Revelations of Divine Love

by Julian of Norwich

Optimism is in the marrow of Julian, and expressed most clearly in her famous words: ‘all shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.’ Her confidence about the future lies not in our strength but in God’s love. It is a certainty that we will fall; but an even greater certainty that God will never stop gazing on us lovingly, and helping us back to our feet. God is a courteous God, a homely God, and one who determined from before the beginning of time to bring us to the bliss of heaven.

‘Lord, you know what I long for, and if it be your will, may I have it. And if it is not your will, good Lord, do not be displeased; for I want nothing except what you want.’

At the same time, he showed me a little thing in the palm of my hand, about the size of a hazelnut, and as round as a ball. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding, and thought: ‘What can this be?’ And the answer came: ‘This is all that is made.’ I wondered how it might last, for something so small could soon become nothing. And in my understanding I received this answer: ‘It lasts and shall always last because God loves it. And so it is for all who have the being in the love of God.’

It is necessary to be aware of the smallness of creatures and to hold as nought all created things, in order to love and know God who is uncreated. For this is the cause of our uneasy heart and soul; in this life we seek rest in those things that are so inadequate, which possess no rest. And we do not know our God who is almighty, all wise and all good and our true rest. God wills to be known, and it pleases him that we rest in him; for all that is beneath him is not sufficient for us. And this is why no soul finds rest until it counts all created things as nothing.

Our Lord God also showed me how pleasing it is for him that that a helpless soul comes to him simply, in a plain and homely manner.

Then I saw that truly it is more honouring to God and more delightful for him, that we pray trustingly in his goodness and cling to his grace, with true understanding and steady love, than if we chase all the means the heart can think of; for even if we did all these things, it is still too little, and not the worship God is due. The answer lies only in God’s goodness, for that can never fail us.

For the goodness of God is the highest prayer and it reaches down to the deepest part of our need. It quickens our soul and brings it to life, and makes it grow in grace and virtue. It is nearest in our nature; and readiest in grace; the very same grace that the soul seeks and always will seek until we know truly that he has us wholly enclosed within himself.

For as the body is dressed in cloth, and the flesh in skin, and the bones in flesh, and the heart in the whole, so are we, soul and body, dressed in the goodness of God and enclosed.

For truly, it was clear to me that this is the most joy there can be: that he who is highest and mightiest, noblest and worthiest, is also the lowest and meekest, the homeliest and most courteous. And truly this marvellous joy shall be shown to us all when we see him.

The fifth is this: the one that made all things for love, by the same love keeps them, and shall keep them without end. And the sixth is that I saw that God is all that is good, and the goodness that each thing has, it is he.

For if I look at myself as an individual, I am nothing; but in the general body I am, I hope, oned in love with all my fellow Christians. For in this union is the life of all that shall be saved.

We know in our faith, and believe by the teaching and preaching of holy Church, that the blessed Trinity made humankind in his image and in his likeness. In the same manner, we know that when humankind fell so deep and so wretchedly into sin, there was no one to help restore us other than him who made us. And he that made humankind for love, by the same love restores humankind to the same bliss, even surpassing it. And just as we were the image of the Trinity in our first making, our Maker wills that by virtue of our remaking, we should be the image of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, in heaven without end.

And so I was taught to understand that seeking is as good as beholding, while he allows the soul to struggle. It is God’s will that we seek him, to the end that we behold him, waiting for the time when he reveals himself to us, through his special grace, at the time of his choosing.

I beheld and considered, seeing and knowing in the sight. And with a quiet dread I wondered: ‘What is sin?’ For I saw truly that God does all things, however small they may be. And I saw truly that nothing is done by chance or by accident, but that all things occur through the foreseeing wisdom of God. If it appears as chance or accident to us, then it is our blindness and short-sightedness which is the cause. The things that are in the foreseeing wisdom of God from the beginning, and which he rightfully, honourably and continually handles for the best outcome, seem to fall suddenly on us when they occur, and catch us unawares. And then in our blindness and short-sightedness we say: ‘This is by chance and accident!’ But to our Lord God they are not so.

And here I saw truly that sin is no deed: for throughout the revelation, sin was not shown.

And all this showed a most wonderful meaning: ‘See! I am God. See! I am in all things. See! I do all things. See! I never lift my hands off my works, nor ever shall, without end. See! I lead all things to the end I ordained for them from before the beginning of time, by the same might, wisdom and love from which I made it. How could any thing be amiss?’

Truly, the dear blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is as precious as it is plentiful. Behold and see! The precious plenty of his dear blood poured down into hell and burst her bands, delivering all that were there who belonged to the court of heaven. The precious plenty of his dear blood flows over all the earth, and is ready to wash the sin of all creatures of goodwill, both those who have been, and those yet to come. This same precious plenty of his dear blood then ascends up into heaven to the blessed body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and there is in him, bleeding and praying for us to the Father. And there it remains for as long as it is needed, and ever shall be for as long as it needed. It flows for evermore throughout the heavens, enjoying the salvation of all humankind who are there, and who shall be there, fulfilling the number in heaven.

as hard as he works, he continually sees that all saved souls escape him wonderfully, by the virtue of Christ’s precious passion. And that is his sorrow, and an evil of which he is he ashamed; for all that God allows him to do, becomes joy for us and shame and woe for him. And he has as much sorrow when God gives him leave to work, as when he does not work. And that

is because he can never do as ill as he would like; for his might is locked in God’s hand.

When I said that the Fiend is scorned, I meant that God scorns him; that is to say, he sees him now as shall be done with him forever.

And I saw how homely and sweetly this was shown, and how the life story of every one shall be made known in heaven, for they shall be rewarded for their willing service down the years; and those who offered their youth to God, willingly and freely, will be especially rewarded and wonderfully thanked.

There was neither comfort nor ease for me except faith, hope and love; and though I knew these in truth, I did not know them in feeling.

And in the time of joy I might have said with Saint Paul: ‘Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ.’ And in the pain I might have said with Peter: ‘Lord, save me, I perish!’

God wills that we know he keeps us securely in both good and bad times. And for the good of our soul, we are sometimes left to ourselves, and sin is not always the cause.

the other is Dionysius of France, who at that time was a pagan. For when he saw with marvelling wonder the sorrows and fears that befell Christ in that time, he said: ‘Either the world is now at an end, or he who made the natural world is suffering.’ Whereupon he wrote on an altar: ‘This is the altar of the unknown God.’

Then a thought came to my mind, as if it had been given by a friend: ‘Look up to heaven to his Father.’ And then I clearly saw, with the eyes of faith, that there was nothing between the cross and heaven that could harm me.

And this has always been a comfort to me, that by his grace, I chose Jesus as heaven, throughout his passion and sorrow; and that has taught me that I should always do so: choose only Jesus as my heaven in both health and hardship.

And in these words - ‘If I could suffer more, I would suffer more,’ - I saw in truth that as often as he could die, he would die, and that love would never let him rest until he had done it. And I watched with great diligence in order to learn how often he would die if he could. And truly the number passed both my understanding and my wits, so that I quite gave up counting. And when he had died all these times, or would have, yet in his love, it was all considered as nothing; for it all seemed to him so small compared to his love.

And with this our good Lord said quite blissfully: ‘See how I love you’, as if he had said: ‘My darling, behold and see your Lord and God who is your maker your endless joy! See what pleasure and bliss I have in your

salvation; and rejoice with me in my love.’

Through this I was taught that our soul shall never have rest until it comes to him, knowing him as our fullness of joy, homely and courteous, blissful and our very life.

But Jesus, who in this vision informed me of all that I need, answered by this word, saying: ‘Sin is necessary. But all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’

But all the while, I never saw sin; for I do not believe it has either manner of substance or any part of being, and is known only by the pain it causes. And as far as I can see, this pain, it must have its time; for it purges and makes us to know ourselves and to ask mercy.

And out of the tender love that our good Lord has for all who will be saved, he is quick to offer sweet comfort, for this is his meaning: ‘It is true that sin is cause of all this pain; but

all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of t...

These words were said so tenderly, and showed no hint of blame to me or to any who will be saved. And so it was a great unkindness for me to blame or question God over my sin, since he does not blame me for my sin. And in these words I saw a marvellous and lofty mystery hid in God, which shall become openly known to us in heaven. And in that knowing we shall truly u...

But our Lord answered in this manner: ‘I shall make a great thing of this in heaven, something of endless worship and everlasting joys.’ And then I saw why our Lord found joy in the tribulations of his servants, though with pity and compassion. For each person who he loves, to bring them to his bliss he lays on them something that is free of blame in his sight; yet which in the world, they are blamed for and despised, scorned, mocked and ostracised. And this he does to protect them from the temptations of pomp and vain-glory in this brief life, and to prepare their way to heaven, and raise them up into his eternal bliss. For he says: ‘I shall wholly break you of your vain affections and your vicious pride; and after that I shall gather you together again, and make you mild and meek, clean and holy, by becoming one with me.’ And then I saw that each kind of loving compassion we have for our fellow Christians, it is Christ in us. The same self-emptying that was shown in his passion was shown again here in this compassion.

He longs us to see that we do not suffer alone, but with him who we know as our ground; and that we understand his pains and humiliation to be so far beyond anything we could suffer, that it is quite beyond thought.

‘Since I have made well that which is most harmful, it is my will that you also know that I shall make well all that is less.’

and I am sure if we knew how much we would please him and ease ourselves by leaving such things alone, we would.

And so it was that our good Lord answered all the questions and doubts that I could make, comforting me by saying: ‘I may make all things well, I can make all things well, I will make all things well, and I shall make all things well; and you will see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well.’

when he says, ‘You will see for yourself’ I understand this to mean the oneness of all humankind that shall be saved by the blessed Trinity. In these five words God wills us to be enclosed in rest and in peace. Thus shall the spiritual thirst of Christ have an end.

We look around us, full of sorrow and mourning, and cannot submit to the blissful contemplation of God as we should. The reason is the use of our reason which presently is so blind, so base and so simple that we cannot appreciate the high and marvellous wisdom, the might and goodness of the blissful Trinity.

For just as the blissful Trinity made all things from nothing, so the same blessed Trinity shall make well all that is not well.

‘That which is impossible to you is not impossible to me. I shall keep my word in all things and I shall make all things well.’ Thus I was taught, by the grace of God, that I should steadfastly hold to the faith as I had previously understood it, and that I should firmly believe that all things shall be well, as our Lord showed at this time.

Holding these two in tension - orthodoxy and God's promise to make all things well.

It is God’s will that we have great regard for all the deeds he has done, but that we now cease from imagining what his deeds will be. Let us desire to be like our brethren the saints in heaven, who will nothing but God’s will and are well pleased both with hiding and with showing.

And then I was answered in my understanding, as it were by a friendly voice: ‘Look at things generally, and behold the graciousness of the Lord God as he shows to you; for it is more honouring to God to behold him in all things than in any particular thing.’

By his permission, we fall; but we are kept in his blissful love with his might and wisdom; and by mercy and grace we are raised to many more joys. It is in rightfulness and mercy he wills to be known and loved, now and without end. And the soul that wisely beholds it in grace is well pleased with both and enjoys them endlessly.

So we rejoice in him for all that he shows and all that he hides; and if we steadily and meekly do this, we shall find great ease of mind and receive from him endless thanks.

And there developed in me a quiet fear. And to this our Lord answered: ‘I keep you secure.’ This word was said with more love, security and spiritual keeping than I can ever tell. For just as it was shown that I would sin, so was the comfort also shown: security and safe keeping for all my fellow Christians.