“In this little thing [a hazelnut] I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that God loves it. And the third, that God keeps it.”–St. Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
WRITING PROMPT Julian of Norwich, whose book is thought to be the oldest written by a woman in English—lived in a time of great suffering and uncertainty: wars, starvation, and a pandemic of the bubonic plague. Yet her writings show an understanding that it is precisely because of death and suffering we are able to experience and give love. She reminds us that because God “keeps” us, we can feel “secure” in a motherly love, from both God and Christ.
Think of how you are more compassionate precisely because you have suffered. Write two ways you can better show empathy and care for others, as a mother would, because of these experiences.
Pray: Listen to a meditation by Julian of Norwich about Jesus as our mother.