Julian of Norwich

This book contains some beautifully expressed ideas about God written by a 14th century Christian mystic. I enjoyed reading it!

Two of my favorite excerpts:

“…it is the natural yearning of the soul touched by the Holy Ghost to say, ‘God, of your goodness, give me yourself; you are enough for me, and anything less that I could ask for would not do you full honour. And if I ask anything that is less, I shall always lack something, but in you alone I have everything.’”

“…for the goodness of God is the highest object of prayer and it reaches down to our lowest need. It quickens our soul and gives it life, and makes it grow in grace and virtue… it is the same grace which the soul seeks and always will seek until we truly know him who has enclosed us in himself; for he does not despise what he has made, nor does he disdain to serve us…through love of the soul which he has made in his own likeness; 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 chest, so are we, soul and body, clad in the goodness of God and enclosed in it…”… (mehr)

This book is a short collection of 30-day meditations by Julian of Norwich. Each day has four parts: A short reading of Julian's writing, a single line that is called out for daily meditation, a reflective commentary to be read at the end of the day, and a brief prayer before sleep. I found it easiest to read the full text of each day at once and think back to whichever part was most fitting later.

Julian's writings are definitely the reason for reading. Most of the end-of-day commentaries are obvious and seem to be more filler than anything. The lines picked out for meditation are sometimes helpful, but in many cases I found myself connecting with different things in the writing more. I was never really sure if the nightly prayers were authored by Julian or the editor. Delineations in the text aren't very clear.

The most interesting thing about the book for me was the unique vision Julian has of Christ as "Mother." It evokes some beautiful imagery and some great ideas to ponder. I think the feminine aspects that she explorers would be a fun read for any feminist Christians out there, or women who are looking to find a special, holy place to live their lives in connection with Jesus.… (mehr)