Revelations of Divine Love

by Julian of Norwich

I gazed on the nature of mercy and I gazed on the nature of grace, which have different ways of working, though both are from one love. Mercy has a nature full of pity which belongs to motherhood in tender love; and grace has an honouring nature which belongs to the royal lordship, yet in the same love. Mercy works like this: it keeps, suffers, quickens and heals; and all is tenderness of love. Grace works like this: it raises, rewards and endlessly transcends what our longing and our labours deserve, spilling everywhere and showing the high and plentiful generosity of God’s royal Lordship in his marvellous courtesy; and all of this from the abundance of love. For grace works our fearful failings into abundant and endless solace; and grace works our shameful falling into high and honouring elevation; and grace works our sorrowful dying into holy, blissful life.