julian of norwich

A recurring theme on this blog over the years has been the idea that we need to find better ways of talking about sin. So much of the doom-and-gloom, fire-and-brimstone language surrounding it arose in the Early Modern period and is not only counter-productive and off-putting, but also misrepresents the fullness of what the Scriptures … Continue reading On God and Sin(ners): A Reflection on Romans 5.1-11 and Julian of Norwich

Prayer is a strange thing. It can take on so many different colours. There is repentance, there is thanksgiving, there is worship, contemplation, petition and intercession. All of these (and others) have their own motivation, and yet they are all recognizable as prayer. We might broadly define prayer as simply ‘relating with God’, whether with … Continue reading The Foundation of Prayer

We’re nearing the end of this significant chunk of Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love dealing with the immensity of God’s love and the comparative insignificance of sin. Yesterday, we saw how we must remember that God’s love and peace live within us and, therefore, we are called to live within God’s love and peace accordingly. … Continue reading A Matter of Perspective: On Love, Sin, and Repentance

Yesterday we saw how Julian understood sin to be a result of a lack of awareness of God and, consequently, of love. Like the proverbial fish unaware it’s swimming in water, all too often we go through life unaware of the reality before us. Today I’d like to expand on this idea, drawing from Julian’s further … Continue reading Abiding in Peace and Love

Julian of Norwich makes a compelling argument that sin can never thwart God’s ultimate saving intent and is therefore ‘no thing’. But it’s still a pervasive force in the world — a force that brings nothing but pain. And since we are generally averse to pain as a species, and since the people most directly … Continue reading Why, Then, Do We Sin?