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Get to Know a Blue GatorMeet Emily Hylden (Reverend)Reverend Emily Hylden is a leader at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Lafayette, LA. A graduate of Duke University, Mother Emily is also a certified yoga instructor, and a spiritual director, runs a podcast, and is raising her three young boys with her husband, Father Jordan Hylden. Mother Emily leads not only our PK3 - 12th grade students in worship but also leads the church and school community with her peaceful, heartfelt preachings.Click to listen to Father Jordan Hylden's episode on Spotify.See more from Mother Emily:Instagram: @fatheremily2023-04-2025 min
Emily Rose MeditationsThe Cloud of Unknowing: DeceptionVarious ways that the author has observed evil enter contemplative life; I wonder what we might call these, or classify evil in contemplation as today. At first, these sound like hallucinations, and I hope he's not discounting those who have had true visions from God. On the other hand, the terrain is rocky, and a guide is useful! If you're interested in spiritual direction, do reach out. I'd love to have a conversation. emily.hylden@gmail.com2023-04-1302 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: The Light of CharitySomehow faith is also charity, and charity is also a manifestation of God; today Mtr. Emily shares a meditation tool she uses to solidify charity and the peace of God in her mind and heart.This is inspired by the eighty-fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-06-1803 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: What Do You See?We could see the greatest, most blessed and beatific sights, but if we gaze not upon God, we continue to be lost in lament, darkness, weeping. On what do your eyes dwell?This is inspired by the seventy-first chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-06-0504 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Faith, Our AnchorFor Julian, faith is a trust, a rope and anchor to cling to when the storms and trials rage around us. She gave us the example earlier of combating the Fiend with truth, and faith in action seems to be a continually repetition of what we have come to believe is truth, according to God and the communion of the saints. So when our faith wavers because our eyes and senses tell us a falsehood, or our senses are led away by fiends, we’re called again and again to exercise our faith, to reach out for the rope, an...2022-06-0405 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Not OvercomeWhat might it mean to not be overcome, if we know we will still face torment, trouble, grief, evil, illness, and death? How might our perspective change on what it means to be defeated or overcome? What are the conditions for failure, or for victory?This is inspired by the sixty-eighth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-06-0204 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: When God Looks at YouOur worth and goodness, the root of our selves, comes from the fact that God made us. Julian tells us today that in her vision God has said that we have been made as gloriously, as wonderfully, as any creature could be. There is no surpassing the craftsmanship and the care, the intricacy and excellence of our selves, of our souls, in front of God and in front of each other. There is no effort we can expend to improve on what God has already made and done and accomplished in us. Our work is to recognize what God...2022-06-0105 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Trusting Our Fellow SaintsHow often do we eagerly accept others’ testimony as true, in opposition to our own, and do it joyfully? What a trust and comfort the communion of saints can be to us, if we have the courage to believe our worthy companions. This is inspired by the sixty-sixth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-3106 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Experiencing God’s PresenceThe only place and time we have to encounter God is this moment, the present moment, right now. Each one is fleeting, and as we grasp it, it is gone. This is inspired by the sixty-fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-3005 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Suffering, In and OutRather than imagining suffering and trial as a scab or tumor to be excised from our bodies, Julian conceives of suffering as a sort of slop in which we swim and struggle, from which we will be rescued. This is inspired by the sixty-fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2907 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: A Childlike FaithHow does it feel to imagine that our whole life-long, we are as children? How does that thought experiment feel? I wonder what kind of characteristics we might incorporate from our childhood to live into this identity. What kind of wonder might we employ? What kind of humility and guilelessness might we enjoy? Perhaps there are gifts to be mined in a child-like faith. This is inspired by the sixty-third chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2806 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: What is Church?There is, of course, much dross, much frailty in our institutions, much to be repented of, but we also see in this image Julian gives the way that the church is like Noah’s ark, somehow adrift in the sea of destruction and sin, imperfect but sustained by God, protected as a beacon of God’s presence and a symbol of God’s great love. This is inspired by the sixty-second chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2705 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Holy Mother ChurchWhat an act of faith and confidence in the Holy Spirit to say that the Holy Church is never broken. Though this is before the Reformation, there’s never been a shortage of division among Christians; there’s that bit even in 1st Corinthians about saying “I belong to Apollos, I belong to Peter, I belong to Paul!” It seems that Julian is saying that no matter what things look like from our perspective – as she’s reminded us many times! – it doesn’t mean that the whole thing is as fractured as our eyes tell us. The Holy Church, which Ju...2022-05-2608 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: What is Love?What if the deepest and trust loves inside us are not corrupt? What if they’re not to be fought against, but welcomed, and encouraged? What might it look like to cherish the love you have in your heart, whether you’ve got somewhere to put or pour or offer it right now? How might you enjoy the love you’ve been given to tend? This is inspired by the sixtieth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2507 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: How to MotherJulian famously pushes the boundaries of what “mother” means by asserting that Jesus is our mother, but if we are curious about this concept, what might we find Julian, and Jesus, to be showing us? Is it really something to revolutionary or strange? Or is Jesus as mother actually a very reasonable identifier?This is inspired by the fifty-ninth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2406 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Jesus as our MotherThere’s an analogy based on a zoological mistake from the ancient world, that offers a window on how Jesus is our mother. In antiquity, it was believed that the pelican mother would pierce her own body to feed her young on her blood. It’s why pelicans are depicted in churches and medieval manuscripts. They were seen as an analogy for Jesus’s sacrifice, how he gave himself up to be pierced for the life of his own beloved offspring. This is inspired by the fifty-eighth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-05-2308 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Families are DivineWhen we reverse the direction of the comparison – letting go of perfect parenting or ideal families, finding our understanding of relationships and love from God first, and letting that grace and mercy trickle down, we find divine love filling in any gaps that our beloved broken human families suffer. This is inspired by the fifty-seventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2208 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: How Do We Sense?If God dwells in each person, then I wonder if looking to others, if continual, insistent conversation and prayer and worship in a community might guide us toward that essential piece of our being. If we might learn best who each of us individually are when we are more concerned with being part of a group, say, part of the Body of Christ. This is inspired by the fifty-sixth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-2107 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: What are We Made Of?We’re spending a lot of time this month wondering around what it means to be human – this creature that’s a funny mash up of animal and divine. We are dreamed up and created by God, exactly how and comprised of what, we do not know. But it is clear that God has our echoes of the divine in us in depths and levels that we can’t quite put our fingers on, we cannot grasp the make-up of ourselves. I wonder if we can enjoy ourselves and other human beings anyway, if we can rest in the joy of b...2022-05-2007 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Power In OurselvesWe undoubtedly have power in ourselves, we are the dwelling place of the divine! But Julian also reminds us that it’s not on or in or out of our own power, our own resources, or our own strength, that our deliverance and peace and transformation comes. This is inspired by the fifty-fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-1905 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Who’s Got Time?I wonder what it might mean for us to lean into that sense that time is somehow foreign to us. How might our lives and interactions look or feel different if they were not subject to the constraints of time? How could we choose to live and make decisions with a more eternal set of convictions?This is inspired by the fifty-third chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-1807 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Riding the WavesContinuing to interpret the parable of the lord and the servant, Julian highlights the ways in which we ourselves as humans, containing aspects of both Adam and Jesus, might feel overwhelmed and undone by the emotions, events, and the very existence we experience. How might we reckon with this reality?This is inspired by the fifty-second chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-1710 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Parable of the lord and servantJulian received this parable in her showings, but it took another few decades (in her testament) to understand what she was seeing. She delves into sin and the Godhead, the relationship between Adam and Jesus (the "second Adam"), and how this parable might provide fodder for our own minds and hearts.It's a long one, and I don't offer commentary, but go take a walk and let Julian herself -- and God himself! -- minister to you through these words.2022-05-1628 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Long Haul WonderingThe next chapter reveals in practice what Julian has often preached in her words: that some mysteries take much longer to unravel than others, and that some mysteries are never cracked open this side of heaven. She shows in her decades of wondering about these visions that the daily hard work is to carry these mysteries and wonderings with us, to continue contemplating them patiently, never knowing whether they’ll be the sort that can be opened to us or not. What a thing to be patient about!This is inspired by the fiftieth chapter of Julian of...2022-05-1505 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Recycling GodIt is the character of this God to never waste anything, whether it is bits of creation or the fuel of emotions or even our anger and suffering. This God recycles and reuses and transforms everything into something new and beautiful. This is inspired by the forty-ninth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-1407 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Having Fun with MercyJulian speaks at length here about the anger we experience as humans, and how she sees no anger at all in her visions of the Godhead. She sees only mercy, grace, and love. Given this quandary, she wonders how mercy and forgiveness might overcome or overpower or have an affect on anger. And I wonder how we might apply this wisdom to our own practice. This is inspired by the forty-eighth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-1306 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Compassion for Ourselves & OthersEarly in her visions, Julian records that she was sure she’d be overcome by fiends if she shifted her focus from Jesus on the cross in front of us to look up to God the Father in Heaven. She recounts how glad she was that she chose Jesus as her salvation and refused to look away from him. Today she seems to say the same is true of us, in a figural sense; when we lose our attention from Jesus, when our weakness of attention overcomes us, that is where we fall to the fiends, where and when si...2022-05-1206 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: Walking with MysteriesWhat a mysterious thing we are – we are created and we are mortal, and yet we possess a soul, a dwelling place and home for the divine, within us, somehow. With that dedicated real estate inside us, Julian wonders at the relationship between God and evil that might be played out among our bones. She emphasizes the truth we know which is that all created things are good. And she affirms – what a comfort this is – that our souls are never separated from God but always, always united with him inseparably, in love. This is inspired by the fo...2022-05-1107 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: God’s Judgment, Human JudgmentJulian wonders about the worth of human judgment in comparison with God’s judgment. She doesn’t dismiss human judgment out of hand, but does explore its limitations. This is inspired by the forty-fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-1005 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Truth, Wisdom, LoveJulian tells us today that truth lets us see God, that wisdom allows us to contemplate God, and that through those two things we are gifted God’s love, to fill us and to share with one another. May it be so!This is inspired by the forty-fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-0903 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Vibing with GodThese visions are sparked in the first place by Julian focusing her literal eyes on a literal cross with an image of Jesus carved on it. She begins by fixing her eyes on the Lord, and here, as she continues through this spiritual journey of visions with God, she comes to a more figural understanding of what her body had already been doing. Julian finds that the purpose of prayer, indeed, the purpose of life, existence, and of relationship with God and each other, is to come always in more alignment and more focus and a more clear view...2022-05-0807 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Foundation of Our Prayers“The Lord is the foundation from which our prayers arise.” Julian insists that the relationship between the divine and our own spirits is woven together in such an intimate way that our very prayers are directed by God himself. What might it mean for our lives if that is true?This is inspired by the forty-second chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-0708 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Prayer and VegetablesFeelings are unreliable, changeable, not good for judging much of anything in our lives as far as decisions might go. Julian tells us to pray even when we don’t feel like it, when we feel great or when we feel dry, as if prayer is drinking water or eating food or getting sleep. Have you thought of prayer that way?This is inspired by the forty-first chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.If you’d like to talk more about what prayer and meditation might mean in your life, how...2022-05-0608 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Great Sin, Greater LoveGod looks clearly and directly both at love and sin, it is the greatness of God’s love that overcomes and engulfs and defeats the power of evil, and so to eschew or seek to ignore darkness does not defeat it, but allows it to thrive, unmonitored and unchecked by the love which flows through each of us from God. We need not be afraid to look at our sin, our darkness, our failings, our shortcomings; we always stand against them with the most powerful and loving companion who, in the end, vanquishes the darkness for us. ...2022-05-0507 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Against EnemiesJulian revisits the wounds she asked for before she experienced these showings, tying them to her understanding of sin and suffering. May we all have the courage to ask for contrition, compassion, and an earnest longing for God!This is inspired by the thirty-ninth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-0405 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Saints of God Are Just Like MeJulian was so amazed to have a local saint of her country brought to mind along with Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. It made me wonder, who in your life, or story, or community might be a person whose life and witness give you courage? If they’ve died, how might you imagine them spending time with God in heaven? How does that image make you feel?This is inspired by the thirty-eighth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-0304 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: A Failure of LoveJulian tells us today that all our suffering comes from a failure to love. I wonder what that failure might show up as in your life or relationships, and how you might counteract it.This is inspired by the thirty-seventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-05-0204 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: PerseveranceIt is so hard to trust in the midst of trials and so hard to focus on God in the middle of suffering, and so here’s a question to help us think through how to fight against the darkness and depression that might pick and pull at the corners of our minds: How have you found, in your life, that you tend to get distracted? And having identified that, what could help you to keep your attention, or bring it back, to God, in those moments?This is inspired by the thirty-sixth chapter of Julian of No...2022-05-0108 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: The Roller CoasterToday we hear that the mercy of God is what rescues us and draws us up, and will keep doing so again and again as many times as we are attacked and knocked down. Our progress is not linear, and our story is not a predictable line stretching to the horizon, but our companion, that is God, is constant and continual, and unabated, and always, always present. This is inspired by the thirty-fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-3006 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: Truth & LiesOur vision can be so murky. It’s one of the reasons that Julian urges us again and again to trust in God, she quotes us Proverbs 3:5, using different words – “Trust in the Lord with all your might… lean not on your own understanding.” In our blindness and ignorance, we can so easily believe and commit to lies instead of truth. All we have the power to do is admit that we might be deceived even by our best intentions, pray that we might learn to discern the difference, and then, trust God to answer these prayers, to make our paths...2022-04-2904 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: There’s a Wideness in God’s MercyTrigger Warning: Julian speaks of hell, purgatory, and the “curse of the Jews” in this passage. It seems to me that she does it to engage God in the most sticky questions she can muster about limits in God’s mercy. She always seeks to square the “teaching of Holy Church” with the visions she has been receiving, and today she plumbs the depths of whether God’s mercy has limits and what the implications might be if God’s mercy is limitless. This is inspired by the thirty-third chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love...2022-04-2804 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: Who’s in Charge?We see evil, we see the train wreck, we cannot see any way out, we cannot imagine how all this mess could possibly be made right. And we cannot find it in ourselves to trust. We’re asked to remember and to admit that we have less power than we imagine we possess. We’re goaded by circumstances to recall that we do not have as much control as we so often think. What’s left for us is always the question of whether we trust the one who does hold all the power, who is in control. This...2022-04-2707 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: God’s Longing LoveThere’s a quotation from St. Augustine of Hippo in his spiritual memoir which states, “Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” I hear the same echo of longing and restlessness in the vision shared in today’s chapter; what might it mean that Jesus feels restless too? This is inspired by the thirty-first chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-04-2607 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: God’s ViewJulian’s passage today, speaking of God’s perspective and what he chooses to reveal to us his beloved children, reminded me of a meditation practice which you might find helpful; listen to find out!This is inspired by the thirtieth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-2505 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Great Sin, Greater LoveIs Julian naive to declare that Adam’s sin is the worst harm ever done? What if we take her word for it; what does that mean for Jesus’s sacrifice in his Passion?This is inspired by the twenty-ninth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-2404 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Freedom with GodThe balance of power being with me, at my disposal, sounds good to this control freak, but I haven’t really found in life that my efforting is the cause of success or of inner peace. I do find echoes of truth and resonances of reality with the vision given to us through Julian that the key is surrender and acceptance that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves. The power of peace and transformation is in us, but it is not just our own reflection or our own sense of self or our own effort. I ta...2022-04-2306 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: All Shall Be WellOur suffering is always caused by sin, whether it is our own, or someone else’s, or our community’s cooperative sin, or an echo of evil from the past. Julian wants us to focus not on the person or community who perpetrates the evil, but on what we ourselves can do about the suffering we’re undergoing – it’s really very well-boundaried of her! – So what can we do? How doe she urge us to respond? This is inspired by the twenty-seventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversa...2022-04-2206 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Jesus TalksJulian reveals what she hears Jesus saying to her; what do we imagine that Jesus might say to each of us today? What do you need to hear from God?This is inspired by the twenty-sixth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-2103 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Mary, the Mother of JesusWhatever we might believe about the devotion she continues to enjoy, surely we can agree that she was a devoted follower of Jesus, and a faithful woman of God. She was also just a regular person, not divine in any special way, nor a demi-god of some kind, but a human, just like you and me.This is inspired by the twenty-fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-2005 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Looking at Jesus“Look how much I loved you,” Jesus says. Jesus lives in his flesh on the cross the covenant that God made with humanity that we would never be left alone. You are never overlooked, you are never abandoned, you are never companionless. This is inspired by the twenty-fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1905 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Cultivating GratitudeWhat might it look like for us to be pleased with, comforted by, grateful for, Christ’s gift of salvation? What might it change in your daily rhythms to keep this gift and the pleasure he hopes it brings us in the front of our minds and our actions? This is inspired by the twenty-third chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1806 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: God’s GiftEaster Sunday, God tells us (of Jesus), “We are his joy, we are his reward, we are his glory, we are his crown.” Sit with these words today, let them wash over you, let them sink in to your heart and melt into your bones. What might God reveal to you in chewing on this vision?This is inspired by the twenty-second chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1707 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Darkest Before DawnOn Holy Saturday, the world holds its breath. But the only way to keep plodding along is to keep breathing. We cannot hold the heaviness we each carry, and so we must surrender our weights to God, breath by breath, every step of the way. We can only hope and trust that God will carry it for us. This is inspired by the twenty-first chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1606 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Will God Survive?The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, remembered on this day, struck at the very heart of the existence of Jesus Christ; Jesus lived in his flesh the question of whether God and man could be together always. God promised never to leave or abandon humanity, his beloved creation, and this event at the fulcrum of history tested the truth and the power of that covenant.This is inspired by the twentieth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1505 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Battles AboundJulian reflects on the inward and outward battles we fight, for her, “outward” is of-the-flesh – desires that might tempt or taunt us – “inward” is the conscious decisions and dwelling of our spirits and souls. She asserts that our outward battles are just the fiends heckling us, while our inward battle, what we choose to believe and then to follow with our actions and course of life – that is the one that matters.This is inspired by the nineteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1405 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Everything is Marked by SufferingTurning her attention to those who witnessed Jesus’ suffering on the cross in his Passion, Julian reminds us that all creation is thrown off-kilter by the death which is the fulcrum of history, remembered this week across the globe.This is inspired by the eighteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1305 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Brutality of PassionWarning: There are graphic descriptions of blood and dying flesh in this passage. Julian continues to describe Jesus’ death on the cross, and we are called to consider our participation in it.This is inspired by the seventeenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1208 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Greatest AgonyWarning: There are graphic descriptions of blood and dying flesh in this passage. Julian has a vision of Jesus’ body dying on the cross, and reflects on the agony of Christ’s suffering.This is inspired by the sixteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1105 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Guided by JoyJulian taken on a roller coaster in today’s revelation, shunted from joy to sorrow and back again – and again and again. She understands from this that her feelings are not something to stake her faith on, and they don’t even determine whether God is pleased with her, or whether she’s in a state of grace. Feelings just are feelings, and they pass away. But, she argues, joy remains.This is inspired by the fifteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-1005 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Bliss of HeavenI wonder what it’d be like to hand around little scraps of heaven, passing moments of glory from one to another. How might that change our communities and the world?This is inspired by the fourteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0905 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Fiend is DefeatedConsider how the Passion (the time from when Jesus was praying in the garden, through when he’s brought before the courts, condemned to die, carries his cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha, is then nailed to that cross outside the city wall, and finally dies) is somehow the truest revelation of this ancient God that has ever been seen by humanity.This is inspired by the thirteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0806 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: There is EnoughWarning: there’s a lot of description of Jesus’ blood in the passage today, listener beware!Is our world a place of scarcity or of abundance? Which is the truth, and how do we live into that truth?This is inspired by the twelfth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0705 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: Look UpOur vision is much more myopic than we can ever realize, so what do we do with our faulty eyes and funhouse vision? How do we trust that God’s vision is better?This is inspired by the eleventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0608 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Seek & Behold the Presence of GodThis one’s a whole sermon! Julian pulls back the curtain (wink wink) on her vision, how she came to understand its meaning, and how she suggests we might apply it to our own lives. She refers to a “holy vernicle at Rome” which we know today as Veronica’s Veil, a sacred object held at the Vatican in Julian’s time.This is inspired by the tenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0512 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Loving God BetterJulian addresses why she thinks she was given these visions, and how we might take the honor she’s been given (Hint: if we’re concerned about why she got visions, we’re asking the wrong question).This is inspired by the ninth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0405 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Light of LoveIt’s not only Julian, of course, who reflects a special facet of God’s image, but each one of us. What does God have to reveal in each of us, what do we have to share with one another? What might we help others polish and uncover and turn even more toward the Light of love?This is inspired by the eighth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0306 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: When God Has More to Tell UsThe Long Text provides even more detail and depth than Julian had when she had just experienced the visions; time provided more fodder rather than making details fuzzy or fade away. I wonder if our interactions with God might have the same quality.This is inspired by the seventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0209 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: A Litany of FaithfulnessWhen the doubt-fiends circle, Julian gives us an example of how we might respond. Her own words echo litanies that are threaded through books of prayer over the centuries. Perhaps we might take on this practice for ourselves, with our very own witnesses to God’s action.This is inspired by the sixth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-04-0109 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: God, Give Me YourselfJulian very openly speaks of the temptations she faces in the midst of these revelations, even as God is showing her the most intimate things about himself that she could imagine. Today she offers a phrase that might also give us power, a prayer: “God, of your goodness, give me yourself.”This is inspired by the fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-03-3107 minEmily Rose Meditations Julian of Norwich: The Mystery of the TrinityThis God’s math has always been different than usual human understanding. How might this consistent mystery ethic inform the way we approach our everyday lives?This is inspired by the fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-03-3006 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Woven Into the DivineAs Julian lies dying, she longs to receive all the rites of “Holy Church,” to become as close as possible to being one with God, according to her understanding of faith and theology. Is there an analogous experience, ritual, or event for each of us? What might it be? Would we want to undergo it?This is inspired by the third chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-03-2908 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Examining our IntentionCan you imagine peeling back the layers of your longing, like an onion? It takes attention, perseverance, courage, for sure. Then, what do you get to, at bottom? I wonder if it might be something similar to Julian’s longing. I wonder if they might be the same longings echoed through many human hearts.This is inspired by the second chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join the conversation at patreon.com/emilyhylden2022-03-2808 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Drawing Back Our AttentionOften, in practicing meditation, there’s a moment when we wake up to ourselves – when we realize our mind has been wandering, and we’re invited to come back to the breath, or to our intention, or whatever it is that we’re using to help our minds settle. The outline here of the revelations that Julian shares might serve as that mindful bell, that invitation to come back to our intention in this practice of listening and journeying.This is inspired by the first chapter of Julian of Norwich's long text, Revelations of Divine Love.Join t...2022-03-2707 minEmily Rose MeditationsTrailer: Julian of Norwich Part 2, the Long TextNow we dig deep -- we really move slowly, examining each rock and bit of moss on the trail of God's visions given to Julian. She revisits her revelations years later after chewing on them herself in prayer and contemplation for (perhaps) decades, and invites us to come with her again. I'm opening up a space on my patreon website for comments, reflections, and sharing by this community on each chapter we read together; swing on by if you'd like. It's also a space to support my work, and to help me continue producing content for this...2022-03-2601 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Finishing Without Fake Fear In this last chapter of Julian’s short text, she frames her revelations through the lens of fear. Throughout God’s showings to her and in his voice he is always calling her out of counterfeit fear, out of shadow and darkness and despair, till all that is left for her and for us is reverent fear, which Julian identifies as rest, comfort, and love. This is inspired by the twenty-fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-2606 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Suffering LightlyWhen we are hemmed in on every side, tempted by fiends, what is our recourse? What does our sister in faith Julian recommend? She insists that suffering, when viewed in the context of God almighty, is very small and quick, and therefore, can be borne “gladly and lightly.” How do we start on that path of perception in our everyday lives?This is inspired by the twenty-fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-2505 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Delirium, or Transformation?It can be easier to discount extraordinary experiences or uncomfortable truths revealed to us, but we’re meant to be transformed by them, we’re meant to grow more fully into the stature of Christ. This happens both slowly and incrementally, and also sometimes in a flash. How do we square all these sharp and disquieting bits of our pilgrimage? This is inspired by the twenty-third chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-2409 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Grace of GodThis vision places God himself inside our souls, “sitting,” Julian says, in rest, as if our hearts are Jesus’s favorite place to chill out. It is this power that we call upon to be certain that we shall not be overcome by anxiety or fear or despair or any kind of evil. This is inspired by the twenty-second chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-2306 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Coming Down from the MountainJust like Moses struggled to integrate the revelation he’d had when he came down the mountain from meeting God, Julian does, too. What might we learn about patience with the process of transformation? This is inspired by the twenty-first chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-2206 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: A Persistent MysteryThe themes that God’s visions given to Julian cover swirl around one another with such interdependence and consistency; this chapter alludes again to the transience of suffering, to the limits of human knowledge and understanding, to the vehicles of God’s glory, and to yearning for eternal bliss. They’re woven together here in a mystical blanket, encapsulating so much of what has been revealed to Julian in the foregoing visions. This is inspired by the twentieth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-2108 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Spinning our WheelsWhat if prayer is more about God than it is about us? What if we’re even more oblivious than we first thought? Julian suggests that the effort is really all on God’s part. It’s not a matter of us running to God’s castle in the clouds and pounding on the door and begging on scraped knees to be admitted inside, but that God is always there, always already ready to receive us, just like the Prodigal Son parable. This is inspired by the nineteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine L2022-03-2011 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Darkness of Sin, and the Glory of Everlasting LifeHow do we detach shame and guilt from sin? Is that even the right thing to do? Martin Luther tells us (perhaps out of context) to “sin boldly.” Julian, give us your wisdom! Jesus, reveal to us the truth!This is inspired by the eighteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1905 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Against LiposuctionApologies for the title; I have no idea what our blessed sister would think about plastic surgery, only that God tells her (and us!) in today’s reading not to fear or be ashamed over the imperfections of her past. This is inspired by the seventeenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1807 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Love, for EverybodyWhen Julian, in her vision, asks God about how things turn out for one particular loved one, God suggests she have more concern for everyone in general rather than such acute concern for one person. Is this a shot to the heart? A divine gift? Both?This is inspired by the sixteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1705 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: In TimeThe ending of the story – of time – for Julian and many Christians, is written and revealed in Scripture. The sticky bit is that when, exactly, the end will come isn’t clear. And it’s the waiting that’s interminable, isn’t it? Julian offers us a salve in this itchy wound of wondering and waiting. This is inspired by the fifteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1606 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: The Discomforting Problem of EvilDid you know that Julian of Norwich isn’t just a mystic, but a theologian? It’s true. She gives her take on the problem of evil – sin – in today’s selection, and offers her readers an antidote to spinning our intellectual wheels. This is inspired by the fourteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1506 minEmily Rose Meditations Title: Julian of Norwich: A Fount of CompassionHow do we develop compassion for strangers, perhaps even the ones who live in our homes? Julian joins a lineage of thought going back all the way to Abraham as she explores and provides her own answer to this question today. This is inspired by the thirteenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1410 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Christ, On His SufferingWhat God says to Julian in these visions (she tells us over and over), God says to each of us, too. Today, she has a conversation with Jesus about his crucifixion and death (often called “The Passion” as a blanket name for the events from his arrest in the Garden through to his resurrection on Easter Sunday morning). This is inspired by the eleventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1307 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: It Won’t Always Be This WayJulian reminds us of this important truth for those of us who struggle with our mental health: our pain is fleeting, our sorrow is not forever. I offer to you what I often use as a mantra in moments of darkness: it won’t always feel this way. It won’t always be this way. Things will change. This is inspired by the eleventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1204 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Fix Your Eyes Upon JesusThis passage reminds me of that line from the hymn, Abide with Me, “Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.” Julian rests in such security and certainty with the cross in her sight. So I wonder what might happen for us. Check out the Issenheim Altarpiece, or another piece of devotional art. This is inspired by the tenth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1109 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Power in PerceptionWhat might it be like to choose to ignore the voices in our heads that speak of disgust with ourselves, and weariness with our existence? What if, just for a day, or a week, we chose to not give any attention to these voices?This is inspired by the ninth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-1007 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Laughing in the Face of EvilSome people think that Julian was delusional, and laughing at things that aren’t funny can be a sign of this problem. However, if God is as big and mighty as advertised, isn’t everything else humorously miniscule in comparison? That’s Julian’s take in today’s selection. This is inspired by the eighth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0908 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: On The Verge of DeathAs she faces her assumed-imminent demise, she is overcome by the truth of the immensity of God compared to the very smallness of our lives. Smallness makes something no less precious, but it does rather take up less airspace – Julian suggests the same might be wise of our mental and spiritual rooms.This is inspired by the seventh chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0805 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Who’s Worth WatchingIn this season of Lent, we’re especially invited to welcome God more deeply into our lives, what might that look like for you, today? I wonder how we might practice decentering ourselves from our own lives; what could we do or shift in our habits to put God in that place of priority, instead? This is inspired by the sixth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0709 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: How to Hear GodThroughout Julian’s records of these visions she received from God, she says many times, “God gave me time and space to contemplate it.” Do you give yourself time and space to contemplate and reflect? What might that look like for you? This is inspired by the fifth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0605 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: A Full VisionJulian beautifully describes God’s presence in our lives and in the world; postulating, God is “our clothing, wrapping and enveloping us… embracing and guiding us… hanging about us… so that he can never leave us.” If our sight, and mind, and soul are filled to overflowing with the presence of God, perhaps we can then both love God and God’s creation well.This is inspired by the fourth chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0509 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: Connecting Body & SoulJulian seems convinced that a bodily feeling or experience will have a spiritual effect for her. So I wonder if we can apply her assumption and ask whether our bodily experiences, the aches and pains we suffer, or the desires and needs we feel, also have a spiritual significance.This is inspired by the third chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0406 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: As Her Body Lies DyingJulian communicates her desire to be more available to God not only with her thoughts and her voice, but with her corporate, or bodily, self, too. It made me wonder: how might I move my body to more readily to communicate to God my longing to yield to him? This is inspired by the second chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0306 minEmily Rose MeditationsJulian of Norwich: God's Gifts to UsI wonder what gift you might ask God for, if you mustered up the courage to ask God for something big.This is inspired by the first chapter of Julian of Norwich's short text, Revelations of Divine Love.2022-03-0208 minEmily Rose MeditationsTrailer: Julian of Norwich and Meditations on Divine LoveWelcome to Emily Rose Meditations; I’m your host, Emily, and this season we’ll be engaging Julian of Norwich to guide us on our journey through Lent and Easter. I hope the time and space on this podcast can be one of renewal, unification, and peace. The peace of Christ be with you. 2022-02-2701 min