning in his righteous intent. Chapter 53

This love is so extraordinary that Julian begs for clarification. She cannot understand how sin can be so unimportant. In fact, Christ tells her that he does not see it. He sees our suffering, our sadness; but what we see as sin is simply a negative space. With repetition she is somewhat satisfied with her understanding. She is told that All will be well, that every last thing will be well. With this she must be content.

Julian had her revelations, her showings, at age thirty, following a serious illness. Skeptics will point out that her experiences could be attributed to fever dreams. Of course they could. Or it’s possible that such a painful and debilitating illness prepared her to receive the showings, brought her into focus as it were, blotted out her day to day concerns.

Either way, she made careful records of the showings, the “short text,” and over the following twenty years reflected on them and wrote a longer meditation on them, the “long text”. At that point she closed herself in for the rest of her life. She died in her early seventies (even this exact date is unsure). In her small apartment, called an “anchorage” Julian had many visitors at her window. People came to ask her advice on spiritual matters. She was well regarded in town and received a few bequests so that she could continue her solitude without want.

As I was preparing this post, I encountered the story In Matthew of Jesus walking on water. Peter demands a sign of Jesus' identity. He wants to walk on water, too. Jesus bids him come forth. Peter's fear  surpasses his faith and he begins to sink. Julian had no fear, or, if she did, her faith was strong enough to see her through. 

I began to wonder what Jesus thought of Peter in his doubt and Julian in her faith. Did he favor one over the other? Did he cherish Peter's neediness? Did he admire Julian's nerve? And where am I in this scheme? As a child I would have loved such an encounter as Julian's or Peter's. I used to think I would prove myself to Jesus and he would be amazed. Not any more. I'm not sure if I'm better off now or worse. Time will tell. 

I do not envy Julian. She had a difficult life and lived in a dangerous time. I do admire her openness to the presence of our Lord. I admire her courage in accepting the revelations as well as her almost nagging persistence for clarity. But, most of all, I believe Julian. I believe that everything she says she saw and heard she did see and hear. I believe that she has understood and interpreted her showings correctly.

For whatever reason, in that turbulent time God chose to reveal massive truths to this ordinary woman. For whatever reason, she believed her savior rather than taking the safe route of holding only to church teachings. For whatever reason, her writings were hidden for 500 years and are now available to everyone. Who can know the ways of God? All will be well.

Recommended reading

Julian’s Gospel: Illuminating the Life and Revelatiopns of Julian of Norwich by Veronica Mary Rolf
The Complete Julian of Norwich by Father John Julian
The Showings of Julian of Norwich by Mirabai Starr

*all quotes above are from Rolf’s translation.