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"Life, Love, & Light" with Veronica Mary Rolf
In the FIRST SEASON of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we delve into the wisdom of the beloved medieval mystic, JULIAN OF NORWICH, to discover how her "Revelations of Divine Love" may inspire, encourage, and guide us on our own spiritual path. The first episode is entitled "Sheltering in Place" and introduces Julian of Norwich, an enclosed anchorite who received sixteen Revelations of Divine Love and heard Christ tell her: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and thou shalt see thyself that all manner of thing shall be well." The season includes twenty-five episodes with Guided Meditations following each episode. In the SECOND SEASON, we meet a fascinating variety of Old and New Testament BIBLICAL MYSTICS. We discover men and women who faced major challenges and crises in their lives, made some really big mistakes, were forgiven, received mystical revelations, and then dared to act on those revelations. Their stories may become powerful inspirations in our own time of crisis, fear, and uncertainty. In the THIRD SEASON, we discuss THE MYSTICAL PATH and consider what is involved in following such a path – not only through the practice of contemplative prayer – but in every aspect of our daily lives. We explore the three stages of the mystical path and discuss how to deal with distractions, dullness, and agitation in order to focus on silence, stillness, and surrender, toward a deeper union with God. In the Guided Meditations, we practice becoming aware of thoughts, emotions, and memories that arise, without becoming attached to them. In the FOURTH SEASON, we delve into the all-important but rarely discussed topic of Resurrection, based on my recent award winning book, "LIVING RESURRECTED LIVES: WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT MATTERS," co-authored by my daughter, Eva Natanya, PhD. In the first episode -- entitled "What is Resurrection?" -- we consider ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Hebrew ideas about the afterlife: what it was, what it was not. Then we examine biblical references to life after death in the psalms, prophets, apocalyptic literature, and the Book of Wisdom. Following episodes examine the four biblical accounts of Christ's resurrection to discover the bedrock of Christian belief in bodily resurrection. We also consider how we may begin living resurrected lives even now, as sons and daughters of the resurrection. At this time of great disharmony, fear, crisis, and suffering in our world, one thing remains certain: The love of God is everlasting. PLEASE SHARE these "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts. They are available on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, and all the major directories as well as on https://lifelovelight.buzzsprout.com/. Podcaster VERONICA MARY ROLF is a medieval scholar, retreat leader, and master teacher of dramatic arts. She is the author of "Living Resurrected Lives: What it Means and Why it Matters" (Cascade Books, 2020), co-authored with Eva Natanya, PhD, which won a 2021 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Spirituality, and "Suddenly There is God: The Story of Our Lives in Sacred Scripture" (Cascade Books, 2019), which won a 2020 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Scripture. She is also the author of "An Explorer's Guide to Julian of Norwich" (IVP Academic, 2018) and "Julian's Gospel: Illuminating the Life and Revelations of Julian of Norwich" (Orbis Books, 2013), which have won numerous awards, including a First Place Catholic Media Association Book Award and the Nautilus Gold Medal for Spirituality. Veronica blogs on two websites: www.VeronicaMaryRolf.com and www.JuliansVoice.com.
"Life, Love, & Light" with Veronica Mary Rolf
Path of Illumination
Today, in our series of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts on The Mystical Path, we consider the Path of Illumination. We hear Julian of Norwich describe her own experience of illumination when she saw the sudden and blissful transformation of Christ on the cross -- from suffering to perfect joy. Julian herself was lifted up in a transport of ecstasy. This is the illumination that the disciples, male and female, experienced at Easter. Like them, Julian was overwhelmed by the reality of resurrection -- that Christ had conquered suffering and death once and for all. Yet she understood that right now we still abide in the reality of the cross; we still live within the passion of Christ: “in our pains and in our passion, dying.” However, Julian envisioned that, at the last moment of our lives, suddenly Christ will “change his countenance toward us, and we shall be with him in heaven.” By this she meant that Christ will instantaneously convert all our suffering into joy, simply by transforming our mind’s ability to perceive him.
We reflect on the fact that as we move from the Path of Purgation onto the Path of Illumination, we, too, may experience moments of deep inspiration, vivid images, graces that come pouring out upon us, voices telling us what to do, all good things. We may have glimpses of light and momentary “beholdings,” as Julian of Norwich called them. However, we must not think we have already reached perfect union with God. There’s a big distinction between the glimpses that arise in our minds in the early and later stages of the Path of Illumination. So as not to be misled, we must continue to be faithful to our contemplative practice, morning and evening -- becoming aware of our thoughts but not grasping onto any of them. We must remain open to the presence of God and not crave spiritual "perks." We don’t want to be satisfied by the insights and inspirations that come from our own mind; we want only those that arise direct from the Divine Source. Cultivating greater awareness and stillness in our meditation practice will also enable us to deal more capably with the life situations in which we find ourselves -- after meditation. Teresa of Avila linked the Path of Illumination with the Prayer of Quiet. At this point, we are able to remain silent and focused more easily in meditation -- and for longer and longer periods of time. We begin to experience a different level of Divine Reality and to rest in this "divine milieu." Then, as our awareness of Divine Presence becomes sustainable, we learn to trust it more and more. Perhaps for the first time, we feel truly "alive"!
PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with family member and friends who are seeking a mystical path and a contemplative practice in their lives. And let them know about the upcoming Virtual Retreat I will be leading on the Revelations of Julian of Norwich: "All Shall Be Well" (May 1st-2nd, 2021). Information and Registration are on my website: https://www.veronicamaryrolf.com/retreats.html ALL ARE WELCOME!