This post originally appeared last year around this time to observe the life and work of medieval mystic and writer Julian of Norwich; since I was still quite new in my Substack journey then, I thought it would be worth sharing it again here!
Julian’s day (she’s not technically a saint…yet) tends to fall on or around Mother’s Day here in the US, and I find that parallel very interesting, since Julian famously wrote of God’s love as motherly, nurturing. In this way she seemed to set herself apart from other mystics.
At the end, I’ve also included a poem I wrote about Julian in last year’s paid-only May poetry book.
I’m aware that motherhood can be a grief-stricken subject for so many reasons. My prayer for you is that you find blessing in the following words and meditation, remembering that no matter what, God loves you with a mothering love.
In the famous words of Julian herself: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
Blessings!
“For as the body is clad in the cloth, and the flesh in the skin, and the bones in the flesh, and the heart in the whole, so are we, soul and body, clad in the Goodness of God, and enclosed.”
Julian of Norwich
The Middle Ages were not a gentle, unblemished time, and yet so much of what we now believe about God came from that era. And among the most influential theological writers of that age, we find Julian of Norwich.
It’s possible that “Julian” was not her real name, and very little about her personal life is known. But we know that she was a well-respected anchoress living a life of solitude for much of her adulthood, and she wrote her book, Revelations of Divine Love, after having a series of visions during a near-fatal illness.
In the Revelations, Julian wrote extensively about God as a deeply loving presence, a mothering presence. Something intimate, something that grows alongside us and never leaves us. According to Julian, God is the Love from which all good things spring. We are enclosed and secure in His goodness, and He reminds us that though life may be dark and grief-stricken, we can be sure that “all shall be well.”
It’s likely that Julian’s fervent passion for this subject was unusual for the time; it’s certainly unusual even now in Christian thought.
In honor of Julian, I believe it is especially important for us to consider what we mean when we say “God is love”, something modern Christians repeat so often that it becomes rote.
Think about it. Is there any more misunderstood word than love? To act with love is to act with sacrifice, large or small. When we choose a loving act—generosity, self-sacrifice, openness, gentleness, compassion—do we see God moving in it? Do we feel His presence? And do we understand that every act of love, no matter how tiny, has its roots in Him?
Julian believed that God was the Source. That without God, any love is impossible.
And even further: that the very existence of love is the proof of God’s reality, nature, personality, and utter goodness.
the saint in her stone cell feels a twinge in her heart, takes up her quill and writes of God: the mystery of motherhood is that the mother grows as the child grows; she sustains she feeds and her very soul expands; what would it be if we believed that God was closer to us than even a mother? we lie helpless, newborn every day; and our God sustains us feeds us with His own hand; He settles His wings over us with expectation and feels our infant stirrings with an unfathomable delight; and as we grow He grows with us expanding outward, filling the spaces until He’s all we ever need. the saint sits back sets down her quill peers out the stone window and watches the songbird sit quietly on her nest.
Thank you for reading!
Moved by this piece (or simply feel like supporting my coffee habit) and want to contribute a one-time donation? Click the Tip Jar button below!
Did this piece resonate with you? Take a moment to share it!
If you enjoy this piece, please let me know by tapping the heart to like, comment with your thoughts, share with someone you think will enjoy it, and subscribe to get instant access to my future work right to your inbox. Blessings!
Thank you for reminding us. I have long taken comfort in Julian's promise. Especially as society spins more and more into the realm of madness. Those of us who are not believers, still must seek solace. A slightly different translation that resonates with me is, "All will be good in the end. And if it is not good now, it is because it' s not the end."