Revelations of Divine Love
Author: Julian of Norwich; Simon Parke
Date: 2011-09-29 21:20:30-04:00
Keywords: Classics; Religion; Christianity; Spirituality; Catholicism
Description: Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich is the first book written in English by a woman. But the work is read now not for historical interest but for the God she describes and the optimism she exudes; an optimism all the more remarkable for the setting in which she wrote. Optimism is in Julian’s marrow 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 future hope lies not in human strength but in God’s love. It is certain that we will fall; but even more certain that God will never stop gazing on us lo
Publisher: White Crow Books
Rights: copyright © 2011 White Crow Books

REVELATIONS OF
DIVINE LOVE

REVELATIONS OF
DIVINE LOVE

by JULIAN OF NORWICH

A 2011 edition by Simon Parke

White Crow Books is an imprint of

White Crow Productions Ltd

PO Box 1013

Guildford

GU1 9EJ

www.whitecrowbooks.com

This edition copyright © 2011 White Crow Books

All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, in any manner, is prohibited.

Design and eBook production by Essential Works

www.essentialworks.co.uk

Text design by Velin Saramov

Paperback 978-1-907661-88-4

eBook 978-1-907661-89-1

Religion / Spiritual / Christian

Distributed in the UK by

Lightning Source Ltd.

Chapter House

Pitfield

Kiln Farm

Milton Keynes MK11 3LW

Distributed in the USA by

Lightning Source Inc.

246 Heil Quaker Boulevard

LaVergne

Tennessee 37086

Contents

INTRODUCTION

REVELATIONS OF DIVINE LOVE

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

THE FIRST REVELATION

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

THE SECOND REVELATION

Chapter 10

THE THIRD REVELATION

Chapter 11

THE FOURTH REVELATION

Chapter 12

THE FIFTH REVELATION

Chapter 13

THE SIXTH REVELATION

Chapter 14

THE SEVENTH REVELATION

Chapter 15

THE EIGHTH REVELATION

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

THE NINTH REVELATION

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

THE TENTH REVELATION

Chapter 24

THE ELEVENTH REVELATION

Chapter 25

THE TWELFTH REVELATION

Chapter 26

THE THIRTEENTH REVELATION

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

THE FOURTEENTH REVELATION

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

CERTAIN POINTS IN THE FOREGOING FOURTEEN REVELATIONS

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

THE FIFTEENTH REVELATION

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

THE SIXTEENTH REVELATION

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84

Chapter 85

Chapter 86

Paperbacks also available from White Crow Books

Introduction

You are holding the first book written in English by a woman; but this is not why the work lives on in such rude health today. People continue to read Julian of Norwich not for historical interest, but for the God she describes and the optimism she exudes; an optimism which is all the more remarkable for the setting in which she wrote.

Julian’s social setting

Julian lived in Norwich, then one of England’s most prosperous cities, from 1342–1416. However, 14th century England was far from the Merry Old England of legend. It was the time of the Black Death, which came in waves, striking Norwich at least three times during Julian’s life. There would not have been a family unaffected, with the 1351 strain particularly lethal for children. It was also a period of great social unrest brought on by the shortage of labour, high taxes and bad harvests in 1348, 1363 and most crucially 1369, which led to the Peasants’ Revolt.

Neither was the church a beacon of light. These were the days of two competing papacies in Rome and Avignon, a split which lasted from 1378–1417; indeed, Julian’s own Bishop of Norwich was caught up in their squalid battles. In her writing, Julian always insists on her loyalty to the ‘holy’ church; but this was not a loyalty professed by the Lollards, early Protestants who followed on from John Wycliffe. Many of these men and women were burnt at the stake for their beliefs, with one mass execution taking place on the outskirts of Norwich itself. It was perhaps fitting for this turbulent century that it ended with the overthrow of King Richard II by Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV.

Such was the setting in which Julian spoke, pondered, prayed and wrote.

Julian’s life story

There are few sure facts about Julian’s life. But we do know from the Revelations of Divine Love that at the age of 30, while living at home with her mother, she believed herself to be at death’s door with a serious illness. It was at this time she had a series of intense visions of Jesus Christ. On her recovery, she recorded these visions in a shorter form; and then 20 years later - and after reflection on their meaning - she recorded them in a longer form, which is the book you now hold, written originally in the Middle English of Chaucer.

A significant decision for Julian was becoming an anchoress. Anchorites were common enough at that time. They needed first to convince their bishop or religious superior that theirs was a genuine religious calling; and that they were materially provided for, as they would need two servants to care for them. They were then ‘anchored’ in their place, followed a strict way of life and most remained hermits until their death.

Such was the choice of Julian, made soon after she experienced the visions. Already a thoughtful and committed believer, she now moved to an anchorage in the churchyard of St Julian of Norwich. The cell was built on the side of the church from which she took her name. In the preceding ceremony, the last rites were said over Julian, for after this time no priest could reach her. The bishop then ceremonially bricked up the doorway, the only means of escape, and her solitary life as an anchoress began.

An anchoress led a solitary life, but not one entirely cut off from the world; rather, she was anchored in the world. A sign of this relationship were the three windows in the anchorage. The first was known as the Squint, which enabled Julian to see into the church and to receive the Sacrament. The second window was for her attendants to bring food and dispose of bodily waste, for which there was a chamber pot. (The only other furniture was a hard bed, a crucifix and a small altar.) The third window was for visitors who sought her out for advice, counselling or prayer.

Outside visitors were restricted but they did come, drawn by Julian’s reputation for discernment. Her most famous visitor was the spiritual adventuress Margery Kempe, who sought counsel about her experiences, to see ‘if there were any deception in them. For the anchoress was an expert in such things and could give good advice.’

We know much about the day-to-day life of these people from the Ancrene Wisse which was a 13th century guide for anchoresses in both their inner and outer lives.

And this we know as well: Julian’s life from this time on was one of prayer, contemplation, the Sacrament and counselling.

Julian’s spirituality

It is Julian’s vision of God that has ensured the longevity of her work and influence.

English mysticism was at its height in the late 14th century. Richard Rolle’s Fire of Love was almost certainly known to Julian, as were the works of Walter Hilton. The anonymous work The Cloud of Unknowing stands above these, and perhaps Revelations of Divine Love higher still. It was Thomas Merton who wrote, ‘There can be no doubt that Julian of Norwich is the greatest of the English mystics.’

Why such a spiritual flowering in this bleakest of centuries? Perhaps bleakness itself is an inspiration to strip away the frippery and indulgence of religious belief, in search of something more authentic; it is the nature of God and not the church which interests Julian.

But there were other factors as well. The emergence of the English language at this time, as enjoyed by Chaucer, allowed faith – previously trapped in Latin - to be poured into new phrases and new thought forms. It was a freeing of God. It was also an era of increasingly individual expression, both of religious and political ideas, begun by John Wycliffe and continued by the Lollards. As has been said, Julian always claimed loyalty to the Church. But much of what she said sounded very different to the orthodoxy of her day.

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.

The optimism of her good thoughts stood in stark contrast to the predominant theology of the day, in which suffering was regarded as punishment. Monastic writers and parish priests taught that all the troubles people faced were the punishment of an angry God; and such teaching left an all-pervasive fear of sin, death and damnation. For Julian, however, suffering was not punishment, but a mystery held within the bigger truth of God’s love. God is our maker, our keeper, our lover and our joy; and everything has a purpose even if it is hidden from us now.

Suffering is not explained in this book, for God never explains it to Julian. But suffering is offered as something intrinsic to our ultimate reward and blessing in heaven; while sin is necessary to bring us self-awareness and humility. Sin does not require forgiveness because it is part of life’s learning process. As she says, ‘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 Julian further pushed the orthodoxy of her day with feminine imagery of God, shown in her repeated description of Christ as our mother.

Julian is famous for her optimism, which bubbles with joy and compassion above law and duty. But it is an optimism born from profound awareness of suffering. Some people’s talk of hope appears little more than wishful thinking or a desire to avoid unpleasantness; but Julian’s path to this place was different. It was in 1373 that she received her visions, after naming three particular gifts she desired from God: The first, consistent remembering of Christ’s passion; the second, bodily sickness when she was 30, the age of Jesus when his ministry began; and third, the receiving of three wounds: true contrition, loving compassion and a longing for God.

She duly fell ill and the priest came to prepare her for death; and then on May 8th, the pain left her and she experienced a series of revelations or showings. During the next twelve hours, she received fifteen of these visions; and then a 16th the following morning. The first eight chapters focus particularly on the suffering of Jesus on the cross, a scene Julian feels called to stay with and watch; after this, the canvas is more varied, as she describes both the struggles and the hope of being human, within the safe holding of God’s love.

It’s in the 16th revelation that Julian is given the meaning of all that has gone before. As she writes: ‘And from the time it was shown, I often desired to learn our Lord’s meaning. And fifteen years later and more, I was answered in spiritual understanding, with these words: ‘You wish to learn the Lord’s meaning in this thing? Learn it well: love was his meaning. Who showed it to you? Love. What did he show you? Love. Why did he show it? For love. Hold yourself there and you shall learn and know more of the same. But you shall never know or learn any other thing there.’

The manuscript and text

We have three copies of the longer version of Julian’s text from the 17th century, 300 years after her death. There is also a truncated version from the 15th century which looks like a first draft of the final version. At the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII, much irreplaceable material was lost or destroyed. This may explain why one of the manuscripts appeared in Paris; presumably it was sent there for safekeeping. There are slight variations in the text of the French manuscript.

The English we speak today is both similar and different to the Middle English used by Julian, so every fresh edition of the work is a translation in some way. In this edition I have wanted to make Julian both accessible and medieval. I wish her to be read without too much struggle; but wish also to honour the language she spoke, because the medium is the message. This is particularly evident in my continued use of her word ‘oneing’, which is a crucial idea in Julian’s theology and means ‘to make one’. I don’t think modern English has bettered this word, and so I have kept it in the text; and there are other traces of the Middle English deliberately left for flavour and authenticity. Here is Julian, speaking across the centuries, unabridged and paraphrased only to make clear her meaning.

The 14th century was not just plague, revolt and damnation, of course. It saw also the invention of the clock and the beginnings of modern universities, Parliament and the banking system. And as we have said, it gave birth to the first book written in English by a woman.

A Revelation of Love in Sixteen showings

CHAPTER 1

THIS is a Revelation of Love that Jesus Christ, our endless happiness, made in sixteen particular revelations.

The First concerns the precious crowning of our Lord with thorns, which contains and reveals both the Trinity and the incarnation, and unity between God and the human soul, with many fair showings of endless wisdom and teachings of love; and in which all the showings that follow are grounded and oned.

The Second is the changing colour of his fair face in token of his precious passion.

The Third is that just as our Lord God, all wisdom and love, has truly made everything that is, so also does and works all things that are done.

The Fourth is the scourging of his tender body, with plentiful shedding of his blood.

The Fifth is that the fiend is overcome by the precious passion of Christ.

The Sixth is the honourable thankfulness of our Lord God in which he rewards his blessed servants in heaven.

The Seventh is our recurring good and bad feelings. We feel well when touched by that which is gracious and uplifting, bringing true assurance of endless joy; and we feel woe when tempted by the weight and irksome nature of our fleshly living; but always spiritually aware that in both good and bad, we are kept securely in love by the goodness of God.

The Eighth is of the last pains of Christ and his cruel dying.

The Ninth concerns the blissful Trinity’s acceptance of the harsh passion of Christ and his painful dying. In this joy and acceptance he wills that we shall be comforted and made glad with him, until we come into the fullness in heaven.

The Tenth is our Lord Jesus lovingly showing us his blissful heart; broken in two, yet he rejoicing.

The Eleventh is a high and spiritual showing of his most dear mother.

The Twelfth reveals that our Lord is the most worthy Being.

The Thirteenth is that our Lord God wills us pay attention to all the his deeds in the most noble creation of all things; in the excellent making of humankind to be pre-eminent above all he has made and the precious amends he has made for our sin, turning all our blame into endless glory. In this showing our Lord also says: ‘Look and see! For by the same might, wisdom and goodness that I have done all this, I shall also make well all that is not well; and you will see it.’ And he wills that we keep ourselves in this faith and truth of holy Church, not clamouring to see into his secret ways now, except those that belong to us in this life.

The Fourteenth is that our Lord is the ground of our prayer. Here I saw two properties: the one is rightful prayer and the other, steadfast trust. God wills that both should be equally large. In this way our prayer pleases him and from his goodness, he fulfils it.

The Fifteenth reveals that by his goodness, we shall suddenly be taken from all our pain and from all our woe, and shall emerge above, where we will receive our Lord Jesus as reward and be filled with joy and deep happiness in heaven.

The Sixteenth is that the blissful Trinity, our maker in Christ Jesus our Saviour, endlessly dwells in our soul, gloriously ruling and protecting all things, and saving and keeping us mightily and wisely in his love; so we shall not be overcome by our enemy.

CHAPTER 2

These revelations were shown to a simple creature unskilled in letters, the year of our Lord 1373 on the eighth day of May. This creature had previously desired three gifts of God. The first was an understanding of his passion; the second was bodily sickness in my youth, at thirty years of age; the third was to have a gift from God of three wounds.

As to the first, I thought I had some feeling for the passion of Christ, yet I desired more by the grace of God. I imagined myself at that time to be as Mary Magdalene and others that were Christ’s lovers. I therefore desired a bodily sight through which I could gain more knowledge of the bodily pains of our Saviour and of the compassion of our Lady and of all his true lovers who witnessed his pains at that time; for I wished to be like them and suffer with him. I desired no other sight or showing of God, till my soul was separated from my body. The reason for this petition was that after the showing I would have a truer understanding of Christ’s suffering.

The second request came to my mind with contrition. I freely desired that my sickness should be so harsh as to be fatal, and that in that sickness I might receive all my rites from holy Church, believing that I would die. All creatures who saw me would suppose the same, for I would have no manner of comfort in this earthly life. In this sickness I desired to have all the bodily and spiritual pains that I would have if I were to die, with all the fears and turbulence of the fiends, except for the actual passing over of the soul. And I planned this so that by the mercy of God I would be purged and afterwards live more wholly for the honour of God because of that sickness; and also that my death might be speeded up; for I desired to be with my God soon.

I placed a condition on my wish for these two desires for the passion and for sickness, saying this: ‘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.’

For the third request, by the grace of God and teaching of holy Church, I conceived a strong desire to receive three wounds in my life: that is to say, the wound of true contrition, the wound of natural compassion and the wound of steadfast longing for God. And I made this last request without any conditions.

The two desires previously mentioned passed from my mind, but the third dwelled with me continually.

CHAPTER 3

When I was thirty and a half years old, God sent me a bodily sickness, in which I lay for three days and three nights; and on the fourth night I received the rites of holy Church, and did not believe I would survive the day. And after this I languished for two days and two nights, and on the third night I frequently thought I was about to die, as did those who were with me.

And being still young, I thought it a great sorrow to die, but not for anything on earth that I might like to live for, nor for any fear of pain; for I trusted in God’s mercy. But it was to have lived more lovingly towards God, and for a longer time, that I might have more knowing and love of God in the bliss of heaven. For I thought constantly about how I had lived here so inadequately and for so short a time compared to that endless bliss, that my life was as nothing. And so I thought: ‘Good Lord, perhaps my living is no longer to your worship?’ And I understood both by reason and by the feel of my pains that I should die; and I assented fully with all the will of my heart to be at one with God’s will.

Thus I endured until morning, and by then I felt my body was dead from the middle downwards. Then I wished to be sat upright, with my back supported, to have more freedom of heart to be at God’s will and to think on God while my life lasted.

My curate was sent for to be at my ending, and by the time he arrived I had set my eyes and could not speak. He put the cross before my face and said: ‘I have brought you the image of your Master and Saviour: look upon it and be comforted.’

I thought I was well as I was, for my eyes were set upwards toward heaven, where I trusted the mercy of God would come from. Nevertheless I agreed to set my eyes on the face of the crucifix, if I could; and this is what I did. For I thought I could endure longer by looking straight forward rather than right up.

After this my sight began to fail, and it was dark in the room, as if it were night, save for the image of the cross in which I found a common light and I did not know how. All that was around the cross filled me with horror, as if it had been taken over by the fiends.

After this the upper part of my body began to die, and to such a degree that I scarcely had any feeling and was short of breath. And then I truly thought I would die. And in this moment, suddenly all my pain was taken from me, and I was as whole, especially in the upper part of my body, as I ever was before.

I marvelled at this sudden change, for I thought it was a secret working of God, rather than from natural causes. And yet despite this feeling of ease, I did not believe I was more likely to live; nor was the feeling of this ease in any sense complete, for I still preferred to be delivered from this world.

Then it came suddenly into my mind that I should seek the second wound of our Lord’s gracious gift: that my body might be filled with understanding of, and feeling for, his blessed passion. For I wished that his pains were my pains; that we shared the suffering and then a longing for God. In all this I never desired a bodily sight or showing of God; but rather, the same compassion as any sympathetic soul might have for our Lord Jesus, who for love became a mortal man. And so it was I desired to suffer with him.

The First Showirg

CHAPTER 4

IN this moment I suddenly saw the red blood trickle down from under the crown. It was hot and freshly spilling in huge amounts just as it did in the time of his passion when the crown of thorns was pressed on his blessed head; he who was both God and man and who suffered in this way for me. I understood truly and forcefully that it was he himself who showed it to me, without any intermediary.

And in the same revelation, suddenly the Trinity filled my heart with utmost joy. And so I understood it shall be like this in heaven, and without end, for all that shall come there. For the Trinity is God and God is the Trinity; and the Trinity is our maker and keeper, our everlasting love, joy and bliss, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And this was revealed in the First Showing and in all other showings, for as I see it, where Jesus appears, the blessed Trinity is understood.

And I declared: ‘Benedicite, Domine!’ This I said with reverence as my only meaning and with a mighty shout; for I was both amazed and in wonder and marvel that one so holy and awesome could yet be so familiar with a sinful creature living in wretched flesh.

This showing I understood to be for times of temptation, for I reckoned that God might well permit me to be tempted by fiends before I died. Through this sight of the blessed passion, with the Godhead that I saw in my understanding, I knew well that here was strength enough for me; yes, and strength for all living creatures against all the fiends of hell and spiritual temptation.

In this showing, he brought our blessed Lady to my awareness. I saw her as though she were there, in bodily likeness: a simple maid and meek, still young, little more than a child; yet the very same age as when she conceived. Also God showed me in part the wisdom and truth of her soul, by which I understood the reverent beholding in which she beheld her God and maker. And I marvelled with great reverence that he should be born of her, a simple creature of his own making. And it was this wisdom and truth - knowing both the greatness of her maker and the littleness of her own created being – that caused her to say so meekly to Gabriel: ‘Behold, God’s handmaid!’ From this scene I understood truly that in worthiness and grace, she is more exalted than all those who God made beneath her; for above her there is nothing and no one but the blessed humanity of Christ.

CHAPTER 5

At the same time our Lord showed me a spiritual sight of his homely love for us.

I saw that he is everything that is good and comfortable for us. Like our clothing which wraps us, so he clasps us and encloses us in tender love that he may never leave us. It was my understanding that he was everything that is good.

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.’

In this little object I saw three truths. The first is that God made it; the second is that God loves it and the third is that God keeps it. Yet what the maker, the keeper, and the lover mean to me, I cannot tell, for until I am oned in essence with him, I will never have full rest nor true bliss; that is to say, until I am so fastened to him that there is absolutely no created thing between my God and me.

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. When, out of love, and in order to know the God who is all, we willingly consider such things as nought, then we are able to receive spiritual rest.

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. For through this revelation, I saw that this is the natural longing of the soul, when touched by the touching of the Holy Spirit:

‘God, from your goodness, give me yourself!

You are enough for me, and I ask only what is truly honouring to you;

And if I ask anything other than this, I am left wanting, for only in you do I have all.’

And these words are most lovely to the soul, and so near to touching the will of God and his goodness. For his goodness includes within it all his creatures and blessed works, and surpasses all things without end. He is the endlessness, and has made us only for himself. He has restored us by his blessed passion, and keeps us in his blessed love; and all this out of his goodness.

CHAPTER 6

THIS showing was given to teach our soul that true wisdom is to cling close to the goodness of God.

And during the revelation, the manner of our praying was brought to mind: how for lack of understanding and knowledge of love, we become a busy multitude of requests.

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 this, as I shall recount, came to my mind at the same time: we pray to God in so many different ways. We pray for the sake of his holy flesh and his precious blood or his holy passion – his most dear death and wounds, and for all the blessed kindness and eternal life that we gain through all this, which is his goodness. And we pray to him for the sake of his sweet mother’s love for him; and for all the help we have from her which is out of his own goodness. And we pray by the holy cross that he died on, and by all the virtue and help that we gain from the cross, which is from his goodness. And in the same way, all the help that we receive from special saints and all the blessed company of heaven; the dear and sweet love and endless friendship that we have from them, this too is of his goodness. For from his goodness, God has ordained ways to help us, full fair and many; and the chief and principal way is the blessed nature that he assumed from the maiden, along with all the means that go before and come after, which belong to our redemption and to endless salvation. It follows therefore that it pleases him that we seek him and worship through these means, understanding that He is the goodness of all.

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 this reason we walk upright; we eat the food for our body which is then hidden away within, as if it were a fine purse. And when the time is right, the purse is opened and shut again – discreetly and without show. And that all this is God’s doing is shown by his words which tell us that he reaches down to the lowest part of our needs. For he despises nothing that he has made, and neither does he disdain to serve our simplest bodily needs, because he loves the soul that he has made in his own likeness.

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. Yet is more homely than this: for all these things may waste and wear away, but the goodness of God is forever whole and nearer to us, in a manner quite beyond compare. And so our lover desires that our soul holds to him with all its strength; and holds evermore tightly to his goodness. For of all the things the heart may think, this most pleases most God, and most readily helps the soul.

For our soul is so specially loved by him who is highest, that it surpasses the knowing of all creatures: that is to say, there is no creature made who can fully grasp quite how much and how sweetly and how tenderly our maker loves us. And therefore, only with his grace and his help may we stand in spiritual contemplation, forever marvelling at the lofty, overflowing and inestimable love that almighty God has for us in his goodness. And so with reverence we can ask of our lover all that we will.

For our natural will is to have God, and the good will of God is to have us; and we can never cease from this willing nor from this longing until we have him in fullness of joy; and then we will want no more.

And he wills that we occupy ourselves in such knowing and loving until the time when we are fulfilled in heaven; and this was the reason for this lesson in love with all that now follows as you shall see. The strength and the ground of everything was shown in the first revelation. For above all things, the soul’s contemplation of, and love for, the maker makes it appear less in its own sight, and most fills the Christian with reverent fear and true meekness; and with plenty of charity to all their fellow Christians.

CHAPTER 7

It seemed to me it was to teach us this that our Lord God showed our Lady Saint Mary at the same time: that is to say, he showed the great wisdom and truth she knew in beholding her great maker, so holy, so mighty and so good. This great and noble contemplation of God filled her with holy awe; and in comparison she saw herself to be so little and so low, so simple and so poor, when set by her Lord God, that this holy awe became meekness of spirit. And thus, by this ground of meekness, she was filled full with grace and with all manner of virtues and surpasses all creatures.

While he showed me the spiritual sights I have described, at the same time I saw the bodily sight of his head bleeding freely. The great drops of blood fell down from under the crown like pellets, seeming to come straight out of the veins; and in the coming out they were brown-red, for the blood was full thick; but as they spread, they became bright-red; and when they reached the eye brows they then vanished. Meanwhile the bleeding continued before me until many things were seen and understood. There was nothing to compare with its fresh and life-like quality. The flow of blood was like the drops of water that fall off the eaves after a great shower of rain; the drops that fall so thick that no one can count them. And in shape, they were round like the scales of herring, as they spread across the forehead. These three images came to my mind at that time: the roundness of pellets as the droplets of blood poured out; herring scales, round again, as the blood spread across the forehead; and rain water dropping off the eaves of a house, for the blood’s gushing flow.

This showing was vivid and life-like; horrifying and dreadful, yet also sweet and lovely. And in all that I saw, what brought most comfort to me was this: that our God and Lord who is so holy and awesome, is also so homely and courteous. It was this that most filled my soul full with comfort and assurance.

And to make this clear to me, he gave me a clear example: the most honour a solemn king or great Lord can show a poor servant is if he is familiar with them; and especially if he deals honestly and cheerfully with them, and quite the same in private as in public. Then the poor creature thinks this: ‘Ah, what could the noble Lord possibly do to give more honour and joy to me than to show one so simple this marvellous homeliness? Truly, it is more joy and pleasure to me than if he gave me great gifts and yet remained distant in his manner.’

This bodily example was vivid enough to overpower anyone’s heart, leaving it forgetful of itself amid the joy of such great homeliness. And so it is between our Lord Jesus and our selves. 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.

And our Lord wills that we seek and trust him, enjoy and delight in him, take comfort and solace as much as we can with his grace and his help, until that time when we shall know these things truly. For as I saw, the fullest joy that we shall have is the marvellous courtesy and homeliness of our Father, who is our Maker, in our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Brother and our Saviour.

But no one in this life can fully grasp this marvellous homeliness, unless they are granted a special showing by our Lord, or through an inward flow of grace given by the Holy Spirit. But faith and belief, together with charity, deserve such a reward; and so it is to be had by grace; for in faith, with hope and charity, our life is grounded. And a showing, made to whoever God wills, plainly teaches the same, albeit rather more openly, revealing many secrets which belong to our faith and which it is helpful to know. And the showing, which comes in a moment and then is over and hidden away, is then kept in faith by the grace of the Holy Spirit until our life’s end. And thus the revelation is no different to faith, neither less nor more. And this is our Lord’s meaning when he allows it to come to an end.

CHAPTER 8

As long as I saw this sight of the head bleeding profusely, I could not cease from uttering these words: ‘Benedicite Domine!’ And in this revelation I understood six things.

The first is the sign of the blessed passion and the plentiful spilling of his precious blood. The second is the maiden who is his dear mother. The third is the blissful Godhead that always was, is and ever shall be: almighty, all wise and all love. The fourth is all the things that he has made. And yes, I am well aware that heaven and earth and all that is made is great and large, fair and good; but the reason it appeared so little in my sight was that I saw it in the presence of him who is the Maker of all things. To a soul who sees the Maker of all, all that is made seems most tiny. 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.

And all these things our Lord showed me in the first revelation, with time and space to reflect on it all. And when the bodily sight ceased, the spiritual sight remained in my understanding, and I lived in holy awe, finding such joy in what I saw. And I desired, if I could, to see more, if it were his will; or else to see the same thing again but for longer. In all this I was greatly stirred in charity towards my fellow Christians, that they might see and know the same things that I saw, for I wished it to be a comfort to them. I believed this revelation was shown for the world to see.

Then I said to those who were with me at my bedside: ‘Today is my judgement day.’ And I said this because I thought I was about to die. (For when a man or a woman comes to die, they are judged for all time, in my understanding.) So I said this that they might love God even better, and to remind them that this life is short as my own example showed. For throughout this time, I imagined I would die, and that was both marvel to me, yet also troubling, for I thought this vision was given for those who lived.

Everything I say of myself, I say for all my fellow Christians: for in my understanding, that is what the Lord God meant in this spiritual revelation. And therefore I urge you all for God’s sake, and advise you for your own benefit, to forget the contemplations of the poor creature who was given this showing, and with strength and wisdom, meekly contemplate God yourselves, that his courteous love and endless goodness might be shown to all, for the comfort of us all. It is God’s will that you receive it with great joy and pleasure, as if Jesus himself had showed it to you in person.

CHAPTER 9

The showing does not make me good unless as a result, I love God better; and if you love God better as a result, then it is more to you than to me. I say this not to the wise, for they know it well; but I say it to you who are simple, for your ease and comfort; for we are all one in that comfort. For truly I was never shown that God loved me better than the least soul that stands in his grace; for I am certain that there must be many who never received a showing nor vision but who love God better than I, simply from the common teaching of holy Church. 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.

For in my view, God is all that is good, and God has made all that is made, and God loves all that he has made. And he that loves his fellow Christians in general, for God’s sake, loves all that is. For in humankind that is to be saved is gathered everyone: that is to say, all that is made and the Maker of all. For in humankind is God, and God is in all. And I hope by the grace of God that he who reflects on it in this way shall be truly taught and deeply comforted, if comfort is his need.

I speak only of those who shall be saved, for in this revelation God showed me no one else. But in all things I believe as the holy Church believes, preaches and teaches. For the faith of the holy Church - which I had understood beforehand and, as I hope, by the grace of God earnestly kept in use and custom - stood continually in my sight. I desired and intended never to receive anything that might be contrary to that. And with this intent I beheld the showing most carefully: for throughout this blessed showing I attended only to God’s meaning.

All this was revealed in three ways: by bodily sight; by words formed in my understanding and by spiritual sight. But I am unable to reveal the spiritual sight as openly or as fully as I might. But I trust in our Lord God Almighty that out of his goodness and love, he shall help you to receive it more spiritually and more sweetly than I am able to tell it.

The Secord Revelation

CHAPTER 10

After this I saw with bodily sight the face of the crucifix that hung before me, and I gazed on it continually, a part of his passion: contempt, spitting, soiling, buffetting and many other distressing pains, more than I can tell, and a frequent change of colour. And one time I saw half the face, beginning at the ear, covered with dry blood reaching to the middle of his face. And after that the other half was covered in the same way, while the first covering vanished even as it came

This I saw bodily, disturbing and darkly; and I desired more bodily sight, so as to see more clearly. And I was answered in my reason: ‘If God shows you more, he shall be your light; you will need none but him.’ Though I saw him yet still I sought him; for we are now so blind and unwise that we never seek God until he, of his goodness, shows himself to us. And when we see him in grace, then we are stirred by the same grace to seek again, more passionately, to see him yet more blissfully. And thus I saw him, and sought him; and I had him, yet I wanted him. And in my view, this is, and should be, our common work in this life.

On one occasion, my understanding was led down into the sea-bed, and there I saw hills and green dales, as though the seaweed and gravel were covered in moss. Then I understood this: that if a man or woman were submerged beneath the great sea, they would be safe in body and soul and come to no harm as long as they kept sight of God, in the knowledge that God was with them continually. Indeed, they would have more solace and comfort than all this world can tell. For he wills that we should believe that we see him continually, though to us it seems we see little. In this belief, he makes us grow in grace again and again. For he will be seen and he will be sought; he will be pondered and he will be trusted.

This second showing was so low and so little and so simple, that I was troubled in spirit at the sight of it. I was in mourning, full of dread and longing; indeed for a while, I was in some doubt if it was a showing at all; and then later our good Lord gave me more sight, whereby I truly understood that it was a showing. It was a figure in the form of our foul deeds’ shame that our fair, bright and blessed Lord bore for our sin. It made me think of the holy veil of Veronica in Rome, on which his own blessed face was imprinted when he endured his harsh passion, going to his death with steadfast will, and often changing colour. Many marvel at the brownness and blackness of the image, so piteous and wasted; when in fact portrayed there is nothing less than Christ’s blessed face, he who is the fairness of heaven,flower of earth and the fruit of the Maiden’s womb. So how might this image be so dark in colour and so far from fair? I would like to tell you of the understanding I have been led into by the grace of God.

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 between these two events, for the love and honour of humankind, he wishes to make himself like us this mortal life, in our foulness and our wretchedness, so that we might be without guilt. This is what was meant previously when it was said that it was in the very image and likeness of our foul and soiled life’s shame that our fair, bright and blessed Lord God lies hidden. But this is certainly true and we out to trust it, that there was never so fair a man as he, until the time his fair colour was changed by travail and sorrow, and by his passion and dying. I speak of this in the Eighth Revelation, where I discuss the same matter further. And where it speaks of the Veil of Rome, it concerns the many changes of colour and expression - sometimes more comforting and life-giving, but at other times, more wretched and deathly.

Through this vision I was taught to understand that it pleases God greatly that we continually seek him: for we can do no more but to seek, suffer and trust. And this is brought about in the soul by the Holy Spirit while clarity of discovery is from his special grace and when it is his will. Seeking with faith, hope and love pleases our Lord, and the finding pleases the soul and fills it full with joy. 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. This does most honour to him and benefits you; and this occurs in the soul gently and effectively by the grace and leading of the Holy Spirit. For when a soul fastens itself to God with true trust, either in seeking or beholding, it is the best most worship that can be offered, in my view.

These are the two workings that may be seen in this vision: the one is seeking, and the other is beholding. The seeking is common, and every soul can experience this with God’s grace, and also through the discernment and teaching of the holy Church. It is God’s will that we have three things in our seeking. The first is that we seek earnestly and diligently, without sloth, and as grace permits, without unreasonable depression and self-indulgent sorrow. The second is that we abide steadfastly in his love to our life’s end, without murmuring or struggling against him; for these things will pass soon enough. The third is that we trust in him mightily, full of an assured faith. For it is his will that we know that he shall appear suddenly and blissfully to all that love him.

His working is secret, but he wills to be seen, and his appearing shall be sudden and swift. And he wills to be trusted, for he is most gracious and homely: blessed may he be!

The Third Revelation

CHAPTER 11

After this I saw God in a point; that is to say, in my understanding and in this view I saw that he is in all things.

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.

By this I am led to discern that all things that are done are well done, for our Lord God does them all. For during this time, the working of creatures was not shown at all, but only the working of our Lord God in the creature; for he is in the mid-point of all things, and it is he who acts. And I was certain he does no sin. And here I saw truly that sin is no deed: for throughout the revelation, sin was not shown. And I could no longer marvel in this, but beheld our Lord and whatever he would show me.

And so for this period of time, the rightfulness of God’s working was shown to my soul. Rightfulness has two fair properties: it is right and it is full. And so are all the works of our Lord God, and to them belongs neither the working of mercy nor grace, for where nothing fails, all is right.

(But on another occasion, he gave a revelation in which I beheld naked sin, as I shall tell; and there he used works of mercy and grace.)

Now this vision was shown to my understanding, because our Lord desires a soul which turns in true contemplation to him and to all his works. For they are fully good, and all his doings are easy and sweet, and bring great ease to the soul that turns away from the beholding our own blind judgements and turns instead towards the fair and sweet judgements of our Lord God. For to us, some deeds appear well done and some deeds evil; but our Lord does not look at them in this way; for everything that has being in nature is of God’s making; and in this way all that is done is contained in God’s doing. It is easy to understand that the best deed is well done; yet both the best and highest deed done and the least deed done are contained in God’s doing, from the beginning of time; for there is no doer but he.

I saw most surely that he never changes his purpose in any matter, nor ever shall, without end; for there is no thing which is unknown to him in his good ordinance from the beginning of time. And therefore all things were set in order before anything was made, as they should stand without end; and no manner of thing shall fail at that point, for he made all things completely good; and therefore the blessed Trinity is always completely pleased in all his works.

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?’

Thus mightily, wisely and lovingly was the soul examined in this vision. Then I saw truthfully that it was necessary for me, out of need, to assent with great reverence, simply enjoying it in God.

The Fourth Revelation

CHAPTER 12

After this I saw in my contemplation the body bleeding profusely from the scourging. It was like this: the fair skin was broken with deep wounds in the tender flesh with vicious strikes all over the sweet body. So freely did the hot blood flow that you could see neither skin nor wound, for there was only blood. And when it came to the place where it should have spilled down, then it vanished. Nevertheless, the bleeding continued awhile, until it could be seen and considered. And the blood was so plentiful to my sight, that I thought that if it had been real and actually happening, then it would have covered my bed in blood, and spilled all around.

And then it came to my mind that out of his tender love for us, and for our help and bodily comfort, God has given us plentiful water on earth; but that he prefers us to take his blessed blood to wash ourselves quite naturally of sin. There is no liquid made that he prefers to give us, for it is as plentiful as it is precious, and all by virtue of his blessed Godhead. It is our birthright, and blissfully belongs to us by the virtue of his precious love.

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.

The Fifth Revelation

CHAPTER 13

After this, and before God used any words, he allowed me to contemplate him for a good while and to consider all that I had seen, and all the significance that was contained there; as much as my simple soul could grasp, at least. Then, without speaking or opening his lips, God formed in my soul these words: ‘Here is the Fiend overcome.’ This is what our Lord said, meaning his blessed passion as shown before.

In this, our Lord showed that his passion is the overcoming of the Fiend. God showed that the Fiend retains the same malice that he had before the incarnation. And 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.

But in my view, there can be no wrath in God, for our good Lord endlessly has regard to his own honour and to the benefit of all that shall be saved. With might and right he withstands the reproved, while they busy themselves with malice and wickedness, contriving to thwart God’s will. Also I saw our Lord scorn the Fiend’s malice and set at nought his lack of strength; and he wills that we do so too. At this sight I laughed loudly, and those who were round about me began to laugh, and their laughing was a pleasure to me. I thought how good it would be if all my fellow Christians had seen as I saw, for then they would all laugh with me. But I did not see Christ laugh. And I understood that we may laugh for our comfort and in the enjoyment of God, for the devil is overcome. And when I saw him scorn the Fiend’s malice, it led my understanding into our Lord; that is to say, it was an inward showing of truth, without any change of expression. For in my estimation, it is a wonderful characteristic of God, that he is always the same.

And after this I fell into a deep sadness and said: ‘I see three things: I see game, scorn and earnest. The game I see is that the Fiend is overcome; I see scorn, in that God scorns him and he shall be scorned; and I see serious purpose, in that he is overcome by the blissful passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ that was done with such sincere purpose and harsh labour.

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. For in this word God revealed that the Fiend is condemned. And this is what I meant when I said: ‘He shall be scorned at the Day of Judgement by all those who shall be saved, and towards whose consolation the Fiend bears great envy.’ For then he shall see that all the woe and tribulation that he has brought upon them shall in fact increase their joy, endlessly. While all the pain and tribulation he longed to bring them shall endlessly go with him to hell.

The Sixth Revelation

CHAPTER 14

After this our good Lord said: ‘I thank you for your labour and especially for your youth.’

And in this showing my understanding was lifted up into heaven where I saw our Lord as a lord in his own house, who has called all his dear servants and friends to a ceremonial feast. Then I saw the Lord take no place in his house, but I saw him royally reign there, filling it with joy and merriment. There he endlessly gladdens and gives solace to his dear friends, most homely and courteous, with the marvellous melody of endless love in his own fair and blessed countenance. And this glorious expression of the Godhead fills the heavens with joy and bliss.

God showed three degrees of bliss that every soul shall have in heaven, who has willingly served God in any degree on earth. The first is the glorious thanks of our Lord God, which we shall receive when delivered from our pain. And this thanks is so full and so honouring that the soul imagines it fills him entirely and with room for anything else. For I thought that all the pain and labour that is suffered by all living people would still not deserve the honouring thanks that one person shall receive who has willingly served God. The second degree is that all the blessed creatures in heaven shall see that honouring thankfulness, as God makes the soul’s service known to all who are in heaven. And here this example was shown: if a king thanks his servants, it is very honouring for them, and if he makes this known to all in the realm, then the honour is greatly increased. The third degree is this: that as fresh and heartening as it is the moment it is received, so shall it always be for time without end.

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.

For I saw that whenever or however a man or woman is truly turned to God, even if only for a day, then they will endlessly receive all these three degrees of bliss. And the more the loving soul sees this courtesy of God, the more gladly will they serve him all the days of their life.

The Seventh Revelation

CHAPTER 15

After this he showed a sovereign spiritual pleasure in my soul. I was filled with the everlasting sureness, a most strong feeling without any pain or dread. This feeling was so glad and so spiritual, and I had such a sense peace and rest, that there was nothing on earth that could upset me.

This lasted only a short while, and I was then changed and left to myself in the heaviness and weariness of my life, and with my irksome self, so that I scarcely had the patience to live. 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 a while our blessed Lord again gave me comfort and rest in my soul. It was so satisfying and sure, so blissful and so strong that no dread, no sorrow and no bodily pain that could be suffered could have distressed me. And then the pain was shown to me again, and then the pleasing joy, now the one, and now the other, many times over, perhaps about twenty in all. 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!’

As I understood it, this vision was shown me because it is necessary for some souls to feel in this way; sometimes to be in comfort, and sometimes to fail and to be left to them selves. 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. On this occasion when left to myself, I had not sinned, for it was all so sudden. Equally, I did not deserve to have this blessed feeling.

But our Lord gives freely when he will; and he allows us to be in woe sometime. Yet both are one and the same love. For it is God’s will that we hold ourselves in his comfort with all our might; for bliss is eternal, and pain is passing and shall be made as nothing for those who will be saved. And therefore it is not God’s will that we dwell on the feelings of pain, in sorrow and mourning for them, but rather, that we quickly pass through them and hold ourselves in his endless love.

The Eighth Revelation

CHAPTER 16

AFTER this Christ showed a part of his passion near his death.

I saw his sweet face, dry and bloodless, pale with death. And later, paler still, dead, and languishing; and then turning blue as death approached, and then a brown-blue, as the flesh turned more deeply dead. His passion was shown to me most especially in his blessed face, and chiefly in his lips; for there I saw there four colours; though before, the lips had been fresh, ruddy and pleasing to my sight. This was a pitiful change to see, this deep dying. And as I watched, the inward moisture clotted and dried, and the sweet body was brown and black, quite changed from its fair and lively colour by this dry dying. For at the time when our Lord and blessed Saviour died on the cross, I saw a dry, hard wind and bitter cold. And when the precious blood was finally bled out of the sweet body, all that could pass out of it, yet there was still moisture in the sweet flesh of Christ, as shown to me.

The bloodlessness and pain drying within and the cold and the wind blowing from outside came together in the sweet body of Christ. And these four, two within, two without, dried the flesh of Christ over time. And though this pain was bitter and sharp, it was also long lasting, as I saw, and painfully dried up all the life and spirit in Christ’s flesh. Thus I saw the sweet flesh dry, bit by bit it seemed, with terrible pains. And as long as there was any spirit in Christ’s flesh, for that time he suffered pain.

This long pain towards death seemed to me to have lasted for seven nights, all the while at the point of death and suffering his last pain. And when I say that it seemed to me as if he had been seven nights in his dying, it means that the sweet body was so discoloured, so dry, so shrunken, so deathly and so piteous as if he had been seven nights in his dying. And I thought the drying of Christ’s flesh was the most pain and the end of his passion.

CHAPTER 17

The sight of this dying brought to my mind the words of Christ: ‘I thirst.’

For I saw in Christ a double thirst: one bodily; another spiritual, which I shall speak about in chapter 31.

As for this word, it was shown for the bodily thirst, which I understood was caused by a lack of moisture. For the blessed flesh and bones were left all alone without blood and moisture. The blessed body dried out alone over a long time, with the piercing of the nails and weight of the body. For I understood that because of the tenderness of the sweet hands and the sweet feet, and the size, and terrible hardness of the nails, the wounds were ripped wide and the body weight sagged, hanging there for so long. And then there was his pierced and pressed head, and the tightness of the crown, all baked with dry blood, with the sweet hair and dry flesh clinging to the thorns and the thorns to the flesh, drying; and to begin with, while the flesh was fresh and bleeding, the continual ripping of the thorns made the wounds wide.

And furthermore I saw that the sweet skin and the tender flesh, along with the hair and the blood, were all raised and loosened from the bone, with the thorns cutting through and tearing in many pieces. It was like a sagging cloth, loose and heavy with moisture that would quickly have fallen off. And that was great sorrow and dread for me, for I thought I would not for my life have watched it fall. How it was done I did not see, but understood that it was with the sharp thorns and the violent and grievous way the crown of thorns had been placed, unsparingly and quite without pity.

This continued for awhile, and then it began to change, and I beheld and marvelled how it could be. And then I saw how it was, for as the flesh began to dry, so it began to lose a part of its weight as it was fixed there to the crown. And thus it seemed now there were two circles, crown upon crown. The crown of thorns was dyed with the blood, and the other crown and the head, all one colour, that of clotted blood when it is dry. The skin of the flesh, both face and body, was shrivelled and small with a tanned colour, like a dry board when it is aged; and the face more brown than the body.

I saw four types of drying: the first was bloodlessness; the second was the pain which followed; the third, the hanging up in the air as people hang a cloth to dry; and the fourth, the fact that despite the natural bodily need for liquid, no sort of comfort was offered to him throughout his woe and distress. Ah! Harsh and grievous was his pain, but much more harsh and grievous was the lack of moisture when everything began to dry and shrivel,

These were the pains that were shown in the blessed head: the first caused by the dying, while it had still moisture; and that other, the slow and shrinking drying. The wind blowing around him dried and chilled him with pain more than my heart can bear to think.

And there were other pains; for the pains I describe are not all of them by any means, for the rest cannot be told.

This showing of Christ’s pains filled me full of pain. For I knew well that he suffered but once, but it was as if he wanted to show me and fill my mind in this way just as I had previously asked. And in all this time of Christ’s pains I felt no pain but Christ’s pains. Then I thought I knew but little of the pain I asked for, and feeling wretched, I repented, thinking: ‘If I had known what it was like, I would never have prayed for it, for I thought my pain worse than bodily death.’

I thought: ‘Is any pain like this?’ And I was answered in my reason: ‘Hell is another pain, for there is despair. But of all pains that lead to salvation this is the most pain, to see your love suffer.’ How could any pain be more to me than to see him suffer, for he is my life, my bliss and my joy? At this point, I truly felt that I loved Christ so much more than myself that there was no pain I could suffer like that sorrow that I had when I saw his pain.

CHAPTER 18

HERE I saw some part of the compassion of our Lady, Saint Mary: for Christ and her were so at one in love that the magnitude of her love caused the magnitude of her pain. For in this showing I saw a substance of the natural love that creatures have for him, which is then strengthened by grace. It was a natural love most fully and overwhelmingly shown in his sweet mother; for since she loved him more than all others, so her pains surpassed all others. For the higher, the mightier and the sweeter the love is then the mightier is the lover’s sorrow to see the loved body in pain.

And all his disciples and all his true lovers suffered pains greater than their own bodily death. For I feel sure that the least of them loved him so much more than themselves that it surpasses all I can say.

Here in my understanding I saw a great union between Christ and us; for when he was in pain, we were in pain. And all creatures able to suffer pain, suffered with him; that is to say, all creatures that God has made to our service. Both firmament and earth failed for sorrow in their nature in the time of Christ’s dying. For it is natural for them to know him as their God; the one in whom their entire virtue stands. So when he failed, then it was natural for them to fail with him, and to sorrow at his pains, given their shared nature.

And in this way those who were his friends suffered pain for love. And indeed, all people; that is to say, even those who did not know him, suffered for the loss of his particular comfort found in the strong inner keeping of God. I speak of two types of people, as shown in two individuals: one is Pilate and 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.’

The God who of his goodness makes the planets and the elements to work naturally for both the blessed and the cursed, withdrew them from both at that time; and so it was that those who did not know him were also sorrowful at that time.

In this way, our Lord Jesus was made as naught for us; and in like manner, we stand as naught with him, and shall do until we come to his bliss, as I shall speak of later.

CHAPTER 19

At this time, I would have looked up from the cross, but I dared not. For I knew well that while I beheld the cross I was secure and safe; therefore I would not assent to put my soul in peril. Away from the cross there was no protection from the frightening fiends.

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. Either it was necessary to look up or else to answer. I answered inwardly with all the might of my soul, and said: ‘No; I may not, for you are my heaven.’ This I said because I would not look up; for I would rather have remained in that pain till Doomsday than to come to heaven by means other than him. And I knew well that he who so painfully bound me, would unbind me when he saw fit. And so it was I learned to choose Jesus over my heaven, though I saw him only in pain at that time. I liked no other heaven than Jesus, and this shall be my happiness when I arrive there.

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 though I as a wretched creature repented of my prayer (I said before that if I had known what pain it would be, I would have been loathed to pray it), here I truly saw that it was merely the reluctance and frailty of the flesh without the assent of the soul, to which God assigns no blame. Repentance and deliberate choice are two different things yet I felt both at that time. And these are there in both parts of us: the one outward, the other inward. The outward part is our mortal flesh which is now in pain and woe, and shall be, in this life. I felt much of this in these days and it was that part of me which repented. The inward part is a higher, more blissful life, which is rooted in peace and in love, and this was more inwardly felt. It was from this aspect of my self that I mightily, wisely and with steadfast will I chose Jesus as my heaven.

And in this I saw truly that the inward part is master and sovereign of the outward, and does not take note of or pay heed to its will; but rather, all intent and will is set to be at one with our Lord Jesus. That the outward part should bring the inward to agreement was not shown to me; but that by grace the inward brings the outward to agreement and that both shall be one in bliss without end, by the virtue of Christ this was shown.

CHAPTER 20

And thus I saw our Lord Jesus languishing for a long time. For his oneness with the Godhead gave strength to his humanity to suffer for his love more than anyone else might suffer. I mean not only more pain than all might suffer, but also that he suffered more pain than all who are saved from the very beginning of time to the last day might be able tell of or conceive, concerning the worthiness of the highest and most honourable king and his shameful, despised and painful death. For he that is highest and worthiest was most completely made nothing and most utterly despised. And the highest point that may be touched in the passion is to think and know who it is that suffered.

And in this showing he brought to mind, in part, the height and nobility of the glorious Godhead, and therefore also the preciousness and tenderness of the blessed body, which is united with it; as well as the loathing of pain that is in our nature. For as much as he was most tender and pure, equally was he most strong and mighty in suffering. And it was for the sin of everyone who shall be saved that he suffered; and everyone’s sorrow and desolation he saw and grieved for in his kindness and love. In as much as our Lady sorrowed for his pains, so he suffered sorrow for her sorrow; and more, as his sweet manhood was worthier when compared. For as long as it was possible he suffered for us and sorrowed for us; and now he is risen and it is possible no more, still he suffers with us.

And I, beholding all this by his grace, saw that his love for our soul was so strong that he willingly chose it with great resolve, and suffered as if mildly, making light of it.

For the soul that beholds things in this way, when touched by grace, shall truly see that the pains of Christ’s passion surpass all pains. That is to say, all pains shall be turned into everlasting and transcending joys by the virtue of Christ’s passion.

CHAPTER 21

I longed for him to die with all my might, and thought I saw his body dead. But I was apparently mistaken, for at the same time I thought this: ‘The life might be gone and the showing necessarily brought to an end.’ Then suddenly, as I beheld the same cross, the look on his blessed face changed. The changing of his blessed countenance changed mine, and I was as glad and merry as it was possible to be. Then our Lord brought a merry thought to mind: ‘Where now is the point of your pain or your grief?’ And I was very cheered, and now understood that in our Lord’s meaning, we are in his cross with him, there in his pains and his passion, dying; and with his help, we willingly remain in the same cross and his grace unto the end when suddenly his face will change and we shall be with him in heaven. Between the one and the other, there shall be no time, and then shall all be brought to joy. And this is what he said in this showing: ‘Where now is the point of your pain or your grief?’ And we shall be full of bliss.

And here saw I truly that if he were to reveal his blissful cheer to us now, there is no pain in earth or in any other place that could trouble us; but that all things would be to us joy and bliss. But instead he shows us his passion, as he bore it in this life and on his cross, and so we are in distress and travail with him, as our frailty dictates. And the reason why he allows it to be so is because his good wills to make us all the higher with him in his bliss; and for this little pain that we suffer here, we shall have a high and endless knowing in God which we could never have had otherwise. And the more we have endured our pains with him in his cross, the more shall our glory be with him in his kingdom.

The Ninth Revelation

CHAPTER 22

THEN our good Lord Jesus Christ said: ‘Are you pleased that I suffered for you?’ I said: ‘Yes, good Lord, I thank you; and yes good Lord, may you be blessed.’ Then Jesus, our kind Lord said: ‘If you are pleased, I am pleased; it is a joy, a bliss and endlessly satisfying to me that I suffered a passion for you; and if I could suffer more, I would suffer more.’

In this feeling my understanding was lifted up into heaven, and there I saw three heavens, the sight of which made me marvel. And though I see three heavens, and all in the blessed manhood of Christ, there is not one that is greater, not one that is less, not one higher and not one lower, but they are all equal in bliss.

In the first heaven, Christ showed me his father; not in bodily likeness, but in his nature and in his working. That is to say, I saw in Christ that his Father is. The working of the Father is this: that he gives a gift to his Son Jesus Christ. This gift is so wonderful a reward to Jesus that his Father could not have given him anything that pleased him better. The first heaven that is the pleasing to the Father was shown to me as one heaven, and it was pure bliss, for he is most pleased with all the deeds that Jesus has done for our salvation. It is not only by his buying, but also by the courteous gift of his Father, that we are his bliss, his prize, his honour and his crown. (And this was a particular marvel and a most beautiful beholding, that yes, we are his crown!) This that I say is so great bliss to Jesus that he counts his labour as nothing, and so also his hard passion and his cruel and shameful death.

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.

For though the sweet manhood of Christ could only suffer once, the goodness in him never ceases to offer itself; every day he is ready to do the same, if it will help. For if he said that for love of me he would make new heavens and a new earth, it were but little in comparison; for this could be done every day if he so desired, without any travail. But to die for love of me, and so often that the number passes human reason, this is the highest offer that our Lord God could make to a human soul, in my view. This is what he then means: ‘How can there be anything that I will not do for love of you? I could certainly perform deeds which do not grieve me, since I would, for your love, die over and over again with no regard for my harsh pains.’

And here I saw, in the second beholding of this blessed passion, the love that made him suffer is as far above his pains as heaven is above the earth. For the pain was a noble and honourable deed, achieved in time by the work of love. Yet love was without beginning, is now and shall be without ending. And of this love he spoke these most sweet words: ‘If I could suffer more, I would suffer more.’ He did not say ‘If it was necessary to suffer more’ - for though it was not necessary, if he could suffer more, he would.

This deed, and this work for salvation, was ordained as well as God could ordain it. And here I saw a complete bliss in Christ; for his bliss could not have been complete if it could have been done any better.

CHAPTER 23

I was shown three heavens in the words he spoke: ‘It is a joy, a bliss and an endless liking.’ For the joy, I understood the pleasure of the Father; for the bliss, the honouring of the Son; and for the endless liking, the Holy Spirit.’ The Father is pleased, the Son is honoured and the Holy Spirit host is satisfied.

And now I saw the third beholding of his blissful passion; that is to say, the joy and the bliss that make him to be well-satisfied in it. Our courteous Lord showed his passion to me in five ways. The first is the bleeding of the head; the second is the discolouring of his face; the third is the profuse bleeding of the body, apparently from the scourging; the fourth is the deep dying. These four were shown as the pains of the passion. And the fifth is what was shown to me in the joy and the bliss of his passion.

For it is God’s will that we share with him true enjoyment of our salvation, and so he wills that we are deeply comforted and strengthened. He wills that by his grace our soul may be occupied most merrily. For we are his bliss: and in us he finds endless enjoyment; and so shall we in him, with his grace.

And all that he has done for us, and still does, and ever will do, is neither cost nor charge to him, nor could it be, except that which he did in our humanity, beginning with the sweet incarnation and lasting until the blessed uprising on Easter morning. This was the true cost and charge of the working of our redemption, and yet in this work he finds endless joy, as I have previously said.

Jesus wills that we pay attention to the bliss that is in the blessed Trinity at our salvation and that we should desire to have as much spiritual enjoyment, with his grace, as I have said. What I mean is that our enjoyment of salvation should be the same as the joy that Christ has over our salvation, as far as is possible on earth.

All the Trinity worked together in the passion of Christ, giving to us an abundance of virtues and quantities of grace through him. While it was only Mary’s son who suffered, yet all the blessed Trinity celebrate it without end. All this was revealed in these words: ‘Are you well pleased?’ And by that other word that Christ said: ‘If you are pleased, then am I pleased.’ It is as if he said: ‘That joy and satisfaction is enough for me, and I ask for nothing else from you for my labour, but that I might please you well.’

And in this he reminded me of the nature of a glad giver. A glad giver pays little attention to the thing that he gives, for his desire and intent is to please and bring comfort to the one to whom he gives. And if the receiver takes the gift gladly and thankfully, then the courteous giver forgets all about the cost and their labour, for the joy and delight that they have pleased and comforted the one they love. Clearly and repeatedly was this shown.

Think also wisely of the greatness of this word ‘ever’, for it contains within it a deep knowing of the love that has brought our salvation and the many joys that follow the passion of Christ. One is that he rejoices that he has done what he has done and shall suffer no more; another, that he bought us from the endless pains of hell.

The Tenth Revelation

CHAPTER 24

With a cheerful face our Lord looked into his side and gazed, rejoicing. With his sweet looking he led my human understanding into the same wound in his side. And then he showed me a fair and delightful place, large enough for all humankind who shall be saved; a place to rest in peace and love. And by this he brought to mind his dear blood and precious water which he allowed to be poured out for love. And in this sweet vision, he revealed his blessed heart literally broken in two.

And with this sweet experience he showed to my understanding, in part, the blessed Godhead, which stirred my simple soul to grasp - that is, to think on - the endless love that was without beginning, and is and shall be forever. 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.’

To give more understanding, this blessed word was said: ‘See, how I loved you! Behold and see that I loved you so much before I ever died for you that I would die for you, and now I have died for you and suffered willingly all that I can. And now my bitter pain and hard travail is all turned into endless joy and bliss both to me and to you. How could it now be that you pray for anything that pleases me and I do not grant it you gladly? For my delight is your holiness and your endless joy and bliss with me.’

This is the understanding, as simply as I can say it, of this blessed word: ‘See how I loved you.’ This showed our good Lord’s will is to make us glad and merry.

The Eleventh Revelation

CHAPTER 25

With this same cheerful spirit and joy our good Lord looked down on his right side and brought to my mind the place where our Lady stood while he suffered on the cross. And he said: ‘Will you see her?’ And in this sweet word it was as if he had said: ‘I know well you wish to see my blessed mother; for, after myself, she is the highest joy that I could show you, and the most pleasant and honouring for me; and to see her is the desire of all blessed souls.’

And because of his exalted, marvellous and special love for this sweet maiden, his blessed mother, our Lady Saint Mary, he showed her full of joy and happiness. This is what he meant by these sweet words; as if he said: ‘See how I love her! That you may rejoice with me in the love that I have for her and the love she has for me.’

And also, that this sweet word may be better understood, our Lord speaks to all humankind that shall be saved, as though they were one person, and as if he said: ‘Will you see in her how you are loved? It was for love of you that I made her so elevated, so noble and so worthy; and this pleases me and I wish it to please you.’

For after him self, she is the most blissful sight. Yet because of that, I am taught not to long to see her bodily presence while I am here, but rather, the virtues of her blessed soul: her truth, her wisdom and her love. From these I can learn to know myself and reverently fear my God. And when our good Lord had showed this and said this word: ‘Will you see her?’ I answered and said: ‘Yes, good Lord, I thank you, and yes good Lord, if it be your will.’ I often prayed this, and I wanted to see her bodily presence, but I did not see her. And Jesus in that word gave me a spiritual sight of her. And just as I had seen her before, little and simple, so now he showed her high, noble and glorious; and more pleasing to him than any other creature.

And he wills it to be known that all those who like him should also like her, in the same way that he has pleasure in her and she in him. And, for more understanding, he gave this example: ‘If someone has a special love for one creature above all creatures, they try to make all creatures love and find pleasure in that creature, who they love so greatly.’ And in this word that Jesus said: ‘Will you see her?’ I thought it was the most pleasing word that he could have given me concerning her, alongside the spiritual showing that he gave me of her. For our Lord revealed no one to me apart our Lady Saint Mary; and her he showed me three times. The first was her with child; the second was in her sorrows under the cross; and the third as she is now in liking, honour and joy.

The Twelfth Revelation

CHAPTER 26

And after this our Lord showed himself more glorified, as to my sight, than I had seen him before in the showing. 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.

Our Lord Jesus often said:

‘I am the one, I am the one; I am one who is highest.

I am one you love, and I am the one you enjoy;

I am the one you serve; I am the one you long for;

I am the one you desire; and I am the one that you mean;

I am the one who is all.

I am the one holy Church preaches and teaches, and I am the one who revealed myself to you.’

The number of the words was too much for my wit and understanding, and indeed for all my powers. However, in my reckoning, they are the highest, though what truth they contain I cannot tell. I know only that the joy I saw in the showing of them surpasses all that the heart may wish for and soul desire. Therefore the words cannot be declared here; but through the grace God gives in understanding and love, everyone receives them as our Lord meant them.

The Thirteenth Revelation

CHAPTER 27

AFTER this, the Lord brought to my mind the longing that I had for him before. And I saw that nothing held me back but sin. And so I looked generally upon us all, and I thought: ‘If sin had not been, we would all have been clean and like our Lord, as he made us.’

And so, in my folly, before this time I often wondered why the great foreseeing wisdom of God did not stop the start of sin, for then all would have been well, or so I thought. These sorts of thoughts were hard to be rid of, but pursuing them without reason and discretion, I found my self mourning and sorrowful.

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.’

In this naked word ‘sin’, our Lord brought to my mind, in a general way, all that is not good and the shameful despising, the utter humiliation that he endured for us in his life and his dying; and the pains and suffering of all his creatures, spiritual and bodily for we all share in his humiliation and this will happen as we follow our master Jesus, until we are purged; that is to say, until we are fully rid of our mortal flesh and all inward affections which are not truthful and good. Such was the beholding, with all pains that ever were or ever shall be, compared to which I understood the suffering of Christ to be the most painful of all. All this was shown in a moment but then quickly passed over into comfort; for our good Lord does not wish the soul to be frightened by this terrible sight.

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. While the passion of our Lord is comfort to us amidst all this, and so is his blessed will. 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 thing shall be well.’

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 understand the reason why sin had to be allowed. When this is seen, we shall enjoy God endlessly.

CHAPTER 28

Thus I saw how Christ has compassion on us because of sin. And just as previously I was filled with pain and compassion at the vision of Christ’s suffering, so with this vision was I filled, in part, with compassion for all my fellow Christians; for these are his beloved people who he will save. Yet God’s servants, the holy Church, shall be shaken in sorrow, anguish and tribulation in this world, as people shake a cloth in the wind.

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.

There were two sorts of understanding in our Lord’s meaning. The one was the bliss that we are brought to, in which he wills that we rejoice. The other is for comfort in our pain; for he wants us to understand that one day it will all be turned to honour and profit by virtue of his suffering. 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.

The beholding of this will save us from muttering and despair when we feel pain. And though we truly see that our sin deserves it, yet his love excuses us, and of his great courtesy he removes all our blame and beholds us with pity and care as innocent and charming children.

CHAPTER 29

BUT I stood beholding things in general, troubled and mourning, saying this to our Lord, meaning it and with some fear: ‘Ah! Good Lord, how can all be well, for sin has brought great hurt to your creatures?’ For I desired, as much as I dared, to speak openly about this and thereby find some peace in this matter.

Our blessed Lord answered meekly and with a lovely face, and showed that Adam’s sin was the most harmful thing ever done or which ever shall be done to the world’s end. He also showed that this sin is openly known by the holy Church on earth. Furthermore he taught me that I should behold the glorious fulfilment; for this making of amends is more pleasing and honouring to God, than ever was the sin of Adam harmful; the two cannot be compared. The meaning of our blessed Lord in this teaching, and that which we should take heed of, is this: ‘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.’

CHAPTER 30

HE gave me understanding of two parts of this truth. The one part is our Saviour and our salvation. This blessed part is open and clear, fair, light and plentiful; for all humankind of good will, both now and in the future, are included in this part. This is how we are bound to God, and drawn, counselled and taught inwardly by the Holy Spirit and outwardly, through the same grace, by the holy Church. In this our Lord wills that we focus on this, enjoying him just as he enjoys us. The more plentifully we accept his joy, with due reverence and meekness, the more thanks we receive from him and the more benefit to ourselves, as we enjoy our part of our Lord, so to speak.

The other part is hidden, however, and closed off from us; by which I mean, all that is apart from our salvation. For these things belong to our Lord’s secret counsel, and it belongs to the royal lordship of God to keep his privy counsel in peace, and it belongs to his obedient and reverent servant, not to have full knowledge of his counsel. Our Lord has pity and compassion on us because some creatures make themselves so busy in these matters; and I am sure if we knew how much we would please him and ease ourselves by leaving such things alone, we would. The saints that are in heaven, they desire to know nothing but that which our Lord wills to show them. Their love and desire is ruled by the will of our Lord, and our will should be like theirs. Then we shall neither will nor desire anything except the will of our Lord, as they do; for we are all one in God’s seeing.

And here I was taught that we shall trust and rejoice only in our Saviour, blessed Jesus, for all things.

CHAPTER 31

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 ‘I may’, I understand it to mean the Father; and when he says ‘I can’, I understand it to mean the Son; and when he says ‘I will’, I understand it to mean the Holy Spirit; and when he says ‘I shall’, I understand it to mean the unity of the blessed Trinity: three persons and one truth; and 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. For this is the spiritual thirst of Christ: the love-longing that lasts, and always will, until we see that sight on Doomsday. For of those who shall be saved and shall be Christ’s joy and bliss, some are still here and some are yet to come, and so some shall be alive on that very day. Therefore this is his thirst and lovelonging, to have us altogether whole in him, and to be his happiness, this is what I see; for we are not now as fully whole in him as we shall be then.

For we know in our faith, and it was shown also in the Revelations, that Christ Jesus is both God and man. Concerning the Godhead, he is himself the highest bliss, and was from the beginning, and shall be without end. And this endless bliss can never increase in him or be diminished in him, something clearly seen in every showing; and especially in the twelfth, where he says: ‘I am that which is highest.’ And concerning Christ’s humanity, it is known in our faith, and was also shown, that he, by virtue of the Godhead, and out of his love and desire to bring us to his bliss, suffered pains and passions and died. And these are the works of Christ’s humanity which he celebrates, and which he showed in the Ninth Revelation, when he says: ‘It is a joy and bliss and an endless happiness to me that I suffered my passion for you.’ And this is the bliss of Christ’s works, and his meaning when he says in that same showing: ‘We are his bliss, his prize, his honour and his crown.’

Concerning Christ as our head, he is glorified and beyond suffering; and yet concerning his body in which all his members are knit, he is not yet fully glorified nor beyond suffering. Therefore the same desire and thirst that he had upon the cross – the desire, longing and thirst that was in him from the beginning in my view – he still has it, and will do until the time when the last soul is saved and has joined him in his bliss.

For as truly as there is pity and compassion in God’s nature, there is also thirst and longing in God’s nature. And by virtue of this longing in Christ, we in turn long for him, for without it no soul comes to heaven. And this nature of longing and thirst comes from the endless goodness of God, even as the nature of pity comes from his endless goodness. And though longing and pity are two different natures, in my view, in this stands the purpose of the spiritual thirst, which is the desire in him as long as we need it, to draw us up into his bliss. And all this was seen in the showing of compassion, for that shall cease on Doomsday.

And so it is that he has pity and compassion for us, and also a longing to have us; but his wisdom and his love do not allow the end to come until the best time.

CHAPTER 32

On one occasion, our good Lord said: ‘All things shall be well’; and another time he said: ‘You will see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well.’ And in these two sayings the soul heard different understandings.

One was that he wills us to know that he pays attention not only to noble and great things, but also to the little and small, the low and the simple; to one and to the other. And this is his meaning when he says: ‘All manner of things shall be well.’ He wills us to know that the least thing shall not be forgotten.

Another understanding is this: that we see such evil deeds being done and such harm caused, that it seems to us that it is impossible that good will ever come of it. 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. And this is his meaning when he says: ‘You shall see for yourself if all manner of things shall be well.’ As if he said: ‘Take heed now faithfully and trustingly, and in the end, you shall see it truly in the fullness of joy.’

And so in the same five words previously mentioned: ‘I may make all things well,’ etc., I understand a mighty comfort in all the works of our Lord God that are yet to come. In my view, there is a deed which the blessed Trinity shall do in the last day. But when the deed shall be done and how it is done, is unknown to all creatures beneath Christ, and shall remain so until it is done. And the reason he wills us to know of this deed, is that he would have us more at ease in our souls and more set in peace in love, turning our gaze from the troubling things that might keep us back from true enjoyment of him. This is the great deed ordained of our Lord God from the beginning, treasured and hidden in his blessed breast, known only to himself, and by which he shall make all things well. For just as the blissful Trinity made all things from nothing, so the same blessed Trinity shall make well all that is not well.

I marvelled greatly at this sight and considered our faith, struck by this: our faith is grounded in God’s word, and it belongs to our faith that we believe God’s word shall be kept in all things. Now one point of our faith is that many creatures shall be condemned, whether the angels who fell out of heaven for pride, and who are now fiends; or the many on earth who die without the faith of holy Church. I refer to the heathens and to those who have received a Christian life yet live an unchristian one and so die outside love. All these shall be condemned to hell without end, as holy Church teaches me to believe. And given such things, I thought it impossible that all manner of things should be well, as our Lord showed at this time.

Concerning this, I had no other answer in the showing of our Lord God but this: ‘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.

For this is the great deed our Lord shall do, the deed by which he shall keep his word and shall make all well that is not well. How it shall be done is not known by any creature beneath Christ, nor shall they know it until it is done. This was my understanding of our Lord’s meaning at this time.

CHAPTER 33

And yet in this I desired, as far as I dared, that I might have full sight of hell and purgatory. It was not my intention to question any matters of faith, for I steadfastly believed that hell and purgatory exist for the purpose that holy Church teaches. Rather, my intention was to see what more I could learn about my faith, and thereby live more wholly for God’s worship and to my benefit.

But for all my desire, I saw nothing of this, except as I mentioned in the first showing, where I saw the devil reproved by God and endlessly condemned. By this I understood that all creatures who are of the devil’s way in this life, and die in this state, are no more mentioned before God and his holy ones than the devil; notwithstanding the fact that they are humanity, whether Christened or not.

For though the revelation was concerned with goodness and made little mention of evil, yet I was not drawn by it away from any point of the faith that holy Church teaches me to believe. For I had sight of the passion of Christ in a number of showings - namely the first, second, fifth, and eighth – in which I had some of the sorrow of our Lady and of his true friends who saw him in pain. But I did not see anything of the Jews who put him to death, even though I knew from my faith that they were accursed and condemned without end, except those converted by grace. And I was strengthened and taught generally to keep my faith in every way, and in all I had understood before, hoping in this way that I was within the mercy and the grace of God; desiring and praying in my intention that I might continue in it until my life’s end.

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. For I truly saw in our Lord’s teaching, the more we busy ourselves with his secret counsels in this or any other matter, the farther we shall be from knowing them.

CHAPTER 34

Our Lord God showed two kinds of secrets; and one is this great secret with many details surrounding it. Concerning these secret things, he wills that we should know they are hidden until the time when he will clearly show them to us. The others are the secret things that he wills to make open and known to us; for he would have us understand that it is his will that we should know them. They are secrets to us not only because he wills they should be secrets, but they are secrets also because we are blind and ignorant. Therefore he has great pity, and wills to make them more open, to help us know him, love him and cling to him. For our courteous Lord will show us all that is expedient for us to learn and to know; along with all the preaching and teaching of holy Church. For it is his holy Church: he is the ground, the substance and the teaching. He is the teacher, he is the taught, and he is the prize for which every human soul searches. And this is made known, and shall be known, by every soul to whom the Holy Spirit declares it. And I truly hope that he will give speed to all who seek this, for they seek God.

All that I have now told you, and more that I shall tell later, is a comfort against sin. For in the third showing when I saw that God does all that is done, I saw no sin; and then I saw that all is well. But it was when God showed me sin that he said: ‘All shall be well.’

CHAPTER 35

When God Almighty had showed his goodness so generously and joyfully, I desired to find out for certain whether someone I loved would continue in good living, which I hoped by the grace of God was begun. And in this desire for a particular revelation it seemed that I hindered myself, for I was shown nothing at this time. 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.’ And from this I learned that it is more honouring to God to know all things in general, rather than take pleasure in any particular thing. And if I were to respond wisely to this teaching, I would not only be glad for nothing in particular, but I should not be greatly distressed about anything, for all shall be well. For fullness of joy is to behold God in all, since by the same blessed might, wisdom and love that he made all things, he now leads them continually, and shall bring them there himself; and when it is time, we shall see it. The ground of this was shown in the first revelation and more openly in the third, where it says: ‘I saw God in a point.’

All that our Lord does is right, and that which he allows is good. And in these two is comprehended good and ill: for all that is good the Lord does, and all that is evil, the Lord permits. I do not say that any evil is good, but I say the allowance of it by our Lord God is good; whereby his goodness shall be known without end, in his marvellously meek and mild nature, by the working of mercy and grace.

Rightfulness is whenever something is so good that it cannot be better than it is. For God him self is true rightfulness and all his works are performed rightfully as they are ordained from the beginning of time by his high might, his high wisdom and his high goodness. And as he rightfully ordained matters for the best, so he works continually and leads them to the same end. Therefore he is always pleased with himself and with all his works.

And to behold this blissful harmony is most sweet to the soul that sees by grace. All the souls that shall be saved forever in heaven are made rightful in the sight of God, and by his own goodness. And we are endlessly and marvellously kept in this rightfulness, above all creatures.

Mercy is a work that comes from the goodness of God, and it shall continue to work as long as sin is allowed to pursue rightful souls. When sin is no longer allowed to pursue, however, then the working of mercy shall cease, and all will be brought to rightfulness and remain there forever.

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.

CHAPTER 36

Our Lord God revealed that a deed will be done, and that he himself shall do it; and while I shall do nothing but sin, yet my sin shall not hinder his goodness working. And I saw that beholding this is a heavenly joy in a fearing soul whose nature through grace always desires God’s will. This deed shall be begun here, and it shall bring honour to God and generous benefit to his lovers on earth. And when we come to heaven, we shall see it in marvellous joy, and it shall continue like this until the last day; yet the honour and happiness that belongs to it shall endure before God and all his holy ones in heaven for ever. This was how the deed was seen and understood in our Lord’s meaning; and the reason why he showed it is to help us rejoice in him and in all his works.

When I saw his showing continue, I understood that it signified a great thing that was to come; something which God would himself do and a deed whose nature we have already described. He showed this most blissfully, meaning that I should receive it myself faithfully and trustingly. But what this deed should be was kept secret from me.

I saw in this that he does not wish us to fear knowing the things that he reveals; he reveals them because he wants us to know them; and by this knowing have love for him and endless pleasure and enjoyment in him. For the great love that he has for us is revealed in his honouring and helpful presence in every moment. And even those things he now keeps hidden, out of his great goodness he shows them to be withheld, willing that we believe and understand that we shall see these same things in his endless bliss.

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 this is the meaning of his words: that it shall be done for me, means that it shall be done for the humankind in general; that is to say, all who will be saved. It shall be honouring and marvellous and abundant and God himself shall do it; and this shall be the highest possible joy, to behold the deed that God himself shall do, while humans do nothing but sin. This is what our Lord means, as if he is saying: ‘Behold and see! Here is your reason for meekness, here is your story of love, here is your chance to be nothing, and here is the way to enjoy me. See my love for you, and enjoy it, for of all things, that pleases me the most.

And as long as we are in this life, whenever in folly we turn to the life of the wicked, our Lord God touches us tenderly and blissfully calls us, saying in our soul: ‘My dearest child, let go of all this love and turn to me. I am enough for you, so bask in your thy saviour and your salvation. This is our Lord’s working in us, and I am sure the soul that has understanding by grace shall see it and feel it. And though it is true that this deed is performed for people in general, it does not exclude the individual. For what our good Lord will do for each of his poor creatures, it is presently unknown to me. But this deed and the other previously mentioned, they are not one but two different deeds. This deed shall be done sooner, when we come into heaven; and to whom our Lord gives it, may also be known in part here on earth. But that great deed of which I spoke shall neither be known in heaven nor on earth until it is done.

Furthermore he gave special understanding and teaching of the working of miracles, in these words: ‘It is known that I have done miracles here before, many and various, high and marvellous, praiseworthy and great. And so as I have done, I do now continually, and shall do in the time that is to come.’

It is known that before miracles come sorrow, anguish and tribulation. Therefore we should be aware of the feebleness and mischief sin leads us into. It does this to humble us and make us fear God and cry for help and grace. Miracles follow, and they come from the high might, wisdom and goodness of God, showing his virtue and heavenly joy as far as is possible in this brief life. And this is done to strengthen our faith and to increase our hope, in love. And so it pleases him to be known and worshipped in miracles.

This is his meaning: he wills that we are bowed low by the sorrow and tempests that befall us, for it has always been like this before the miracle’s arrival.

CHAPTER 37

God brought to my mind that I would sin. And caught in my delight in beholding him, I did not pay attention to that showing. Yet our Lord mercifully remained, and gave me grace to attend. And this showing I took to be for myself; but in the gracious comfort that followed, as you shall see, I was taught to take it also for all my fellow Christians; for everyone and not just myself. So although our Lord showed me that I would sin, by me alone I understood everyone.

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.

What can make me love my fellow Christians more than to see in God that he loves all that shall be saved as though they were all one soul? For in every soul that shall be saved is a godly will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall. Just as there is a beastly will in the lower part that can will no good, so there is a godly will in the higher part, whose will is so good that it can never will evil, but only good. And therefore we are those who he loves and we endlessly do that which pleases him.

This our Lord revealed in showing the wholeness of love that we stand in, in his sight. Yes, that he loves us as much now while we are here, as he shall do when we are there before his blessed face. It is only our failing love which causes us grief.

CHAPTER 38

God also showed that sin shall be no shame to humans, but honour. For just as in the real world every sin is answered by a pain, so for every sin, the same soul is given a joy by love. Just as various sins are punished with various pains depending on their gravity, so shall they also be rewarded with various joys in heaven depending on the pain and sorrow experienced in their soul on earth. For the soul that shall come to heaven is precious to God and the place so honouring that the goodness of God never allows any soul that shall come there to sin without rewarding them for the pain of their sin. And this is made known for eternity, as they are happily restored by an overflow of honour.

In this vision my understanding was lifted up into heaven, and then God brought merrily to my mind David and many others under the old law. And under new law, he brought to my mind first Mary Magdalene, Peter and Paul, Thomas India and Saint John of Beverley and many others. They are all known in the Church on earth by their sins, yet it is no shame to them, for everything is now turned to their honour. And in this way our courteous Lord showed how it is here partially just as it will be in heaven in fullness; for there the token of sin is transformed into honour.

And our Lord, both for our comfort and out of his familiarity, showed Saint John of Beverley in highest glory, and brought to my mind how he was a fellow countryman and well known by us. And God simply called him Saint John of Beverley as we do, and that with a most glad and sweet expression, showing that in his sight, he is a most treasured saint in heaven, full of glory. And with this he made clear that as a youth of tender years he was a dear servant to God, both loving him and fearing him. Yet God allowed him to fall, mercifully keeping him so that he did not die, nor lose any time. And afterwards God raised him to abundantly more grace; and for his meek and contrite life, God has given him many joys in heaven, surpassing that which he would have had if he had not fallen. And to show this is true on earth, God performs many miracles around his body.

And all this was to make us glad and merry in love.

CHAPTER 39

Sin is the sharpest scourge that any chosen soul may be struck by. It is a scourge which rips remorselessly into man and woman, and makes them hateful in their own sight, to such a degree that afterwards they imagine they are worth nothing but to sink into hell. Such imagining lasts only until the moment contrition takes them to the touch of the Holy Spirit, which turns bitterness into hopes of God’s mercy. And then their wounds begin to heal, and the soul is revived and turns to the life of holy Church. The Holy Spirit leads them to confession, with a will to show their sins nakedly and truly, with great sorrow and great shame at having defiled the fair image of God. Then they receive penance for every sin, as given by the confessor, who is grounded in holy Church by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. And this is one act of meekness that greatly pleases God; as does bodily sickness which he sends, and also sorrow and shame from without and the reproof of the world, with all manner of frustration and temptations that come our way, whether bodily or spiritual.

Our Lord keeps us most preciously when it seems to us that we are forsaken and cast out by our sin because we have deserved it. And because of the meekness we gain by this, we are raised very high in God’s sight by his grace, together with great contrition, compassion and a true longing for God. Then they are suddenly delivered from sin and from pain, and taken up to bliss, and made quite as high as the saints.

By contrition we are made clean; by compassion we are made ready and by true longing for God we are made worthy. These are three means, as I understand, whereby all souls come to heaven; that is to say, those who have been sinners on earth and shall be saved, for by these three medicines it is fitting that every soul be healed. And though the soul is healed, his wounds are seen before God not as wounds but as a badge of honour. And on the other hand, as we are punished here with sorrow and penance, we shall be rewarded in heaven by the courteous love of our Lord God Almighty, who wills that none who come to him lose in any way for their labours; for he beholds sin as sorrow and pain to his lovers, to whom, out of love, he attributes no blame. The prize that we shall receive shall not be little, but high, glorious and honouring. And so shall shame be turned to honour and more joy.

Our courteous Lord does not will that his servants despair at their frequent or grievous falling; for our falling does not hinder his love for us. Peace and love are ever in us, at work in our being; but we are not always in peace and in love. Nevertheless he wills that we take heed that he is the ground of our whole life in love; and furthermore that he is our everlasting keeper and defends us strongly against our enemies, who attack us full and fierce; and our need is all the more when we invite them onto us by our falling.

CHAPTER 40

This is the sovereign friendship of our courteous Lord: that he keeps us so tenderly while we continue to sin. And furthermore he touches us quite secretly and shows us our sin by the sweet light of mercy and grace. But when we see our self so foul, and fear God’s anger with us for our sin, then we are stirred by the Holy Spirit to contrition becoming prayer and desire, that with all strength we might amend our life, to lessen the wrath of God, until the time we find rest in our soul and a softness in our conscience. Then we hope that God has forgiven us our sins, and it is so.

Our courteous Lord then shows himself to our soul, merry and smiling, with a friendly welcome as if our soul had been in pain and in prison, saying sweetly: ‘My darling, I am glad you are come to me. I have been with you throughout your troubles, and now that you see my loving and we will be made one in bliss.’ And so it is that our sins are forgiven by mercy and grace, and our soul honourably received in joy, as it will be when it arrives in heaven. And whenever this happens, it comes by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit and the virtue of Christ’s passion.

Here I understood in truth that all manner of things are made ready for us in advance by the great goodness of God, that whenever we ourselves are in peace and love, then truly we are saved. But because we cannot know this in fullness while we are here, it falls to us evermore to live in sweet prayer and lovely longing with our Lord Jesus; for he always longs to bring us to the fullness of joy, as I have said when referring to his spiritual thirst.

But now a warning lest anyone, because of the spiritual comfort spoken of here, be stirred by folly to say or to think: ‘If this be true, then it is good to sin so as to have the more reward,’ or else to imagine themselves less guilty for sinning, beware of this stirring. Truly, if such thoughts arise, know them to be untrue and from the enemy of the same true love that teaches us that we should hate sin and only love. I am sure by my own feeling, that the more any naturally loving soul sees this in the courteous love of our Lord God, the more loathe he is to sin and the more he is ashamed. For if before us were laid together all the pains in hell, purgatory and the earth, death and others, and then by itself, sin, we would rather choose all that pain than sin. For sin is so vile and so greatly to be hated that it can be likened to no pain which is not sin. And it was shown to me there’s no harder hell than sin; for a normal soul has no hell but sin.

And when we make love and meekness our intent, by the working of mercy and grace we are made fair and clean. As mighty and as wise as God is to save people, so is he as willing. For Christ him self is the ground of all the laws of Christians, and he taught us to do good rather than bad. Here we can see that he is himself this love, and does to us just as he teaches us to do; for he wills that we be like him in the wholeness of endless love to ourselves and to our fellow Christians. Just as his love for us is not broken by our sin, neither does he will that our love for ourselves or fellow Christians be broken. But rather, that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul, as God loves it. Then we shall hate sin like God hates it, and love the soul as God loves it. And this word that he said is an endless comfort: ‘I keep you securely.’

The Fourteenth Revelation

CHAPTER 41

“After this our Lord showed me about prayer. In this showing, according to our Lord’s meaning, I saw two conditions: one is rightfulness and the other is sure trust.

Often our trust is not full. We are not sure that God hears us because of our imagined unworthiness, and because we feel as nothing. Often we feel as barren and dry after our prayers as we were before our prayers. And this feeling and this folly is the cause of our weakness, and I have felt in myself.

And all this brought our Lord suddenly to my mind, and he spoke these words: ‘I am the ground of your asking. First, it is my will that you have it, and then I make you will it yourself. I then make you ask for it and you do ask for it. How then could it be that you do not receive what you ask for?’

And so in this first reason, that he is our ground, and then with the three that follow, our good Lord showed great comfort, as may be seen in these very same words. And in the first reason, he says this: ‘And you do ask for it.’ There he shows his great pleasure and the endless reward that he will give us for our asking. And in the second reason, where he says: ‘How then could it be?’ etc, this was said to indicate the impossible. For it is quite impossible that we should ask for mercy and grace and not receive it. For everything that our good Lord leads us to ask for, he has himself ordained for us from the beginning. Here we see that our own asking is not cause of God’s goodness; as he showed clearly when he spoke in these sweet words: ‘I am the ground.’ Our good Lord wills that this is grasped by his lovers on earth; and the more that we grasp it, the more we should we ask for it, if our Lord’s meaning is wisely understood.

Seeking is a true, gracious and lasting will of the soul, by which we are oned and fastened into the will of our Lord by the sweet inward work of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord himself, he is the first receiver of our prayer, as I saw, and takes it full thankfully and with much enjoyment. He then sends it up above and sets it among the treasures, where it shall never perish. It is there before God with all his holy ones continually received, ever speeding the meeting of our needs. And when we shall receive our bliss, it shall be given us back to us as a degree of our joy, with endless praise and thanks from him.

Our Lord is so glad and merry with our prayer; and he looks out for them and longs to receive it, for with his grace he makes us like himself in condition as we are by nature. And this is his blissful will. Therefore he says this: ‘Pray inwardly even though you imagine it does not help you; for it is profitable, though you do not feel it and see nothing; yes, even though you think you can do nothing. For in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in feebleness, then is your prayer especially pleasant to me, though you imagine it helps you but little. And it is the same with all your believing prayer in my sight.’

Because of this reward and the endless thanks that he wishes to give us, he is eager for our continual prayers in his sight. God accepts the goodwill and the hard labour of his servants, however we feel, and so it pleases him that we work both in our prayers and in good living, with his help and his grace, quietly keeping our focus fixed on him on him, until we have Jesus, the one who we seek, in full happiness. And this he showed me further on in the fifteenth revelation, saying this: ‘You shall have me as your reward.’

Alongside seeking, thanking also belongs to prayer. Thanking is a true inward knowing, in which with great reverence and loving fear we turn ourselves with all our strength to the working that our good Lord stirs in us, enjoying and thanking inwardly. And sometimes, in exuberance, it breaks out with voice, and says: ‘Good Lord, I thank you! May you be blessed!’ And then at other times, when the heart is dry and cannot feel, or when tempted by the enemy, it is driven by reason and by grace to cry out again to our Lord, recalling his blessed passion and great goodness. And the virtue of our Lord’s word enters our soul, makes alive the heart and encourages it by his grace into true working, making it pray blissfully. We enjoy the Lord truly when we are thanking.

CHAPTER 42

Our Lord God wills that we understand well three things that belong to our prayer. The first concerns the source from whom our prayer springs and the how. The source he shows when he says ‘I am the ground.’ and the how, by his goodness, in the words ‘It is my will.’ The second concern is this: in what manner and how we should use our prayer? It is our will turned to the will of our Lord in joy, which is his meaning when he says ‘I make you to will it.’ The third concern is that we should know the fruit and the end of our prayers; that is, that we become one with and like our Lord in all things. To this intent and this end was this beautiful lesson given, and he will help us, and we shall make it happen just as he has said. May he be blessed!

For this is our Lord’s will, that our prayer and our trust should both be large. For if we do not trust as much as we pray, we do not give full honour to our Lord in our prayer, and also we hinder and pain our self. I believe the reason is that we do not truly grasp that our Lord is the ground from whom our prayer springs; and also that we do not know that it is given to us by the grace of his love. If we knew this, we would trust in our Lord’s gift for all we desire; for I am sure that no one asks for mercy and grace with sincerity unless mercy and grace have already been given to them.

Sometimes we think that despite having prayed for a long time, we have not received what we have asked for. But we should not be depressed about this; for I am sure of our Lord’s meaning in this that we must simply wait for a better time, or for more grace or a better gift. He wills that we have a true knowing of him as our being, and that our understanding is grounded in this knowledge, with all our strength and all our intent and all our meaning; and it is on this ground that he wills us to take our stand and make our base, and by his gracious light that we have understanding of these things that follow.

The first is our noble and excellent making; the second, our precious and dear redemption; and the third, all the things he has made beneath us and made to serve us, and how, for the love of us, he keeps them.

His purpose in this was as if he said: ‘Behold and see that I have done all this before any of your prayers; yet now you are, and you pray to me.’ By this he says it is necessary for us to learn that he has already done the greatest deeds, as holy Church teaches; and in beholding this truth, with thankfulness, we ought to pray for the deed he is now doing; and that is, that he rule and guide us in this life, to his honour, and bring us finally to his bliss. And then he will have done all.

This is what he means: that we should both see what he does, and pray for what he does. For the one is not enough. For if we pray yet do not see what he does, it makes us heavy of heart and doubtful; and that does him no honour. And equally, if we see what he does, and yet do not pray for it, we do not pay our debt to him, and that cannot be; that is to say, it is not what he wishes to see. But to see what he does, and to pray it so, then he is honoured and we are helped along. All things that our Lord has ordained to do, it is his will that we pray for, either in special ways or in general. And in my view, the subsequent joy and bliss that is his, and the thanks and worship that is ours, pass the understanding of all creatures.

For prayer is a right understanding of that fullness of joy that is to come, with great longing and sure trust. The loss of the bliss kindly ordained for us, fills us with longing; while true understanding and love, in sweet mindfulness of our Saviour, graciously leads us into trust. And in these two workings our Lord beholds us continually; for it is our duty and his goodness expects nothing less.

And so we should work diligently, and having done all we can, count it as nothing for so it is. But if we do our best, and ask in truth for mercy and grace, all that we have lost, we shall find in him. And this is what he means when he says: ‘I am the ground of your seeking.’ And in this blessed word, along with the showing, I saw our weakness and doubting fears fully overcome.

CHAPTER 43

Prayer ones the soul to God; for though the soul is always like God in nature and substance when restored by grace, it is often unlike God in its condition, because of human sin. Then prayer becomes a witness that the soul wills as God wills, and it comforts the conscience and leads us to grace. And so he teaches us to pray, and to trust mightily that we will find grace. He beholds us in love and would make us partners in his good deeds; and so he stirs us to pray for that which it pleases him to do. And for this prayer and good will that he gives us, he will reward us with endless gifts.

And this was shown in this word: ‘And you seek it.’ In this word, God showed such pleasure and contentment, as though he is in our debt for every good deed that we do, (even though it is he who does it,) because we passionately ask him to do all things that seem to good to him. It is as if he said: ‘What can please me more than that you ask me, mightily, wisely and earnestly, to do that thing that I shall do?’ And so the soul by prayer is in harmony with God.

But when our courteous and gracious Lord shows himself to our soul, we have that which we desire. And then for a time, we do not see further things we need pray for; but rather, all our intent and might is focused on contemplating him. And this is a high and indescribable prayer, as to my sight; for the reason why we pray merges into the sight and beholding of the one to whom we pray. There is marvellous enjoyment in this holy fear, and such sweetness and delight in him that in this moment we can pray nothing but what he stirs in us. And as I know well, the more the soul sees God, the more it desires him by his grace.

But when we do not see him like this, because of our failing, then we feel both need and reason to pray to Jesus, to bring life back to ourselves. For when thesoul is storm-tossed and troubled, and left to itself by unrest, then it is time to pray, to make it self pliable and obliging to God. (But no amount of prayer makes God obliging to the soul; for his love makes him ever thus.)

And this I saw: whenever we see our need pray, then our good Lord follows us, helping our desire; and when by special grace we behold him clearly, seeing no other concerns, then we follow him and he draw us towards him by love. For I saw and felt that his marvellous and abundant goodness fulfils all our powers. I saw also that his constant working in all manner of things is done so well, so wisely and so mightily that it transcends all our imagining, and all that we can guess and think; and then we can do no more than contemplate him, enjoying him with a high and strong desire to be oned with him, and centred on his dwelling. Here there is joy in his love and delight in his goodness.

And then with his sweet grace, continuing in the work of meek prayer, we come to him now in this life by many secret touches of sweet spiritual sights and feelings, given to us as our simple souls may bear. And this is done, and shall be done, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, until we die in longing for love. And then shall we all come to our Lord, our self clearly knowing and God fully owning. And all of us shall endlessly be hidden in God. Then we will see him truly, feel him fully and hear him spiritually, breathing him in with delight and drinking from him sweetly.

And then we shall see God face to face, homely and fully. The creature who is made shall see and endlessly behold God who is the maker. For no one can see God and continue to live; that is to say, in this mortal life. But when of his special grace he shows himself here, he strengthens the creature above its self, and measures the showing, after his own will, as it most benefits them in that moment.

Concerning certain points in the foregoing 14 revelations

CHAPTER 44

GOD showed in all the revelations, often, that we work his will and his honour constantly and without stinting. And the nature of this work was shown in the first showing in a marvellous example. There it was revealed in the working of the soul of our blissful Lady, Saint Mary; that is, the working of truth and wisdom. And I hope, by the grace of God, to tell it as I saw it.

Truth sees God, wisdom beholds God and from these comes the third; that is, a holy and marvellous delight in God, which is love. Where truly there is truth and wisdom, then truly there is love, arising from them both. And this is all of God’s making, for he is endless sovereign truth, endless sovereign wisdom and endless sovereign love, unmade; while the human soul is a creature in God who has the same nature, though made; and it does what it was made for forever: it sees God, beholds God and it loves God. In this manner, God and his creature in one another enjoy each other, endlessly marvelling.

In this marvelling the soul sees his God, his Lord and his Maker so raised, so great and so good in comparison with him who is made, that the creature scarcely feels like anything at all! But the brightness and clarity of truth and wisdom enables him to see and to know that he is made for love, in which God endlessly keeps him.

CHAPTER 45

God judges us by the substance of our nature, which is ever kept one in him, whole and safe without end; and this judgement is from his rightfulness. Humans, however, judge by looking at their changeable senses which appear as one thing and then another, depending on whether it arises from a higher or lower part, and which is then outwardly seen. And the wisdom of human judgment is mixed because of the many things it sees. For sometimes it is good and tolerant, and sometimes it is harsh and grievous. And in as much as it is good and tolerant it belongs to God’s rightfulness; and in as much as it is harsh and grievous, our good Lord Jesus reforms it through the working of mercy and grace in our senses, by virtue of his blessed passion. In this way, he brings it to rightfulness. And though these two judgments are thus brought into harmony and oned, yet both shall be known as separate in heaven without end.

The first judgement comes from God’s rightfulness; that is, from his high and endless love; and this is that fair and sweet judgement that was shown throughout this beautiful revelation, in which I saw no manner of blame assigned. And though this was sweet and delightful to behold, I could not be fully at peace; and this was because of the judgement of holy Church, which I had previously understood and which was continually in my sight; for by this judgement, I understood that sinners are sometimes worthy of blame and wrath. Yet I could not see God in either of these, and therefore my desire to understand was more than I can tell. For the higher judgement was shown by God himself, and therefore I must believe it; and yet the lower judgement was previously taught me by holy Church, and so I could not ignore this lower judgement.

This then was my desire: that I might see from God just how the judgement taught by holy Church is true in his sight, and how I should understand it. Then perhaps both judgements can still stand, and God would be honoured and I would know the right path. And to all this I had no other answer but a marvellous example of a lord and a servant, as I shall tell in a while, and one most powerfully shown. And yet my desire remains, and will do until I die, that I might by grace understand how these two judgements apply to me. For all heavenly things, and all earthly things that belong to heaven, are understood in these two judgements. And the more understanding, by the gracious leading of the Holy Spirit, that we have of these two judgements, the more we shall see and know our failings. And the more that we see them, then the more naturally by grace shall we long to be filled with endless joy and bliss. We are made for this, and our substantial nature is even now held in God’s bliss, and has been since it was made and shall be forever.

CHAPTER 46

Here in this brief life on earth, our sense-soul does not know who our true self is. And when we truly and clearly see and know our true self, then shall we truly and clearly see and know our Lord God in fullness of joy. It is therefore inevitable that the nearer we are to our bliss, the more we shall long for it, both by nature and by grace. We can have some knowledge of our true self in this life by the constant help and virtue of our higher nature. In this knowledge we can live and grow, carried forward by mercy and grace; but we can never fully know our true self until our last moment, when this brief life and our pain and woe shall be at an end. And therefore it is right for us, both by nature and by grace, to long and desire with all our strength to know our true self in the fullness of endless joy.

And yet in all this time, from the beginning to the end, I had two types of vision. The one was endless and continuing love, with secure keeping and blissful salvation, for this was the entire showing. The other was of the common teaching of holy Church, in which I was previously instructed and grounded, and which I have tried to use and understand. And my awareness of this never left me, for the showing did not stir or lead me from this understanding in any way. On the contrary, I was taught to love it and find it good, for by this I might, by the help of our Lord and his grace, increase and rise to a more heavenly knowing and higher loving.

And thus in all the beholding, I thought I needed to see and to know that we are sinners, who do many evils that we ought to leave, and leave many good deeds undone that we ought to do; and therefore deserve pain and wrath. Yet notwithstanding all this, I saw quite plainly that our Lord was never angry, nor ever shall be; for he is God, and a God who is good, life, truth, love and peace. His clarity and unity do not allow him wrath, for I saw truly that it is against the nature of his strength to be angry, and against the nature of his wisdom and goodness. God is the goodness that cannot be wrath, for he is nothing other than goodness. Our soul is oned to him who is unchangeable goodness, and between God and our soul is neither wrath nor forgiveness in his sight. For our soul is so fully oned to God of his own goodness that between God and our soul there is nothing.

And in every showing, the soul was led to this understanding by love and drawn there by might; and this is as the good Lord showed, and how it is in the truth of his great goodness. And he wills that we desire to learn it; that is to say, as far as his creature is able to learn it. For God wills that everything the simple soul can understand should be shown and made known; while the things that he will keep secret, he hides them mightily and wisely, out of his love. For I saw in the same showing that many secrets are hidden, which will never be known until the time that God of his goodness has made us worthy to see them; and so on this account, I am well content to abide in our Lord’s will in this high marvel. And now I yield myself to my mother, holy Church, as a simple child should.

CHAPTER 47

TWO things belong to our soul as duty: the one is that we reverently marvel, and the other that we meekly suffer, ever finding joy in God. For he would have us understand that in a short time we shall see clearly in himself all that we desire.

Notwithstanding all this, I beheld and marvelled greatly at the mercy and forgiveness of God. For by the teaching that I had before, I understood that the mercy of God was the forgiveness of his wrath when we sin. For I thought that to a soul whose meaning and desire is to love, the wrath of God was harder than any other pain; and so I took the forgiveness of his wrath to be one of the principal points of his mercy. But however much I looked or wished, I could never see this point in any part of the showing. Yet I understood and saw the work of mercy, which I shall tell of, God willing.

I understood this: that we are changeable in this life and that overcome by frailty, we fall into sin. We are weak and unwise, and our will is overwhelmed. In such times we are in a storm, full of sorrow and woe; and the cause is our blindness, for we do not see God. If we saw God continually, we would have no such mischievous feelings, nor the energy or yearning that feeds sin. .

This is what I saw and felt at this time; and I thought the sight and feeling was most high, abundant and gracious in comparison with our everyday feelings in this life. Yet I thought it was but small and low in comparison to the great desire that the soul has to see God. And I felt in myself five sorts of workings, which are these: enjoying, mourning, desire, fear and sure hope.

Enjoying, for God gave me understanding and knowledge that it was he himself who I saw; mourning for my failing; desire, that I might increasingly see him, understanding and knowing that we shall never have full rest until we see him truly and clearly in heaven. Fear was there all the time, for it seemed my sight would fail, and I would then be left to myself; and sure hope was there in the endless love, in which I saw that I would be kept by his mercy and brought to his bliss. And the joy in his sight, with this sure hope of his merciful keeping, gave me such feelings of comfort that mourning and dread were hardly noticed.

And yet in all this, I knew in the showing of God that this manner of revelation cannot be continuous in this life, both by reason of his own honour and that our endless joy might grow. And therefore we often fail in his sight, and presently fall into our self, where we find no feeling of right. There we find nothing but contrariness within ourselves, which is the old root of our first sin, with all the sins that follow from our contrivances. In this way we are troubled and storm-tossed by our feeling of sin and the various pains, both in body and spirit, that we know all too well in this life.

CHAPTER 48

But our good Lord the Holy Spirit, who is endless life dwelling in our soul, keeps us most securely. Working peace within us, he brings ease to our soul by grace, attuning it to God and making it willing. And this is the mercy and the way by which our Lord continually leads us for as long as we live this changeable life. I saw no wrath but the wrath in ourselves, and this he forgives us.

Such wrath is nothing else but pushiness and is contrary to peace and love; and it comes either from a failing of strength, wisdom or goodness; a failing which is not God’s but ours. For through our sin and wretchedness we possess a wretched and continual resistance to peace and love. And this he showed often in his lovely look of compassion and pity. The ground of mercy is love and the working of mercy is to keep us in this love. And this was shown in such a way that I could not have understood the nature of mercy except as it was found in love alone; that is how it appeared to me.

Mercy is a sweet gracious working of love, mingled with plentiful pity; for mercy works to keep us and to turn to all things to good. Mercy, by love, allows us to fail to a degree and the degree we fail is the degree we fall; and the degree we fall, is the degree we die; and die we must, as we lose sight and feeling of God, who is our life. Our failing is dreadful; our falling is shameful and our dying is sorrowful; but in all this, the sweet eye of pity and love is never lifted from us, nor does the working of mercy cease.

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.

For I saw with certainty that just as our earthly contrariness brings pain, shame and sorrow, so does grace, working in the opposite direction, bring us solace, honour and bliss in heaven, surpassing all else. And this to such a degree, that when we come up and receive the sweet reward which grace has made for us, then we shall thank and bless our Lord, endlessly rejoicing that we suffered such woe. And we shall know a quality of the blessed love of God which we could never have known without passing through our troubles.

And when I saw all this, I could do nothing but admit that the mercy and forgiveness of God both quenches and diminishes our wrath.

CHAPTER 49

This was a great wonder to the soul, and one continually shown in all the revelations, and reflected on with great diligence: that our Lord God, concerning himself, cannot forgive for he is not angry; it is impossible. For this was shown: that our life is all grounded and rooted in love, and without love we may not live. Therefore to the soul - who of his special grace can see so far into the high and marvellous goodness of God, and sees there that we are endlessly oned to him in love - it is the most impossible thing imaginable that God could be angry. For wrath and friendship are two opposites. He who diminishes and destroys our wrath and makes us meek and mild, must himself be always one in love, meek and mild; and this is contrary to wrath.

I saw with certainty that where our Lord appears, peace also appears and wrath has no place. For I saw no manner of wrath in God, neither for a short time nor for a long time; for in truth, as far as I can see, if God might was angry for an instant, we would have neither life nor place nor being. For as truly as we have our being in the endless might, wisdom and goodness of God, so truly we have our keeping in the endless might, wisdom and goodness of God. For though we feel ourselves to be frail wretches, full of debate and strife, yet are we in all manner of ways enclosed in the mildness and meekness of God, in his kindness and openness; for I saw most clearly that our endless friendship, home, life and being, is in God. And that same endless goodness that keeps us when we sin, so we do not die, also leads us continually to peace and away from our wrath and contrary failing. It makes us see our need with appropriate fear, and passionately to ask God’s forgiveness with a longing for salvation.

And though we, by the wrath and the contrariness that is in us, now experience tribulation, distress and woe, as our blindness and frailty dictates; yet we are securely safe by the merciful keeping of God and do not die. But we are not blissfully safe, and possessors of eternal joy, until such time as we are in peace and in love; that is to say, content with God and with all his works and judgments; and accepting and peaceable with our self and with our fellow Christians and with all who God loves, as love invites. And this is done by God’s goodness in us.

Thus I saw that God is our very peace, and he is our sure keeper when we cannot find peace, and he continually works to bring us into endless peace. And so when we, by the working of mercy and grace, are made meek and mild, we are fully safe. And then suddenly the soul is oned to God when it is truly at peace with itself, for in him no wrath is found. And so I saw that when we are in peace and in love, we find no contrariness, and no means for that contrariness to rise up within us. Rather, our Lord in his goodness works to make it help us. For though contrariness is the cause of all our troubles and woe, our Lord Jesus takes them and sends them up to heaven, and there are they made more sweet and delectable than any heart can imagine or tongue can tell. And when we arrive there we shall find them ready, all turned into fine and endless honour. In this way is God our steadfast ground; and he shall be our full bliss and make us unchanging as he is, when we are there.

CHAPTER 50

In this life, mercy and forgiveness is our path and it leads us always to grace. The storms and sorrows we fall into may leave us as dead according to human judgements; but in the sight of God the soul that will be saved was never dead, nor ever shall be.

Yet here I wondered and marvelled with all the diligence at my disposal, saying this: ‘Good Lord, I see you are the truth; and I know in truth that we sin grievously every day and are much to be blamed. Yet though I cannot forget this truth, I simply do not see you apportion any blame. How can this be?’ For I knew by the common teaching of holy Church and by mine own sense that the blame for our sin continually hangs over us, from the first man until the time we come up into heaven. And this was my marvel: that I saw our Lord God showing us no more blame than if we were as clean and holy as the angels are heaven. And between these two opposite thoughts my reason was greatly troubled because of my blindness; and I could have no rest for fear that his blessed presence might pass from my sight and that I would be left quite unknowing about how God considers our sin. For either I needed to see that in God, sin was all done away with, or else to see how God sees sin, by which means I might truly know how I should regard sin, and the nature of our blame.

My longing endured all the time I gazed on him, and yet I could find no peace because of my great fears and perplexity. I was thinking: ‘If I assume that we are not sinners and not to blame, it seems as though I would err and fail to grasp the truth. Yet if it is true that that we are sinners and blameworthy, then good Lord, how is it that I cannot see this truth in you, my God and my Maker, in whom I desire to see all truths?’

Three reasons make me bold ask. The first is, because it is so small a thing; were it a large matter I would be more fearful. The second is that it is so common; for if it were unusual or secret, I would also have feared. The third is, I thought it necessary that if I were to live here, I needed to know the difference between good and evil, and by reason and grace, distinguish between the two so I might love goodness and hate evil, as holy Church teaches. I cried inwardly, with all my might, seeking help from God, and saying: ‘Ah! Lord Jesus, King of bliss, how shall I be eased? Who will teach me and tell me this thing I need to know, if all the while I cannot see it you?’

CHAPTER 51

And then our courteous Lord answered in a shrouded revelation, a remarkable parable, concerning a Lord and his servant; and he gave me understanding of both. This sight was shown doubly with regard to the Lord and doubly with regard to the servant. The first part was shown spiritually in bodily likeness and the second part more spiritually, without bodily likeness.

In the first sight, I saw two persons in bodily likeness; that is to say, a Lord and a servant; and immediately God gave me spiritual understanding. The Lord sat in stately fashion, at rest and in peace; the servant stood before his Lord reverently, ready to do his Lord’s will. The Lord looked upon his servant most lovingly and sweetly, and meekly sent him to a certain place to do his will. The servant not only went, but out of love, was eager and ran in great haste to do his Lord’s will. But he then fell into a ravine and hurt himself badly. And then he groaned and moaned, wailed and struggled; but he could neither get up nor help himself in any way.

And throughout this episode, the most mischief that I saw in him was a lack of comfort; for he could not turn his face to look upon his loving Lord, still close to him and his complete comfort. But like a man who was feeble and momentarily unwise, the servant turned his mind to his feelings and the woes he suffered.

There were seven pains in this woe. The first was the sore bruising that he took when he fell, a great pain to him; the second was the heaviness of his body; the third was the weakness which followed from these two; the fourth, that he was blinded in his reason and stunned in his mind, to such an extent that he almost forgot his great love; the fifth was his inability to get up; the sixth was most remarkable to me, and that was that he lay all alone. I looked around and saw no one, rich or poor, near or far, able to give help. The seventh was that the place where he lay was a large, harsh and grievous place.

I wondered how this servant could meekly endure all this trouble, and I watched carefully to see if I could perceive in him any fault; or if the Lord would assign any blame to him. And in truth there was none seen, for only the servant’s goodwill and great desire caused his fall; and he was as eager and as inwardly good as when he stood before his Lord, ready to do his will. And his loving Lord continued to see him in this tender manner. Yet now it was a two-fold gaze. One was outward, meek and mild with great compassion and pity, and this was of the first sight. The other was inward and more spiritual, and this was shown to lead my understanding to the Lord. And here I saw him in rejoicing greatly at the honourable restoration that he longed for and which he would bring to his servant by his plentiful grace. And this was the second showing.

And now my understanding was led back to the first sight, while keeping both in mind; for then this courteous Lord spoke his meaning: ‘See, see my loved servant, what harm and distress he has suffered in my service and for my love, and yes, for his goodwill. Is it not fitting that I reward him for his upset and his fear, for his hurt and maiming and woe? And not only this, but does it not fall to me to give him a gift that shall be better and more honouring to him than his own health could ever have been? Otherwise, I believe I would do him no service at all.’

And at this, an inward spiritual showing of the Lord’s meaning descended into my soul. Here I saw that it was necessary, by virtue of his great goodness and his own honour, that his dear servant who he loved so much, should be truly and blissfully rewarded, more than he would have been had he not fallen. Yes, and to such an extent that the falling and woe which he had suffered, would be turned into high and surmounting honour and endless bliss.

And at this point the showing of this parable vanished, and our good Lord led my understanding both in sight and in the unfolding of the revelation forward to the end. But notwithstanding this forward leading, my wonder at the parable never left me, for I thought it was given to me as an answer to my questions; and yet I could not grasp its meaning well enough to bring ease at that time. For in the servant who symbolised Adam, as I shall tell, I saw many different natures that could not possibly be found in Adam alone. And so at that time there was much I did not know; for the full understanding of this marvellous parable was not given to me at this time. There were three particular aspects of the revelation which remained a mystery, though I saw and understood that every showing is full of secret things. Therefore, I must tell you of the three areas in which I found some meaning at least.

The first is the beginning of teaching that I understood to be contained there at that time; the second is the inward teaching that I have since understood; the third is the whole revelation from beginning to the end; that is to say, this book itself, which our Lord God out of his goodness often brings to my understanding quite freely. And these three are so joined in my understanding that I cannot separate them. And by these three, as one, I have a teaching by which I ought to believe and trust in our Lord God; he of the same goodness which has been shown, and for just the same end. And from the same goodness and for the same end he shall declare it to us when it is his will.

For twenty years less three months after the showing, I received inward teaching, as I shall tell: ‘It is your task to take heed of the nature and circumstances revealed to you in the parable, though you think that they are unclear to your sight.’ I agreed willingly and with great desire, and inwardly focused on the points and properties shown at that time, as much as my wits and understanding allowed. I began my contemplating the Lord and the servant, and the way the Lord sat, and the place where he sat, and the colour and cut of his clothing, and his outward appearance and his inward nobility and goodness. I beheld also the way the servant stood, and the place, and the style of clothing, the colour and the shape; his outward appearance and his inward goodness and willingness.

The Lord sat in stately rest and in peace, and I understood that he is God. The servant who stood before the Lord, I understood to be Adam; that is to say, one man’s falling was shown at that time, to make it understood how God regards all people who fall. For in the sight of God all people are one and one person is all. This man was hurt in his strength and made feeble; and his understanding was stunned so that he was turned from the contemplation of his Lord. But his will was kept whole in God’s sight; for I saw our Lord commend and approve his will. But he himself was prevented and blinded from the knowing of this will; and this was a great sorrow to him and painful distress; for neither could he clearly see his loving Lord, who was so meek to him and mild, nor truly see how he was perceived by his loving Lord. And I know well that when these two are wisely and truly seen, then we shall have rest and peace here in part, and then the fullness of the bliss in heaven, by his abundant grace.

And this was the beginning of a teaching I saw at that time, by which I came to know how he beholds our sin. And then I saw that only pain blames and punishes, while our courteous Lord comforts us and sorrows, remaining always in glad cheer towards the soul, longing to bring us to his bliss.

The place where the Lord sat was simple; it was on barren earth in a desert, alone in wilderness. His clothing was ample and gorgeous, as becomes a Lord; the colour of his cloth was blue as azure, most solemn and fair. His appearance was merciful and the colour of his face was light bronze, with fair features. His eyes were black, most dark and attractive, outwardly revealing lovely pity while showing within him a watchful gaze that seemed to extend to heaven. He gazed on his servant continually with this lovely look, especially after he fell, and I thought it might melt our hearts for love and burst them in two for joy. The wonderful look revealed a beautiful mix which was marvellous to behold: part of it compassion and pity, the other part joy and bliss. The joy and bliss surpassed the compassion and pity as far as heaven surpasses earth; for the pity was earthly and the bliss was heavenly. The compassion and pity of the Father was in regard to Adam falling, for he is his most loved creature; the joy and bliss was in regard of his dear son, who is together with the Father. The merciful look of his face of love filled the earth and descended down with Adam into hell, where with continual pity Adam was kept from endless death. And this same mercy and pity dwell with humankind until that time we shall come into heaven.

But in this life we are blinded and therefore unable to see our Father God as he is. And when in his goodness he wills to reveals himself to us, he reveals himself in a homely manner, as a man. Despite this, I saw clearly that we ought to know and believe that the Father is not man.

When he sat on the barren earth in the desert, it had this meaning: he made the human soul to be his own city and dwelling-place, and the most pleasing aspect of all his works. Since Adam fell into sorrow and pain, he was not fit to serve in noble office. But our Lord Father remove himself elsewhere; instead, he sits on earth amongst humankind, until the time when by grace his dear son has once again brought his city into noble beauty through his hard travail.

The blueness of the clothing signifies his steadfastness; the brownness of his fair face, with his winning dark eyes, spoke only of his holy purpose. The length and breadth of his garments, which were fine and flaming, signified that he has, enclosed in himself, all heavens, joy and high reward. And this was shown in a moment, where I have said, ‘My understanding was led into the Lord’. In this inward showing I saw him rejoice greatly at the honourable restoration that he wills and shall bring to his servant by his plentiful grace.

And yet I marvelled, as I beheld the Lord and the servant. I saw the Lord sit in state and the servant stand reverently before his Lord. In the servant there is a double meaning, one outer and one inner. Outwardly, he was dressed simply, as a labourer ready for his toil. He stood very near the Lord; not in front of him, but to one side, on the left. His clothing was a white smock, single, old and stained deep with the sweat of his body. It fell straight and short, about a hand span beneath the knee, and was threadbare, as though it would soon be worn out; ready to be ragged and ripped. And I marvelled greatly at this, thinking: ‘This is inappropriate clothing for a servant who is so greatly loved, to stand in before so honourable a Lord!’ And I saw within him a ground of love. Such a love he had for his Lord which was the same as the love the Lord had for him!

The wisdom of the servant saw inwardly that there was one thing to do which would honour the Lord. And the servant, out of love, having no regard for himself nor for anything which might befall him, speedily set off and ran at the sending of his Lord, to do that thing which was his will and his worship. For it seemed by his outward clothing that he had been a constant labourer for long time; yet by the inward sight I had of both the Lord and the servant, it seemed that he was a new labourer; that is to say, one just starting his work who had never been sent out before.

There was a treasure in the earth which the Lord loved. I marvelled and wondered what it might be, and I was answered in my understanding: ‘It is a food which is delightful and pleasant to the Lord.’ I saw the Lord sit as a man, and I saw neither meat nor drink with which to serve him. This was one marvel. Another marvel was that this majestic Lord had only one servant, and he was sent out. I watched, thinking ‘What sort of labour should the servant do?’ And then I understood that he should do the greatest labour and hardest work; that is, he should be a gardener, delving and diking, toiling and sweating, turning the earth upside-down, digging deep and watering the plants in their time. And he should continue in this labour and make sweet floods to run, and noble and abundant fruits to spring, which he could then bring before the Lord to serve him as he desires. And he would never again turn away until he had prepared this food and made it ready, as he knew it pleased the Lord. And then he would take this food, with the drink, and bear it honourably before the Lord. And all this time, the Lord sat in the same place, awaiting his servant whom he sent out.

And yet I wondered where the servant came from? For I saw in the Lord that he has endless life within himself, and all manner of goodness, except for the treasure that is in the earth - though that treasure was also grounded in the Lord in the marvellous deepness of endless love. Yet it was not honouring to him until the servant had nobly prepared it, and brought it to him of his own accord. Without the Lord there was nothing but wilderness. And I did not completely understand what this parable meant, and therefore I still wondered from where the servant came.

The servant signifies second person in the Trinity and also Adam; that is to say, all humankind. And therefore when I say the Son, I mean the Godhead which is with the Father; and when I say the servant, it means Christ’s humanity, which is the true Adam. The nearness of the servant symbolises the Son, and the standing on the left side symbolises Adam. The Lord is the Father, God; the servant is the Son, Christ Jesus; the Holy Spirit is the mutual love which is in them both.

When Adam fell, God’s Son fell. Because of the faithful oneing which had been made in heaven, God’s Son could not be separated from Adam, and by Adam I understand all people. Adam fell from life to death, into the depths of this wretched world, and after that into hell. God’s Son fell with Adam, into the deep of the maiden’s womb, who was the fairest daughter of Adam; and for this purpose: to excuse Adam from blame in heaven and in earth; and to mightily fetch him from hell.

By the wisdom and goodness that was in the servant we understand God’s Son; and by the poor clothing of the labourer standing near on the left, we understand manhood and Adam, with all the mischief and feebleness that followed. For in all this our good Lord revealed his own Son and Adam as one person. The virtue and the goodness we display are of Jesus Christ; while the feebleness and blindness we display is of Adam. And the two were both shown in the servant.

And in this way our good Lord Jesus has taken on himself all our blame, and therefore our Father neither can nor will assign to us any more blame than he does to his own Son, the dear Christ. And so it was that he was the servant, even before his coming to earth, standing ready before the Father in purpose, until the time when he would send him to do that wonderful deed by which humankind was brought again into heaven. All this time he was God, equal with the Father as relating to the Godhead; yet foreseeing in his purpose that he would be man and save man in fulfilling his Father’s will. The is why he stood before his Father as a servant, willingly taking upon him all our charge. And then he set off readily at the Father’s will, and in time fell very low, into the maiden’s womb, having no regard for himself nor for his harsh pains.

The white smock is the flesh; the singleness is that there was nothing between the Godhead and manhood; the straightness is poverty, and its age is of Adam’s wearing. The stains of sweat speak of Adam’s travail; while its shortness reveals how the servant must labour.

And so I saw the Son saying: ‘Lo! My dear Father, I stand before you in Adam’s smock, all ready to start and to run. I wish to be on earth to do your will wherever you will send me. How long shall I wait?’ The Son knew full well when it would be his Father’s will and how long he would wait; that is to say, he knew it in relation to the Godhead, for he is the wisdom of the Father; for which reason this question was shown from the understanding of Christ as man. For all humankind that shall be saved by the sweet incarnation and blissful passion of Christ, are held in the humanity of Christ; for he is the head and we are his members. To those members, the day and the time when every passing woe and sorrow shall have an end and the everlasting joy and bliss shall be fulfilled, is unknown; the day and the time which the whole company of heaven longs to see. And all who are still under heaven or yet to come, their way is also by longing and desire. And this hope and longing was shown in the servant’s standing before the Lord, or rather, in the Son’s standing before the Father in Adam’s smock. For the hopes and longings of all humankind who shall be saved appeared in Jesus; for Jesus is everyone who shall be saved, and everyone who shall be saved is Jesus. And all this is arises from the love of God; with obedience, meekness and patience and all virtues that belong to us.

Also in this marvellous parable I have teaching set before me as though it were the beginning of an A.B.C., whereby I have some understanding of our Lord’s meaning. This secret things of the revelation remain hidden within it, given that all the showings are full of secret things.

The Father seated is a token of his Godhead; that is to say, it shows his rest and peace, for in the Godhead there can be no painful toil. And that he showed himself as Lord, speaks of his governance of our manhood. The standing of the servant speaks of travail; and the standing to the left means he was not worthy to stand directly in front of the Lord. His setting off was the Godhead, and the running was the manhood; for the Godhead set off from the Father into the maiden’s womb, stooping to assume our nature. And in this stooping he suffered terrible sores; sores that he took in our flesh and in which he so swiftly felt deadly pains. That he stood to the left of the Lord and not in front, signifies that his clothing was not honest enough to stand in front of the Lord; and that he neither could nor should take that position while he remained a labourer; nor also that he should sit in rest and peace with the Lord until he had won his peace faithfully with his hard and painful toil. That he stood on the left side suggests that the Father left his own Son willingly in human form to suffer all people’s pains, without sparing him. The ragged and ripped state of his smock is due to the blows, the scourgings, the thorns and the nails; the drawing and dragging, which tore his tender flesh. I had seen this to some degree previously, how the flesh was torn from the skull, falling in pieces until the time when the bleeding ceased, and then began to dry and cling to the bone. And by the struggling and writhing, groaning and moaning, I understood that he could never rise powerfully from the moment he fell into the maiden’s womb, until his body was slain and dead; until the time when he yielded his soul into the Father’s hands with all humankind for whom he was sent.

It was at this point he first began to show his might, for he went down into hell, and when there, he raised up the great root out of the deep depths which rightfully was knit to him in high heaven. The body was in the grave until Easter morning; but from that time he never lay again. For by then, the struggle and writhing, the groaning and moaning, was faithfully completed. And our foul and deadly flesh that God’s Son took on himself, which was Adam’s old smock - straight, threadbare and short - was then made fair by our Saviour, new, white, bright and endlessly clean; loose and flowing and fairer and richer than the clothing I previously saw on the Father. That clothing was blue, but Christ’s clothing is now a fine and alluring mix of colour, which is so marvellous that I cannot describe it, for it is too honouring.

Now the Son no longer sits on earth in the wilderness, but in his noblest seat, which he made in heaven to his liking. And now the Son does not stand before the Father as a servant before his Lord with fear, meanly dressed and in part naked. Rather, he stands before the Father as equal, richly clad in generous bliss, with a crown on his head of precious richness. For it was shown that we are his crown; and a crown is the Father’s joy, the Son’s honour, the Holy Spirit’s satisfaction and the endless marvellous bliss that belongs to all in heaven.

Now the Son stands not before the Father on the left side, as a labourer, but he sits on his Father’s right hand, in endless rest and peace. But this is not to say the Son sits on the right hand, side by side, as one man sits by another in this life; for there is no such sitting, as to my sight, in the Trinity. But rather, he sits on his Father’s right hand; that is to say, in the highest nobility of the Father’s joys. Now is the spouse, God’s Son, in peace with his loved wife, which is the fair maiden of endless joy. Now sits the Son in his city, very God and man, in rest and peace; a city which his Father has prepared for him in his endless purpose. And the Father is in the Son; and the Holy Spirit in the Father and in the Son.

CHAPTER 52

And thus I saw that God rejoices that he is our father, and God rejoices that he is our mother, and God rejoices that he is our spouse and that our soul is his loved wife. And Christ rejoices that he is our brother, and Jesus rejoices that he is our Saviour. These are five particular joys, as I understand, in which he wills that we find joy; him praising, him thanking, him loving and him endlessly blessing.

All that shall be saved we have in us already; for in this life there is a marvellous mingling of both health and woe. We have in us our Lord Jesus rising, and we have in us the wretchedness and the mischief of Adam’s falling and dying. By Christ we are steadfastly kept, and by his grace touching us, we are raised into the sure trust of salvation. And by Adam’s falling we are so broken in our feelings - and in many other ways by our sins and sundry hurts, which can make things so dark – that we can scarcely see any comfort.

But in our intent we remain in God, and faithfully trust to receive mercy and grace; and this is his working in us. And of his goodness he opens the eye of our understanding, and gives us sight - sometimes more and sometimes less - according to our ability to receive. And sometimes we are raised into the one, and sometimes allowed to fall into the other. And so mysterious is the mingling in us that we scarcely know in ourselves or in our fellow Christians how we are, in this strange mix of feelings. But that same holy assent - the same assent we give to God when we feel him - truly sets our will to be with him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might. And then we hate and despise our evil stirrings and all that might be the cause of sin, in spirit and body. Yet when this sweetness is hidden, we fall again into blindness, and then into all sorts of woe and troubles. But this is then our comfort: we know in our faith that by virtue of Christ who is our keeper, we do not assent to this; but rather groan against it and endure in pain and woe, praying for the time when he will show himself again to us.

And so we stand in this mingling all the days of our life. But he wills that we trust that he is lastingly with us, in three special ways. He is with us in heaven, truly man in his own being, drawing us up; and that was shown in the showing of the spiritual thirst. He is also with us on earth, leading us; and this was shown in the third showing, where I saw God in a point. And finally, he is with us in our soul, endlessly dwelling there, both ruling and keeping us; and this was shown in the sixteenth showing, as I shall tell.

And thus in the servant was shown both the mischief and blindness of Adam’s falling; and in the servant was shown the wisdom and goodness of God’s Son. And in the Lord was shown the compassion and pity of Adam’s woe; and in the Lord was shown the high nobility and the endless honour that humankind has come into by the virtue of the passion and death of his dear Son. And therefore he greatly celebrates his falling, for the grand raising and fullness of bliss that humankind has come into, surpassing what we would have had if he had not fallen. And it was to see this surpassing nobility that my understanding was led into God at the same time that I saw the servant fall.

And now because of this, we have reasons for mourning; for our sin is the cause of Christ’s pains. And equally, we have lasting reasons for joy; for it was endless love made him suffer. And therefore the creature that sees and feels the working of love by grace, hates nothing but sin; for of all things, to my sight, love and hate are the hardest and most irreconcilable opposites. And notwithstanding all this, I saw and understood in our Lord’s meaning that we cannot in this life remain wholly free and clean from sin as we shall be in heaven. But we can by grace keep ourselves from the sins which would lead us to endless pains, as holy Church teaches us; and avoid venial ones as our strength allows. And if we by our blindness and our wretchedness we fall at any time, we should readily rise, knowing the sweet touch of grace, and with all our will amend ourselves according to the teaching of holy Church, according to the grievousness of the sin, and go straight to God in love. We should neither, on the one hand, fall too low and incline to despair; nor, on the other hand, be over-reckless, as if it were an unimportant matter. But nakedly we are to acknowledge our feebleness, knowing that but for this keeping grace, we cannot stand for even the twinkling of an eye. And so we reverently cling to God, trusting in him alone; for one is wise as God sees it, and one is wise as humans see it. For it belongs to us meekly to accuse ourselves; and it belongs to the proper goodness of our Lord God courteously to excuse us.

And these are the two parts that were shown in the two-sided gaze with which the Lord looked on the falling of his loved servant. The one was shown outwardly, very meek and mild, with great compassion and pity, and came from endless love. And so the Lord wills that we earnestly accuse ourselves, truly seeing and aware of our falling and all the harm that comes from it. We are to see and learn that we can never restore it, and thereby earnestly and truly see and know the everlasting love that he has for us and his plentiful mercy. And graciously to see and to know both these things together is the gentle accusing that our Lord asks of us, and which he works in us. And all this is in the lower part of our life, as shown to me in the Lord’s outward gaze. In this showing I saw two parts: the one is humankind’s pitiful falling; the other is the glorious satisfaction that our Lord has made for us.

The other sort of gaze was shown inwardly; and that was a higher kind and all one. For the life and the virtue that we have in the lower part comes from the higher; and it comes down to us from the natural love within our true self, by the working of grace. Between the life of the one and the life of the other there is nothing; for it is all one love. And this one blessed love now has a double working in us; for in the lower part are pains and passions, mercies and forgiveness and other such things that are helpful. In the higher part, however, there are none of these, but just one high love and marvellous joy, in which joy all pains are wonderfully restored. And in this, our Lord showed not only our excusing, but also the glorious nobility that he shall bring us to, with all our blame turned into endless worship. The shall be when we are oned to the true self above.

CHAPTER 53

I saw that he wants us to understand how he takes the fall of any creature who shall be saved no harder than he took the fall of Adam, who, we know, was endlessly loved and securely kept in the time of his need, and is now blissfully restored in high and surpassing joy. Our Lord is so good, so gentle and so courteous, you see, that he can never find fault in anyone in whom he shall ever be blessed and praised.

And my question was partly answered in what I have just described and my great difficulty in some measure eased, by the lovely, gracious showing of our good Lord. In the showing I saw and understood clearly that in every soul who shall be saved, is a godly will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall; and this will is so good that it may never will evil, but always and continually wills good and works good in the sight of God. Therefore our Lord wills that we know this in both faith and belief; and especially that we receive this blessed will whole and safe in our Lord Jesus Christ. For by God’s righteousness, the same human nature that shall fill heaven, must first have been knit and oned to him; and so in this nature was kept a substance which could never, nor should ever be parted from him; and that through his own good will in his endless foreseeing purpose.

But notwithstanding this rightful knitting and this endless oneing, the redemption and again-buying of humankind is still needful and helpful in everything, as it is performed with the same intent and to the same end that the faith of holy Church teaches us.

For I saw that God never began to love humankind; for the reason that just as the same humankind shall be in endless bliss, fulfilling the joy of God in relation to his works, so the same humankind has been in the foresight of God, known and loved from the beginning in his faithful intent. By the endless ‘Yes’ of the full Trinity in agreement, the second person willed to be the ground and head of this fair nature. From him we all come; in him we are all enclosed and into him we are all going, finding our full heaven in everlasting joy, by the foreseeing purpose of all the blessed Trinity from before the beginning of time.

For before he made us, he loved us, and when we were made we loved him. And this is a love that is made from the kindly and substantial goodness of the Holy Spirit; mighty in reason, from the might of the Father; and wise in mind, from the wisdom of the Son. And in this way the human soul is made by God and in the same point is knit to God.

And thus I understand that the human soul is made of nothing; that is to say, it is made but made from nothing. And so, when God wished to make a human, he took the clay of earth, which is a mingled mass, and created a body. By this means he made the human body. But as to the making of our soul, he took nothing, but simply made it. And thus is the one made from nature, rightfully oned to the maker, who is substantial nature and not made; that is, God. And therefore it is so that there can and should be nothing between God and our soul.

And in this endless love our soul is kept whole, as the content of the revelations signifies and shows; and in this endless love we are led and kept by God and shall never be lost. For he wills us to be aware that our soul is a life, and a life which of his goodness and grace shall last in heaven without end, him loving, him thanking and him praising. And just as we shall live on without end, so we were treasured in God and hid, known and loved from without beginning.

Therefore he would have us grasp that the noblest thing he ever made is humankind; and the fullest substance and highest virtue is the blessed soul of Christ. And furthermore, he would have us understand that the dear soul and substantial nature of humanity was preciously knit to him when made with a knot so subtle and strong that the soul is oned into God; and in this oneing made endlessly holy. Furthermore he would have us know that all the souls who shall be saved in heaven without end, are knit and oned in this oneing and made holy in this holiness.

CHAPTER 54

Because of this great and endless love that God has for all humankind, he makes no separation in love between the blessed soul of Christ and the least soul that shall be saved. For it is easy enough to believe and to trust that the home of the blessed soul of Christ is an exalted place in the glorious Godhead. Yet truly, as I understand our Lord’s meaning, where the blessed soul of Christ is, there is the substance of all the souls who shall be saved by Christ.

Let there be great celebrations that God dwells in our soul, and much more and yet greater celebrations that our soul dwells in God. Our soul is made to be God’s dwelling-place; and the dwelling-place of the soul is God, who is unmade. And it is a profound inner understanding to see and know that God, who is our maker, dwells in our soul; and an even profounder inner understanding to see and to know that our soul, which is made, dwells in God’s substance; of which substance we are all that we are.

And I saw no difference between God and our substance; it was all God; and yet my understanding took it that our substance is in God. That is to say, that God is God, and our substance is a creature in God. For the almighty truth of the Trinity is our Father, for he made us and keeps us in him; and the deep wisdom of the Trinity is our mother, in whom we are all enclosed; and the high goodness of the Trinity is our Lord, and in him we are enclosed and he in us. We are enclosed in the Father, enclosed in the Son and we are enclosed in the Holy Spirit. And the Father is enclosed in us, and the Son is enclosed in us and the Holy Spirit is enclosed in us: all might, all wisdom, all goodness; one God, one Lord.

And our faith is a virtue that comes from our substantial selves to our sense-selves by the Holy Spirit, through whom all our virtues come to us; for without the Spirit, no one can receive virtue. It is nothing else but a right understanding with true belief and sure trust - of our being: that we are in God and God in us, even though we do not see. And this virtue, with all others that God has ordained for us to receive, works great things in us. For Christ’s merciful working is in us, and we graciously find harmony with him through the gifts and the virtues of the Holy Spirit. This working makes us Christ’s children and Christian in our living.

CHAPTER 55

And so Christ is our way, leading us securely in his laws, while Christ in his body, bears us mightily up into heaven. For I saw that Christ, having in himself all who shall be saved by him, respectfully presents us to his Father in heaven. His Father receives the present thankfully, and courteously gives it to his Son, Jesus Christ. And this gift and working is joy to the Father, bliss to the Son and pleasing to the Holy Spirit. And of all the things that we do, it is most pleasing to our Lord that we enjoy the same joy which is in the blessed Trinity, because of our salvation.

And this was seen in the ninth showing, where I speak more of this matter. And whether despairing or happy, God wills that we should understand and hold by faith that we are more truly in heaven than on earth.

Our faith comes from the natural love of our soul; from the clear light of our reason and from the steadfast mind which we have from God in our first making. And in the moment when our soul is breathed into our body, when we are made sensual, mercy and grace begin to work, having care of us and keeping us with pity and love. By this work, the Holy Spirit forms in our faith a hope that we shall rise again to our substantial selves, into the virtue of Christ, increased and fulfilled through the Holy Spirit.

Thus I understood that the sense-self is grounded in nature, in mercy and in grace; a ground which enables us to receive gifts that lead us to endless life. I saw very clearly that our substantial self is in God; but saw also that God is in our sense self; for in the self-same point that our soul is made sensual, that very place is the city of God, ordained for him from before the beginning of time. He enters this city and shall never leave.

God is never absent from the soul where he dwells blissfully without end. And this was seen in the sixteenth showing where it says: ‘The place that Jesus takes in our soul, he shall never leave.’ And all the gifts that God can give to creatures, he has given to his Son Jesus for us. And these gifts he, dwelling in us, has enclosed in him self until the time when we are full grown and mature, our soul with our body and our body with our soul, both helping each other as we acquire the stature that our nature works. And then, in the ground of our nature, with the working of mercy, the Holy Spirit graciously breathes into us gifts leading to endless life.

And in this manner my understanding was led by God to see in him and to understand, to perceive and to know, that our soul is a made Trinity; like the unmade and blissful Trinity, known and loved from the beginning of time, and in its making oned with the maker, as I have mentioned. This sight was most sweet and wonderful to behold, peaceable, restful, sure and delightful.

And because of this worshipful oneing that was made by God between the soul and body, it must be that humankind is restored from double death; a restoration that could never be until such time as the second person in the Trinity had taken the lower part of man’s nature, to whom the highest part was oned in the first making. And these two parts were in Christ, the higher and the lower, yet still one soul. The higher part was one in peace with God, in full joy and bliss; the lower part, which is the sense-self, suffered for the salvation of humankind.

And these two parts were seen and felt in the eighth showing, in which my body was filled with a feeling and awareness of Christ’s passion and his death. And alongside this was a subtle feeling and secret inner sight of the high part which I was shown at the same time when I could not, despite the friendly offer made to me, look up into heaven; and that was because of that mighty beholding that I had of the inner life. This inner life is that high being, that precious soul which is endlessly rejoicing in the Godhead.

CHAPTER 56

And so I saw quite clearly that we more readily come to the knowing of God than to knowing our own soul. For our soul is so deep-grounded in God, and so endlessly treasured, that we cannot come to the knowing of it until first, we have knowledge of God, who is our maker, and to whom our soul is oned. But notwithstanding this, I saw that to possess wholeness, we must desire wisely and truly to know our own soul; and so we learn to seek it where it is and that is in God. And thus by gracious leading of the Holy Spirit, we should know them both as one; and so whether we are stirred to know God or our soul, both of these stirrings are good and true.

God is nearer to us than our own soul; for he is the ground in whom our soul stands, and he is the strength that keeps the substantial selves and sense-selves together so that they shall never separate. For our soul sits in God in true rest, and our soul stands in God in true strength, and our soul is kindly rooted in God in endless love. Therefore if we wish to have knowledge of our soul, and enjoy commune and dalliance with it, it is necessary to seek our Lord God in whom it is enclosed. And I saw and understood more of this enclosement in the sixteenth showing, as I shall tell.

And with regard to our substantial selves and our senseselves, both together can rightly be called our soul, and that is because of the oneing they have in God. The worshipful city where our Lord Jesus sits is our sense-self, in which he is enclosed; and our substantial self is enclosed in Jesus with the blessed soul of Christ sitting at rest in the Godhead. And I saw most clearly that it is necessary that we remain in longing and in penance until the time that we are led so deep into God that we utterly and truly know our own soul.

And truly I saw that our good Lord himself leads us into this deep deepness in the same love with which he made us, and in the same love that he bought us by mercy and grace through the virtue of his blessed passion. Yet notwithstanding all this, we can never come to a full knowing of God until we first know clearly our own soul. For until the time that our soul finds its full powers we cannot be fully holy: and that is, until the time when our sense-self, by virtue of Christ’s passion, is brought up into the substantial self, with all the benefits of our tribulation that our Lord will bring to us through mercy and grace.

I had, in part, a touching from God and it is grounded in nature. That is to say, our reason is grounded in God, who is substantial being. From this substantial being mercy and grace spring and spread into us, working all things in fulfilling our joy. This is our ground in which we have our growth and fulfilment; for in nature we have our life and being, and in mercy and grace we have our growth and fulfilment. These are three natures in one goodness; and where one works, all work in those things which we long for.

God wills that we understand these things, and desire with all our heart to have a greater knowledge of them until the time when we are fulfilled; for to know them fully is nothing other than the endless joy and bliss we shall know in heaven; joy which God wills should be begun here on earth in the knowing of his love.

We cannot benefit from reason alone, but need also insight and love. Nor can we be saved by our nature grounded in God unless from the same ground we receive mercy and grace. It is from these three working together that we receive our goodness, the first of which is natural goodness. For in our first making God gave us as all the goodness as we could receive by our spirit alone; and then he gave further goodness, for in his foreseeing purpose and endless wisdom, he willed that we should be twice endowed.

CHAPTER 57

With regard to our substance, he made us so noble and so rich that for evermore we work his will and his worship; and where I say ‘we,’ I mean all who shall be saved. For truly, I saw that we are those who he loves, and who do what pleases him, lastingly and without stinting. And we do this by virtue of the great riches and the high noble virtues that are received by our soul in some measure when it is knit to our body; that is, when our sense-selves are made.

And so in our substantial selves we are full, and in our senseself we fail; and this failing God will restore and fulfil by the working of mercy and grace flowing plentifully into us from his own natural goodness. And in this way his natural goodness puts mercy and grace to work in us, and the natural goodness we receive from him enables us to receive the working of mercy and grace. For I saw that in God our nature is whole; but that he causes much variety to flow from himself to work his will to keep our nature which mercy and grace then restore and fulfil. And of these none shall perish, for the higher part of our nature is knit to God when it is made, and the lower part of our nature knit to God when we are made flesh; and so in Christ our two natures are oned. For the Trinity is comprehended in Christ, in whom our higher part is grounded and rooted; while our lower part has been adopted by the second person. I saw very clearly that all the works that God has done, or ever shall do, were fully known to him and foreseen from the beginning; and that for love he made humankind, and for the same love became man.

The next goodness that we receive is our faith, the source of all benefit. It comes from the high riches of our substantial self and into our sense-self; and is grounded in us through the natural goodness of God, by the working of mercy and grace. And from this come all other good things by which we are led and saved. Thus the commandments of God arise from here and we ought to understand them in two ways: one is that he bids us to love and to keep them; the other is that we ought to know what he forbids and to hate such things and refuse them. And in these two, everything we do is understood.

Our faith also produces the seven sacraments, each following the other in the order God has ordained for us, as well as all manner of virtues. For the same virtues that we have received from our substance, given to us in nature by the goodness of God, these same virtues are given to us by the working of mercy in grace through the Holy Spirit, yet renewed. These are the virtues and gifts treasured for us in Jesus Christ; for in the moment God knitted himself to our body in the virgin’s womb, he took our sense-self, and in that taking, having enclosed us entirely in himself, he oned it to our substance. In this oneing he was perfect man; for Christ, having knit in him self each person who shall be saved, is perfect man. Thus our Lady is our Mother in whom we are all enclosed and born of her in Christ; for she who is the mother of our Saviour is mother of all who shall be saved in our Saviour; and our Saviour is our true Mother in whom we are endlessly born, and never shall we come out of him.

Abundantly, completely and sweetly was all this shown, and it is spoken of in the first showing, where it says: ‘We are all enclosed in him and he enclosed in us.’ And this enclosing is spoken of in the sixteenth showing where it says: ‘He sits in our soul.’ For it is his delight to reign in our understanding blissfully; to sit in our soul restfully and to dwell in our soul endlessly, working us into him completely. And in this working he wills us to be his helpers, giving him all our attention, learning his lore, keeping his laws and desiring all that he does to be done, truly trusting in him.

For truly I saw that our substance is in God.

CHAPTER 58

GOD, the blessed Trinity, is everlasting being. And just as he is endless and without beginning, so is his purpose to make humankind endless, whose fair nature was first made ready for his own Son, the second person. Then, at his chosen time, and in full accord with the Trinity, he made us all at once; and in our making he knit us and oned us to himself; and by this oneing we are kept as clear and as noble as the day of our making. By virtue of this same precious oneing, we love our maker and seek him, praise him, thank him and endlessly enjoy him. And this is the effect which is worked continually in every soul that is being saved, which as I have said is God’s will.

And so in our making, God almighty is father of our substance; and God, all-wise is the mother of our substance, with the love and the goodness of the Holy Spirit, who is all one God and one Lord. And in the knitting and the oneing he is our true spouse and we his loved wife, his fair maiden; and with his own wife he can never be displeased. For he says: ‘I love you and you love me, and our love shall never be split in two.’

I contemplated the working of each of the blessed Trinity. And in this beholding I saw and understood these three properties: the property of the fatherhood, the property of the motherhood and the property of lordship, all in one God. In our Father almighty we have our keeping and our bliss as regards our substantial selves, which is ours by our making without beginning. And in the second person, in skill and wisdom we have our keeping as regards our sense selves, both our restoring and our saving; for he is our Mother, Brother and Saviour. And in our good Lord, the Holy Spirit, in his marvellous courtesy and high and plentiful grace, we have our reward and recompense for our life and our travail, which endlessly surpasses all that we desire.

For our whole life is found in this three. In the first we have our being, in the second we have our increasing and in the third we have our fulfilling. The first is nature, the second is mercy and the third is grace. Concerning the first, I understood that 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 Trinity is our Lord; and all this we have in our nature and in the making of our substance.

And beyond this I saw that the second person, who is our Mother as regards our substantial selves, is the same dear person who is our Mother as regards our sense-self. For we are doubly of God’s making; that is to say, both substantial and sensual. Our substance is the higher part, which we have in our Father, God almighty; and the second person of the Trinity is our Mother in nature, in the making of our substance, in whom we are grounded and rooted. And he is also our Mother in mercy, in taking our sense-self.

And so our Mother works for us in many ways, so that our parts are kept together. For in our Mother Christ we profit and increase; in mercy he reforms and restores us, and by the virtue of his passion, death and rising, he ones us to our substance. And so our Mother works mercy in all his children who are yielding and obedient to him.

And grace works with mercy, and especially in two ways, as was shown; a working which belongs to the third person, the Holy Spirit. He works by reward and gift. The reward is a generous and large present comprised of truth, which the Lord offers to those who have laboured; and the gift is a courteous working offered freely by grace, fulfilling and surpassing all that is deserved by creatures.

Thus in our Father, God almighty, we have our being; and in our Mother of mercy we have our reforming and restoring; for in him our parts are oned and we are all made perfect humans; and by this recompense and gracious gift of the Holy Spirit, we are fulfilled.

And our substantial self is in our Father, God almighty; in our Mother God, who is all-wisdom and in our Lord the Holy Spirit, God of all goodness. For our substantial self is whole in each person of the Trinity, which is one God. While our sense-self is only in the second person Christ Jesus; in whom is the Father and the Holy Spirit. And in him and by him we are mightily taken out of hell, and from the wretchedness on earth carried in honour into heaven and blissfully oned to our substance, increasing in riches and nobility by all the virtues of Christ and by the grace and working of the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 59

And all this bliss we have by mercy and grace; and it is a manner of bliss we might never have had or known had not the nature of goodness, who is God, been opposed; for from this comes our bliss. Wickedness has been allowed to rise against goodness; and the goodness of mercy and grace opposed the wickedness and turned everything to goodness and to worship for all who shall be saved. For it is the nature of God to do good against evil.

Since Jesus Christ does good against evil, he is our true Mother, and we have our being in him. In him, the ground of motherhood both begins and with the sweet keeping of love, endlessly follows. As truly as God is our Father, so truly God is our Mother; and he showed that in everything; and especially in these sweet words where he says: ‘It is I.’ That is to say, ‘It is I, the might and the goodness of the Fatherhood; it is I, the wisdom of the Motherhood; it is I, the light and the grace that is all blessed love; it is I, the Trinity; it is I, the unity. I am the sovereign goodness in all manner of things. I am the one who makes you to love; I am the one who makes you to long. It is I who is the endless fulfilling of all true desires.’

The soul is highest, noblest and worthiest when it is lowest, meekest and mildest. And from this substantial ground we receive all the virtues in our sense- selves by the gift of nature, and by helping and speeding of mercy and grace, without which these are of no benefit.

Our high Father, God almighty, who is being, knew and loved us before time began; and in this knowing, and in his marvellous and deep charity and the foreseeing counsel of the blessed Trinity, he willed that the second person should become our Mother. Our Father wills, our Mother works and our good Lord the Holy Spirit confirms; and therefore it is our part to love our God in whom we have our being, in reverent thanks and praise for our making, praying mightily to our Mother for mercy and pity, and to our Lord the Holy Spirit for help and grace.

And our entire life is found in these three aspects: nature, mercy and grace, from which we have meekness and mildness; patience and pity; and a hate of sin and wickedness for virtue must of necessity hate sin and wickedness. And so Jesus is our true Mother in nature by virtue of our first making; and he is our true Mother in grace by assuming our made nature. All the fair working and sweet kindly work of dear motherhood is appropriated to the second person; for in him we have this godly will, whole and safe without end, both in nature and in grace, and all from his own goodness, which is his alone.

I understood three ways of beholding the motherhood in God. The first is grounded in our natural making; the second, in the taking of our nature, which is the start of the motherhood of grace; and the third is in the motherhood of working and in that work is his spreading out, by the same grace, to the length and breadth and the height and the depth without end.

And all is one Love.

CHAPTER 60

But it is now necessary to say a little more about this spreading out, as I understand the meaning of our Lord. It concerns how we are brought again by the motherhood of mercy and grace to our natural home, where we were first made by the kind mother love which never leaves us.

Our kind and gracious Mother - for he wishes to be wholly our mother in every way - took up the ground of his works in the maiden’s womb, so low and so meek. And this he showed in the first revelation where he brought that meek maid to the eye of my understanding, in the simple state that was hers when she conceived. That is to say, although our high God is sovereign wisdom of all, in this low place he displayed and dressed himself in our poor flesh, fully prepared to perform the service and role of motherhood in all things.

The Mother’s service is nearest, readiest and surest for it is the heart of truth. This role could be done by no one in full except by him alone. We know that all our mothers’ bearing is bearing us to pain and to dying. Yet what is this? Our true Mother, the all-loving Jesus, he bears us to joy and to endless living, so may he be blessed! In this way, he sustains us within himself in love; and laboured painfully right to the very end, suffering the sharpest struggles and most grievous pains that ever there were or ever shall be; until in the end he died.

And when he had finished, he carried us to bliss; yet even this did not bring contentment to his marvellous love. And this he showed in these high and overwhelming words of love: ‘If I could suffer more, I would suffer more.’ He could not die again, but he would not hold back from work, and therefore he is compelled to feed us; for the dear love of motherhood has put him in our debt. The mother may give her child suck of her milk; but our precious Mother Jesus, he feeds us with himself, and does it, most courteously and tenderly, with the Blessed Sacrament that is our precious food for life; and with all the sweet sacraments he sustains us most mercifully and graciously.

And this is what he meant in this blessed word when he said: ‘It is I that the holy Church preaches and teaches you.’ That is to say: ‘All the health and life of sacraments; all the power and grace of my word; all the goodness that is ordained in the holy Church for you - it is I.’

The earthly mother may lay the child tenderly to her breast, but our tender Mother, Jesus, leads us in a homely way to his blessed breast, by his sweet open side; and there he shows part of the Godhead and the joys of heaven, with the spiritual certainty of endless bliss. And this he revealed in the tenth showing, offering the same understanding in this sweet word, where he says: ‘See how I love you!’ as he gazed down on his wounded side, with such joy.

This fair and lovely word ‘Mother’ is so sweet and so kind that it cannot be truthfully said of anyone but him; and to Mary who was his mother and mother of all. The property of motherhood is kind love, wisdom and knowing. And it is good, for though it is a fact that bodily birth is but little, low and simple compared to our spiritual birth, yet it is he that does it in the creatures by whom it is done. The kindly loving mother knows and understands the need of her child, and so she keeps it most tenderly, as is the nature and condition of motherhood. And as the child gets older, she changes her working but not her love. And when it is older still, she allows it to be beaten for the breaking down of vices, and to help the child receive virtues and graces.

This working, with all that is fair and good, our Lord does in them to whom it is done; and so he is our true Mother by the working of grace in our lower part, for love of our higher part. And he wills that we know this, for he wishes all our love to be fastened to him. And in this I saw that all duty that we owe, by God’s bidding, to fatherhood and motherhood, and for God’s own Fatherhood and Motherhood, is fulfilled in a true loving of God; a blessed love which Christ works in us. And this was shown in all the revelations and especially in the rich and mysterious words where he says: ‘It is I that you love’.

CHAPTER 61

In our spiritual birth, he uses such tenderness of keeping that it is quite without likeness, for our soul is of great value in his sight. He kindles our understanding, directs our ways, eases our conscience, comforts our soul, lightens our heart and gives us, in part, knowledge and belief in his blissful Godhead, by a gracious awareness of his sweet manhood and his blessed passion, with a reverent marvelling at his supreme and surpassing goodness. And he makes us to love all who he loves, for his love’s sake; and to be delighted with him and all his works. And when we fall, he raises us hastily by his lovely calling and gracious touching. And when we are thus strengthened by his sweet work, then with all our will we choose, by his sweet grace, to be his servants and his lovers forever without end.

And after this, he allows some of us to fall harder and more grievously than ever we did before, by our reckoning at least. And then in our ignorance we imagine that all we have started is worth nothing. But this is not so. For it was necessary that we fall, and necessary for us to see it. For if we never fell, we should not know how feeble and how wretched we are in ourselves; and also we should not fully comprehend the marvellous love of our maker. For we shall truly see in heaven without end, that we have grievously sinned in this life; yet despite this, we shall also see that we were never hurt in his love, nor ever less than highly prized in his sight. And by the test of this falling we shall have a high and marvellous knowing of God’s love without end. For strong and marvellous is the love which cannot not, nor will not, be broken by sin.

And this is one understanding of our benefit. Another is the humility and meekness we acquire by the sight of our falling; and because of this we shall be raised high in heaven; a raising we might never have had without that meekness. And therefore it is necessary that we see it; and if we do not see it, even though we fell, it would not profit us. It is common first to fall and later to see it; and both are of the mercy of God.

The mother may allow the child to fall sometimes and to be hurt in a variety of ways for its own growth; but for love of the child, she will never allow any manner of peril to come to the child. And although our earthly mother may allow her child to perish, our heavenly Mother, Jesus, cannot let his children perish; for he is almighty, all-wise and all-love; and no one else is like this, so may he be blessed!

But often when our falling and our wretchedness is shown to us, we are so afraid and so very ashamed of our self, that we scarcely know where to put ourselves. But our courteous Mother does not will that we flee away; for him there is nothing worse. Rather, he wills then that we behave like a child, who when hurt or afraid, runs hastily and with all energy to their mother for help. He wills that we do the same, as a meek child saying this: ‘My kind mother, my gracious mother, my dear mother, have mercy on me. I have made myself foul and unlikeable to you and I cannot amend it except with your help and grace.’ And if we do not feel eased straight away, we can be sure he will use the skills of a wise mother. For if he sees that it profits us more to mourn and to weep, then out of love he will allow it, with compassion and pity, until the time is right. And he wills then that we possess the nature of a child; a nature that trusts the love of the mother in good times and bad.

And he wills that we hold firmly to the faith of holy Church and find there our dear Mother, in the solace of true understanding, with the blessed community of saints. For one single person may often be broken, as it seems to them selves, but the whole body of holy Church was never broken, nor ever shall be. And therefore it is a sure thing, good and gracious, to will both meekly and mightily to be fastened and oned to our mother, holy Church; that is, to Christ Jesus. For the food of mercy that is his dear blood and precious water is quite enough to make us fair and clean; the blessed wounds of our Saviour ever open and rejoicing in our healing and the sweet and gracious hands of our Mother ever ready and diligent for us. For in all this working he adopts the role of a kind nurse who has nothing to do but to give attention to the salvation of her child.

It is his task to save us, his honour to do this for us and his will that we know it; for he wills that we love him sweetly and trust in him meekly and mightily. And this he showed me in these gracious words: ‘I keep you securely.’

CHAPTER 62

At that time, he showed me our frailty and our fallings, our afflictions and sense of worthlessness, our despisings and outcastness; indeed, all the woe I thought it possible to befall us in this life. And then he showed his blessed might, his blessed wisdom and his blessed love; and revealed that he keeps us in such times as these as tenderly and as sweetly in his honour, and as securely in our salvation, as he does when we feel in most solace and comfort. And from there he raises us spiritually and highly in heaven, and turns it all to his honour and to our endless joy. For his love never allows us to lose time. And all this is from the natural goodness of God, by the working of grace.

God is kind in his being; that is to say, that goodness that is kind is of God. He is the ground, he is the substance, he is the same thing as kindness; the true Father and true Mother of kind. And all the kindness that he has let flow from himself to work his will, shall be restored and brought back to him by the salvation of humanity through the working of grace. Different creatures possess this kindness in part, but humankind has the whole of it, in all its fullness and virtue, in fairness and goodness, in royalty and nobility, and in all manner of majesty, preciousness and honour.

Here we can see that we are all bound to God for our kindness, and bound to God by grace. And here we can also see that we do not need busily to seek far and wide to learn of different natures, but rather to go to holy Church, to our Mother’s breast; that is to say, to our own soul where our Lord dwells. There we will find all things now in faith and understanding; and afterwards truly and clearly in himself, in bliss.

But let no man or woman take this individually to themselves, for it is not so; only in general is this true. It was for our precious Christ, and for him alone, that this fair nature was prepared for the honour and nobility of humanity’s making, and for the joy and bliss of our salvation; just as he saw, understood and knew from without beginning.

CHAPTER 63

Here we can see that it is our true nature to hate sin, and the true work of grace to hate sin. For nature is all good and fair in itself, and grace was sent out to save nature, destroy sin and bring fair nature again to the blessed point from which it came, that is God; with yet more nobleness and honour brought by the virtuous working of grace. For it shall be seen before God by all his holy ones in joy without end, that nature has been tested in the fire of tribulation and no flaw or fault found in it. And so nature and grace are of one accord; for grace is God, as nature is God.

He is two in his manner of working, yet one in love; and neither of these is effective without the other, for they are inseparable. And when we by God’s mercy and with his help become one with nature and grace, we shall truly see that sin is viler and more painful than hell itself; there is no comparison, for it is contrary to our fair nature. And as truly as sin is unclean, so truly is it unnatural, and a horrible thing to see for the loved soul that wants only to be fair and shining in the sight of God, as nature and grace teach.

We must not be unduly fearful, unless fear is a help to us; but meekly we cry out to our dear Mother, and he sprinkles us in his precious blood and makes our soul full soft and mild; and in the process of time he heals us full fair, which is honouring to him and joy to us without end. And concerning this sweet and fair working, he shall never cease nor stint until all his dear children are born and brought forth. And this he showed me in the understanding of his spiritual thirst; that is, the lovelonging that shall last in him until Doomsday.

And so our life is grounded in the foreseeing wisdom of our true Mother Jesus from before the beginning; with the high might of the Father and the high sovereign goodness of the Holy Spirit. And in the taking of our nature Christ brought us to life; in his blessed dying upon the cross, he carries us to endless life; and from that time until now, and for evermore until Doomsday, he feeds us and helps us, even as that high sovereign kindness of his Motherhood hears our natural needs of childhood.

Fair and sweet is our Heavenly Mother in the sight of our souls; and precious and lovely are her gracious children in the sight of our Heavenly Mother, with mildness and meekness and all the fair virtues that belong to a child’s nature. For by nature the child does not despair of the Mother’s love; by nature the child does not rely on itself and by nature the child loves the Mother and each of the other children. These are the fair virtues, with others like them, which serve and please our Heavenly Mother.

And I understood that there is no higher state in this life than childhood; and that feebleness and failing of strength and understanding will be ours until our gracious Mother brings us up to our Father’s bliss. And then shall his meaning be truly known when he said in those sweet words: ‘All shall be well; and you shall see for yourself, that all manner of things shall be well.’ And then shall the bliss of our Mother in Christ begin anew in the joys of our God; a new beginning which shall last without end, newly begun.

And so I understood that all his blessed children who were born from him by nature, shall be brought again to him by grace.

The Fifteenth Revelation

CHAPTER 64

Before this time, I had a great longing and desire, by God’s gift, to be delivered from this world and from this life; for I often reflected on the troubles that are here, and the well-being and bliss that is in heaven. And even if there was no other pain in this life but the absence of our Lord, I sometimes thought it was more than I could bear. And this made me mourn and to long eagerly; as well as my own wretchedness, sloth and weakness. I simply did not want to live and to labour on, as it was given me to do.

And our courteous Lord answered these concerns with comfort and patience, and said these words: ‘Suddenly you shall be taken from all your pain, from all your sickness, from all your distress and from all your woe. You shall come up above and you shall have me as your reward, and you shall be filled full of love and bliss. And you shall have no manner of pain, ever again, no manner of discomfort and you will want for nothing; but rather, joy and bliss are yours without end. Why then should it upset you to suffer awhile, seeing that it is my will and my honour?’

And in these words: ‘Suddenly you shall be taken,’ I saw that God rewards us for patiently waiting on God’s will and on his time; rewards us for persevering with patience throughout our lives. Our ignorance of our time of passing is a great benefit; for if we knew when we were to die, we should not have the necessary patience. But, as God wills, while the soul is in the body, it seems to itself that it is always about to be taken. For the life and languishing that we have here is but a moment; and when suddenly we are removed from pain into bliss, then the pain shall be no more.

And at this time I saw a body lying on the earth; a body that was heavy and ugly, without shape and form, as one swollen by a stinking quagmire. And suddenly out of this body sprang a full fair creature, a little child, fully shaped and formed, nimble and lively, whiter than lily and which swiftly glided up into heaven. And the swollenness of the body spoke of the wretchedness of our deadly flesh; and the littleness of the child spoke of the cleanness and purity in the soul. And I thought: ‘Within this body, the fair child cannot dwell; and in this child can dwell no foulness of body.’

It is far better we are taken from pain, than that pain is taken from us; for if pain is taken from us, it may come again. It is therefore a sovereign comfort and sweet realisation in a loving soul that we shall be taken from pain. For in this promise I saw the marvellous compassion our Lord has for us in our woe, and a courteous promise of complete deliverance. For he wills that we are comforted in our death and passing, which he showed in these words: ‘And you shall come up above, and you shall have me as your reward, and you shall be filled with joy and bliss.’

It is God’s will that we set the point of our thought in this blissful contemplation as often as possible, and for as long a time as we can with his grace; for this is a good contemplation for the soul led by God, and most honouring for him while it lasts. And when we fall again into our depression and spiritual blindness, and feel pain and frailty, both spiritual and bodily, it is God’s will that we know he has not forgotten us, as he makes clear in these words: ‘And you shall never more have pain; no manner of sickness, no manner of discomfort and you will want for nothing, no wanting of will; but rather, joy and bliss are yours without end. Why then should it upset you to suffer awhile, seeing that it is my will and my honour?’

It is God’s will that we receive his promises and comfort as openly and as powerfully as possible. He wills also that we take our waiting and our troubles as lightly as possible, and regard them as nothing. For the more lightly we take them and the less price we set on them, out of love, then the less painfully we feel them, and the more thanks and recompense we shall have for them.

CHAPTER 65

And so I understood that whoever wilfully chooses God in this life, for love, may be sure that they are loved without end; and that this endless love works grace in them. For he wills that we are as certain in hope of the bliss of heaven while we are here, as we shall be in certainty when we are there. And the more pleasure and joy that we take in this certainty, with reverence and meekness, then the better he is pleased, as was shown. This reverence that I speak of is a holy and courteous fear of our Lord, allied with meekness, when a creature sees the Lord as marvellously great and themselves as marvellously little.

These virtues are to be enjoyed endlessly by those loved by God, and even now they may be seen and felt in some degree through the gracious presence of our Lord, when it is seen. His presence in all things is most desired, for it brings a marvellous assurance in true faith, a sure hope, a great love and a fear that is sweet and delightful.

It is God’s will that I see myself as much bound to him in love as if he had done all he has done, just for me; and so should every soul think inwardly of their lover. That is to say, the love of God creates in us such a unity that, when it is truly seen, no one can part themselves from another. And so we should think that God has done all things for us alone. And this was shown to make us love him, and to fear no one but him. For it is his will that we perceive that all the might of our enemy is taken into our Friend’s hand; and therefore the soul that knows this with certainty shall fear no one but the one he loves. All other fear he ranks with passions, bodily sickness and imaginations. And so although we are in so much pain, woe and distress that it appears to us that we can think of nothing but the state we are in and how we feel; yet as soon as possible, pass lightly over it and put it to one side. And why? God wills that we know him; and if we know him and love him and reverently fear him, we shall have peace and find great rest; and all that he does shall be a great pleasure for us.

And this our Lord showed in these words: ‘Why then should it upset you to suffer awhile, when it is my will and my honour?’

Now have I told you of fifteen revelations, as God granted to give them to my mind, renewed, I trust, by illuminations and touchings from the same Spirit who originally revealed them.

Of these fifteen showings, the first began early in the morning, about the hour of four; and they lasted, each following the other in due and steady order, until it was after three in the afternoon on the same day.

CHAPTER 66

And after this, on the following night, the good Lord showed the sixteenth revelation, as I shall speak of later; and the sixteenth was the conclusion and confirmation of the previous fifteen. But first I must tell you of my feebleness, wretchedness and blindness.

I said at the beginning of all this: ‘And in this moment, all my pain was suddenly taken from me.’ I had no pain, grief or distress as long as the fifteen showings lasted. And then at the end, all visions were withdrawn from my sight, and I saw no more. And soon I was feeling that I would live and continue to suffer; and later my sickness returned, first in my head with a sound and a din; and then suddenly all my body was filled with sickness like it was before. And I was as barren and dry as if I never had any comfort. And as a wretched creature I moaned and cried, feeling such bodily pains and lacking in all comfort, spiritual and physical.

Then a religious person came to me and asked me how I was. I said I had raved today, and he laughed loud and heartily. And I said: ‘The Cross that stood before my face, I thought it bled freely.’ And with this word the person I spoke to became most serious and marvelled. And later I was most ashamed and astonished at my recklessness, and I thought: ‘This man takes the least thing I say most seriously,’ and so I said no more about it. And when I saw that he took it so earnestly and with such reverence, I wept, truly ashamed, and wanted to confess; but at that time I could not tell a priest, for I thought: ‘How could a priest believe me? For I myself did not believe our Lord God.’ Yet I had truly believed for the duration of the showing, and it remained my will and intention to do this forever without end; yet like a fool, I let this pass from my mind.

Ah! What a wretch I am! This was a great sin and a great unkindness that I, distracted by a little bodily pain, so unwisely lost for a moment all the comfort of this blessed showing of our Lord God. Here you can see the sort of person I am.

But our courteous Lord would not leave me here. And I lay still until night, trusting in his mercy, and then began to sleep. And in my sleep, at the beginning, I thought the fiend had me by the throat, with his face close to mine; a face like a young man’s, long and particularly lean, the like of which I had never seen. The colour was red like newly-burnt tile stone, with black spots on it like black stains, more foul than the tile stone. His hair was red as rust, clipped in front, with long hair hanging on the temples. He grinned at me with a malicious glance, showing white teeth; and so many of them that I thought him all the more horrible. Neither his body or hands had any real shape, but with his paws he held me by the throat, and would have strangled me, but could not.

This horrible showing occurred while I was sleeping, unlike the others. But throughout this time I trusted I’d be saved and kept by the mercy of God. And our courteous Lord gave me grace to wake up, even though I scarcely had life in me. Those with me looked upon me, wet my temples and my heart began to settle.

And then a light smoke came in the door, with a great heat and a foul stench. I said: ‘Benedicite Domine! Everything is on fire here!’ And I imagined it was a real fire that would burn us all to death. I asked those with me if they smelt any stench. They said, no, they felt none. And I said: ‘Blessed be God!’ For then I knew full well that it was the fiend come to tempt me. And immediately I remembered what our Lord had shown me that same day, with all the faith of holy Church, for I regarded them all as one; and I fled there for my comfort. And suddenly everything vanished, and I was brought to great rest and peace, with no sickness in my body and a conscience free from fear.

The Sixteenth Revelation

CHAPTER 67

And then our Lord opened my spiritual eye and showed me my soul in the middle of my heart. I saw the soul so large as though it was an endless worldand a blissful kingdom. And by the things I saw in there, I understood it to be a glorious city. In the midst of the city sits our Lord Jesus, God and man, a fair person of large stature, highest bishop, most majestic king, most honourable Lord and dressed majestically and worshipfully to my eyes. He sits in the soul, set straight in peace and rest. The Godhead rules and sustains heaven and earth and all that is, sovereign might, sovereign wisdom and sovereign goodness; butthe place that Jesus takes is in our soul, and he shall never leave it, ever, as I saw it; for in us is his most familiar home and his endless dwelling.

And in this vision, he showed the satisfaction he receives in making our soul. For as well as the Father makes a creature, and as well as the Son makes a creature, so does the Holy Spirit will that our soul is made, and so it is done. And in this way the blessed Trinity endlessly enjoys the making of our soul, for he saw from the beginning what would please him without end.

Everything he has made reveals his Lordship. And an understanding of this was given to me at this time through the example of a creature who sees great treasures and kingdoms belonging to a lord. When he had seen all this earthly nobility, beneath the lord, he marvelled, and was moved to look up to the high place where the lord dwells, knowing by reason that his dwelling must be in the worthiest place. And by this I understood in truth that our soul may never find rest in things that are beneath its self. And even when it rises above all other creatures and into its self, yet it cannot remain in contemplation of its self. Rather, its contemplation is to be blissfully set in God who is the Maker living within them. For our soul is his true dwelling; and the highest light and the brightest shining of the city is the glorious love of our Lord, as I saw.

And what can give us more joy in God than to see that he enjoys the highest of all his works? For I saw in the same showing that if the blessed Trinity had made our soul any better, any fairer or any nobler than it was made, he could not have been more pleased with our soul’s making.

And so he wills that our hearts be mightily raised above the deepness of the earth and all vain sorrows, to rejoice in him.

CHAPTER 68

This was a delightful sight and a restful showing that is quite without end. And the beholding of this while we are here is most pleasing to God and of great benefit to us; for the soul becomes what it beholds and is oned with it in rest and peace by his grace. And it was a singular joy and bliss to me that I saw him sitting; for the still security of his sitting showed this to be an endless dwelling.

And he gave me a sure knowing that it was he who had shown me everything before this. And when I had noticed this well, then our good Lord spoke words humbly, without voice and without opening his lips, just as he had done before, saying most sweetly, ‘Know well, it was no raving you saw today. But take it and believe it, and keep yourself in it and comfort yourself with it, and trust yourself to it; and you shall not be overcome.’

These final words were given to convince me that it is our Lord Jesus who showed me all these things. And just as in the first word that our good Lord showed, around his blissful passion, ‘By this is the devil overcome’, so he said in his final word, with absolute certainty and meaning us all: ‘You shall not be overcome.’

And all of this teaching about comfort is true for all my fellow Christians, as I have said, and so is God’s will. And this word: ‘You shall not be overcome,’ was said clearly and strongly for assurance and comfort in all tribulations that may come our way. He did not say: ‘You shall not be tempted, you shall not be in travail, you shall not be afflicted.’ But rather, he said: ‘You shall not be overcome.’ God wills that we take heed of these words, and remain strong in sure trust, in both health and woe. For he loves and enjoys us; and so he wills that we love and enjoy him and trust in him mightily; and all shall be well.

And soon after, all was closed and I saw no more.

CHAPTER 69

After this the fiend came again with his heat and stench, and kept me very busy. The stench was vile and painful, frightening and hard to endure. Also I heard bodily chatter, as if there were two people; and both, to my thinking, chattered at the same time, as if they were holding a parliament with great business. But it was all soft muttering, so I understood nothing of what they said. And all this was to bring me to despair, or so I thought; for it seemed to me they were mocking my praying of prayers, gabbling them with their mouths, and not giving the devout attendance and diligence which we owe to God in our prayers. But our Lord God gave me grace mightily to trust in him, and to comfort my soul by speaking out loud as I might have done to another person in trouble. I thought this activity to be unlike any bodily activity I knew.

I set my gaze on the same cross where I had found comfort before. With my tongue I spoke of Christ’s passion and rehearsed the faith of holy Church; and with my heart, I fastened on God with all trust and strength. And I thought to myself, saying: ‘You now have a great task to keep yourself in the faith, for you must not be taken by the enemy. If you were equally busy from this time on and for evermore keeping yourself from sin, then this would be a good and excellent occupation!’ For truly, I thought that if I kept myself from sin, then I would be safe from all the fiends of hell and enemies of my soul.

And so they occupied me all that night, and also in the morning until Prime. And then suddenly they were all gone and all passed; and they left nothing but a stench that lingered for a little longer; and I scorned them.

In this way I was delivered from them by virtue of Christ’s passion; for there is the fiend overcome, as our Lord Jesus Christ said before.

CHAPTER 70

Throughout this blessed showing, our good Lord gave me to understand that the sights would pass; after which I was to keep the blessed showing by faith, with his own good will and grace. For he left me with neither sign nor token by which to know it; but rather, left with me his own blessed word truly understood, bidding me most heartily to believe it. And so I do, and may he be blessed! I believe it was our Saviour who showed it, and that it is the faith that he showed. Therefore I believe it, rejoicing. And I am bound to it, and to all he meant in the following words: ‘Keep yourself within it, comfort yourself with it and trust yourself too it.’

In this way I am bound to keep the showing in my faith. For on the same day that it was revealed, at the time the sight faded from my view, like a wretch I forsook it, and I said quite openly that I had raved. But our Lord Jesus in his mercy would not let it perish, but showed it to me again in my soul more fully, with the blessed light of his precious love, saying these words, so humble and so strong: ‘Know this well now: it was no raving that you saw this day.’ It was as if he had said: ‘When the sight passed from you, you lost it and had not the skill to keep it. But know it now; that is to say, now that you see it once more.’

This was said not only for that that time, but also that I might set the ground of my faith here, for he added straightway: ‘But take it, believe it and keep yourself within it, comfort yourself with it and trust yourself to it; and you shall not be overcome.’

In these six words that follow, when he says ‘Take it’, his intention is to fasten it faithfully in our heart, for he wills that it dwell with us in faith to our life’s end, and then after in fullness of joy. He desires that we continue in steadfast trust in his blissful promise, knowing his goodness. For our faith is opposed in many ways by our own blindness, and our spiritual enemy, within and without; and so our precious lover helps us with spiritual sight and true teaching in many ways within and without, by which we may know him.

Therefore in whatever way he teaches us, he wills that we discern him wisely, receive him sweetly and remain in him faithfully. For there is no goodness higher than faith in this life, as to my sight, and beneath faith, no help for the soul; but within the faith, this is where the Lord wills we keep ourselves. And so we keep ourselves in the faith by his goodness and his working; and by his permission our faith is tested by spiritual enemies and made strong. For if our faith had no enemies, it would deserve no reward, according to my understanding of our Lord’s teaching.

CHAPTER 71

Glad and merry and sweet is the blissful and lovely face of our Lord to our souls. For he beholds us constantly, living in love-longing; and he wants our souls to be glad and cheerful towards him, to give him his reward. And so I hope that with his grace he has drawn, and shall draw again, our outer face to his inner face, to make us one with him and with each other, in the true and lasting joy that is Jesus.

I understand our Lord’s face in three ways. The first is the face of passion, which he showed while he was here in this life, dying. Though this manner of seeing was mournful and troubled, yet it is glad and joyous, for he is God. The second is the face of pity and compassion; and this he shows, with the assurance of safety, to all his lovers who take themselves to his mercy. The third is the blissful face, as it shall be without end; and this was shown most often and continued for the longest time.

And so in the time of our pain and our woe, he shows us the face of his passion and his cross, helping us to bear it by his own blessed strength. And in the time of our sinning, he shows to us the face of compassion and pity, strongly keeping us and defending us against all our enemies. And these are the most common faces which he shows to us in this life, mingling with them the third, which is his blissful face, a glimpse of how it shall be in heaven. And this is a gracious touching and sweet lighting of the spiritual life, by which we are kept in sure faith, hope and love, with contrition and devotion; and also in contemplation and all manner of true solace and sweet comforts. The blissful look of our Lord God works all this in us by grace.

CHAPTER 72

But now I must tell you how I saw deadly sin in those who shall not die for sin, but live in the joy of God without end.

I saw that two opposite things could never be together in one place; and the most opposite are highest bliss and deepest pain. The highest bliss is to have God in the clarity of eternal life, seeing him truly, feeling him sweetly and enjoying him perfectly and fully. In this way was the blissful face of our Lord shown in pity; a showing in which I saw that sin is the most opposite, and to such extent that as long as we are meddling with any part of sin, we shall never see clearly the blissful face of our Lord. And the more horrible and grievous our sin, the further we are in that moment from this blissful sight. And therefore it often appears to us that we are in peril of death and in a part of hell, such is the sorrow and pain of sin to us. And thus we are momentarily dead from the true sight of our blissful life.

But in all this I saw truthfully that we are not dead in the sight of God, and neither does he ever leave us. But he shall never have his full bliss in us until we have our full bliss in him, truly seeing his fair and blissful face; for we are destined for this by nature, and arrive there by grace. So I saw how deadly sin is for a short time in the blessed creatures who will gain endless life.

And the more clearly the soul sees this blissful face by loving grace, the more it longs to see it in fullness. For notwithstanding that our Lord God dwells in us and is here with us; and despite the fact that he clasps us and encloses us in tender love that can never leave us, and is nearer to us than tongue can tell or heart can think - yet we will never stint in our moaning or our weeping or our longing until the time we see him clearly in his blissful countenance. For in that precious and blissful sight, no troubles can remain and no health can fail us.

And in this I saw reason for mirth and reason for moaning. The reason for mirth is this: our Lord, our Maker, is so near to us and in us and we in him by a sureness of keeping through his great goodness. The reason for our moaning is this: our spiritual eye is so blind and we so burdened by the weight of our mortal flesh and darkness of sin, that we cannot see our Lord God clearly in his fair and blissful face. No, and because of this murkiness, we can scarcely believe and trust in his great love and in the safety of our keeping. And so it is as I say, that we can never stop moaning or weeping.

This weeping does not only mean the pouring out of tears by our bodily eye, but has also a more spiritual understanding. For the natural desire of our soul is so great and immeasurable, that if for our solace and comfort we were given all the noble things that God had ever made in heaven and in earth, and yet were denied sight of his fair and blissful face, then we would not stop our moaning or the spiritual weeping of painful longing, until the time we could truly see the fair and blissful countenance of our maker! And if then we were in all the pain that heart can think and tongue may tell, yet saw his fair and blissful smile, then all this pain would not grieve us. Such is the wonder of this blissful sight that all manner of pain in the loving soul is ended, while it is filled with all manner of joy and bliss. And this he showed me in the high and marvellous words when he said: ‘I am the one who is highest; I the one who is lowest; I am the one who is all.’

Three ways of knowing are ours. The first is that we know our Lord God; the second is that we know our own self; what we are by him, in nature and grace; while the third is that we are humbly aware of our self with regard to our sin and feebleness. And for these three reasons were all the showings given to me, as I understand.

CHAPTER 73

All the blessed teaching of our Lord was shown in three ways. That is to say, they were given by bodily sight; by words formed in my understanding and by spiritual sight. The bodily sight I have described as I saw, and as truly as I can; the words, I have expressed them just as our Lord showed them to me; and concerning the spiritual sight, I have told of this in some degree, but I can never fully tell it. I am therefore stirred to speak more of this sight, as God’s grace allows.

God showed two kinds of sickness which we have: one is impatience or sloth by which we bear our travails and hurt with heaviness; the other is despair or frightened doubt, as I shall speak of later. He showed me sin in general, in which all were included, but he especially showed these two; for it is these which most trouble and tempt us, according to the Lord’s revelations to me; and he wishes us to be aware of them. I speak here of such men and women who for God’s love hate sin and dispose themselves to do God’s will, but who then, by spiritual blindness and bodily heaviness, find themselves inclining to them. And therefore it is God’s will that they be revealed, for then we shall refuse them as we do other sins.

And to help us in this, our Lord humbly showed the patience he had in his harsh passion; and also the joy and pleasure he had in his passion, for love. And this he showed to show that we should gladly and wisely bear our pains, for that is very pleasing for him and of endless benefit to us. And the reason why we are so troubled by them is our ignorance of love. Though the three persons of the Trinity are all equal in themselves, the soul finds most understanding in love; yes, and he wills that in all things we make our gaze and our joy in love; for we are most blind to this understanding. For some of us believe that God is almighty and may do all; and that he is all-wise and can do all; but that he is all-love and will do all, there we stop short. And it is this ignorance that most hinders God’s lovers, in my eyes. For when we begin to hate sin, and amend our lives according to the teaching of holy Church, there remains a fear that holds us back, as we look at ourselves and all our past sins, and for some of us, at our daily sins; for we do not keep our promises, nor keep ourselves in the cleanness our Lord set us in. Instead, we often fall into so much wretchedness that we feel ashamed when we see it. And acknowledging this makes us so sorry and so down, that there is scarcely any comfort to be found. And this fear we sometimes mistake for humility, but it is a foul blindness and a weakness. And we do not despise it as we do other sins that we know to be sin, for it comes subtly from the enemy and is against truth.

It is God’s will that of all the natures of the blissful Trinity, we should have most security and comfort in love; for love makes us strong and wisdom makes us humble. For just as by the courtesy of God he forgives our sin as soon as we repent, so he wants us to forgive our sin, in respect of unhelpful depression and doubting fears.

CHAPTER 74

For I understand that there are four kinds of fear. One is the fear of a fright that comes to us suddenly by frailty. This fear does good, for it helps to purge us, as does bodily sickness or other pain that does not arise from sin. All such pains help us if they are patiently endured. The second is fear of pain, whereby we are stirred and wakened from the sleep of sin. For a time, we may be unable to discern the soft comfort of the Holy Spirit, until we have understanding of this fear of pain, of bodily death and of spiritual enemies. This fear stirs us to seek the comfort and mercy of God and in this way helps us, and enables us to be contrite by the blissful touching of the Holy Spirit. The third is doubtful fear. Doubtful fear - that which draws us into despair - God wills it to turn into love in us, by the knowing of love; that is to say, the bitterness of doubt is transformed into the sweetness of natural love by grace; for it can never please our Lord that his servants doubt in his goodness. The fourth is reverent fear; for there is no fear that fully pleases God except reverent fear. And that is most soft, for the more it is known, the less it is felt for sweetness of love.

Love and fear are brothers, and they are rooted in us by the goodness of our maker, and they shall never be taken from us, ever. Both nature and grace give us love; and both nature and grace give us fear. It belongs to God’s lordship and fatherhood to be feared, as it belongs to his goodness to be loved. And it belongs to us who are his servants and his children to fear him for his lordship and fatherhood, as it belongs to us to love him for goodness.

And though this reverent fear and love cannot be separated, they are not one and the same, but rather, they are two in their nature and in their working; and neither of them may be had without other. Therefore I am sure that they who love also fear, though they feel it but a little.

All fears that come to us, other than holy fear, may come under the colour of holiness, but they are not true, and we can tell them apart in this way. The fear that makes us flee hastily from all that is not good and fall into our Lord’s breast as a child into the mother’s bosom, with our intent and our mind, aware of our feebleness and our great need, knowing his everlasting goodness and his blissful love, seeking only him for salvation and clinging to him with sure trust: the fear that brings us to this disposition is natural, gracious, good and true. But all fear that is contrary to this, is either wrong or it is mingled with wrong. And this is the remedy: to know them both and refuse the wrong.

For the natural benefit of fear which we have in this life by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, shall be the same in heaven before our gentle, courteous and most delightful God. And so we shall, in love, be homely and near to God, and we shall, in fear, be gentle and courteous to God; and both equally alike.

Let us then desire from our Lord God that we fear him reverently, love him humbly and trust in him deeply; for when we fear him reverently and love him humbly our trust is never in vain. For the more we trust and the more deeply, the more we please and honour our Lord who we trust in. And if we fail in this holy fear and humble love – and God forbid we should! - our trust will falter for a time. And so we need to pray to our Lord of grace that we may possess this holy fear and humble love, his gift to us, both in our heart and in our work. For without this, no one may please God.

CHAPTER 75

I saw that God can do all that we need. And I shall speak of three particular needs: love, longing and pity. Pity in love keeps us in the time of our need; and longing in the same love draws us up into heaven. For God thirsts to have all humankind come to him, and in this thirst he has drawn his holy ones who are now in bliss. And in gaining more living members, he ever draws and drinks, and yet always thirsts and always longs.

I saw three kinds of longing in God, and all to one end; and we have the same longing in us, by the same strength and for the same end. The first is that he longs to teach us to know him and love him evermore, as is appropriate and enabling for us. The second is that he longs for us to know his bliss, as souls do when they are taken out of pain into heaven. This third is to fill us full of bliss; and that shall be on the Last Day, when we shall be filled forever; for I saw, as it is known in our faith, that the pain and sorrow shall end for all who are saved. And not only shall we receive the same bliss that souls had before in heaven, but we shall also receive a new bliss, which shall flow plentifully into us from God and fill us; and these are the goods which he decided to give us from the very beginning. These goods are treasured and hid in himself; for until that time, no creature is capable or worthy enough to receive them.

In this filling, we shall truly see the cause of all the things he has done; and for eternity we shall see the cause of all the things he has allowed. And the bliss and the filling shall be so deep and so high that, in wonder and marvel, all creatures will know such a great and holy fear of God, surpassing anything seen or felt before, that the pillars of heaven shall tremble and quake. But this manner of trembling and dread shall have no pain; for it belongs to the worthy might of God to be looked on in this way by his creatures. They will look in great fear and trembling, in both humble and joyful quaking, marvelling at the greatness of God the maker and at the littleness of all that is made. For gazing on this makes the creature marvellously humble, meek and mild.

Therefore it is God’s will and also our duty both in nature and grace, that we know and understand this, desiring this sight and this working; for it leads us in the right way, keeps us in true life and ones us to God. And as good as God is, so he is great, and as much as his goodness is to be loved, so is his greatness to be feared. For this reverent dread is the fair courtesy offered to God’s face in heaven. And as much as he shall then be known and loved more than he is now, so also shall he be feared more than he is now.

And so it must be that all heaven and earth shall tremble and quake when the pillars shall tremble and quake.

CHAPTER 76

I speak but little of holy fear, for I hope it may be seen in those things just described. But I am well aware that our Lord showed me no souls but those who fear him. For I know well that the soul who truly receives the teaching of the Holy Spirit, hates the vileness and ugliness of sin more than it hates all the pain that is in hell. For as I see it, the soul that beholds the fair nature of our Lord Jesus, hates no hell but sin. And therefore it is God’s will that we are aware of sin, and pray busily, labour earnestly and seek teaching humbly so that we do not fall blindly into it; and if we do fall, that we rise quickly. For it is the most pain a soul can have, to turn from God at any time in sin.

The soul that wills to be at peace when another’s sin comes to mind, must flee it like the pain of hell, and seek out God for a remedy, for help against it. For the beholding of another’s sin creates, as it were, a thick mist before the eyes of the soul, in which we cannot, for the time, see the fairness of God; until, that is, we are able to see the person with contrition, compassion and with a holy desire for them before God. For without this, it harms, tempts and hinders the soul who beholds them. This I understood from the revelation about compassion.

In this blissful showing by our Lord I received understanding of two opposite things. The first is the wisest thing any creature can do in this life, and the second is the most folly. The wisest thing a creature can do is to follow the will and counsel of his highest sovereign friend. This blessed friend is Jesus, and it is his will and his counsel that we hold ourselves to him, and fasten ourselves to him in a homely way for evermore, in whatever state we are; for whether we are foul or clean, we remain the same in his love. In health or trouble, he never wants us to flee from him.

But because we are so changeable in ourselves, we often fall into sin. Then in our folly and blindness, the enemy stirs in us a doubting fear saying this: ‘You see clearly that you are a wretched creature, a sinner and also unfaithful, for you do not keep your promise. You often promise our Lord that you will do better, and then soon after, you fall again in the same way, especially sloth and time wasting.’ And that is the beginning of sin, as I see it; and especially for the creature who has given themselves to serve our Lord, inwardly beholding his blessed goodness. This feeling makes us fear to appear before our courteous Lord. And in this way our enemy holds us back with his false fear, by threatening us in our wretchedness and our pain. For it is his intention to make us so heavy and weary with it all, that we forget all about the fair, blissful contemplation of our everlasting friend.

CHAPTER 77

Our good Lord showed the enmity of the fiend, by which I understood that all that is contrary to love and peace is from the fiend and his party. Because of our feebleness and our folly, we must fall; and because of mercy and grace from the Holy Spirit, we must to rise to more joy. And if our enemy wins anything from our falling, for that is his pleasure, he loses a great deal more in our rising by love and meekness. And this glorious rising is a great sorrow and pain to him, and such is his hate for our soul, that he burns continually in envy. And all the sorrow he would inflict on us, shall be turned on him self. And for this reason our Lord scorned him, and it made me laugh loudly.

This then is the remedy: that we are aware of our wretchedness and flee to our Lord; and the needier we are, the more speedily must we draw close to him. And let us summarise like this: ‘I know well that I have a sharp pain; and that our Lord is almighty and can punish me mightily; and that he is all-wisdom and can punish me discerningly; and that he is all-goodness and loves me most tenderly.’ And we must live in this understanding, for there is a lovely humility in a sinful soul, brought by the mercy and grace of the Holy Spirit, when we willingly and gladly take the scourge and chastening of our Lord that he will give us. And it shall be very tender and most easy, if only we keep ourselves satisfied with him and with all he does.

The kind of penance we must take on ourselves was not shown to me; that is to say, not specifically. But it was shown specially, clearly, and with a most lovely look, that we shall meekly bear and suffer the penance that God himself gives us, with a mind to his blessed passion. For when we consider his blessed passion, with pity and love, then we suffer with him as his friends did who were there. And this was shown in the thirteenth showing, near the beginning, where it speaks of pity. For he says: ‘Do not accuse yourself overly, imagining that your troubles and woe are all your fault; for I do not want you to be heavy or unduly sorrowful; for I tell you, whatever you do, you will have troubles. And therefore I wish you to understand that this is your penance, and see in truth that all your life is a penance for your benefit. This place is prison and this life is penance, yet he wills that we rejoice in the remedy. For the remedy is that our Lord is with us, keeping and leading us into the fullness of joy. For our Lord intends this to be an endless joy: that he shall be our bliss when we are there and our keeper while we are here. Our way and our heaven are true love and sure trust; and he gave expression to this in all the revelations; and especially in the showing of the passion where he made me mightily choose him for my heaven.

When we flee to our Lord we shall be comforted; when we touch him we shall be made clean and when we cling to him we shall be secure and safe from all manner of peril; for our courteous Lord wills that we should be as homely with him as heart can think or soul desire.

But let us beware that we are not so familiar as to forget the courtesy. For our Lord himself is sovereign homeliness; yet just as he is homely, so also is he courteous, for he is courtesy itself. And the blessed souls who shall be in heaven with him for eternity - he wants them to be like him in every way. And to be perfectly like our Lord is our true salvation and our complete bliss.

And if you do not know how you shall do all this, then seek our Lord and he shall teach you, for it is his own liking and his honour. May he be blessed!

CHAPTER 78

Mercifully, our Lord shows us our sin and our feebleness by the sweet and gracious light of himself; for our sin is so vile and so horrible that out of courtesy he will not show it to us except by the light of his grace and mercy. He wishes us to know four things therefore. The first is that he is our ground from whom we have all our life and being. The second is that he keeps us mightily and mercifully even at the time when we are in our sin and among our enemies, when they fall forcefully upon us. (We are in so much more peril when we give them an opening and yet do not know our need.)The third is how courteously he keeps us and reminds us when go astray. The fourth is how steadfastly he abides with us never changing his look; for he wills that we turn again and be oned to him in love as he is to us. And thus by this gracious knowing we may see our sin helpfully and without despair, for we need to see it in this way. We shall be made ashamed of ourselves, and our pride and presumption brought down; for it is necessary to see ourselves as nothing but sin and wretchedness.

And so by the sight of the lesser sins that our Lord shows us, more can be conjectured which we do not see. For out of his courtesy, he measures that which is shown to us; for it is so vile and so horrible that we could not endure to see it as it is. And in this way, by meek knowing, contrition and grace, we shall be loosed from all that is not our Lord. And then shall our blessed Saviour perfectly heal us, and one us to him self.

Our Lord intends this breaking and this healing for humankind in general. For those who are highest and nearest to God may see themselves as sinful and needy like me. And I, who am the least and lowest of the saved, may be comforted with the one who is highest. In this way our Lord has oned us in love: when he showed me that I would sin. In my joy at beholding him I did not give due attention to that showing, and our courteous Lord stopped there and would not teach me anything more until he gave me the grace and will to understand. And by this I learned that though we are lifted up into high contemplation by the special gift of our Lord, yet it remains necessary for us to have awareness and sight of our sin and our feebleness. For without this knowing we may not have true humility, and without humility we cannot be saved.

And afterwards, I also saw that we cannot gain this knowledge either from our selves or from any of our spiritual enemies; for they do not will good things for us, and if it were left to them, we would not see it until the day of our death. And so we are much in God’s debt that he wishes, out of his love, to reveal it in this time of mercy and grace.

CHAPTER 79

I also received further understanding from this revelation. When he showed me that I should sin, I took it literally to be about me; for I was not shown otherwise at that that time. But by the high and gracious comfort of our Lord that came after, I saw that his understanding was for humankind in general; that is to say, for all people who are sinful, and shall be until the last day - of which group by God’s mercy I hope I am a member. For the blessed comfort that I saw, it is large enough for us all.

And here I was taught that I should see my own sin and not that of another, unless it is for the comfort and help of my fellow Christians. And also in this same showing where I saw that I would sin, I was taught to fear my uncertain self. For I did not know how I would fall, nor the measure nor the greatness of the sin; and I would like to have known that, with due fear, but I had no answer. Also our courteous Lord at the same time showed most definitely and mightily his endless and unchanging love; and that by his great goodness and the inward keeping of grace, his love and our soul would never be parted in two, without end. And so in this fear, I have reason for the humility that saves me from presumption; and in the blessed showing of love, I have reason for true comfort and joy that saves me from despair.

All this homely showing by our courteous Lord is a lovely lesson and his own sweet and gracious teaching for the comfort of our soul. For he wills us to know by our sweet and homely love of him, that all that we see or feel that is contrary to this, within or without, is from the enemy and not of God. And so if we are stirred to be more reckless in our living or in the keeping of our hearts, because we know of this plentiful love, then we must beware. For this stirring, if it comes, is untrue, and we ought to hate it with a passion, for it all has no likeness to God’s will.

And when have fallen, by frailty or blindness, then our courteous Lord touches us and stirs us and calls us; and then wills that we see our wretchedness and meekly be aware of it. But he does not wish for us to stay like this, nor that we become busy with accusation, nor feel wretched about ourselves. Instead, he wills that we immediately turn ourselves to him. For he stands alone and waits sorrowfully and mournfully until we come to him, and is eager that we do; for we are his joy and delight, and he is our ointment of healing and our life.

When I say he stands all alone, I fail to mention the speech of the blessed company of heaven, and speak rather of his office and his work here on earth, for such was the manner of the showing.

CHAPTER 80

There are three things we stand upon in this life; and by these three God is honoured, and we are helped onwards, kept and saved.

The first is our use of common sense; the second is the common teaching of holy Church and the third is the inward and gracious working of the Holy Spirit. And these three are all from one God, for God is the ground of our common sense; and God, the teaching of holy Church; and God is the Holy Spirit. And all are sundry gifts which he wills us to notice well and attend to. For these work in us continually, all together; and these are great things. And he wills that we have knowledge of these great things here, like in an A.B.C.; that is to say, that we have a little knowledge here; and then a full knowledge in heaven. And this is to help us onwards.

We know in our faith that God alone took our nature, and none but he; and furthermore that Christ alone did all the works that belong to our salvation, and none but he. In the same way, he alone stays with us now to the very end; that is to say, he dwells here with us, and rules us and governs us in this life and brings us to his bliss. And he shall do for as long as any soul bound for heaven is on earth, to such an extent that if there were but one soul remaining, he would be remain alone until he had brought him up to his bliss. I believe and understand the ministration of angels, as scholars tell us, but it was not shown to me. For he himself is nearest and meekest, highest and lowest, and does all; and not only all that we need, but he also does all that is honouring for our joy in heaven.

And when I say he waits sorrowfully and full of grief, it means all the true feelings that we find in ourselves in contrition and compassion - our sorrow and grief that we are not oned with our Lord. And everything that is helpful, it is Christ in us. And though these are rare feelings for some of us, they never pass from Christ until such time as he has brought us out of our woe. For love is never allowed to be without pity. And when we fall into sin and forget about him and the keeping of our own soul, then Christ alone keeps sole charge; and stands sorrowfully and full of grief.

Then it is our duty out of reverence and kindness to turn hastily to our Lord and to no longer leave him alone. He is here alone with us all; that is to say, only for us is he here. And when I am estranged from him by sin, despair or sloth, then I let my Lord stand alone, in as much as he is in me. And it is so with all of us who are sinners. But though it is true we often do this, his goodness never allows us to be alone, but he is lastingly with us, tenderly excuses us and always shields us from blame in his sight.

CHAPTER 81

Our Good Lord showed himself in various ways both in heaven and on earth, but I saw him take no place except in the human soul. He showed himself on earth in the sweet Incarnation and in his blessed passion. And in other ways he showed himself on earth as in the revelation where I say: ‘I saw God in a point.’ And in another way, he showed himself on earth as if he were in pilgrimage; that is to say, he is here with us, leading us and shall be until he has brought us all to his bliss in heaven. He showed himself reigning at various times, as I have said, but principally in the human soul. He has made there his resting-place and his fair city; and he shall never rise from nor leave it.

Marvellous and solemn is the place where the Lord dwells, and therefore he wills that we answer readily to his gracious touch, rejoicing more in his whole love than sorrowing for our frequent fallings. For it is the most honouring thing we can do for him above all others: that for his love, we live gladly and merrily in our penance. For he looks upon us so tenderly that he sees all our living here a penance; for our natural longing for him is a lasting penance in us; a penance which he works in us and mercifully helps us to bear.

His love makes him long for us, while his wisdom, truth and rightfulness make him suffer in us here; and this is the way he wants it to be in us. For this is our natural penance and the highest in my view. For this penance never leaves us until the time we are fulfilled, when we shall receive him as our reward. And therefore he wills that we set our hearts on the transcendent; that is to say, from the pain that we feel to the bliss in which we trust.

CHAPTER 82

But our courteous Lord showed here the grief and the mourning of the soul, meaning this: ‘I know well you will live for my love, joyously and gladly suffering all the penance that may come to you; but in as much as you do not live without sin, for my love you suffer all the woe, tribulation and distress that can come to you. This is true. But do not be too aggrieved with the sin that falls to you against your will.’

And by this I understood that the Lord regards the servant with pity and not with blame. For this passing life does not ask to be lived without blame and sin. He loves us endlessly, we sin habitually and he exposes us very gently. Then we sorrow and mourn discreetly, turning ourselves to gaze on his mercy, hugging his love and goodness, seeing that he is our medicine and perceiving we do nothing but sin. And so with the humility won by sight of our sin, faithfully aware his everlasting love, thanking and praising him, we please him.

‘I love you and you love me, and our love shall not be separated in two; for this benefit I suffer.’ And all this was shown in spiritual understanding, with the blessed words: ‘I keep you most surely.’ And by the great desire that I saw in our blessed Lord that we should live in this manner - that is to say, in longing and enjoyment, as this whole lesson of love reveals - I understood that that which is opposed to us is not from him but from our enemy. And he wishes us to know it by the sweet gracious light of his kind love. And if there is any lover on earth who is continually kept from falling, I do not know them, for it was not shown to me.

But this was shown: that in falling and in rising we are always kept precious in one love. For in beholding God we do not fall, and in beholding our self we do not stand; and both these are true as I see it. But beholding our Lord God is the highest truth. Then we are so greatly bound to God that he will in this life show us this high truth. And I understood that while we are in this life it is most helpful to us that we see both these at once. For the higher beholding keeps us in spiritual solace and true enjoyment of God; while the lower beholding keeps us in fear and makes us ashamed of ourselves. Our good Lord wills always that we hold ourselves much more in the higher contemplation; yet forget not awareness of the lower, until the time when we are brought up above, where we shall have our Lord Jesus for our reward and be filled with joy and bliss without end.

CHAPTER 83

I had, in part, touch, sight and feeling of three characteristics of God, in which the strength and effect of the whole revelation stands; and they were seen in every showing, and most particularly in the twelfth, where he often said: ‘It is I.’

The characteristics are these: life, love and light. In life there is marvellous homeliness, in love is gentle courtesy and in light is endless nature. These properties were one in goodness; and with this goodness my reason sought to be oned, clinging to it with all its might.

I beheld with reverent fear - highly marvelling at the sight and feeling of the sweet accord - that our reason is in God. I understood that it is the highest gift we have received and that it is grounded in nature.

Our faith is a light, kindly coming from the Endless Day who is our Father, God. In this light our Mother, Christ, and our good Lord, the Holy Sprit, lead us in this passing life. This light is measured carefully, there for us in the need of the night. The light is the cause of our life; the night is the cause of our pain and of all our woe, for which we earn recompense and thanks from God. For we, with mercy and grace, steadfastly know and trust our light, entering into it wisely and confidently. And at the end of our troubles, our eyes shall suddenly be opened, and in the clear light our sight shall be whole. This light is God, our Maker and Holy Spirit, in Christ Jesus our Saviour.

And so I saw and understood that our faith is our light in our night; and the light is God, our endless day.

CHAPTER 84

The light is love, and the measuring of this light is done for us beneficially by the wisdom of God. For neither is the light so bright that we can see our blissful day, nor is it shut out. But it is the kind of light in which we can live duly rewarded, with deserving labour and the endless worship of God. And this was seen in the sixth showing where he said: ‘I thank you for your service and for your work.’ And in this way love keeps us in faith and hope, and hope leads us in love. And in the end all shall be love.

I had three ways of understanding this light of love. The first is love unmade; the second is love made; the third is love given. Love unmade is God; love made is our soul in God and love given is virtue. And that is a precious gift of working in which we love God for himself; and ourselves, in God; and that which God loves, for God.

CHAPTER 85

And in this sight I marvelled highly. For notwithstanding our simple living and our blindness here, our courteous Lord endlessly beholds us in this work, rejoicing. And we please him best by wisely and truly believing these things, and by rejoicing with him and in him. For as truly as we shall be in the bliss of God without end, praising and thanking him, so truly we have been in the foresight of God, loved and known in his endless purpose from time without beginning. In this unbegun love he made us; and in the same love he keeps us and never allows us to be hurt in a way by which our bliss might be lost.

Therefore when the last day is called and we are all brought up above, then we shall clearly see in God the secret things which are hidden from us now. Then shall no one be stirred to say in any way: ‘Lord, if it had been so, then it would have been well.’ But rather, we shall all say with one voice: ‘Lord, may you be blessed for it is so, and it is well; and now see we truly that all things are done as you ordained before anything was made.’

CHAPTER 86

This book was begun by God’s gift and grace, but it is not yet performed, as to my sight. For we all pray for love, together with God’s working, thanking, trusting and enjoying. For this intent may our good Lord be prayed to, for this was the understanding I took from all his meaning and from the sweet words where he says so merrily: ‘I am the ground of your beseeching.’ For truly I saw and understood our Lord’s intent to reveal these things for he wishes they were better known than they are; for in such knowing he gives us grace to love him and clasp him. For he beholds his heavenly treasure on earth with such great love that he wants to give us more light and solace in heavenly joy, by drawing our hearts to him, from the sorrow and darkness we are in.

And from the time it was shown, I often desired to learn our Lord’s meaning. And fifteen years later and more, I was answered in spiritual understanding, with these words: ‘You wish to learn the Lord’s meaning in this thing? Learn it well: love was his meaning. Who showed it to you? Love. What did he show you? Love. Why did he show it? For love. Hold yourself there and you shall learn and know more of the same. But you shall never know nor learn any other thing there.’ In this way I was taught that love was our Lord’s meaning.

And I saw so clearly that before God made us he loved us; and this love never slackened, nor ever shall. In this love he has done all his works; in this love he has made all things to benefit us and in this love our life is everlasting. In our making we had a beginning; but the love in which we were made was in him and without beginning. In this love we have our beginning; and all this we shall see in God, without end.

May Jesus grant us this.

Amen.

Paperbacks also available from White Crow Books

Marcus Aurelius—Meditations

ISBN 978-1-907355-20-2

Elsa Barker—Letters from a Living Dead Man

ISBN 978-1-907355-83-7

Elsa Barker—War Letters from the Living Dead Man

ISBN 978-1-907355-85-1

Elsa Barker—Last Letters from the Living Dead Man

ISBN 978-1-907355-87-5

Richard Maurice Bucke—Cosmic Consciousness

ISBN 978-1-907355-10-3

G. K. Chesterton—The Everlasting Man

ISBN 978-1-907355-03-5

G. K. Chesterton—Heretics

ISBN 978-1-907355-02-8

G. K. Chesterton—Orthodoxy

ISBN 978-1-907355-01-1

Arthur Conan Doyle—The Edge of the Unknown

ISBN 978-1-907355-14-1

Arthur Conan Doyle—The New Revelation

ISBN 978-1-907355-12-7

Arthur Conan Doyle—The Vital Message

ISBN 978-1-907355-13-4

Arthur Conan Doyle with Simon Parke—Conversations with Arthur Conan Doyle

ISBN 978-1-907355-80-6

Leon Denis with Arthur Conan Doyle—The Mystery of Joan of Arc

ISBN 978-1-907355-17-2

The Earl of Dunraven—Experiences in Spiritualism with D. D. Home

ISBN 978-1-907355-93-6

Meister Eckhart with Simon Parke—Conversations with Meister Eckhart

ISBN 978-1-907355-18-9

Kahlil Gibran—The Forerunner

ISBN 978-1-907355-06-6

Kahlil Gibran—The Madman

ISBN 978-1-907355-05-9

Kahlil Gibran—The Prophet

ISBN 978-1-907355-04-2

Kahlil Gibran—Sand and Foam

ISBN 978-1-907355-07-3

Kahlil Gibran—Jesus the Son of Man

ISBN 978-1-907355-08-0

Kahlil Gibran—Spiritual World

ISBN 978-1-907355-09-7

Hermann Hesse—Siddhartha

ISBN 978-1-907355-31-8

D. D. Home—Incidents in my Life Part 1

ISBN 978-1-907355-15-8

Mme. Dunglas Home; edited, with an Introduction, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—D. D. Home: His Life and Mission

ISBN 978-1-907355-16-5

Edward C. Randall—Frontiers of the Afterlife

ISBN 978-1-907355-30-1

Lucius Annaeus Seneca—On Benefits

ISBN 978-1-907355-19-6

Rebecca Ruter Springer—Intra Muros: My Dream of Heaven

ISBN 978-1-907355-11-0

W. T. Stead—After Death or Letters from Julia: A Personal Narrative

ISBN 978-1-907355-89-9

Leo Tolstoy, edited by Simon Parke—Forbidden Words

ISBN 978-1-907355-00-4

Leo Tolstoy—A Confession

ISBN 978-1-907355-24-0

Leo Tolstoy—The Gospel in Brief

ISBN 978-1-907355-22-6

Leo Tolstoy—The Kingdom of God is Within You

ISBN 978-1-907355-27-1

Leo Tolstoy—My Religion: What I Believe

ISBN 978-1-907355-23-3

Leo Tolstoy—On Life

ISBN 978-1-907355-91-2

Leo Tolstoy—Twenty-three Tales

ISBN 978-1-907355-29-5

Leo Tolstoy—What is Religion and other writings

ISBN 978-1-907355-28-8

Leo Tolstoy—Work While Ye Have the Light

ISBN 978-1-907355-26-4

Leo Tolstoy with Simon Parke—Conversations with Tolstoy

ISBN 978-1-907355-25-7

Vincent Van Gogh with Simon Parke—Conversations with Van Gogh

ISBN 978-1-907355-95-0

Howard Williams with an Introduction by Leo Tolstoy—The Ethics of Diet: An Anthology of Vegetarian Thought

ISBN 978-1-907355-21-9

Allan Kardec—The Spirits Book

ISBN 978-1-907355-98-1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with Simon Parke—Conversations with Mozart

ISBN 978-1-907661-38-9

Jesus of Nazareth with Simon Parke—Conversations with Jesus of Nazareth

ISBN 978-1-907661-41-9

Rudolf Steiner—Christianity as a Mystical Fact: And the Mysteries of Antiquity

ISBN 978-1-907661-52-5

Thomas à Kempis with Simon Parke—The Imitation of Christ

ISBN 978-1-907661-58-7

Emanuel Swedenborg—Heaven and Hell

ISBN 978-1-907661-55-6

P.D. Ouspensky—Tertium Organum: The Third Canon of Thought

ISBN 978-1-907661-47-1

Dwight Goddard—A Buddhist Bible

ISBN 978-1-907661-44-0

Leo Tolstoy—The Death of Ivan Ilyich

ISBN 978-1-907661-10-5

Leo Tolstoy—Resurrection

ISBN 978-1-907661-09-9

All titles available as eBooks, and selected titles available in Hardback and Audiobook formats from www.whitecrowbooks.com