Lent 2025 Day 12

Julian of Norwich, Mystic and Theologian
Romans 8:38-39 | Luke 13:31-35

Julian of Norwich was a medieval mystic and theologian whose visions of Christ’s love continue to inspire and challenge people today. Born in England in 1342, Julian lived during a time of great turmoil—plague, war, and political unrest were constant realities. In the midst of this suffering, she experienced a profound series of visions in 1373 during a near-fatal illness. She later wrote about these revelations in Revelations of Divine Love, the first known book written in English by a woman. Unlike many theological writings of her time, Julian’s visions focused not on divine wrath but on divine love—an unshakable, all-encompassing love that holds creation in its embrace.

After her recovery, Julian chose a life of solitude as an anchoress, living in a small cell attached to the Church of St. Julian in Norwich. From there, she dedicated herself to prayer, writing, and offering spiritual counsel to visitors who sought her wisdom. Though little is known about her personal life outside of her writings, her theological reflections reveal a woman who was deeply attuned to the suffering of the world and the overwhelming grace of God.

Her words resonate deeply with Romans 8:38-39, which proclaims that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Julian lived in a time of great suffering—plague, political turmoil, and religious persecution—but her theology was one of radical hope. She insisted that, despite the chaos of the world, God’s love is deeper, wider, and stronger than anything that might seek to destroy us. Even when we feel lost, afraid, or overwhelmed, God is holding us close, never letting us go.

In Luke 13:31-35, Jesus laments over Jerusalem, longing to gather its people as a hen gathers her chicks. Julian, too, saw God’s love as deeply maternal. She famously wrote that Christ is like a mother, nurturing and protecting His children with tender care. This was a revolutionary image in a medieval context that often emphasized God’s justice and authority over God’s intimacy and gentleness. Julian describes Christ’s mothering love as one that feeds, nurtures, and even suffers for the sake of His children, much like a mother who willingly endures pain for the well-being of her child.

In Revelations of Divine Love, she writes: “As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother.” This understanding of Christ’s love broadens our vision of God’s nature. It invites us to see divine love not as distant or conditional, but as immediate, instinctual, and sacrificial. Just as a mother loves her child before they can ever ask for it, Christ loves us before we can even comprehend it. Just as a mother hen gathers her children under her wings for protection, Jesus longs to bring us into the safety of divine love, even when we resist.

Lent is a time to rest in the assurance that, no matter what we face, God’s love surrounds us. It is a time to trust, as Julian did, that even in the darkest of days, all shall be well. It is a time to reflect on the maternal nature of Christ, who nurtures, protects, and holds us with a love that cannot be shaken.

Reflection:

• How does Romans 8:38-39 challenge your understanding of God’s love? 
• Where have you seen God’s mothering love in your own life? 
• How can you embrace Julian’s trust in God’s goodness, even in difficult seasons? 

Breath Prayer: Inhale: Nothing can separate me… Exhale: …from the love of God.

May this Lenten season be a time of resting in the unshakable love of Christ, trusting that, in the end, all shall be well.
Amen.