The place which Jesus takes in our soul he will nevermore vacate, for in us is his home of homes, and it is the greatest delight for him to dwell there…. And the soul who thus contemplates this is made like to [the One] who is contemplated.
—Julian of Norwich, Showings 22 (Short text), trans. Colledge and Walsh
On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. —John 14:20
Father Richard highlights Jesus’ teaching on union with God in the Gospel of John:
“That day” promised in John’s Gospel has been a long time in coming, yet it has been the enduring message of every great religion in history. It is the Perennial Tradition. Divine and thus universal union is the core message and promise—the whole goal and the entire point of all religion. We cannot work up to union with God, because we’ve already received it. [1]
Julian of Norwich uses the idea of “oneing” to describe divine union. From Revelations of Divine Love, Mirabai Starr translates:
The human soul is the noblest being [God] has ever created. He also wants us to be aware that he knit the beloved soul of humanity into his own when he made us. The knot that connects us to [God] is subtle and powerful and endlessly holy. And he also wants us to realize that all souls are interconnected, united by this oneness, and made holy in this holiness.… When I look at myself as an individual, I see that I am nothing. It is only in unity with my fellow spiritual seekers that I am anything at all. It is this foundation of unity [this oneing] that will save humanity.… The love of God creates such a unity in us that no man or woman who understands this can possibly separate himself or herself from any other. [2]
Richard explains:
This is not some 21st-century leap of logic. This is not pantheism or mere “New Age” optimism. This is the whole point! Radical union is the recurring experience of the saints and mystics of all traditions. We don’t have to discover or prove it; we only have to retrieve what has been re-discovered—and enjoyed again and again—by those who desire and seek God and love. When we have “discovered” it, we become like Jacob “when he awoke from his sleep” and shouted, “You were here all the time, and I never knew it!” (Genesis 28:16).
As John states in his first Letter, “I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, I am writing to you here because you know it already”! (1 John 2:21; Richard’s emphasis). Like John, I can only convince you of spiritual things because your soul already knows what is true, and that is why I believe and trust Julian’s showings, too. For the mystics, there is only one Knower, and we just participate in that One Spirit. [3]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2013), 95.
[2] Julian of Norwich, The Showings: Uncovering the Face of the Feminine in Revelations of Divine Love, trans. Mirabai Starr (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads, 2013, 2022), 148, 23, 180. Selections from chapters 53, 9, and 65.
[3] Adapted from Richard Rohr, introduction to Oneing 1, no. 1, The Perennial Tradition (Spring 2013): 14. Available in PDF download.
Image credit and inspiration: Jenna Keiper, The Showings, translation by Mirabai Starr (detail), 2022, photo, Albuquerque. Original translation by Mirabai Starr. Cover art by Erin Currier. Click here to enlarge image. Julian of Norwich gazes at us with calm in the midst of her blazing visions.
Story from Our Community:
As a gay man in a monogamous relationship for 53 years, I always knew God loved me. But because of ignorance, I found myself avoiding reading or exploring the Bible for myself. After discovering Richard Rohr’s books and the CAC, I find myself becoming more open. Thank you for encouraging me to think, research, wonder, and stay in awe of our Universal Christ.
—Bob P.
