Section Julian's Cell / The Essence of Julian

Spiritual Setting - Julian's Visions

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General Notes: , Wayne, Jock Discussion:
Jock' Bit: - Julian's Visions

What is the facination we have with mystics? How do we relate to their words? Why do we grant them respect pretty much the equal of eccliastical authority? Why is it that we are so interested in points of view that stretch religious tradition to the edge of heresy?

Well probably that's the point. Visions come from common people subject to unusual circumstances. Visions as a rule haven't come from the religious establishment. Rather like the comments by Wayne's friend in Thailand, Father Ron Rolheiser, posted on the Yahoo site last week.

But visions aren't really a made of different stuff than other inspirations. The words of the founders of new directions generally seem an inspiration, and a revelation. Most such people don't claim the words as their own but rather claim they are a gift they bring. Such experiences also come to those who discover more branches in the tree of any religion.

Our times are not tolerant of religion. We are very displeased with the actions and words of religious institutions. When someone comes to histories stage with new words, human beings are always willing to listen. The study on Spiritual Innovators found that a regular theme.

Visions make a connection with insanity and death. But again we moderns will have nothing to do with either. We fight both with great intensity. It is the heroic purpose of our medical people to eliminate them both. But in times past it was different. Joeseph Campbell said that while moderns drown in the seas of insanity, in ancient times, those with visions were merely swimming in that sea. Such people were valued then as being able to bring home this special knowledge denied the ordinary person. There is we believed then and seem to believe still today another dimension of reality whose truth is brighter and whose meaning is stronger than our everyday mundane world.

Today we'd say Julian's visions were part of a near-death experience. In the last study, Black Elk was granted a vision at death's door also. Moody, the first to study the phenomena estimates over 2 million people are alive today who have had an NDE. Most remarkably, and apparently without exception, those that have had the experience live a changed life. They also are at pains to call it spiritual, not religious. Another lesson of NDE studies is that they are very much conditioned by the cultural/religious context and experience of the person. A Catholic has visions of Mary, a Protestant of Jesus, a Muslim of Gabriel.

So Julian's Visions are rooted in the life of Catherine in the 14th century. It is Milton's gift as a story teller and his work in researching the time, that has put such a reasonable face on this Julian of Norwich. For the Katherine that was a mother, is the Katherine that saw the motherly side of God. The Katherine that was the concerned, strong, independent, persevering woman, saw the side of God that wept with creation, and said to her "all will be well".

Chapter 1373. One of her key visions is of all creation as a hazelnut. That the complexity of the bounding bountiful earth is reduced to this one thing. That that one thing so focuses God's love that all things are contained in his hand. A modern echo of that idea is the work of Stephen Hawking. Hawking has no place for the Anglican God of his growing up. But as his work on calculating the details of the origins of the universe continue, we discover that he also has had a vision of the origin of all that is. In a recent book "The Universe in a Nutshell" he says "the vast universe can be understood in terms of its history in imaginary time, which is a tiny, slightly flattened sphere." and cites Shakespeare from Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, "I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space".

Ch 1375. Another principle theme of her vision was that their was no sin. Not that we did not fail, or that from our perspective there was no sin. But remarkably, from God's perspective there is no sin. His/Her love is so great, that Julian understood there was no condemnation. Here she rather takes off into the theological skies on her very own flight. Her words are the sort of deep water you can't reach the bottom of - deep enough for much meditation.
Wayne's Bit. - What About Visions

Jock comments that visions come from common people subject to unusual xperiences. That brings to mind a rather significant anecdote from the New Testament. In Acts chapter 10 Peter the apostle was staying in the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, in Caesarea. Peter, previously a fisherman, and disciple of Jesus, had a vision on the rooftop of CorneliusO home that changed his understanding of God and significantly influenced the future of the Christian church. He saw the heavens open and observed something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Peter heard a voice calling OOGet up and eat, Peter.OO And Peter replied, OOBy no means, Lord. For I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean. OO The voice replied, OOWhat God has made clean, you must not call profane.OO This happened three times and the thing was suddenly taken up into heaven.

The upshot of this vision was that Peter, who up to that point had taken the side of the Judaizers in the early church gradually came to the conclusion that Jewish dietary laws should not be forced upon Gentile Christians who did not have those laws as part of their tradition. It meant that the missionary focus of the Christian church centered on the conversion of the Gentiles, and that was particularly true after the fall of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD.

A second example of a significant series of visions took place near Rochester, NY on a hill near Palmyra. There, in 1820, a man by the name of Joseph Smith claimed to receive an apparition of celestial light surrounding the appearance of an angel named Moroni. Moroni informed him that he should join none of the existing local churches, since their creeds were an abomination and their preachers corrupt. Rather, he would be given specific instructions to refound the true Church of Christ  Smith was given a set of gold plates containing a text written in ancient hieroglyphics. These he was ordered to translate into English. The result was the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine of the Covenants. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believes these writings to be on a par with the Bible.

Common people, like Peter and Joseph Smith were subject to unusual experiences. But who is to judge what visions are from God, and what visions are not.

The era of modernity, influenced by Enlightenment thinking (that we have only recently passed through as a culture) did not put much stock in visions. Post-Enlightenment times such as our own are much more interested in a recovery of visionary experience, Jock says. But how can we discern what visions are from God and what visions are not.

The classic answers of our faith tradition suggest that all visionary messages must stand the test of comparison to Holy Scripture, the tradition of the church, the common sense of ordinary people, and confirmation by the Christian community.

Julian says: (p. 127) OOI believe what Holy church teaches. But that isnOt what the priests tell the people. And it isnOt always the way the church acts... I have stopped trying to understand the church and try only to hear the voice of God.OO

To what extent is the advice of Julian evidence of recovery of the authentic message of God; and to what extent are her visions an opening of the door to possible heresy.

What Is Heresy

Early meanings of the word ei-pe-sis which is New Testament greek for OheresyO imply - choice, or hidden thing. Only gradually did the word come to mean theological error. In Mt. 18:17 we read that the church has the teaching authority to determine the difference between true and false teaching. OOIf he refuses to hear the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a publican.OO

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church suggests that frequently in history the rebuttal of heresy has stimulated the development of orthodox Christian teaching. Traditionally, the Catholic Church differentiated between heresy that was intentional adherence to error and the holding of heretical teachings through no personal fault, as in the case of someone who, in good faith, was brought up in heretical surroundings.
Discussion

Question for Small Group Discussion:
  1. JulianOs visions came at a time in history when it is quite apparent the churchOs message seemed to be contrary to the will of God.
  2. We are led to believe that JulianOs visions were a corrective to the message of the church of her time. Do you think her visions are a corrective for the message of the church of our own times. Discuss.
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January 20, 2003