Cloud of Unknowing, Julian of Norwich
Presentation: January 17, 2009
Fr. Carl Arico, Rev. Mary Earle, M.Div.
Brief Description of 1st Hour Presentation
This session will apply the wisdom of the 14th century spiritual classic, the Cloud of Unknowing, to life in the 21st century. The session will explore major themes in the Cloud about self, detachment, Christ, and the primacy of love using the following key texts from the Cloud;
Center all your attention and desire on Him and let this be the sole concern of your mind and heart (Cloud. Chap 3)
Because he may well be loved but not thought, by love He can be caught and held, but by thinking never. (Cloud, Chap 6)
But the higher part of contemplation – at least as we know in this life – is wholly caught up in the darkness, and in the cloud of unknowing, with an out reaching of love and blind groping for the naked being of God, Himself and Him only. (Cloud, chap. 8)
Prayer Exercise
Centering Prayer after showing how its spirit is rooted in the Cloud.
Brief Description of 2nd Hour Presentation
Julian of Norwich: During the 14th century in Britain, profound social upheaval due to economic forces, the 100 Years War, the burning of heretics and the Black Plague shook faithful Christians to their marrow. A young woman we know only as Julian of Norwich, writing the first known text in English, spoke of seeing Christ as our Mother, willingly suffering on our behalf, caring for us in most tender mercy, birthing us anew, assuring us that "all shall be well." During our session together we will learn about Julian's historical context, her theological perspectives and her influence in the present time. We will reflect on her insights and how they might inform our own way of perceiving God. We will note that Julian's theology challenges our need for instant answers and prosaic interpretation of scripture and experience.
Preparation and Bibliography for 1st Hour Presentation
For the Cloud of Unknowing,
Preparation article for the lecture: "The Cloud of Unknowing and Contemplation" in A Taste of Silence, by Carl J. Arico, pages 139-147.
Other Readings:
Arico, Carl, A Taste of Silence, Continuum, 2005.
The Cloud of Unknowing, ed. William Johnson, Doubleday, 1973.
Preparation and Bibliography for 2nd Hour Presentation
For Julian of Norwich, click below for preparation articles for the lecture
Other Readings:
Julian of Norwich: Showings, ed. by Edmund Colledge, O.S.A. and James Walsh, S.J., Paulist Press, 1978.
"Julian of Norwich," in Enduring Grace: Living Portraits of Seven Women Mystics, by Carol Lee Flinders, HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
Julian of Norwich: Mystic and Theologian by Grace Jantzen, Paulist Press, 1988.
About Fr. Carl Arico,
Fr. Carl Arico, a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, NJ, is a founding member and current Vice President of Contemplative Outreach International. He is author of A Taste of Silence; Centering Prayer and the Contemplative Journey and has given numerous presentations on The Cloud of Unknowing and other aspects of the history of Christian mysticism and contemplative prayer practice. He has many years of experience in directing Centering Prayer and contemplative life retreats internationally.
About Mary Earle
The Rev. Mary Earle is an Episcopal priest in San Antonio who is Author in Residence at The Workshop, a ministry of St. Mark's Church. She also teaches classes in spirituality at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. Among her interests are Christian spiritual practice, including prayer, retreats, spiritual direction and rule of life and the ways in which these practices shape moral action in the world. Co‑author of Holy Companions: Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints and Praying with the Celtic Saints and author of Broken Body, Healing Spirit: Lectio Divina and Praying with Illness, Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living with Illness, and The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from Women of the Wilderness, Mary is currently working on a book about Anglican women. A presenter at the 2003 and 2007 International Thomas Merton Conferences, a regular writer for explorefaith.org, and frequent teacher of online courses for the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, she received the 2003 Durstan McDonald Award for Teaching from ETSS. She holds a B.A. (University of Texas at Austin), M.A. (University of Texas at San Antonio), and M.Div. (Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin.
Mary recently released a C.D., "Days of Grace: Meditations and Practices for Living with Illness, which will also be released as a book in the fall of 2009.