The eleventh Revelation is an hey gostly shewing of His Moder. Twenty-fifth chapter.
The Lord's Invitation to See His Mother
Jesus invites Julian to see Mary, explaining the high joy and love He has for her and the delight she brings.
And with this same joyful expression, our good Lord looked down to the right and brought to my mind where Our Lady stood at the time of His Passion, and said, "Would you like to see her?"1 And in this sweet word it was as if He had said, "I know well that you would like to see my blessed Mother, for after me she is the highest joy I could show you, and the greatest delight and honor to me, and she is most desired to be seen by my blessed creatures."2 And because of the great, marvelous, unique love that He has for this sweet maiden, His blessed Mother our Lady Saint Mary, He showed her greatly rejoicing, as these sweet words indicate—as if He said, "Would you like to see how I love her, so that you may rejoice with me in the love that I have for her and she for me?" And also, for a fuller understanding of this sweet word, our Lord God speaks to all people who will be saved as if to one person, as if He said, "Would you like to see in her how you are loved? For love of you I made her so exalted, so noble, and so worthy, and this delights me, and I want it to delight you the same way."3 For after Himself, she is the most blissful sight.
The Spiritual Sight of Mary
Julian prays to see Mary, receives a spiritual sight of her as high and noble, and learns of the three showings of Mary: at conception, under the Cross, and in glory.
But I've not been taught to long to see her bodily presence while I'm here, but rather the virtues of her blessed soul—her truth, her wisdom, her charity—by which I can learn to know myself and reverently fear my God.4 And when our good Lord had shown this, and said this word—'Do you want to see her?' I answered, "Yes, good Lord, thank you; yes, good Lord, if it is your will."5 Often I prayed this, and I expected to see her in bodily presence, but I did not see her that way.6 And Jesus, in that word, showed me a spiritual sight of her.7 Just as I had seen her before little and simple, so He showed her then high and noble and glorious and pleasing to Him above all creatures; and He wills that it be known that all who delight in Him should delight in her, and in the delight that He has in her and she in Him.8 And to help me understand more fully, He showed me this example: if a man loves one creature uniquely above all others, he will make every creature love and delight in that creature he loves so much. And in this word that Jesus said, "Do you want to see her?" It seemed to me it was the most delightful word He could have given me about her, together with the spiritual showing He gave me of her.9 For our Lord showed me nothing in particular except our Lady Saint Mary, and her He showed three times. The first was as she conceived; the second was as she was in her sorrows under the Cross; the third is as she is now in delight, honor, and joy.10
Read the original Middle English
And with this same chere of myrth and joy, our gode Lord lokyd downe on the ryte syde and browte to my mynde where our Lady stode in the tyme of His passion, and seid, Wilt the se here? And in this swete word, as if He had seyd, "I wote wele thou wold se my blissid moder, for after myselfe she is the heyest joy that I myte shew the and most lykyng and worshippe to me, and most she is desyrid to be seene of my blissid cretures." And for the hey, mervelous, singular love that He hath to this swete mayden, His blissid moder our Lady Seyt Mary, He shewid hir heyly enjoyng as be the menyng of these swete words, as if He seyd, "Wil thou se how I love hir that thou myte joy with me in the love that I have in her and she in me?" And also to more understondyng this swete word our Lord God spekyth to al mankynde that shal be save, as it were al to one person, as if He seyd, "Wilt tho seen in hir how thou art lovid? For thy love I made her so hey, so noble, and so worthy, and this likyth me, and so wil I that it doith the." For after Hymselfe, she is the most blisful syte.
But herof am I not lerid to longen to seen hirr bodyly presense while I am here, but the vertues of hir blissid soule, her truth, her wisdam, hir charite, wherby I may leryn to know myselfe and reverently drede my God. And whan our gode Lord had shewid this, and seid this word, Wilt thou seen hir? I answerid and seyd, "Ya, good Lord, gramercy; ya, good Lord, if it be thy wille." Oftentymes I prayd this and I wend a seen hir in bodily presens, but I saw hir not so. And Jesus in that word shewid me a gostly syte of hir. Ryte as I had seen hir aforn litil and simple, so He shewid hir than hey and noble and glorious and plesyng to Hym above al creatures; and He wil that it be knowen that al those that lyke in Hym should lyken in hir and in the lykyng that He hath in hir and she in Him.
And to more understondyng He shewid this example: as, if a man love a creature syngularly above al creatures, he wil make al creature to loven and to lyken that creature that he lovith so mekyl. And in this word that Jesus seid, Wilt thou se hir? methowte it was the most likyng word that He might have gove me of hir with the gostly shewyng that He gave me of hir. For our Lord shewid me nothyng in special but our Lady Seynt Mary, and hir He shewid three tymys. The first was as she conceyvyd, the second was as she was in hir sorows under the Cross, the third is as she is now in likyng, worshippe, and joye.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'here' is taken as 'her' (object), confirmed by the next section's 'Wilt thou seen hir?' and by the Marian focus of the chapter.
- 2 ↩ME 'lykyng' rendered as 'delight' (Julian's sense of deep pleasure/pleasing), and 'worshippe' as 'honor' to avoid suggesting that Mary receives the worship due to God alone.
- 3 ↩'For thy love' rendered as 'For love of you' (Christ's love for the saved, not Mary's love). 'likyth me...doith the' taken as parallel delight/pleasing: what delights Christ should delight the soul.
- 4 ↩ME 'charite' rendered as charity (theological virtue), kept with truth and wisdom as virtues of Mary's soul rather than flattened to love.
- 5 ↩ME 'gramercy' (grant merci) rendered as 'thank you'; sense is grateful acknowledgment, not a petition for mercy.
- 6 ↩ME 'wend a seen' = weened/thought to have seen; rendered as expected to see, preserving her disappointed hope of a bodily vision.
- 7 ↩ME 'gostly' rendered as spiritual (not ghostly), matching Julian's contrast of bodily vs. spiritual showing.
- 8 ↩ME 'lyke/lyken/lykyng' rendered as delight throughout, preserving Julian's mutual-delight sense rather than mere preference or liking.
- 9 ↩ME likyng here means pleasing/delightful (Julian's delight-vocabulary), not mere preference; rendered 'delightful'.
- 10 ↩ME worshippe here is honor/glory rather than cultic worship; rendered 'honor' to keep the Marian sense clear.
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