How Criste wil we joyen with Hym gretly in our redemption and to desire grace of Hym that we may so doe. Twenty-third chapter.
The Three Heavens of the Passion
Julian interprets Christ's words of joy as revealing the Trinity's delight in the Passion, and lists the five ways His Passion was shown, culminating in the joy and bliss of it.
And in these three words — "It is a joy, a bliss, an endless delight to me" — three heavens were shown, like this: by the joy I understood the Father's pleasure; by the bliss, the Son's honor; and by the endless delight, the Holy Spirit.1 The Father is pleased, the Son is honored, the Holy Spirit delights. And here I saw, for the third beholding in His blissful Passion — that is to say, the joy and the bliss that make Him delight in it. For our courteous Lord showed His Passion to me in five ways, of which the first is the bleeding of the head, the second is the discoloring of His face, the third is the plentiful bleeding of the body in the seams of the scourging, the fourth is the deep dying.2 These four have already been told as concerning the pains of the Passion. And the fifth is what was shown for the joy and the bliss of the Passion.
Our Delight in His Delight
God wills us to share in His joy over our salvation, for we are His bliss, and the whole Trinity rejoices in the Passion suffered by the Maiden's Son.
For it's God's will that we have true delight with Him in our salvation, and in that He wants us to be mightily comforted and strengthened, and so He wants our soul to be gladly occupied by His grace. For we are His bliss; for in us He delights without end, and so shall we delight in Him, with His grace. And all that He has done for us, and does, and ever shall do, was never a cost or burden to Him, nor could it be—except only what He did in our human nature, beginning at the sweet Incarnation and lasting to the blessed rising on Easter morning.3 So long lasted the cost and the burden about our redemption in deed, of which deed He rejoices endlessly, as it was said before. Jesus wants us to take heed of the bliss that is in the blissful Trinity of our salvation, and that we desire to have as much spiritual delight with His grace as has been said before. That is to say, that our delight in our salvation should be like the joy that Christ has in our salvation, as far as it can be while we are here. All the Trinity worked in the Passion of Christ, ministering an abundance of virtues and plenty of grace to us through Him; but only the Maiden's Son suffered, and of that all the blessed Trinity endlessly rejoices.4 And this was shown in these words: Are you well satisfied?5
The Glad Giver's Joy
Christ's satisfaction in our salvation is like a glad giver who counts no cost too great for the joy of pleasing the beloved, and this joy is everlasting, having bought us from hell and made us His crown.
And by that other word that Christ said—'If you are well pleased, then I am well pleased'—as if He were saying, 'It is joy and delight enough for me, and I ask nothing else of you for my work but that I might fully please you.'6 And in this He brought to mind the nature of a glad giver.7 A glad giver pays little heed to the thing he gives, but all his desire and all his intent is to please and comfort the one to whom he gives it. And if the receiver takes the gift highly and thankfully, then the courteous giver counts as nothing all his cost and all his labor, for the joy and delight he has, because he has pleased and comforted the one he loves.8 This was shown abundantly and fully. Think also wisely of the greatness of this word "ever," for in that was shown a high knowledge of the love He has in our salvation, with the manifold joys that follow from the Passion of Christ.9 One is that He rejoices that He has done it in deed, and He will suffer no more; another, that He brought us up into Heaven and made us to be His crown and endless bliss. Another is that by this He has bought us from the endless pains of Hell.
Read the original Middle English
And in these three words, It is a joy, a blis, an endles lykyng to me, were shewid three Hevyns, as thus: For the joy I understode the plesance of the Fader, and for the blis, the worshippe of the Son, and for the endles lykyng the Holy Gost. The Fader is plesid, the Son is worshippid, the Holy Gost lykith. And here saw I for the thred beholdyng in His blisful passion, that is to sey, the joy and the blis that make Hym to lekyn it. For our curtes Lord shewid His passion to me in five manners, of which the first is the bledyng of the hede, the second is discoloryng of His face, the third is the plentiuous bledyng of the body in semys of the scorgyng, the fourth is the depe deyng. These four are aforseyd for the peynys of the passion. And the fifth is that was shewid for the joy and the bliss of the passion.
For it is Goddys wille that we have trew lekyng with Hym in our salvation, and therin He wil we be myghtyly comfortid and strengthnid, and thus wil He merily with His grace that our soule be occupyed. For we arn His blisse; for in us He lekyth without end, and so shal we in Hym, with His grace. And al that He hath done for us, and doth, and ever shal, was never coste ne charge to Hym, ne myte be, but only that He dede in our manhood begynnyng at the sweete incarnation and lesting to the blissid upriste on Esterne morow. So long durid the cost and the charge aboute our redemption in dede, of which dede He enjoyeth endlesly, as it is afornseyd. Jesus wil we takyn hede to the blis that is in the blisful Trinite of our salvation, and that we desiren to have as mech gostly lykyng with His grace, as it is afornseyd. That is to sey, that the likyng of our salvation be like to the joy that Criste hath of our salvation, as it may be whil we arn here. Al the Trinite wroute in the passion of Criste, minystryng abundance of vertues and plenty of grace to us be Hym; but only the Mayden Son suffrid, whereof all the blissid Trinite endlesly enjoyeth. And this was shewid in these words, Art thou wel payd?
and be that other word that Criste sayd, If thou art payed, than am I paide; as if He seyd, "It is joy and likyng enow to me and I aske nowte ell of the for my travel, but that I myght wel payen the."
And in this He browte to mend the property of a glad gevere. A glad gever takyth but litil hede of the thyng that he gevith, but al his desire and al his intent is to plesyn hym and solacyn hym to whome he gevyth it. And if the receiver take the geft heyly and thankfully, than the curtes gever settith at nowte all his coste and al his travel for joy and delite that he hath, for he hath plesid and solacid hym that he lovyth. Plenteously and fully was this shewid. Thynke also wisely of the gretnes of this word evere, for in that was shewid an high knowing of love that He hath in our salvation with manyfold joyes that folow of the passion of Criste. One is that He joyeth that He hath don it in dede, and He shal no more suffre; another, that He browte us up into Hevyn and made us for to be His corone and endles blisse. Another is that He hath therwith bawte us from endless peynys of Helle.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME lykyng is Julian's term for divine delight/satisfaction; rendered here as delight to keep contemporary register while preserving the Trinitarian mapping of joy / bliss / endless delight.
- 2 ↩semys of the scorgyng: ME semys = seams/furrows; kept as seams to name the open scourge-wounds rather than paraphrasing away the image.
- 3 ↩Middle English coste/charge means cost and burden of the redemptive labor; the exception is the work done in Christ's human nature from Incarnation to Resurrection.
- 4 ↩Mayden Son keeps Julian's title for Christ as the Virgin's Son; the contrast is Trinitarian co-working versus the Son alone suffering in the flesh.
- 5 ↩Middle English payd means content/satisfied (as with wages for labor); the next section continues the same sense: if you are satisfied, then I am paid.
- 6 ↩ME payed/paide here means well pleased / content / satisfied (continuing Christ's earlier 'Art thou wel payd?'), not monetary payment. ME travel is travail: the labor and cost of the Passion.
- 7 ↩ME property here means distinctive quality or characteristic, not ownership.
- 8 ↩ME travel means travail or laborious toil, not journeying; rendered as labor.
- 9 ↩evere points back to the revealed word 'ever' earlier in the showing; kept as a quoted word rather than paraphrased.
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