Inspiring reading with a message of hope Julian of Norwich (ca 1342-1416) is believed to be the first woman author in the English language. Revelations of Divine Love, or Showings, contains her visions of a “powerfully inclusive spirituality that is still radical now.” Julian comes alive again in Ralph Milton’s inspiring historical novel, Julian’s Cell. Julian was an anchorite, a contemplative who also offered spiritual counsel. She took the name of the church where she served, St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, about 100 miles (161 km) northeast of London. When she began serving, her previous identity was considered dead and buried. For the rest of her life, she was confined to a small room attached to the church. Her only companions were her maid, who served her, and visitors who came to her window for counsel. Before becoming an anchorite, Julian had visions when she believed herself near death, at the age of thirty. She felt called to write her visions so that others would also know the loving view of God that was revealed to her. The barrier between fact and fiction blurs, as the many unknowns of Julian’s life are imagined by the author, but the novel offers a believable narrative. We don’t know her original name, but Katherine is suggested. She struggles to make sense of challenges like losing loved ones to disease and war, growing to believe that God is as loving as a good mother. Though heartache presents itself in our lifetime, she believed confidently that all would be well in the end. Many of her insights were controversial. The author says, “Most medieval writers ... describe humans as being loathsome worms, totally undeserving of God’s love and mercy. The church at that time preached a vindictive God who set up impossible standards and then rained cataclysmic punishment on humans for their failure…. It’s hard to believe that such an open, eloquent, optimistic, joyful book could have been written in such a dark and painful time as the late 14th century.” I found many inspiring thoughts shared in the novel. These are a few of the passages which stood out for me:
The author adds resources to learn more about Julian. He went on to publish The Essence of Julian, a rewrite of her book for modern readers. It has excellent ratings online and sounds like a worthwhile purchase, but consider buying directly from Wood Lake Publishing. Milton is co-founder of the Kelowna, British Columbia house, where he offers many practical spiritual guides of his own and other writers. One of Julian’s sayings has stayed with me over the years: “All will be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” This is the poetic translation I recall from when I was first introduced to Julian at Vancouver’s Christ Church Cathedral. It tells us that through all our difficulties, we can rest knowing that all will be well in the end. Love will prevail. May you always know that love. - Irene Plett Details: Ralph Milton, Julian’s Cell: An earthy story of Julian of Norwich (2002, Wood Lake Publishing, ISBN 9781896836508), quotations at pages 8, 11, 34-35, 64, 80, and 141. Topics: Julian of Norwich, spirituality, love, inspiration
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WriterIrene Plett is a writer, poet and animal lover living in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Categories
All
|