Revelations of Divine Love — Julian of Norwich

Tuus I saw, how Christ hath compassion on us for the cause of sin. And right as I was before in the passion of Christ fulfilled with pain and compassion ; like in this I was in party fulfilled with compassion of all my even Christen. For full well he loveth people that shall be saved; that is to say, Gods servants, Holy Church shall be shaked in sorrow, and anguish, and tribulation in this world, as men shaketh a cloath in the wind: and as to this our Lord answered, shewing on this manner; ‘Ah, a great thing ‘shall I make hereof in heaven of endless worship, and of everlasting joy. Ye, so far forth I saw that our Lord enjoyeth of the tribulation of his servants with pity and compassion; and to each person that he loveth to his bliss for to bring, he ~ layeth on him something that is no lack in his i 10

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THE TWENTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER,

sight; whereby they be lowed and despised in this world, scorned and mocked, and cast out. And this he doth for to let the harm that they should take of the pomp, and of the pride, and of the vain glory of this wretched life, and make their way ready to come to heaven in bliss without end everlasting. For he saith, */ shall all to [wholly] break you from your vain affections, and your vicious pride, and after that I shall gather you, and make you meek and mild, clean and holy by oning to me.” And then saw I that each kind compassion that man hath on his even Christian with charity, it is Christ in him; that each manner [of] naughting that was shewed in his passion, it was shewed again here in this compassion. Wherein were two manner of understandings in our Lords meaning; that one was the bliss that we be brought to, wherein he will that we enjoy. That other is for comfort in our pain; for he will that we wit that all shall turn us to worship and to profit, by the vertue of his passion. And that we wit that we suffered right naught alone, but with him, and see him our ground. And that we see his pains and his tribulation pass so far all that we may suffer, that it may not be full thought. And the well beholding of this will save us from grudging and dispair in the feeling of our pains: and if we see verily that our sin deserveth it, yet his love excuseth us, and of his great courtesie he (1

THE THIRTEENTH REVELATION.

doth away all our blame, and beholdeth us with ruth and pitty, as children, innocents and unloathful.

The Twenty-ninth Chapter

But in this I stood beholding generally, sweinly and mourningly, saying thus to our Lord in my meaning with full great dreed; ‘Ah good Lord, how might all be well for the great harm that is to come by sin to thy creatures?’ And here I desired as I durst, to have some more open declaring, wherewith that I might be eased in this. And to this our blessed Lord answered full meekly, and with full lovely cheir; and shewed that Adam’s sin was the most harm that ever was done, or ever shall be into the world’s end: and also he shewed that this is openly known in all Holy Church in earth. Furthermore, he learned that I should behold the glorious asseethe; for this asseeth-making is more pleasing to the blessed God-head, and more worshipful for man’s salvation without comparison, than ever was the sin of Adams harmful. Then meaneth our blessed Lord thus, and in this teaching; that we should take heed to this: ‘For sithen that I have made well by the most harm ; then it is my will that thou know thereby that I shall make well all that is less."

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THE THIRTIETH CHAPTER,

The Thirtieth Chapter