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Dame JULIAN OF NORWICH (May
8th) is one of the most broadly loved of saints, revered by scholars,
mystics, and “everyday” folk, clergy or laity. Born in 1342, she became gravely
ill in 1373 and was given the last rites. According to her own account, on May
8th all pain left her and she had fifteen visions lasting five hours. One vision
followed the next day. These visions, chiefly of Christ’s Passion and of the
Holy Trinity, brought her great peace and joy, as they led her to a deep
conviction that the meaning of Jesus is divine Love—nothing more, nothing less.
Soon after her recovery, Dame
Julian became an anchoress (a recluse), living in a room attached to the Church
of St. Edmund in Norwich. She never left the room for the rest of her life,
devoting herself to prayer and contemplation. In 1388 she felt she had received
the spiritual understanding of her visions so that she could write about them.
Her book, the Book of Showings (also known as Revelations of Divine Love) is a
tender and beautiful exposition of God’s all-embracing Love. For Julian, God is
infinitely and yearningly disposed in favor of the human race.
During her lifetime she became
famous as a mystic and as a spiritual counselor, visited by all ranks from
royalty to commoners. Julian’s most famous words have been a mantra for millions
over the centuries: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of
things shall be well.” Julian died ca. 1417. The room in which she lived is now
a chapel in the church at Norwich. |
