An Analysis of Julian of Norwich's "Showings"

In a near-death vision filled with violent and bloody images of suffering, the mystic Julian of Norwich heard God's assuring words that "all will be well in the end." In her book, Showings, Julian describes her visions, offering them for the comfort and instruction of God's people.

Julian's Visions

As a young woman, Julian prayed for three graces from God: (1) a greater comprehension of Christ's Passion to increase her knowledge of Jesus; (2) an experience of bodily sickness to the point of death in order to remove her reliance on earthly creatures or comfort, and (3) three wounds to lead her to deeper union with God. (Ch. 1)

God answered her prayers at age 30 when she suffered a bodily illness that brought her to the very brink of death. In this feeble state, she asked to have her upper body elevated so she could contemplate God in her final moments. At this time, the Parson came, accompanied by a boy with a crucifix. As Julian focused on the crucifix, everything around it grew dark. Julian's pain became so great that she believed she was going to die, when suddenly, all her pain disappeared. Taking advantage of this new turn of events, Julian prayed that God would fill her body with the pains of Christ's Passion. At this point, her visions began. (Ch. 2 - 3)

In her first revelation, she sees six things: (1) blood trickling down from the crown of thorns on the crucifix before her; (2) a vision of the Virgin Mary; (3) a "spiritual sight" of Christ's all-embracive love and goodness; (4) a small ball in the palm of Christ's hand, representing creation, demonstrating its goodness and yet its "smallness" in relation to Christ; (5) three properties in the ball which reveal to her that God is her Creator, lover, and protector; and (6) three "nothings" demonstrating that God is the source of all good and should be sought above all created things. (Ch. 3 - 5)

Next, she has a vision of Christ's face being battered and bruised. This leads to a revelation that God is present in all things, wisely and providentially working out his purpose. As the body of Christ spews forth blood, Julian sees God's bountiful provision of forgiveness through Christ's blood. It is this blood that overcomes the devil and his fiends. Because of God's overarching providence in all things and Christ's conquering blood, the devil stands completely defeated in everything he does. This leads Julian to laugh over the devil's miserable predicament (Ch. 7 - 8).

The laughter leads to a vision of three degrees of bliss in heaven resulting from the joy one experiences upon hearing God's praise announced publicly in the hearing of all -- a joy that once received is everlasting. The vision of bliss is immediately followed by an experience of sorrow and despair. This pattern of bliss and sorrow is repeated again and again, teaching Julian that God loves us and keeps us safe at all times. (Ch. 9)

In the final vision, Julian sees Christ shrivel up in thirst. She cannot imagine a greater pain. The love of Christ demonstrated in his willingness to endure immense pain for the sake of his beloved fills Julian with great joy, so that Jesus becomes "her heaven." (Ch. 10 - 11)

Suddenly Christ's appearance becomes joyful and he reveals three heavens to Julian -- the joy of the Father, the bliss of the Son, and the endless delight of the Holy Spirit. The three heavens demonstrate God's infinite delight in his work of salvation. (Ch. 12)

Christ then gives Julian a vision of St. Mary, and in contemplating her bliss and God's love, Julian realizes that the only thing that hinders her desire for Christ is her own sin, causing her to wonder why God would allow sin in the first place. Jesus replies that "sin is necessary" but that in the end "all will be well." (Ch. 13)

Julian is disturbed by this revelation. How can all things be well in light of the great harm sin brings? Christ replies that Adam's sin brought the greatest harm to the world, but now, this harm has been overcome by Christ's atoning work on the cross. Our lot in life is to embrace the Lord while humbly admitting that some aspects of the Lord's counsel are closed and hidden to us. (Ch. 14)

Christ concludes by assuring Julian he can and will make all things well in the end. This truth will one day satisfy Christ's spiritual thirst, when he possesses us wholly as his own. Even though we can't comprehend this fully now, it is God's will that we should be confident that "all will be well." (Ch. 15 - 16)

Examining Julian's Vision

Julian's insights are found in the unique context of a near-death vision. Because of this, many who would otherwise benefit from her writings will be prone to ignore her because of the "subjective" or "experiential" component of Julian's insights. If Julian's teaching had arisen in the context of a dusty library or academic study, her teachings would probably find greater acceptance. But due to the fact that her writings are the result of experiential revelations rather than intellectual reasoning, they are often dismissed as the unhelpful (if not misleading) ramblings of an overexcited imagination.

The subject matter Julian develops consists primarily of insightful statements concerning central Christian themes. This would include -- but would not be limited to -- the following insights: (1) the superiority of God to all creatures; (2) the great love God has for his creation; (3) God's wise and loving providence over all he has made; (4) the abundant provision of forgiveness through Christ's shed blood; (5) the inevitable doom and misery of the devil in attempting to thwart God's purposes; (6) the constant love of God in the midst of the ups-and-downs of the Christian life; (7) God's willingness to suffer greatly for our good; (8) God's delight in his saving work, and (9) the glorious hope that all things will work together for good in the end. One could argue that Julian's insights gained from her visions are unnecessary and that thoughtful reflection in the context of one's study is all that is presently necessary for the church, but this would be to discount Julian's insights merely because of the means by which she gains them. If we discount her revelations because we don't need additional insight in light of the canon of Scripture, could we not say the same thing concerning insight that comes from the scholar's pen in a calm study?

Generally speaking, I am uncomfortable with revelatory visions. Their potential for abuse is certainly high. However, I am not completely opposed to receiving insights from God through this means. Some may view this as forbidden "extra-canonical revelation." Yet, limiting revelation to the canon of Scripture is problematic in itself. For the first three centuries of the church's existence, it had no official and universally recognized canon. Therefore, rejecting visions by labeling such visions "extra-canonical revelation" would have been impossible. Yet the Church did have a "rule of faith" as early as the second century based on apostolic tradition and the common consensus of the Church. This rule of faith existed prior to the canon of Scripture. Thus, in one sense, the canon of Scripture was determined by its agreement with the "rule of faith." If one judges Julian's vision in light of the "rule of faith," then it is not difficult to view her revelation as being in general agreement with the "rule of faith." Though some aspects of her vision may be questionable depending upon one's faith tradition, nothing is heretical, and thus it easily accords with the received tradition of the Church.

I am also uncomfortable with revelatory visions coming from immature, hedonistic, individualistic, or arrogant individuals. In cases where revelation is given to individuals whose lives do not seem patterned after Christ, I find it easy to discount their revelations as self-deluded or self-exalting ventures, having little or no value for the church.

Julian's attitude toward her experience separates her vision from obvious counterfeits in at least five ways:

(1) Her vision is not self-serving. Julian's desire is that she would be satisfied with God's will, no matter what that involves. God is not bound to grant her requests. She humbly remains aware that God may deny her requests and she desires to remain content, should he do so. (Ch. 1)

(2) Her vision is not individualistic. She takes great joy in the fact that the vision is given to her for the comfort and instruction of others and not simply for her own sake. (Ch. 6)

(3) Her vision is not hedonistic. She does not ask for comfort, ease, or ecstatic experiences. Rather, she desires to identify with Christ's sufferings to the very point of death. (Ch. 6)

(4) Her vision is not arrogant. God has given the vision, not because of her goodness (for she admits she is a wretch), nor because God loves her more than others. She is convinced that there are many in the Church that love God more than her who will never receive revelations or visions. (Ch. 6)

(5) Her vision is not complete but it should compel to love. She is also quite aware that the descriptions of her visions are inadequate -- she wishes she could explain things more plainly and fully. Yet her trust is that God will make her descriptions acceptable to her readers and ultimately compel them to love God and others more. (Ch. 12)

Learning from Julian

Julian's vision is helpful to the church in two ways. First, it is helpful in examining the reliability of claims of immediate revelation from God. Though these things do not automatically confirm the authenticity of direct revelation, the fact that Julian's revelation was not self-serving, individualistic, hedonistic, or arrogant confirms that her motives were in accord with the spirit of the Scriptures and of Christ. The fact that Julian's theology is done in the context of encounter with God and not in the context of a library or study should not take away from its value -- especially if the point of theology is to encounter and know the living God through the Person of Christ (and not simply doctrines about Christ).

Second, Julian's desire to know God deeply and view all things in light of the suffering sacrifice of Christ is commendable and worthy of imitation. Though most of us will not receive such personal and immediate revelation, we should all desire to reflect deeply upon the mystery of the cross and resurrection, ever gaining deeper insights into the infinite fullness of God's glory in Christ. In this life, I may never experience the fullness of Julian's vision, but I can know the joys of sharing in the love, delight, and awe that Julian experienced as she sought to know God in Christ as deeply as possible -- even if it takes painful near-death suffering to do so. May we all desire such wounds!

© Richard J. Vincent, July 21, 2002