Sunday 15th November - a hazelnut?

 

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well"

This is probably the most famous quote from the writings of Julian of Norwich. It's well worth looking up her extraordinary life. She was a deeply spiritual anchoress and theologian living in Norwich in the 14th century.

But I often think of the first part of this longer quotation as well;

"I saw that [our Lord] is to us everything which is good and comforting for our help. He is our clothing, who wraps and enfolds us for love, embraces us and shelters us, surrounds us for his love, which is so tender that he may never desert us. And so in this sight I saw that he is everything which is good, as I understand.

And in this he showed me something small, no bigger than a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was 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 this: it is ALL that is made. 

I marvelled how it might last for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness and I answered in my understanding:" It lasts and ever shall for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning: by the live if God. In this little thing I saw three properties: the first that God MADE it, the second- that God LOVES it and the third : that God KEEPS it.

In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third is that God preserves it."

And so I usually have a hazelnut at the bottom of my handbag to remind me that 

"In this little thing I saw three properties: the first that God MADE [the world], the second- that God LOVES it and the third : that God KEEPS it."

I need to find another hazelnut as I passed mine on to a friend... and also, thanks to a fellow-pilgrim who shared this passage earlier in the week.

Wikipedia 

Julian of Norwich