"Triune God, Father and Mother to us all, who showed your servant Julian revelations of your nurturing and sustaining love: Move our hearts, like hers, to seek you above all things, for in giving us yourself you give us all. Amen." ~ Collect for St Julian of Norwich
Today is the Feast Day of Dame Julian of Norwich, Mystic and Anchoress.
Dame Julian has been a frequent companion with me in my quiet time. Her wisdom, gleaned from a life during which three waves of the Bubonic Plague hit Europe-- and from her vantage point of her life enclosed in a small hut from which she interacted with the world via one window speaks to me now.
First of all, Julian knows something about " sheltering in place". Although her sequestering away from other humans was voluntary, I can draw some similarities between her life as an anchoress & the early days of Covid Life. The only " window" that we modern people hag]d was a computer connected to the Internet. As a matter of fact, such Internet-based technologies probably kept our society going during the worst of the modern plague. For many of us, sheltering-in-place was scary. Zoom offered us a " window" in which we could interact with people we love-- as we stayed anchored to our homes to protect ourselves & others from a new virus.
I remember how grateful I felt to see & hear people I love in real time as we waited for medical science to catch up to this new pathogen. Had I known about the life of Julian, and how her sheltering-in-place led her to write the first book that was published in English by a woman. While I struggled to find meaning with the Internet at my disposal, Julian composed her famous book Revelations of Divine Love
I struggled to keep my faith during the Spring & Summer of 2020, and Julian offered spiritual advice to whomever showed up at the window of her stone hut. I am for the Technology Team, guided by our clergy, who managed to keep us connected digitally when even Sunday worship was suspended due to the plague. Praying the Daily Office online-- especially Evening Prayer-- helped keep me centered during the days that otherwise ran together in a weird _Groundhog Day: The Movie_ fashion. I discovered that intentionally turning to God in prayer two or three times per day. As we slowly begin to re-emerge in public again, I still pause for Evening Prayer on weekdays. There are a faithful few of us who are regulars at that particular " window".
Window of my church's nave, looking into the nave from the garden outside. Photo by The Pensacola Hippie.
I sense that St Julian would be among us from her window if she were among us on Earth right now.
Meeting St Julian at this time in my life has also awakened my understanding { an understanding that was innate in my soul but never given " permission" to be fruitful. Julian's understanding of God the Creator as both Father and MOTHER allows me to embrace my own embodiment of Authentic Motherhood. As a move into my 45th year of Earthly life--I look forward to germinating more art via my paintings, photos and wordsmithing. Thanks in part to St Julian { and some other fabulous childless " Mothers" I know } I can embrace my vocation of co-creating with Mother/Father God as a creator or words & pictures. I'm beginning to see that raising art & germinating ideas is another way to nurture life.
Tending to the needs of little humans is sacred work . It is important work-- society depends on those who parent the next generation. I salute biological & adoptive parents. I also finally embrace myself as co-creator with God.
Love. Service. Protection.
Amen.
Sarah Elizabeth McCarren
Feast of St Julian of Norwich 2021
This is lovely and encouraging, Sarah!
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