Revelations of Divine Love

As an hert desirith to the wellis of watris: so thou God, my soule desirith to thee.... The Lord sent his merci in the day: and his song in the nyght. Ps. '_Quemadmodum_'; from...

"The phase of thought or feeling which we call Mysticism has its origin in ... that dim consciousness of the _beyond_ which is part of our nature as human beings.... Mysticism a...

"He is the Head, and we be His members." "Therefore our Father nor may nor will more blame assign to us than to His own Son, precious and worthy Christ"

It is in connection with the old Church of St Julian in the parish of Conisford, outlying Norwich, that Julian is mentioned in Blomefield's _History of Norfolk_ (vol. iv. p. 81)...

And anent our Substance He made us noble, and so rich that evermore we work His will and His worship. (Where I say "we," it meaneth Man that shall be saved.) For soothly I saw t...

xvi.-xxi. _The Eighth Revelation:_ Of the oneness of God and Man in the Passion of Christ, through Compassion of the Creature with Christ and of Christ with the Creature. All co...

And thus I saw that God rejoiceth that He is our Father, and God rejoiceth that He is our Mother, and God rejoiceth that He is Very Spouse and our soul is His loved Wife. And Ch...

And after this I saw with bodily sight in the face of the crucifix that hung before me, on the which I gazed continually, a part of His Passion: despite, spitting and sullying,...

For Charity pray we all; [together] with _God's_ working, thanking, trusting, enjoying. For thus will our good Lord be prayed to, as by the understanding that I took of all His...

"By the assay of this falling we shall have an high marvellous knowing of Love in God, without end. For strong and marvellous is that love which may not, nor will not, be broken...

For I saw truly that God doeth all-thing, be it never so little. And I saw truly that nothing is done by hap nor by adventure, but all things by the foreseeing wisdom of God: if...

And in that time the custom of our praying was brought to mind: how we use for lack of understanding and knowing of Love, to take many means [whereby to beseech Him].[1]

"Often I wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of God the beginning of sin was not hindered: for then, methought, all should have been well." "Sin is behovable--[playeth a...

"My sin shall not hinder His Goodness working.... A deed shall be done--as we come to Heaven--and it may be known here in part;--though it be truly taken for the general Man, ye...

"In every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall." "Ere that He made us He loved us, and when we were made we loved Him"

Our Lord God willeth that we have true understanding, and specially in three things that belong to our prayer. The first is: _by whom and how that our prayer springeth. By whom_...

"All our life is in three: 'Nature, Mercy, Grace.' The high Might of the Trinity is our Father, and the deep Wisdom of the Trinity is our Mother, and the great Love of the Trini...

But now behoveth to say a little more of this forthspreading, as I understand in the meaning of our Lord: how that we be brought again by the Motherhood of Mercy and Grace into...

But now behoveth me to tell in what manner I saw sin deadly in the creatures which shall not die for sin, but live in the joy of God without end.

"There be deeds evil done in our sight, and so great harms taken, that it seemeth to us that it were impossible that ever it should come to good end." "That Great Deed ordained...

"All was closed, and I saw no more." "For the folly of feeling a little bodily pain I unwisely lost for the time the comfort of all this blessed Shewing of our Lord God"

But yet oftentimes our trust is not full: for we are not sure that God heareth us, as we think because of our unworthiness, and because we feel right nought, (for we are as barr...

Afore this time I had great longing and desire of God's gift to be delivered of this world and of this life. For oftentimes I beheld the woe that is here, and the weal and the b...

And thus Christ is our Way, us surely leading in His laws, and Christ in His body mightily beareth us up into heaven. For I saw that Christ, us all having in Him that shall be s...

And thus I saw full surely that it is readier to us to come to the knowing of God than to know our own Soul. For our Soul is so deep-grounded in God, and so endlessly treasured,...

And [it was] to learn us this, as to mine understanding, [that] our Lord God shewed our Lady Saint Mary in the same time: that is to say, the high Wisdom and Truth _she_ had in...

Prayer oneth the soul to God. For though the soul be ever like to God in kind and substance, restored by grace, it is often unlike in condition, by sin on man's part. Then is pr...

Our good Lord shewed the enmity of the Fiend: in which Shewing I understood that all that is contrary to love and peace is of the Fiend and of his part. And we have, of our feeb...

For this word was shewed for the bodily thirst: the which I understood was caused by failing of moisture. For the blessed flesh and bones was left all alone without blood and mo...

Sin is the sharpest scourge that any chosen soul may be smitten with: which scourge thoroughly beateth[1] man and woman, and maketh him hateful in his own sight, so far forth th...

And when I was thirty years old and a half, God sent me a bodily sickness, in which I lay three days and three nights; and on the fourth night I took all my rites of Holy Church...

For I understand [that there be] four manner of dreads. One is the dread of an affright that cometh to a man suddenly by frailty. This dread doeth good, for it helpeth to purge...

Then said our good Lord Jesus Christ: _Art thou well pleased that I suffered for thee?_ I said: _Yea, good Lord, I thank Thee; Yea, good Lord, blessed mayst Thou be._ Then said...

"True love teacheth us that we should hate sin only for love." "To me was shewed no harder hell than sin." "God willeth that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the sou...

"It is needful to see and to know that we are sinners: wherefore we deserve pain and wrath." "He is God: Good, Life, Truth, Love, Peace: His Clarity and His Unity suffereth Him...

"Where our Lord appeareth, peace is taken, and wrath hath no place." "Immediately is the soul made at one with God when it is truly set at peace in itself"

And thus our good Lord answered to all the questions and doubts that I might make, saying full comfortably: _I may make all thing well, I can make all thing well, I will make al...

Here may we see that we have verily of Nature to hate sin, and we have verily of Grace to hate sin. For Nature is all good and fair in itself, and Grace was sent out to save Nat...

Also God shewed that sin shall be no shame to man, but worship. For right as to every sin is answering a pain by truth, right so for every sin, to the same soul is given a bliss...

But our good Lord the Holy Ghost, which is endless life dwelling in our soul, full securely keepeth us; and worketh therein a peace and bringeth it to ease by grace, and accorde...

All the blessed teaching of our Lord was shewed by three parts: that is to say, by bodily sight, and by word formed in mine understanding, and by spiritual sight. For the bodily...

"We fail oftentimes of the sight of Him, and anon we fall into our self, and then find we no feeling of right,--nought but contrariness that is in our self"

And after this, ere God shewed any words, He suffered me for a convenient time to give heed unto Him and all that I had seen, and all intellect[1] that was therein, as the simpl...

"Though we be highly lifted up into contemplation by the special gift of our Lord, yet it is needful to us to have knowledge and sight of our sin and our feebleness"

Of the which the First is of His precious crowning with thorns; and therewith was comprehended and specified the Trinity, with the Incarnation, and unity betwixt God and man's s...

And in these three words: _It is a joy, a bliss, an endless satisfying to me_, were shewed three heavens, as thus: For the joy, I understood the pleasure of the Father; and for...

And when God Almighty had shewed so plenteously and joyfully of His Goodness, I desired to learn assuredly as to a certain creature that I loved, if it should continue in good l...

I saw that God can do all that we need. And these three that I shall speak of we need: love, longing, pity. Pity in love keepeth us in the time of our need; and longing in the s...

"Jesus Christ that doeth Good against evil is our Very Mother: we have our Being of Him where the Ground of Motherhood beginneth,--with all the sweet Keeping by Love, that endle...

I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us: He is our clothing that for love wrappeth us, claspeth us, and all encloseth[2] us for tender love, that H...

Also I had of this [Revelation] more understanding. In that He shewed me that I should sin, I took it nakedly to mine own singular person, for I was none otherwise shewed at tha...

But here shewed our courteous Lord the moaning and the mourning of the soul, signifying thus: _I know well thou wilt live for my love, joyously and gladly suffering all the pena...

I speak but little of reverent dread, for I hope it may be seen in this matter aforesaid. But well I wot our Lord shewed me no souls but those that dread Him. For well I wot the...

And with this same cheer of mirth and joy our good Lord looked down on the right side and brought to my mind where our Lady stood in the time of His Passion; and said: _Wilt tho...

In which Shewing I understood six things:--The first is, the tokens of the blessed Passion and the plenteous shedding of His precious blood. The second is, the Maiden that is Hi...

God deemeth us [looking] upon our Nature-Substance, which is ever kept one in Him, whole and safe without end: and _this_ doom is [because] of His rightfulness [in the which it...

And thus I understood that what man or woman with firm will[1] chooseth God in this life, for love, he may be sure that he is loved without end: which endless love worketh in hi...

The first is, use of man's Reason natural; the second is, common teaching of Holy Church; the third is, inward gracious working of the Holy Ghost. And these three be all of one...

"Above the Faith is no goodness kept in this life, as to my sight, and beneath the Faith is no help of soul; but _in_ the Faith, _there_ willeth the Lord that we keep us"

And in this life mercy and forgiveness is our way and evermore leadeth us to grace. And by the tempest and the sorrow that we fall into on our part, we be often dead as to man's...

"The place that Jesus taketh in our soul He shall never remove from, without end:--for in us His homliest home and His endless dwelling." "Our soul can never have rest in things...

In this [moment] suddenly I saw the red blood trickle down from under the Garland hot and freshly and right plenteously, as it were in the time of His Passion when the Garland o...

In this [time] I would have looked up from the Cross, but I durst not. For I wist well that while I beheld in the Cross I was surely-safe; therefore I would not assent to put my...

These Revelations were shewed to a simple creature unlettered,[1] the year of our Lord 1373, the Thirteenth day of May. Which creature [had] afore desired three gifts of God. Th...

Here I saw a part of the compassion of our Lady, Saint Mary: for Christ and she were so oned in love that the greatness of her loving was cause of the greatness of her pain. For...

And in this [Shewing] mine understanding was lifted up into Heaven where I saw our Lord as a lord in his own house, which hath called all his dear worthy servants and friends to...

"Faith is nought else but a right understanding, with true belief and sure trust, of our Being: that we are in God, and God is in us: Whom we see not"

Thus I saw how Christ hath compassion on us for the cause of sin. And right as I was afore in the [Shewing of the] Passion of Christ fulfilled with pain and compassion, like so...

Because of the Shewing I am not good but if I love God the better: and in as much as ye love God the better, it is more to you than to me. I say[1] not this to them that be wise...

"It is God's will that we have great regard to all His deeds that He hath done, but evermore it needeth us to leave the beholding what the Deed shall be"

"We be now with Him in His Pains and His Passion, dying. We shall be with Him in Heaven. Through learning in this little pain that we suffer here, we shall have an high endless...

"God is Very Father and Very Mother of Nature: and all natures that He hath made to flow out of Him to work His will shall be restored and brought again into Him by the salvatio...

He shewed Himself in earth in the sweet Incarnation and in His blessed Passion. And in other manner He shewed Himself in earth [as in the Revelation] where I say: _I saw God in...

And after this I saw, beholding, the body plenteously bleeding in seeming of[1] the Scourging, as thus:--The fair skin was broken full deep into the tender flesh with sharp smit...

And after this He shewed a sovereign ghostly pleasante in my soul. I was fulfilled with the everlasting sureness, mightily sustained without any painful dread. This feeling was...

Glad and joyous and sweet is the Blissful lovely Cheer[1] of our Lord to our souls. For He [be]holdeth[2] us ever, living in love-longing: and He willeth that _our_ soul be in g...

This was a delectable Sight and a restful Shewing, that it is so _without end_. The beholding of this while we are here is full pleasing to God and full great profit to us; and...

Then with a glad cheer our Lord looked unto His Side and beheld, rejoicing. With His sweet looking He led forth the understanding of His creature by the same wound into His Side...

After this the Fiend came again with his heat and with his stench, and gave me much ado,[1] the stench was so vile and so painful, and also dreadful and travailous. Also I heard...

And thus I saw our Lord Jesus languoring long time. For the oneing with the Godhead gave strength to the manhood for love to suffer more than all men might suffer: I mean not on...

I had, in part, touching, sight, and feeling in three properties of God, in which the strength and effect of all the Revelation standeth: and they were seen in every Shewing, an...

I saw His sweet face as it were dry and bloodless with pale dying. And later, more pale, dead, languoring; and then turned more dead unto blue; and then more brown-blue, as the...

He gave me understanding of two parts [of truth]. The one part is our Saviour and our salvation. This blessed part is open and clear and fair and light, and plenteous,--for all...

"In every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall."--"For failing of Love on our part, therefore is all our travail"

Our Lord God shewed two manner of secret things. One is this great Secret [Counsel] with all the privy points that belong thereto: and these secret things He willeth we should k...

God shewed in all the Revelations, oftentimes, that man worketh evermore His will and His worship lastingly without any stinting. And _what_ this work is, was shewed in the Firs...

But in this I stood beholding things general, troublously and mourning, saying thus to our Lord in my meaning, with full great dread: _Ah! good Lord, how might all be well, for...

And in this sight I marvelled highly. For notwithstanding our simple living and our blindness here, yet endlessly our courteous Lord beholdeth us in this working, rejoicing; and...

And after this our Lord shewed Himself more glorified, as to my sight, than I saw Him before [in the Shewing] wherein I was learned that our soul shall never have rest till it c...

The light is Charity, and the measuring of this light is done to us profitably by the wisdom of God. For neither is the light so large that we may see our blissful Day, nor is i...