Julian Of Norwich Quotes & Sayings

Deeds are done which appear so evil to us and people suffer such terrible evils that it does not seem as though any good will ever come of them; and we consider this, sorrowing and grieving over it so that we cannot find peace in the blessed contemplation of God as we should do; and this is why: our reasoning powers are so blind now, so humble and so simple, that we cannot know the high, marvelous wisdom, the might and the goodness of the Holy Trinity. And this is what he means where he says, 'You shall see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well', as if he said, 'Pay attention to this now, faithfully and confidently, and at the end of time you will truly see it in the fullness of joy. — Julian Of Norwich

Wherefore we be not only His by His buying, but also by the courteous gift of His Father we be His bliss, we be His meed, we be His worship, we be His crown. (And this was a singular marvel and a full delectable beholding, that we be His crown!) — Julian Of Norwich

Love was without beginning, is, and shall be without ending. — Julian Of Norwich

The ground of mercy is love, and the working of mercy is our keeping in love. And this was shewed in such manner that I could not have perceived of the part of mercy but as it were alone in love; that is to say, as to my sight. — Julian Of Norwich

See that I am God. See that I am in everything. See that I do everything. See that I have never stopped ordering my works, nor ever shall, eternally. See that I lead everything on to the conclusion I ordained for it before time began, by the same power, wisdom and love with which I made it. How can anything be amiss? — Julian Of Norwich

Prayer is a new, gracious, lasting will of the soul united and fast-bound to the will of God by the precious and mysterious working of the Holy Ghost. — Julian Of Norwich

The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love. — Julian Of Norwich

Some of us believe that God is almighty, and can do everything; and that he is all wise, and may do everything; but that he is all love, and will do everything - there we draw back. — Julian Of Norwich

Jesus wants us to understand four things: First, that He Himself is our ground, the soil from which we grow, the foundation on which we are built. Second, that He guards us and keeps us safe when we are in the midst of sin, when our own choices allow our enemies to surround us, when we do not even realize our own need. Third, that He guards us with care and kindness, showing us where we have gone astray. And fourth, that His presence is always with us, and His loving gaze never wavers, for He wants us to turn back to Him and become united with Him in love, as He is with us. When — Julian Of Norwich

And I saw that truly nothing happens by accident or luck, but everything by God's wise providence. If it seems to be accident or luck from our point of view, our blindness and lack of foreknowledge is the cause; for matters that have been in God's foreseeing wisdom since before time began befall us suddenly, all unawares; and so in our blindness and ignorance we say that this is accident or luck, but to our Lord God it is not so. — Julian Of Norwich

Be a Gardener. Dig a ditch. Toil and sweat. And turn the earth upside down. And seek the deepness. And water plants in time. Continue this labor. And make sweet floods to run, and noble and abundant fruits to spring. Take this food and drink, and carry it to God as your true worship. — Julian Of Norwich

Lord, let not our souls be busy inns that have no room for thee or thine,
But quiet homes of prayer and praise, where thou mayest find fit company,
Where the needful cares of life are wisely ordered and put away,
And wide, sweet spaces kept for thee; where holy thoughts pass up and down
And fervent longings watch and wait thy coming. — Julian Of Norwich

I was wholly at peace, at ease and at rest, so that there was nothing upon earth which could have afflicted me. This lasted for a time, and then I was changed ... I felt there was no ease or comfort for me except faith, hope and love, and truly I felt very little of this. And then presently God gave me again comfort and rest for my soul ... And then again I felt the pain, and then afterwards the delight and joy, now the one and now the other, again and again, I suppose about twenty times. — Julian Of Norwich

If any such lover be in earth which is continually kept from falling, I know it not: for it was not shewed me. But this was shewed: that in falling and in rising we are ever preciously kept in one Love. — Julian Of Norwich

A great thing shall I make hereof in Heaven of endless worship and everlasting joys. — Julian Of Norwich

The Enemy is overcome by the blessed Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Julian Of Norwich

For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul: that we seek here rest in those things that are so little, wherein is no rest, and know not our God that is All-mighty, All-wise, All-good. For He is the Very Rest. God willeth to be known, and it pleaseth Him that we rest in Him; for all that is beneath Him sufficeth not us. And this is the cause why that no soul is rested till it is made nought [29] as to all things that are made. When it is willingly made nought, for love, to have Him that is all, then is it able to receive spiritual rest. — Julian Of Norwich

All that is contrary to love and peace is of the Fiend and of his part. — Julian Of Norwich

Our Lord God shewed that a deed shall be done, and Himself shall do it, and I shall do nothing but sin, and my sin shall not hinder His Goodness working. — Julian Of Norwich

Until I am essentially united with God, I can never have full rest or real happiness. — Julian Of Norwich

The age of every man shall be acknowledged before him in Heaven, and every man shall be rewarded for his willing service and for his time. — Julian Of Norwich

God is our clothing, that wraps, clasps and encloses us so as to never leave us. — Julian Of Norwich

We are kept all as securely in Love in woe as in weal, by the Goodness of God. — Julian Of Norwich

Grace transforms our failings full of dread into abundant, endless comfort ... our failings full of shame into a noble, glorious rising ... our dying full of sorrow into holy, blissful life. ... . Just as our contrariness here on earth brings us pain, shame and sorrow, so grace brings us surpassing comfort, glory, and bliss in heaven ... And that shall be a property of blessed love, that we shall know in God, which we might never have known without first experiencing woe. — Julian Of Norwich

Everything has being through the love of God. — Julian Of Norwich

Pray, even if you feel nothing, see nothing. For when you are dry, empty, sick or weak, at such a time is your prayer most pleasing to God, even though you may find little joy in it. This is true of all believing prayer. — Julian Of Norwich

For our soul is so preciously loved of him that is highest, that it over-passeth the knowing of all creatures. — Julian Of Norwich

He willeth to be perceived; and His appearing shall be swiftly sudden; and He willeth to be trusted. For He is full gracious and homely: Blessed may He be! — Julian Of Norwich

All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well. — Julian Of Norwich

This is our Lord's will ... that our prayer and our trust be, alike, large. — Julian Of Norwich

The love that made Him to suffer passeth as far all His pains as Heaven is above Earth. — Julian Of Norwich

God, of your goodness, give me yourself; you are enough for me, and anything less that I could ask for would not do you full honor. And if I ask anything that is less, I shall always lack something, but in you alone I have everything'. — Julian Of Norwich

If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love. — Julian Of Norwich

For this is the Great Deed that our Lord shall do, in which Deed He shall save His word and He shall make all well that is not well. How it shall be done there is no creature beneath Christ that knoweth it, nor shall know it till it is done; — Julian Of Norwich

Our Lord is the ground from whom our prayer grows and in his love and grace he himself gives us our prayers. — Julian Of Norwich

It needeth us to have knowing of the littleness of creatures and to hold as nought all-thing that is made, for to love and have God that is unmade. — Julian Of Norwich

In God's sight we do not fall: in our own we do not stand. — Julian Of Norwich

My, how busy we become when we lose sight of how God loves us. — Julian Of Norwich

Also in this He shewed me a little thing, the quantity of an hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereupon with eye of my understanding, and thought: What may this be? And it was answered generally thus: It is all that is made. I marvelled how it might last, for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for little[ness]. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth, and ever shall [last] for that God loveth it. And so All-thing hath the Being by the love of God. — Julian Of Norwich

Our Savior is our true Mother in whom we are endlessly born and out of whom we shall never come. — Julian Of Norwich

For in the Third Showing when I saw that God does all that is done, I saw no sin: and then I saw that all is well. But when God showed me for sin, then said He: All SHALL be well. — Julian Of Norwich

I saw full surely that ere God made us He loved us; which love was never slacked, nor ever shall be. And in this love He hath done all His works; and in this love He hath made all things profitable to us; and in this love our life is everlasting. In our making we had beginning; but the love wherein He made us was in Him from without beginning: in which love we have our beginning. And all this shall we see in God, without end. — Julian Of Norwich

The Lord looks on his servants with pity and not with blame. In God's sight we do not fall; in our sight, we do not stand. Both of these are true, but the deeper insight belongs to God. — Julian Of Norwich

And when we fall, God quickly lifts us up, leaping out into our lives like a mother playing peek-a-boo with her child, reassuring the baby with her touch. And when we have been strengthened by God's action in our lives, then we choose with all our consciousness to serve God and be God's lovers, endlessly. But — Julian Of Norwich

Greatly ought we to rejoice that God dwells in our soul; and more greatly ought we to rejoice that our soul dwells in God. Our soul is created to be God's dwelling place, and the dwelling of our souls is God, who is uncreated. It is a great understanding to see and know inwardly that God, who is our Creator, dwells in our soul, and it is a far greater understanding to see and know inwardly that our soul, which is created, dwells in God in substance, of which substance, though God, we are what we are. — Julian Of Norwich

The fruit and the purpose of prayer is to be oned with and like God in all things. — Julian Of Norwich

For here we are so blind and foolish that we never seek God until he, of his goodness, shows himself to us. It is when we do see something of him by his grace that we are stirred by that same grace to seek him, and with earnest longing to see still more of his blessedness. So I saw him and sought him; I had him and wanted him. It seems to me that this is and should be an experience common to us all. — Julian Of Norwich

God, of thy goodness, give me Thyself; for Thou art enough for me, and I can ask for nothing less that can be full honor to Thee. And if I ask anything that is less, ever Shall I be in want, for only in Thee have I all. — Julian Of Norwich

The goodness of God is the highest object of prayer and it reaches down to our lowest need. — Julian Of Norwich

The fullness of Joy is to behold God in everything. — Julian Of Norwich

So our customary practice of prayer was brought to mind: how through our ignorance and inexperience in the ways of love we spend so much time on petition. I saw that it is indeed more worthy of God and more truly pleasing to him that through his goodness we should pray with full confidence, and by his grace cling to him with real understanding and unshakeable love, than that we should go on making as many petitions as our souls are capable of. — Julian Of Norwich

He that is highest and worthiest was most fully made-nought and most utterly despised. — Julian Of Norwich

Our natural Will is to have God, and the Good Will of God is to have us; and we may never cease from willing nor from longing till we have Him in fullness of joy: and then may we no more desire. — Julian Of Norwich

Here saw I a great oneing betwixt Christ and us, to mine understanding: for when He was in pain, we were in pain. — Julian Of Norwich

Peace and love are ever in us, being and working; but we be not alway in peace and in love. — Julian Of Norwich

AND thus our good Lord answered to all the questions and doubts that I might make, saying full comfortably: I may make all thing well, I can make all thing well, I will make all thing well, and I shall make all thing well; and thou shalt see thyself that all manner of thing shall be well. — Julian Of Norwich

Between God and the soul there is no between. — Julian Of Norwich

For in every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall. — Julian Of Norwich

Any time we look at our Maker with love, our importance in our own eyes diminishes, and we are filled with awe and humility and love for others. — Julian Of Norwich

But for I am a woman should I therefore live that I should not tell you the goodness of God? — Julian Of Norwich

He [Jesus] did not say, 'You will never have a rough passage, you will never be over-strained, you will never feel uncomfortable,' but he did say, 'You will never be overcome. — Julian Of Norwich

Prayer unites the soul to God. — Julian Of Norwich

He did not say: You will not be assailed, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted, but he did said: You will not be overcome. — Julian Of Norwich

Glad and merry and sweet is the blessed and lovely demeanour of our Lord towards our souls, for he saw us always living in love-longing, and he wants our souls to be gladly disposed toward him ... by his grace he lifts up and will draw our outer disposition to our inward, and will make us all at unity with him, and each of us with others in the true, lasting joy which is Jesus. — Julian Of Norwich

That which is impossible to thee is not impossible to me: I shall save my word in all things and I shall make all things well. — Julian Of Norwich

As truly as God is our Father, so truly God is our Mother. — Julian Of Norwich

Anything less then God, ever me wanteth. — Julian Of Norwich

He that made all things for love, by the same love keepeth them, and shall keep them without end. — Julian Of Norwich

Pray inwardly, even if you do not enjoy it. It does good, though you feel nothing. Yes, even though you think you are doing nothing. — Julian Of Norwich

He said not 'Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be dis-eased'; but he said, 'Thou shalt not be overcome. — Julian Of Norwich

All shall be well. — Julian Of Norwich

Where do we begin? Begin with the heart. — Julian Of Norwich

For we are so preciously loved by God that we cannot even comprehend it. — Julian Of Norwich

Because of the Shewing I am not good but if I love God the better: and in as much as ye love God the better, it is more to you than to me. — Julian Of Norwich

Our life is all grounded and rooted in love, and without love we may not live. — Julian Of Norwich

It is easy to understand that the best deed is well done: and so well as the best deed is done - the highest - so well is the least deed done; and all thing in its property and in the order that our Lord hath ordained it to from without beginning. For there is no doer but He. — Julian Of Norwich

It is most impossible that we should beseech mercy and grace, and not have it. — Julian Of Norwich

Wouldst thou learn thy Lord's meaning in this thing? Learn it well: Love was His meaning. Who shewed it thee? Love. What shewed He thee? Love. Wherefore shewed it He? For Love. Hold thee therein and thou shalt learn and know more in the same. But thou shalt never know nor learn therein other thing without end. Thus was I learned that Love was our Lord's meaning. — Julian Of Norwich

But for failing love on our part, therefore is all our travail. — Julian Of Norwich

Love and Dread are brethren, and they are rooted in us by the Goodness of our Maker, and they shall never be taken from us without end. We have of nature to love and we have of grace to love: and we have of nature to dread and we have of grace to dread. — Julian Of Norwich

God willeth that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul, as God loveth it. — Julian Of Norwich

We are in God and God whom we do not see is in us. — Julian Of Norwich

We are made exactly as God wants us to be. We only need to lift our minds above Earth's empty sorrows so that we can rejoice in the Divine joy. — Julian Of Norwich

When we, by the working of mercy and grace, be made meek and mild, we are fully safe; suddenly is the soul oned to God when it is truly peaced in itself: for in Him is found no wrath. — Julian Of Norwich

God is all that is good, as to my sight, and the goodness that each thing hath, it is He. — Julian Of Norwich

We give our intent to love and meekness, by the working of mercy and grace we are made all fair and clean. — Julian Of Norwich

Prayer is the deliberate and persevering action of the soul. It is true and enduring, and full of grace. Prayer fastens the soul to God and makes it one with God's will. — Julian Of Norwich

Cheerful givers do not count the cost of what they give. Their hearts are set on pleasing and cheering the person to whom the gift is given. — Julian Of Norwich

God is nearer to us than our own spirit — Julian Of Norwich

And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, 'What may this be?' And it was answered generally thus, 'It is all that is made.' I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God.

In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that God loves it. And the third, that God keeps it. — Julian Of Norwich

Where I say that He abideth sorrowfully and moaning, it meaneth all the true feeling that we have in our self, in contrition and compassion, and all sorrowing and moaning that we are not oned with our Lord. And all such that is speedful, it is Christ in us. And though some of us feel it seldom, it passeth never from Christ till what time He hath brought us out of all our woe. For love suffereth never to be without pity. — Julian Of Norwich

As we know, our own mother bore us only into pain and dying. But our true mother, Jesus, who is all love, bears us into joy and endless living. Blessed may he be. — Julian Of Norwich

He shall appear suddenly and blissfully to all that love Him. — Julian Of Norwich

God loved us before he made us; and his love has never diminished and never shall. — Julian Of Norwich

Whether we see God or only seek to see God, I believe we add to the Divine Essence when we simply fasten our minds and lives onto God. — Julian Of Norwich

God willeth to be seen and to be sought: to be abided and to be trusted. — Julian Of Norwich

Truth sees God, and wisdom contemplates God, and from these two comes a third, a holy and wonderful delight in God, who is love. — Julian Of Norwich

God is everything that is good, she writes. All life's pleasures and comforts are sacramental; they are God's hands touching us. — Julian Of Norwich

And all shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be exceeding well. — Julian Of Norwich

We need to fall, and we need to be aware of it; for if we did not fall, we should not know how weak and wretched we are of ourselves, nor should we know our Maker's marvellous love so fully ... — Julian Of Norwich