Anchoress, 1342-1416

Women of great faith have graced the church from its very birth, women such as Our Lady, St Mary Magdalen, Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena and St. Thérèse de Lisieux.  Lady Julian of Norwich was one of those women.  

She was an anchoress in the town of Norwich, in 14th century England and she began to record the 'showings' she received from the Lord in a book now entitled 'Revelations'.  She witnessed an incredible amount of upheavals during her life and saw the collapse of centuries-old institutions and patterns of life.  She saw the assassination of a king and of an archbishop.  She saw nation-wide riotings during the Peasants' Rebellion as well as the beginning of the Hundred Years' War between England and France.  She saw the crumbling of the papacy and the Great Schism that divided the Church as 3 men claimed to be the true Pope.  She saw the beginnings of the first heresies in England through the Lollard followers and finally, she lived through at least 3 sieges of the Black Plague that swept through Europe claiming millions of lives.  In the area where she lived, it is reported that over half of the population died.

But through it all, she would repeat those famous words the Lord spoke to her as He was teaching her about sin and all of its evil consequences.  With all the stress, anxieties and fears we may feel as we witness the present collapse of the world as we've known it, it can be extremely difficult to pray.  But if all we can pray are those simple words, words that are uttered with much hope, trust and confidence then we have a more than ordinary faith.  These words will keep us anchored in the ultimate truth that God is with us and that all shall be well indeed!  (Linda - August 22, 2021)