Category Archives: Spirituality

The Black Plague, COVID-19, and Julian of Norwich

Christianity, Resources, Spirituality, , , , , ,

What do these three things have in common? Plenty! Julian was a Roman Catholic born about 1343 CE and lived during a time of upheaval. The people of Europe were full of anxiety due to the Black Plague, the Hundred Years’ War, and a papal schism. They were yearning for a personal, experiential faith that spawned a growth in Christian mysticism. Not her actual name (which remains a mystery), she is known as Julian because she lived (as a recluse) at St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, England. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on the parallels with our world today.

At the age of thirty she became gravely ill soon after Easter. A week later her parish priest visited her, bringing her a crucifix. “Look at it, and be strong,” he said as he gave her last rites. Although she was very weak, she was able to look at the figure of Jesus on the cross, receiving insight into his suffering and love for us. Later she described how the room seemed to go dark as she felt she was about to die, but no longer felt any pain. Over the next twelve hours she saw wonderful things in her mind, as clearly as if they were real. She soon got well and wrote about her fifteen visions (shewings) in what is now called Revelation of Divine Love.

Continue reading The Black Plague, COVID-19, and Julian of Norwich →

Podcasts: Speaking on Faith

Adult Formation, Resources, Spirituality, The Church, Worship,

For many, earbuds are becoming an extension of our physical body. Whether we are on a Zoom call, exercising to music at the gym, or watching a video while traveling, technology offers us multiple ways to engage in learning as well as spiritual practices. I haven’t been an easy adopter to the practice of listening to podcasts or audio-books; as a visual learner my mind wanders when my eyes aren’t involved or hands aren’t doing something.

Since public entertainment arenas (sports, movies, theatre) are being curtailed and in-person worship services are being moved to online platforms, podcasts may be a new mode of engagement and learning for adults of several generations. Below are some that you may find helpful to add your personal spiritual practices for learning new things and strengthening your faith.

Continue reading Podcasts: Speaking on Faith →

Pilgrimage Reflections: The Judean Desert

Bible, Jesus, Spirituality, , , , , , ,

Wadi Qelt: Psalm 23

From the viewpoint on Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem, you can easily see the vastness of the Judean Desert to the north and west. Leaving before dawn, we left Jerusalem for Wadi Qelt, a short drive from the heart of the city. The stark change in scenery is impressive, changing from a vegetative, mountainous, urban landscape to a yellow, rocky, desert scene almost instantly. A riverine gulch in the West Bank, once perhaps used to travel between Jericho and Jerusalem by individuals such as King David, Wadi Qelt eventually runs into the Jordan River near Jericho and the Dead Sea.

Stumbling out of the bus, we followed a dirt path up the hillside in silence. We gathered for a brief prayer and a reading of Psalm 23. Given almost an hour for our own time of prayer and reflection, we scattered to find our own ways to await the sunrise and listen for God, the air still cool. For those who climbed up to the top of the hillside, far in the distance was Jericho to the west, the oldest city in the world dating back 10,000 years, almost 900 feet below sea level. In July, there was no water running into the Jordan – no green pastures, no still waters, only valleys of shadow. And while this is a small desert in comparison to many others in the world, being in the midst of it was truly humbling.

Continue reading Pilgrimage Reflections: The Judean Desert →

All Shall Be Well

Christian Quotes, Christianity, Seasonal Ideas, Spirituality, , , , , ,

Today is the feast day of Julian of Norwich. I’m not a big “saint” fan (sports or religious) and I do not pray to any saints or ask that they intercede for me. But Julian is one who captured my imagination years ago. The Reverend Peter Holroyd (whom I invited to do a Lenten study on environmental spirituality in a church where I was serving about 20 years ago) handed each of us a hazelnut as we began. He shared that he always carried one in his pocket; a reminder that such a tiny thing has so much possibility and that we, too, are seeds of possibility. The hazelnut is often used as a symbol of Julian.

Born about 1343, the time in which Julian lived was one of upheaval: the Black Plague, the Hundred Years War, and the crisis of church authority due to a long papal schism. The people of Europe were full of anxiety and concerned about personal salvation. The yearning for a personal, experiential faith spawned a growth in Christian mysticism, including those who were not living in religious communities. Many mystical classics were written by lay people living as solitaries (recluses), sharing their experiences of the divine. Such was Julian. We do not know much about her, including her real name. The name Julian was given to her because St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, England is where she lived and worked. Nearly dying as a child, she had visions (shewings) in which she experienced Jesus. Most of her writings are all that we know of her. You can read more about her (as well as some intergenerational activities to do regarding her) in my forthcoming book Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God with the Saints coming in July 2019.

Continue reading All Shall Be Well →

A World of Wonder

Children's Ministries, Parenting, Spirituality, , , , ,

Last week I took two days off to spend time with my just-turned-four-year-old granddaughter. The best I can describe it was two days of wild imagination. We decorated an Easter tree with tiny bunnies, eggs, and chicks that I got out of storage, spent an afternoon at a playground followed by ice cream, visited Grampa at work, read books, and pretended a whole lot. Tea parties, colorful scarves, hide and seek, and discussing all the Disney princesses filled our days.

While she had some quiet time (aka nap without sleeping), I also took a breather and opened the latest Christian Century. Jerome Berryman’s article “Holy story, sacred play: Helping children become fluent in faith” brought a smile to my face. Having had the privilege of sitting on the floor with Jerome going back 25+ years, his article about Godly Play spoke to my time with Mackenzie. And having worked with the Godly Play Foundation to bring the revised and expanded Complete Guide to Godly Play (Vol. 2, 3, 4) to publication as well as offering Godly Play at my parish, Jerome’s words:

“The leader does not offer answers but offers space for children to wonder”

resonated with me in a new way. He describes Godly Play as a

“face-to-face and intimate art”

and while we are

“all designed to create meaning, . . . the art of wondering is forgotten.”

As a grandmother (and editor of faith formation resources), I hope our churches (and families) continue to wonder with children. By giving children a safe space to explore creation, God, and our sacred stories, we are helping them enter the mystery of all that God intended for us – we are beloved children. By giving myself real time off to just “be” with Mackenzie, I too was renewed and reopened to the possibilities that only our imaginations and wonder can give.  

Note: This first appeared as “Mondays with the Editor” on the Church Publishing Incorporated Facebook page.