Happy Monday! We trust everyone survived a day without Lent Madness and is ready to get back into the voting fray. We kick off the week with what will sure to be a hotly contested battle between Julian of Norwich and William Wilberforce. 14th century Mystic vs. 18th century Reformer. Who will move on to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen? Well, that's up to the global Lent Madness community.
Over the weekend, in the only Saturday matchup of Lent Madness 2016, Methodius defeated his brother Cyril. Lent Madness bracketologists will note that this was not the first brother vs. brother contest. In the first round of the 2014 Saintly Smackdown, eventual Golden Halo winner Charles Wesley dethroned his brother John. Thus there is indeed precedence for hagiographic fratricide.
As a reminder of how this whole process works, the Supreme Executive Committee, released the Ten Commandments of Lent Madness. We encourage everyone who thought pitting Cyril vs. Methodius was "unfair" to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest these rules of the Lenten road.
Finally, some have asked where they can go to see previous results from Lent Madness 2016. Fortunately, we have an amazing Bracket Czar, Adam Thomas, who updates the bracket every day. If you click the Bracket tab on the website, you'll find an updated bracket along with clickable links to the battles that have already taken place. Scroll down on the same tab and you'll encounter the 2016 Matchup Calendar, where you can find out the precise date your favorite saint will be entering the Lent Dome to do battle.
Julian of Norwich
We know very little about Julian of Norwich. Her name is derived from the place where she devoted herself to a life of solitary prayer, study, and writing—the Church of Saint Julian. Her works date her life to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, during a period of rampant epidemics of the Black Plague.
In 1373, at around the age of thirty, Julian suffered from a severe illness during which she had visions of Jesus Christ. She wrote them down immediately, and the 11,000-word text is believed to be the earliest surviving book written by a woman in the English language.
Around 1393, Julian explored the meaning of the visions in a longer version of Revelations of Divine Love. The book was widely read and is still embraced by both Catholics and Protestants as offering important and profound mystical insight into the nature of God. Julian believed sin was a necessary step to knowing one’s self and accepting God’s love. She taught that we sin because we are naive. To learn we must fail, and to fail we must sin.
She worried over the fate of those who were not raised in the Christian faith and had never heard the gospel. But she came to believe that God does everything in love, and therefore, “that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” possibly making her an early believer in universal salvation.
Julian described Jesus as a mother who is wise, loving, and merciful. She believed the bond between mother and child was the closest earthly relationship one could have to the love of Jesus. She also used metaphors of conception, nursing, and labor in connection with Jesus’ love, but at other times called him our brother.
Collect for Julian of Norwich
Lord God, in your compassion you granted to the Lady Julian many revelations of your nurturing and sustaining love: Move our hearts, like hers, to seek you above all things, for in giving us yourself you give us all; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was born on August 24, 1759. Family bequests left him independently wealthy, which allowed him to pursue a life of his own choosing. An affluent, educated politician and Christian who lived out his beliefs, Wilberforce defined himself through his devotion to dismantling slavery throughout the British Empire.
During a trip to the European continent, his spiritual life began to blossom, thanks to Bible reading and a commitment of service to God. Wilberforce’s embrace of Christianity prompted his interest in governmental and human rights reform.
Elected to the House of Commons in 1780 (a seat he held for forty-five years), Wilberforce was someone who commanded an audience. He was introduced to the horrors of the slave trade in 1787 by a group of anti-slave activists. His epiphany was stunning, and his dedication to abolishing slavery was lifelong. A journal entry indicated, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners.”
His campaigns eventually led to the passage of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished the slave trade in the British Empire but did not abolish slavery as a practice. Those who were already slaves remained so. Wilberforce was not deterred, and his efforts to completely abolish slavery throughout the empire continued. Poor health forced his resignation from Parliament in 1826, but he persisted in his crusade. Eventually, he was instrumental in the creation and passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which abolished slavery and emancipated all slaves in the British Empire.
Wilberforce died three days before Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act but was assured before his death that it would be ratified. Wilberforce died in London on July 29, 1833, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Collect for William Wilberforce
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, kindle in your Church the never-failing gift of love, that, following the example of your servant William Wilberforce, we may have grace to defend the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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310 comments on “Julian of Norwich vs. William Wilberforce”
Words vs. deeds. A tough choice since both are equally important. In this case both Julian's words and William's deeds have had a lasting effect. Although as a huge reader words are extremely important to me, I had to go with deeds this time. After all, William fought most of his life, and eventually won, to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Let's not forget that at that time, this encompassed a large portion of the world hence the phrase "the sun never sets on the British empire".
All will be well. So get up and do something! Voted for William.
Julian spent much time as an anchorite in prayer. Prayer is an action.
I have always liked Julian's words and devotion to prayer yet I like the fact that Wilberforce put his money and faith to action. Both worked and served the people and conditions of their times. Yet I really like the actions of William Wilberforce. The trickle down effect through the centuries have proven both worth people of faith. I went with the strong actions that challenges our overall life like Christ did in his time.
I think it is hard to capture to contributions of the mystics, especially if one isn't called to contemplative prayer. I love this insight from Julian, "Knowledge of God and knowledge of self are inseparable: we may never come to the knowing of one without the knowing of the other. "God is ... nearer to us than our own soul". Such insight in the 1400's amazes me. My vote if for Julian.
Two worthy saints--both powerful in their vision for Christ and their level of personal sacrifice. A tough choice indeed, but that line about Julian's writings being the oldest book written by a woman in the English language swayed me. I voted Julian, but will happy if Wilberforce wins the day as well.
willer shall win
Such a difficult decision! I so admire Wilberforce. Loved the movie of several years ago about his struggle, called "Amazing Grace." Highly recommended!
I have to say that Julian won me over with her words "all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,”... Who doesn't need to hear that every day? Saintly words of solace if ever there were some.
Julian it is, with all love and admiration to St. William.
I think whoever wins this match up could well go on to win the golden halo - either way, Julian or Wilberforce. I love and have been influenced by Julian's beautiful writings for years, but how can I not acknowledge and vote for the man who through a 50 year struggle for justice helped end slavery and the horrific slave trade in the British Empire? How many more millions would have had to endure the middle passage if not for Wilberforce? My vote goes to William Wilberforce
I greatly admire Wilberforce, having seen both the movie and the Broadway musical "Amazing Grace" and having had that song as a favorite most of my life. But God has led me through many dark valleys as well as some shining ones; I have been called to be a musician and a healer, a pastor and a chaplain, and through it all to have a close mystical relationship with God in all manifestations. Lady Julian has been one of my staunchest companions along the way. She is not "just a mystic" either. Her hermitage was open to anyone passing by who needed her; she was a healer, a counselor, and a comforter, and led many people to a fuller, deeper walk with Christ. I am honored to vote for her.
Well said and what I was trying for with the comments about the windows.
This first round of Lent Madness is my favorite, as each saint is presented. Generally I've never even heard of about half of them. I knew nothing of William Wilberforce before today, and I am grateful to learn of him. I still voted for Julian, because she speaks so clearly to me.
Didn't Wilberforce ( I voted for him ) have something to do with the composing of "Amazing Grace?"... or is that just the way Hollywood told it?
Please indulge me in addressing some points raised in yesterday's energetic conversation and the SEC's introductory comments this morning. It's a bit late in the day, but there have been many interruptions as I've been writing this off and on.
1. Fairness: I'm with them 110% as to that issue, which seems to arise whether the match is balanced or unbalanced. In Lent Madness, fair is foul and foul is fair, and the contemptibly devious tactics of the SEC are proof enough of that.
2. Motive: Their motives, on the other hand, are pure as the driven snow and may be condensed to one: to goad you, me, and ten thousand other ecclesiological ignoramuses to the point where we avidly follow and discuss the lives of obscure saints as if they were denizens of Downton Abbey, and willy-nilly keep the daily Lenten observance that in any other form has always escaped some of us.
3. In the absence of fairness there is no impropriety in pitting brother and brother, even the Glagolitic Duo, against each other. It's unnecessary to cite the Wesley fratricide as justification, of which the SEC has no need.
4. The other thread in yesterday's exchanges, however, was the possibility of entering the Glagos as a single contestant, to which the example of the cordial but not coessential Wesleys does not speak. The SEC has yet to address that point, but after all why should they? They're supreme.
Turning now to today's contestants, than whom no more incongruous pair could be imagined:
I initially favored Wilberforce, for the reasons generally given by his adherents and especially at time when white Americans like me may finally be grasping the enormity of slavery and our complicity in the hardly lesser evil that has followed it. I was puzzled, though, by his embrace of the "Reformation of Manners" and did a little searching on those words.
The Reformation of Manners turns out to refer to a specific movement, of the eighteenth-century edition of which, according to Wikipedia, "Wilberforce was the instigator." His laudable objective was to reduce the large number of hangings then prevalent. Unfortunately the means he chose was to criminalize all manner of small offenses so as to deter a chastened populace from "drifting into more serious crimes." At his instance the King issued a proclamation which "prohibited gambling on the Lord's Day, declared that all people should attend church, that all persons who drank in excess, blasphemed, swore, cursed, were lewd or profaned the Lord's Day should be prosecuted, ordered that public gambling, disorderly houses. unlicensed places of entertainment, and publishers and vendors of loose and licentious books should be suppressed, and that the rules against commerce on Sunday should be enforced." So the prisons swelled with petty offenders, anticipating the War on Drugs by two centuries.
Sorry, Willy, I love the part you got right, but this disqualifies you.
Lady Julian was my first love anyway and strongly influenced my early formation; it is a delight to renew our acquaintance and give her my vote. Someone has described her spirituality as "feminine," but I've never thought of it that way; and to the extent it may be, it calls for an adjustment of masculinity to embrace it.
Julian's biographer is right in saying that she "possibly" believed in universal salvation, but that's not because we don't know enough about her: she believed in damnation but couldn't believe it could be true, and was told by God to believe both at the same time and leave it to God to make all things well. For more, search on "Revelations of Divine Love"; her account of that conversation is in Chapter 39.
It latterly occurs to me that Wilberforce might be the inventor of the blue law. Now there's a mixed legacy for you.
Davis Dassori, so pleased to meet you! You are adding an enjoyable and edifying element to our discussions. Thanks for further clarifying the Reformation of Manners issue. I agree that it is like our blue laws and the war on drugs--a lot of unintended consequences. I also read that the slavery issue was secondary for Wilberforce to the Reformation of Manners (this from a dissertation on the subject). So I'm not sure that votes for W solely on the basis of the abolition of the slave trade are true to his life's work. Ah well.
"Reformation of Manners" as described here reminds me not only of blue laws but the so-called "broken windows" theory of policing: if there is a crack down on minor offenses, larger crimes are less likely to happen. Don't know if the data bears it out, but as one drawn to monastic and contemplative prayer and long enriched by Julian's teachings, I had to vote for her in any case, much as I admire Wilberforce's abolition work.
So basically, Wilberforce, while he fought to end slavery, helped enslave many. He gets the point,on the one hand, but then completely misses it on the other. Thank you for your research. It is enlightening.
This was such a tough choice, but I had to go with women power. Especially a woman who is believed to be the first woman author of a book.
I admire Julian as a woman in that time and her writing. However, it was Wilberforce for me because of his doing and persisting in when others would shut him down. His strong faith is encouraging and his ability to follow through inspires me.
I believe that the the life-long devotion of Wilburforce to seek the abolition of the slave trade and emancipation of all slaves in the Britsh Empire had to be inspired and re-affirmed by a fundamental belief that "all manner of thing shall be well!" No action is possible without a core idea first. The doing follows believing, never the other way around. Thank you Lady Julian for spreading the "seeds" of knowlege, faith and belief!
We need to rally the votes for William.....
Although Julian was a great woman and saint, I voted for William. For me he is an example of what living out the Gospel Life is about, being a living presence of the Message to bring liberation to God's People. Remember the old hymn -"Right in the corner where you are" that is the stuff of Gospel Life!
While both are good choices, I went with William. It is good to see a person from wealth live in a manner opposite of the majority. To see that William was not satisfied with a minor victory/change. He continued to fight even when in ill health and no longer in office.
I did not know much about Wilberforce, and then I saw the wonderful film " Amazing Grace." I have since preached on his life at least twice. Have always admired Julian, but Wilberforce gets my vote hands down.
I had to vote for WW. While I really admire Julian, it's easy to live a life of quiet contemplation and scholarship when you don't have to leave your room or let the messy business of life (or Black Death) touch you. Wilberforce, in contrast, lived out the principles of Jesus. He was the change he wanted to see in the world and he worked hard to make his world fit the Gospel.
That's funny, cause I think that a self-imposed life as an anchor ire would be exceedingly difficult indeed!!
Anchorite, that is!
You're related to Marjorie Kempe?? That is so cool!
You stated my feelings so well! I've admired wilberforce for years but lady Julian moved me.
You put it perfectly.
I agree 100% Mark. I pick doers over sayers every time. It's the doing person, rather the thinking or reading or talking person who in the end will get the most done and be found the happiest person.
Truth sees God, and wisdom contemplates God, and from these two comes a third, a holy and wonderful delight in God, who is love.
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Julian gets my vote
I had to go with Julian because my great grandmother (times 7) visited her. That would be Marjorie Kempe. Any other time I would seriously consider Wilberforce.
One of the toughest battles for the entire first round! Mystic vs. Mister Abolitionist...my vote goes to William for dedicating his life to not saying it will be well, but making it well.
From my earliest recollections, as a babe growing up in the Episcopal Church, I was naturally a Universalist. My vote is for Julian, who understood that God's love for his children has to be unconditional. I also appreciate profoundly her "All shall be well..." quote. No contest here.
Thanks, everyone, for such thoughtful comments! It was a tough call for me, but I voted for WW because I admired his courage in going against the prevailing culture to fight for what was right. Today's matchup has me starting a reading (and viewing) list.
All will be well,
and all will be well,
and all manner of things will be well.
Julian for me! Such an important medieval woman's voice, who used feminine imagery for God.
All set to vote for mystical, lyrical Julian but pursuing research on Wilberforce's work with the Clapham group, prison reform, literacy training through Sunday school, and the Reformation of Manners-all preceding his work torward total emancipation led me to cast my vote for Wilberforce (of whom it was said "the wonder is that a short period in the short life of one man is, well and wisely directed, sufficient to remedy the miseries of millions for the ages.").
Very tough choice. I think both are examples of faith in action. Julian's prayer has got me through hard times, but I kept thinking about the movie "Amazing Grace" and voted for William Wilberforce who dedicated his life to ending slavery. Also for advocating for better treatment of the poor and founding the RSPCA . May the Wilberforce be with you(Thank you Julia) and all manner of thing be well!
I missed the vote. I intended to vote for Wilberforce because of his role in ending the slave trade, even as I realised that my theology (Anglo-Catholic-influenced liberal Methodism) was much closer to the proto-Universalism of Julian's "all manner of things shall be well" than it was to Wilberforce's evangelical Calvinism. It's interesting that, for once, a saint whose contribution is in the area of spirituality and theological reflection has won out in Lent Madness over a more activist saint.
Haha! If only you had posted this and called Wilberforce a Calvinist early on! I wonder how the vote might have gone. Good point you made!
I find myself drawn to the "doers" as opposed to the "contemplators/mystics", in light of the BCP prayer at the end of the Eucharist -- "send us out to do the work you have given us to do". And I take "work" in the active sense... So, in light of that, what "work" Wilberforce did, and thanks be to God