Synopsis "XVI Revelations of Divine Love Shewed to Mother Juliana of Norwich 1373"
""WHAT! Wouldst thou wit thy Lord's meaning in this thing? "-Tit it well: Love was His meaning. Who shewed it thee? Love. Wherefore shewed He it thee? For Love. Hold thee therein, and thou shalt wit it more in that same. But thou shalt never wit therein other without end." Indeed God is Love as Saint Teresa Margaret learned a century later. Let us consider the 16 revelations that are expounded in this work: THIS is a Revelation of Love, that Jesu Christ our endless blisse made in xvi. shewings: of which, The first is of his precious crowning of thornes, and therein was conteined and specified the blessed Trinity, with the incarnation and the uniting between God and mans soul, with manie faire shewings and teachings of endeless -wisdom and love: in which all the shewings that follow be grounded and joyned. The second, is of the discolouring of his faire face, in tokening of his dear worthie passion. The third is, that our Lord God Almighty, all wisdom and an love, right also verilie as he hath made all thinges that are right, also verilie he doth and worketh all things that are done. The fourth is, scourging of his tender bodie with plenteous shedding of his precious blood. The fifth is, that the fiend is overcome by the precious passion of Christ. The sixth is, the worshipfull thanking of our Lord God, in which he rewardeth all his blessed servants in heaven. The seventh is, oftentimes feeling of weale and woe. Feeling of weale is gracious touching and lightning, with true sikernes of endeles joy; the feeling of woe is of temptation by heavines, and wearines of our fleshlie living with ghostelie understanding, that we be kept also verelie in love, in woe as in weal, by the goodnes of God. The eighth is, the last paines of Christ and his cruell dying. The ninth is, of the liking which is in the blessed Trinity of the hard passion of Christ after his rufull and sorrowful dying: in which joy and liking he will that we be in solace and mirth with him, till that we come to the glorie in heaven. The tenth is, our Lord Jesu Christ [shewing] by love his blessed heart even cloven in two. The eleventh is, an high ghostlie shewing of his deare worthie Mother. The twelth is, that our Lord God is all sovereign being. The thirteenth is, that our Lord God will that we have great regard to all the deedes which he hath done, in the great nobletie of all things making, and of the excellency of mans making, the which is above all his works; and of the precious amends that he hath made for mans sin, turning all our blame into endeles worship. Than meaneth he thus, Beholde and see, for by the same might, wisdome and goodness that have done all this, by the same might, wisdome and goodness I shall make well all that is not well, and thou shalt see it.' And in this he will that we keep us in the faith and truth of Holie Church, not willing to wit his privities, not but as it longeth to us in this life. The fourteenth is, that our Lord God is the ground of our beseekinge. Herein was seen two fair properties: that one is rightful praier: that other is verie trust, which he will both be one like [alike] large, and thus our praier liketh him, and he of his goodness fulfilleth it. The fifteenth is, that we should soudeinlie be taken from all our paine, and from all our woe, and of his goodnes we shall come up above, where we shall have our Lord Jesu to our meed, and for to be fulfilled with joy and blisse in heaven. The sixteenth is, that the blessed Trinitie, our maker, in Christ Jesu our Saviour, end leslie dwelleth in our soule, worshipfullie rewarding and commanding all things, His mightilie and wiselie saving and keeping for love, and we shall not be over-come of our enemy.
