Julian of Norwich and Social Distancing

As you may have heard in sermons past, I have a great appreciation for church  mothers and fathers who have demonstrated how to live out our faith through different periods of the last 2,000 years.

One such person is Julian of Norwich. Julian was a 14th century church leader in England. I have two thoughts on how Julian’s life and work speak to us in this time: one serious and one lighter.

First, the serious.

I thought of Julian recently while I was walking my dog, Ruth, because she wrote a beautiful quote that can be used in times like this.

In the midst of an intense illness that she believed would kill her, Julian heard these words from Jesus amongst a series of divine revelations*:

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

[*A fun tidbit: she published these revelations in a book called Revelations of Divine Love, which is the earliest surviving book in the English language written by a woman.]

Read that again. Slower this time.

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

There have been few periods in my lifetime where this message was needed more than now. This statement is rooted in God’s presence, shown to Julian in the revelations and accessible to us at all times. It is with the confidence of God’s presence that we can face a pandemic and exclaim that all shall be well.

Later in Revelations of Divine Love, she writes, “All shall be well. For the fulness of joy is to behold God in all: for by the same blessed Might, Wisdom, and Love, that He made all-thing, to the same end our good Lord leadeth it continually, and thereto Himself shall bring it; and when it is time we shall see it.”

In times like these, we can still experience the fulness of joy by beholding God’s presence.

Now, the lighter side.

Julian of Norwich was a master of social distancing.

After she recovered from the illness I mentioned above, she decided to capitalize on the divine visions she received and become an anchorite. Essentially, this meant that she desired to be physically removed from the social world (anchorite comes from a Greek term meaning, “one who has retired from the world”) to increase her focus on God’s presence.

In order to do this, a doorless room was constructed around her, so that she was forever secluded to a simple bedroom. This room was attached to a church and had two windows: one into the church that allowed her to partake in communion and worship, and another to the outside world in order for her to receive and give. She received money and other donations through this window to keep her alive and well, and she gave advice, prayers, and even clothes that she made for the poor from this window.

When I first learned of Julian in seminary, I was certainly intrigued by the idea of an anchorage. However, being the extrovert I am, I certainly did not entertain this idea for me, personally! But with the COVID-19 pandemic and the suggested social distancing advice attached to the outbreak, Julian of Norwich can be an inspiration to us all that even in the midst of social distancing and physical isolation, we can still stay connected to one another and to God.

While our social distancing situation is different than Julian’s, we do have access to the two “windows” that she did. They look different, but our “window into the church” includes our Bibles, prayer, online worship opportunities, and more. While we are kept from worshiping God together physically, we are no farther away from God, or, more accurately, God is no farther away from us.

Similarly, we also have a “window into the world” like Julian’s. With technology, from phone calls to emails to video chatting, we have opportunities to stay connected with our family and friends – and our church family! – despite the physical isolation. I would encourage you to stay in close contact with me and with other members of our church through these “windows.” Find ways to fellowship with one another, even as we miss one another’s physical presence.

All shall be well,
And all shall be well,
And all manner of thing shall be well.