Revelations of Divine Love

by Julian of Norwich

Nay, it is the key to the riddle of Nature and to the riddle of human life all alike in their several ways are " Revelations of Divine Love " however hard at times it may be for Faith, with tear-dimmed eyes and trembling fingers, to unravel the knot. ft Wit it well : Love was His meaning. Who shewed it thee ? Love. Wherefore shewed He it thee ? For Love."

It is love which at once saves and yet overcomes that separateness and individual distinction which is of the very essence of personality, and thereby welds the several grains of corn into one living vi bread.

"Awake ! thou that/ sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee."

Yet of these even, Love is the meaning, and they are shewn us by Love, and for the sake of Love. For a mind so unprepared as ours, for a capacity so limited, for a love so imperfect, the half- truth may be relatively and practically truer than the whole may guide us for our present need where a fuller light would but bewilder and blind us.

She was far from expecting, or desiring such unusual supernatural gifts.

The only graces that she did, and might, and so may we, desire absolutely, without any condition, were a true spiritual hatred and contempt of her self, and of all worldly, or sensual contentments ; a perfect sorrow and compunction for sins past ; and a cordial love, and reverential fear of Almighty God.

And this meant I, for I would be purged by the mercy of God, and after live more to the worship of God because of that sicknes.

wound of verie contrition, the wound of kind compas sion, and the wound of willful longing to God.

I knew well that it was strength enough to me, yea and to all creatures living, that should be saved against all the fiendes of hell, and against all ghostlie enemies.

saw that he is to us all thing that is good and comfortable to our help.

It lasteth, and ever shall : for God loveth it. And so hath all thing being by the love of God. In this litle thing I sawe three propeties. Thejlrst is, that God made it. The second is, that God loveth it. The third is, that God keepeth it.

For till I am substanciallie united to him, I maie never have full rest, ne verie blisse ; that is to saie, that I be so fastned to him, that there be right nought that is made betweene my God and mee.

And this is the cause why that no soule is in rest till it is naughted of all things that are made : when she is wilfullie naughted for love to have him that is all, then is she able to receave ghostlie rest.

Then sawe I verilie that it is more worship to God, and more verie delight that we faithfullie pray to himself of his goodnes, and cleave therto by his grace with true understanding and stedfast beleif, then if we made all the meanes that heart may think.

the blessed kindenes and the endles life that we have of all this, it is of the goodnes of God.

He cometh downe to us to the lowest part of our need. For he hath no despite of that he made, ne hath he no disdaine to serve us at the simplest office that to our bodie longeth in kind, for love of the soule that he made to his own likenes.

This wisdom and truth made her to behold her God so great, so high, so mighty, and so good This greatness and this noblety of her beholding of God, fulfilled her of reverend deed [dread] : and with this she saw herself so litle and so low, so simple and so poor, in regard of her God, that this reverend dread fulfilled her of meekness. And thus by this ground she was fulfilled of grace, and of all manner of vertues, and passeth all creatures.

The third is, the blessedful God-head that ever was, and shall be all mighty, all Wisdom, and all Love.

The fourth is, all thing that he hath made : for well I wote that heaven and earth, and all that is made, is great, large, fair and good : but the cause why it sheweth so litle to my sight, was, for I saw it in the presence of him that is the Maker; for a soul that seeth the Maker of all thing, all that is made seemeth full litle.

The fifth is, that lie [hath] made all thing that is made for love, and by the same love it is kept, and shall be w...

The sixth is, that God is all thing that is good, as to my sight ; and the goodness that...

And I abode with reverent dread, joying in that I saw, and desiring, as I durst, to see more if it were his will, or longer time the same sight.

And therefore, I pray you all for God s sake, and counsel you for your own profit, that you leave the beholding of a wretch that it was shewed to ; and mightily, wisely, and meekly, behold in God, that of his courtesie, love, and endless goodness, would shew it generally in comfort of us all : for it is Gods will that ye take it with a great joy and liking, as Jesu Christ hath shewed it to vou. rne

For in mankind that shall be saved, is com prehended all ; that is to say, all that is made, 25 rne and the Maker of all ; for in man is God, and in God is all ; and he that loveth thus, he loveth all.

All this was shewed by three parts ; that is to say, by bodily sight, and by words formed in rny understanding, and by ghostly sight ; but the ghostly sight I cannot, ne may shew it as openly, ne as fully as I would ; but I trust in our Lord God Almighty, that he shall of his goodness, and for your love, make you to take it more ghostly and more sweetly than I can or may tell it.

For he will that we believe that we see him continually, though that us think that it be but litle, and in the belief he maketh us evermore to get grace ; for he will be seen, and he will be sought, and he will be abiden, and he will be trusted.

We know in our faith and in our belief, by the teaching and preaching of Holy Church, that the blessedfull Trinity made mankind to his image and likeness : in the same manner- wise we know, that when man fell so deep and so wretchedly by sin, there was none other help to restore man but through him that made man.

And he that made man for love, by the same love he would restore man to the same bliss and over-passing.

And this vision was a learning to my understand ing that the continually seeking of the soul pleaseth God much ; for it may do no more than seek, suffer, and trust.

And thus was I learned to my understanding, that seeking is as good as beholding, for the time that he will suffer the soul to be in travaile. It is Gods will that we seek into the beholding of him ; for by that shall he shew us himself of his special grace, when he will.

It is God s will that we have three things in our seeking of his gift. The first is, that we seek wilfully and busily without sloath, as it may be with his grace, gladly and merrily, without 31 unreasonable heaviness and vain-sorrow. The second, that we abide him stedfastly for his love, without grudging and striving against him, into lives end, for it shall last but a while. The third is, that we trust in him mightily of full and true faith : for it is his will that we know that he shall appear suddenly and blessedfully to all his lovers.

For his working is privy, and he will be per ceived ; and his appearing shall be sweet, sudden ; and he will be trusted, for he is full homely, curteous.

See I am God: See I am in all things : See I do all things : See I never left my hands of my works, ne never shall without end : See I lead all thing to the end that I ordaine it to, fro without beginning, by the same might, wisdom, and love, that 1 made it with. How should anything be amiss

But well I wot that sight that he shewed me, made me to laugh : for I understood that we may laugh in comforting of our self, and joying in God, for the fiend is overcome.

For I saw in Christ a double thirst, one bodily, and another ghostly.

And in all this time of Christs presence, I felt no pain but for Christs pains.

Hell is an other pain, for there is despair ; but of all pains that lead to salvation, this is the most, to see the Lover to suffer.

and all creatures that might suffer pain, suffered with him ; that is to say, all creatures that God hath made to our service.

This deed and this work about our salvation, was ordained as well as God might ordaine it ; it was done as worship- fully as Christ might do it ; and herein I saw a full bliss in Christ; for his bliss should not have been full, if it might any better have been done than it was done.

was learned, that our soul shall never have rest till it come into him,

for we be all one in Gods meaning.

I should only enjoy in our blessed Saviour Jesu, and trust in him for all thing.

I may make all thing well ; and I can make all thing well; and I shall make all thing well; and I will make all thing well ; and thou shall see thyself that all manner of thing shall be well.

It is a joy, a bliss, and endless liking to me, that ever I suffered passion for thee.

but his wisdom and his love suffer not the same to come till the best time.

ONE time our good Lord said, All manner of thing shall be well : and another time he said, Thou shalt see thy self, that all manner of thing shall be well.

methought it was unpossible that all manner of thing should be well, as our Lord shewed in this time.

For the full-head of joy, is to behold God in all ; for by the same blessed might, wisdom, and love, that he made all thing, to the same end, our good Lord leadeth it continually, and there to himself shall bring it, and when it is time we shall see it.

All that our Lord doth, is rightfully, and all that he suffereth is worshipful.

GOD brought to mind that I should sin : and for liking that I had in beholding of him, I entented not redily to that shewing. And our Lord full mercifully abode, and gave me grace for to entend.