Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Church Of Julian Of Norwich


Mother Julian's Shrine

"The Cell now a chapel the place where Mother Julian wrote down her Revelations of Divine Love"

We should desire to regard our Lord
with wondering reverence
rather than fear,
loving God gently and trusting
with all we are capable of.
For when we regard God with awe
and love God gently
our trust is never in vain.
The more we trust,
and the more powerful this trust,
the more we please and praise
our Lord whom we trust in.
Without this,
we cannot please God.


On the main page of the website is a video of a Benediction service. It's short and includes lovely singing by the choir. It brings back memories from my childhood in the Roman Catholic Church, when the Benediction service sometimes followed the celebration of the Mass.


St. Julian, Bishop of Le Mans

Mother Julian probably took her name from St. Julian of Le Mans.

The site is wonderful for exploring. It includes a biography of Mother Julian with the little information that is known about her life and also a brief history of the period in which she lived.

From the Church of Julian of Norwich.

Julian's words are from Meditations With Julian of Norwich by Brendan Doyle.

Thanks to Lapin for the link.

UPDATE: Kishnevi has found the original words of Julian in my quote. Doyle seems to have abridged the original somewhat.

And thus we shall in love be homley and nere to God, and we shall in drede
be gentil and curtes to God, and both alike evyn. Desir we of our Lord God to
dredin Him reverently and to love Him mekely and to trosten in Him mytyly.
For whan we drede Him reverently and loven Him mekely our troste is never in
vaine; for the more that we trosten, and the mytylier, the more we plesyn and
worshippe our Lord that we trosten in. And if us feile this reverent drede and
meke love (as God forbode we should), our trost shall sone be misrulid for the
tyme. And therefore us nedith mekil for to prayen our Lord of grace that we may
have this reverent drede and meke love, of his gift, in herte and in werke, for
withouten this no man may plesyn God.


Kishnevi has also published the original and his own translation into modern English at his website.

14 comments:

  1. Thank you again.
    The Shewings is available online:
    http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/crampton.htm

    The text is split into three parts. The link to part II is at the end of part I, and the link to part III is at the end of part II.

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  2. Kishnevi, it's an interesting website, but not the easiest to navigate. I'll go back when I have more time. I'd like to find the passage I quoted in the original language.

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  3. I found this:

    But Jesus, that in this vision enformid me of all that me nedyth, answerid by
    this word, and seyd: Synne is behovabil, but al shal be wel, and al shal be wel, and
    al manner of thyng shal be wele.

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  4. A heart-warming post, Grandmere, and a link to a place where I once visited long before its refurbishment. Mother Julian is one of my stronger spiritual "influences" and it is always refreshing to see and hear that her life, prayers and writing continues to shape those of others.

    Indeed: Al shal be wel!

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  5. RR, I'd love to visit. I wonder if perhaps her cell was over-refurbished.

    Al shal be wel!

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  6. Thanks, Mimi. Dame Julian is special (and not just because I was born on her feast day). I appreciate your honoring her with this post.

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  7. I like the prayer or poem you quoted. My husband just bought a book of her writings, partially because i shared the posts about her that I found here and at the Mercy Blog.

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  8. Just from in my little book of excerpts from her writings, I found a treasury of choices. She is fervent in her desire to bring us to full realization of how much God loves us and that, truly, all shall be well, if we but trust.

    I love her writings.

    Paul, how blessed you are to share a birthday with Julian.

    Ruth, what a lovely and thoughtful gift from your husband.

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  9. Found it. Chapter 74, at the end.
    And thus we shall in love be homley and nere to God, and we shall in drede
    be gentil and curtes to God, and both alike evyn. Desir we of our Lord God to
    dredin Him reverently and to love Him mekely and to trosten in Him mytyly.
    For whan we drede Him reverently and loven Him mekely our troste is never in
    vaine; for the more that we trosten, and the mytylier, the more we plesyn and
    worshippe our Lord that we trosten in. And if us feile this reverent drede and
    meke love (as God forbode we should), our trost shall sone be misrulid for the
    tyme. And therefore us nedith mekil for to prayen our Lord of grace that we may
    have this reverent drede and meke love, of his gift, in herte and in werke, for
    withouten this no man may plesyn God.

    ReplyDelete
  10. realized after posting that last comment there passage you have is slightly abridged. So I've posted the ME text and my own rendering into modern language at my blog.
    http://kishnevi.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/a-passage-from-julian-of-norwich-for-grandmere-mimi/

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  11. This is so beautiful - thank you.

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  12. Kishnevi, I love you for finding this for me.

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  13. A votre plaisir, Madame.
    (Takes off plumed hat to make sweeping bow with appropriate courtly flourishes)

    ReplyDelete

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