Daily Meditation for February 26, 2024

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” A 14th-century English woman, Julian of Norwich, wrote these words at a time when there was little apparent evidence that all was or would be “well.” War between France and England was raging, poverty and famine were widespread, and yes, even a pandemic—the bubonic plague—was ravaging the world. Despite the overwhelming suffering that surrounded her, her writings are not dark or despairing. She wrote from a deep well of faith that kept her hope in God’s provident care secure and sustaining. Most of us can easily identify evidence of things not going well in our world today. Making a list is easy. Believing in God’s provident care is more challenging, but it does enkindle confident hope that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

By Christian Morris, OSB