Mothering Christ

The writings of Julian of Norwich (c.1342– c.1416) have nourished my spiritual imagination since I first encountered them. Perhaps the best known of her words are from Showings, a series of visions that she received in the midst of a near-death experience.

“…but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’

Like many mystics, Julian’s experiences led her to name God in new and surprising ways. Months ago, I came across these striking passages from her Revelations of Divine Love and found them both challenging and insightful.

“The Second Person of the Trinity is our mother in nature, in our substantial making. In him we are grounded and rooted, and he is our mother by mercy in our sensuality, by taking flesh.”

“Thus our mother, Christ, in whom our parts are kept unseparated, works in us in various ways. For in our mother, Christ, we profit and increase, and in mercy he reforms and restores us, and by virtue of his passion, death, and resurrection joins us to our substance.

“To motherhood as properties belong natural love, wisdom and knowledge – and this is God. For though it is true that our bodily bringing forth is very little, low, and simple compared to our spiritual bringing forth, yet it is he who does the mothering in the creatures by whom it is done.”

…. A mother can give her child milk to suck, but our precious mother, Jesus, can feed us with himself. He does so most courteously and most tenderly, with the Blessed Sacrament, which is the precious food of true life. With all the sweet sacraments he sustains us most mercifully and graciously.”

– Revelations of Divine Love of Juliana of Norwich, trans. M.L. Del Mastro

Farid De La Ossa Arrieta: God, the Mother (2002)

Julian invites us to an understanding of God’s essence and nature (revealed in sacred text and in creation) that is broader than the masculine archetypes and language that theologians have defaulted to. I hear it as prophetic language, a kind of poetic truth-telling that challenges the hetero-patriarchy and misogyny that infected the 14th century church and still infects faith communities today.

She also opens a new window through which to view the person of Christ, avoiding well-worn language of control, retribution and power over and against others. But Julian’s Savior sustains, reforms and restores us; Mother Christ invites us to take in goodness from below, to be rooted and grounded in nurturing love. These words invite integration of body, mind and spirit; they affirm our bodies and the way God meets us through our senses; and in naming God as mother she honors womens’ bodies and experiences. What a gift to the church, especially as we imagine new ways to speak of and speak to Divine.

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It often takes time for me to write new music. A text or experience provides a creative spark but the germination process may take months. On Sunday, while listening to a sermon preached by Julia Stroud at St. Lydia’s (which reflected on the wound on Christ’s body as a space of radical welcome and inclusion), a short song started to flower. By the time we began prayer, the piece was ready to be shared.

We sang it a cappella but the score has a simple piano/guitar accompaniment. You’re welcome to use it as an invitation to prayer (as we did at St. Lydia’s), as a response to prayer petitions, or in another moment where we acknowledge that Christ knows us, loves us, and hears us.

The phrase ‘Mothering Christ’ comes from Jean Janzen’s hymn, “Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth,” which distills Julian’s writings into a beautiful Trinitarian hymn. My setting is much simpler.

Mothering Christ, you know us.
Mothering Christ, you love us.
Mothering Christ, you hear us.

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If you’re interested in other settings of Julian of Norwich’s words, here are some favorites.

Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth – arr. Tom Trenney (A setting of Jean Janzen’s text for SATB choir and piano, published by Augsburg Fortress)

As Surely As God Is Our Father – William Mathias (for SATB choir and organ, published by Oxford University Press)

Love Unfolding – Gwyneth Walker (for SATB choir and organ, published by E.C. Schirmer)

All Shall Be Well – Emily Scott (a paperless setting that can be taught to congregations)

All Shall Be Well – William Bradley Roberts (a paperless setting from Music By Heart)

finding your voice

Photo credit: Kayana Szymczak

I was moved by this beautiful article from the Boston Globe about discovering your voice and finding community. No matter our age, racial/ethnic background, gender identity or sexual orientation, our voice is central to who we are and what we think about ourselves. And, as this article clearly shows, it is significant part of how we find ourselves in community. The fundamental work of a voice teacher/choral director/vocal coach is to help singers find their voice, to help them explore and stretch beyond what might be comfortable or known in a healthy and supportive way.

I am grateful for Butterfly Music and for the healers and facilitators who create safe space for trans women and men to feel fully welcomed and supported in their vocal development. They inspire me to think about how the church can create similar spaces for the singers in our pews and choir lofts, who have varied skills, voice types and musical experiences but come with a desire to make something beautiful and to feel part of a genuinely loving community.

Here are a few excerpts. The full article can be found here.

“Not every transgender person decides to take hormones or change his or her voice. But for those who do, new voices take time to master. Trans males who inject testosterone deepen their voices. Their pitch changes, sometimes from day to day.

“Losing my upper range was hard,” Andre said. “It really frustrated me. It’s kind of a loss of identity a little bit because you had all these really awesome high notes and all of a sudden, they got lopped off in one fell swoop.”

Trans women who want to sound more feminine must learn to speak in a higher voice. Hormones that help their body transition — prompting breasts to grow and skin to thin — do not usually change the voice.

Many members of Butterfly Music are learning to sing with new voices. The chorus, created last fall, does not divide singers into traditional parts of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Instead, they choose high, medium, or low parts. Singers, whose voices may change weekly, do not have to commit to a section.

“I knew that I had to keep giving people choices,” Hammond said. “I’ve been as hands-off as I could be.”

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Speech and language pathologists are just beginning to work with the transgender population to develop their voices in their new gender. If it is not done correctly, vocal cords can be permanently damaged, said Barbara Worth, senior speech language pathologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Nodules can form on the vocal cords.

She’s now working with a trans woman who is 62. The larynx — the organ covering the vocal cords that is responsible for sound — is larger in men than in women.

“Particularly going from male to female, you’re trying to adapt a structure to do something that it wasn’t doing from puberty on,” Worth said.

Kit Johnson took testosterone as part of his transition from female to male in the past year. Johnson, a new member of the Butterfly chorus, has been grateful for Hammond’s help in training his new voice.

“One thing about my transition was I really did want a deeper masculine sounding voice,” he said. However, “just because I took hormones doesn’t mean I know how to use that voice. I don’t necessarily know how to talk with it, how to sing with it.”

Samantha Magnusson, a trans woman, enjoys the singing. But she also comes to weekly chorus practice for the chance to talk to others who have similar struggles.

“What we’re doing here is fun. Singing is fun. It will bring joy into my life. It will make me more confident in a presentation.” But that’s not the reason she joined, Magnusson said. “The reason is community.”

be rooted in hope

One of the things I have noticed on pilgrimage is interconnectedness between my body and my spiritual/creative energy. For example, hiking is an activity that can lead me into focused prayer. Once I find my stride on a trail, a steady stream of thanksgivings and concerns start to flow.

It’s also a creative space where I write tunes, work out musical ideas and play with text. Over the past weeks, I’ve been finding inspiration in my surroundings, focusing on words and imagery that celebrate the natural world. I posted Fountain Fullness of Everlasting Love about two weeks back, and I am happy to share another new piece with you.

‘Be Rooted in Hope’ connects two experiences from my pilgrimage.

I was overwhelmed by my first encounter with the Sequoia and Redwood groves of northern California. The size and beauty of these trees is breathtaking, but they haven’t gotten there quickly. Some of the oldest living trees are 1,800-2,000 years old or more. This kind of growth takes tremendous time and energy.

And then there is St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Fullerton, a congregation I worked with during my pilgrimage. Two years ago, the community made the bold decision to remove the church’s front lawn and replace it with a community garden that provides fresh produce to their local food bank. A landscape architect incorporated 50 raised garden beds in the shape of boats (tradition holds that the disciple Andrew was a fisherman) that are “docked” in front of the church. Part art installation, part community outreach, the garden has helped transform their sense of identity and mission. They continue to seek new ways to grow, to be faithful to God’s call.

“Be Rooted in Hope” was written for St. Andrew’s. The text is inspired by Biblical sources, especially verses relating to gardening and growth. The second part pushes outward, recognizing that our well-being and growth are a witness to peace that can heal and liberate. It’s an echo song (each phrase is repeated after the leader sings it) that is easy enough to be led by any number of folks: priest, song leader, choir or others in the congregation. It could work well during the Passing of the Peace, as a sung blessing or a Benediction.

My heartfelt prayer for St. Andrew’s is that they grow well and live into the exciting opportunities that are before them. I hope this song inspires them on the journey.

Take a listen to the clip below and let me know what you think.

-Paul

Be rooted in hope,
be tended with grace,
nourished by light
from God’s loving face.

Bear fruit that will last,
and let your lives be
a sign of the peace
that can heal and set free.