I posted recently about Julian of Norwich; now here is a PDF of my paper I wrote on Revelations of Divine Love for my Christian Ethics course. The final paragraph is reproduced below."I was shown no harder hell than sin," writes a woman in medieval England. Julian's visions of God's love may seem to some to promote universalism, but against a narrative of cheap grace, Julian shows us a God whose love is so powerful the knowledge of it causes a person to seek God, not to look for a way out of punishment. Our sin cannot change God's love, even if we grieve God's heart by choosing to remain in our fallenness. Evil makes sin about us; true faith turns our eyes back to God. "God judges us according to our essential nature, which is for ever kept whole, safe, and sound in him. And his judgement is according to his righteousness." We punish ourselves with sin; God seek to draw us back into the divine love by the mercy and forgiveness that has nothing to do with us except as the object of God's love. "If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered" (Psalm 130:3-4, NRSV). Julian teaches us to know and honor the God who made, loves and sustains us all.
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, trans. Clifton Wolters (London: Penguin Books, 1966).
1 comments:
Your post reminds me that our Guilt gives power to sin. If sin is the thing that separates us from God. We must remember that even after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God still came down to walk with them but they hid from him. The power of Christs Victory over sin and death on the cross means that we no longer have to hide. God knows we have sinned and knows we will sin, but he loves us and wants to be in relationship with us.
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