The thirteenth Revelation is that our Lord God wil that we have grete regard to all His deds that He hav don in the gret noblyth of al things makyng and of etc; how synne is not knowin but by the peyn. Twenty-seventh chapter.
The Longing Hindered by Sin
Julian recalls her longing for God, sees that only sin hinders union with Him, and laments that sin was not prevented, though she knows this sorrow is without discretion.
After this, the Lord brought to mind the longing I had had for Him before. And I saw that nothing hindered me but sin, and so I beheld this generally in all of us.1 And it seemed to me that if sin had never 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, by the great foreseeing wisdom of God, the beginning of sin was not prevented.2 For then, it seemed to me, all would have been well. This stirring was much to be forsaken, and yet I mourned and sorrowed over it without reason and discretion.3
Sin Is Needful, All Shall Be Well
Jesus answers Julian's wondering with the assurance that sin is needful and all shall be well, showing her the passion of Christ and all pain as a passing touch that quickly gives way to comfort.
But Jesus, who in this vision informed me of everything I need, answered with this word and said: Sin is needful, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and every kind of thing shall be well.4 In this bare word sin, our Lord brought to my mind in a general way everything that is not good, and the shameful scorn and the utter being brought to nothing that He bore for us in this life, and His dying, and all the pains and sufferings of all His creatures, spiritual and bodily—for we are all in part brought to nothing, and we shall be brought to nothing following our Master Jesus until we are fully purged, that is to say, until we are fully emptied of our mortal flesh and of all our inward affections that are not truly good—and the beholding of this together with all pains that ever were or ever shall be; and in all these I understand the passion of Christ as the greatest and surpassing pain.56 And all this was shown in a touch, and it quickly passed over into comfort.7 For our good Lord didn't want the soul to be afraid of this ugly sight.
Sin Has No Substance, Only Pain
Julian explains that sin has no being and is known only through pain, which purges us and leads to mercy; Christ's passion comforts us, and God tenderly promises that all shall be well, revealing a hidden secret to be known in heaven.
But I did not see sin, for I believe it has no kind of substance nor any share of being, nor could it be known except by the pain it causes; and so pain—it is something, as I see it, for a time, because it purges us and makes us know ourselves and ask for mercy.8 For our Lord's Passion is comfort to us against all this, and so is His blessed will. And because of the tender love our good Lord has for all who will be saved, He comforts us readily and sweetly, meaning this: It is true that sin is the cause of all this pain, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and every kind of thing shall be well. These words were said very tenderly, showing no kind of blame toward me nor toward any who will be saved. Then it would be a great unkindness to blame God or marvel at Him over my sin, since He does not blame me for sin.9 And in these same words I saw a marvelous high secret hidden in God, which secret He will openly make known to us in Heaven; and in that knowing we will truly see why He allowed sin to come, and in that sight we will endlessly rejoice in our Lord God.10
Read the original Middle English
After this the Lord browte to my mynd the longyng that I had to Hym aforn. And I saw that nothyng letted me but synne, and so I beheld generally in us al. And methowte, if synne had not a ben, we should al a ben clene and like to our Lord as He made us. And thus, in my foly, aforn this tyme, often I wondrid whi by the gret forseyng wysdam of God the begynyng of synne was not lettid. For than, thowte me, al shuld a be wele. This steryng was mikel to forsakyn, and nevertheless mornyng and sorow I made therefor without reason and discretion.
But Jesus, that in this vision enformid me of all that me nedyth, answerid by this word, and seyd: Synne is behovabil, but al shal be wel, and al shal be wel, and al manner of thyng shal be wele. In this nakid word synne, our Lord browte to my mynd generally al that is not good, and the shamfull dispite and the utter nowtyng that He bare for us in this life, and His dyeng, and al the peynys and passions of al His creatures, gostly and bodyly - for we be all in party nowtid, and we shall be nowtid followyng our Master Jesus till we be full purgyd, that is to sey, till we be fully nowtid of our dedly flesh and of al our inward affections which arn not very good - and the beholdyng of this with al peynys that ever wern or ever shal be; and with al these I understond the passion of Criste for most peyne and overpassyng. And al this was shewid in a touch, and redily passid over into comforte. For our good Lord wold not that the soule were afferd of this uggly syte.
But I saw not synne, for I beleve it hath no manner of substance ne no party of being, ne it myght not be knowin, but by the peyne that it is cause of; and thus peyne - it is somethyng, as to my syte, for a tyme, for it purgith and makyth us to knowen our selfe and askyn mercy. For the passion of our Lord is comforte to us agens al this, and so is His blissid wille. And for the tender love that our good Lord hath to all that shal be save, He comfortith redyly and swetely, menyng thus: It is sothe that synne is cause of all this peyne, but al shal be wele, and al shall be wele, and all manner thing shal be wele. These words were seyd full tenderly, shewyng no manner of blame to me ne to non that shall be safe. Than were it a gret unkindness to blame or wonder on God for my synne, sythen He blamyth not me for synne. And in these same words I saw a mervelous, hey privitye hid in God, which privity He shall openly make knowen to us in Hevyn, in which knowyng we shal verily see the cause why He suffrid synne to come, in which syte we shall endlesly joyen in our Lord God.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.27 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME letted = hindered/prevented; rendered hindered to keep the obstacle sense before God.
- 2 ↩ME forseyng wysdam = foreseeing/providential wisdom; lettid = hindered/prevented.
- 3 ↩ME steryng = interior stirring/impulse; kept stirring as Julian’s term for an inward movement of the soul. discretion kept for spiritual discernment/judgment.
- 4 ↩ME behovabil/behovely means needful, fitting, and expedient in God's providence—not that sin is good. Rendered here as 'needful' to keep that force without archaic diction.
- 5 ↩Julian's nowtyng/noughting is her technical word for being reduced to nothing—humiliation, self-emptying, and the stripping away of what is not good. Rendered as 'being brought to nothing' / 'emptied of' to keep that force in plain English.
- 6 ↩Here passions means sufferings (the Passion and creatures' pains), not emotional passions.
- 7 ↩ME touch here is a brief spiritual contact or instantaneous showing, not a physical touch.
- 8 ↩ME 'no manner of substance ne no party of being' asserts sin's lack of positive ontological standing (privatio): it has neither substance nor any share in real being, and is known only through the pain it causes.
- 9 ↩ME 'unkindness' carries the sense of unnatural failure of loving response / ingratitude, not mere social rudeness; kept as 'unkindness' to preserve Julian's kinship-and-love register.
- 10 ↩ME 'privitye'/'privity' means a hidden divine secret or mystery (privy counsel), not social privacy; rendered 'secret' for plainness while keeping the sense of something presently veiled and later disclosed.
Revelations of Divine Love (Showings) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent