Julian of Norwich was a fourteenth century mystic. She was an anchoress – that is, a type of hermit who lived in a cell attached to a church, and who engaged in a form of prayer called contemplation. Contemplative prayer is distinct from vocal and meditative types of prayer, where we use our mind, imagination and other faculties in an attempt to understand our relationship with our creator. In Contemplative prayer, these activities are halted or restrained, so we can seek a deeper connection with God, as one source put it, a connection that is “too deep for words.”
That is all very interesting, but the point I wanted to make about Julian is about an experience she had. When she was 30 years old, she suffered from a severe illness, and, believing she was dying, had a series of intense visions or revelations about God. These were later recorded in both shot and long form named “Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love.” What happened to Julian of Norwich is regarded by most as a perfect contemplative experience with God. Her writings have been studied and written about in great detail over the years. What I really wonder is, if someone came along today and professed that they had had an experience similar to that of Julian, how would we treat them? Would we embrace them and listen to their story seriously? Or would we back away and try to get away from them? I suspect that anyone with a story like Julian's would not be taken seriously. So I ask myself and you, what would have to happen for us to believe a modern day Julian of Norwich?
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