All Shall Be Well (Early May)

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 All Shall Be Well


I have encountered the writings and teachings of Dame Julian of Norwich several times along my spiritual journey. Living in England through the black plague in the late 1300's to early 1400's, she got very sick to the brink of death, and had 16 visions of  Christ she called showings. She wrote them down, and then spent the rest of her life writing more about her experience and what it meant to her and the rest of the world. I was unaware until recently that she only became an anchoress (a monastic living "anchored" to a church, but in a solitary cell) after she received the Showings. It was after the sickness that she went into solitude to write though still in relationship with her church and community. She was in the thick of the pandemic before any understanding of germs, vaccines, or how the plague spread. It wiped out half of England's population so she lost about half of the people she knew. Her Showings are worth reading, or even a book her such as Matthew Fox's Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a time of Pandemic-and Beyond. 

The fascinating thing about St. Julian to me right now, is her sense of deep trust in God, her love of nature in spite of the pandemic, and her optimism in the face of so much death and destruction. One of her most famous quotes is the thrice repeated, "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of all thing shall be well." 
Having encountered some difficulties in life including death of loved ones, destruction of our town, political ideologies splitting relationships, and now a year of relative separation due to a pandemic, (thanks be to God we have now learned about germs and vaccines!) I hear the words of Julian in a new way. I have come to appreciate the moments of absence of suffering as miraculous moments. Fully aware, now, of what could be, I am amazed at my own existence just for right now. I am also aware that it is fleeting, so the time to live this gift of life is only right now. Suffering will come with life, so be it. Every moment we are here is a precious gift, as are the people around us. All of them. 

I hope to hold on to Julian's words. When worry of what could be takes hold, I will return to the wisdom and reality that "All shall be well." Her powerful words can be easily drowned out if you listen to the constant news cycle that thrives on keeping you watching and worrying. We are not really all that far from Julian. Her wisdom can cut through the new technology distracting us from the eternal presence of God. I am grateful to my Spiritual Mother, this ancestor's voice who moved through the experience of suffering to glean spiritual wisdom. Thankful that she took the time to reflect on what she learned; thankful that she has passed down through these few generations her profound words: "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of all thing shall be well." 

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