How we be bowte ageyn and forthspred be mercy and grace of our swete, kynde, and ever lovyng Moder Jesus; and of the propertes of Moderhede. But Jesus is our very Moder, not fedyng us with mylke but with Himselfe, opening His syde onto us and chalengyng al our love. Sixtieth chapter.
Our Mother Who Bears Us
Christ, our true Mother, takes human flesh in the Virgin's womb to bring us from pain to endless life through mercy and grace.
But now I need to say a little more about this spreading forth, as I understand it in our Lord's meaning: how we are bought back by the Motherhood of mercy and grace into our natural place, where we were made by the Motherhood of natural love—and that natural love never leaves us.1 Our natural Mother, our gracious Mother—for He chose to become our Mother completely in everything—laid the foundation of His work very low and very gently in the maiden's womb.2 And He showed that in the first revelation, where He brought that meek maiden before my understanding in the simple stature she had when she conceived.3 That is to say, our high God is the supreme wisdom of all.✦ In this lowly place, He clothed Himself and made Himself fully ready in our poor flesh, to perform the service and the office of motherhood in everything.4 The mother's service is nearest, readiest, and surest, for it is most full of truth. No one might or could ever do this office to the full except Him alone.5 We know that all our mothers' bearing brings us to pain and to dying.6 And what is that but our true Mother, Jesus?7 He, who is all love, bears us to joy and to endless life. Blessed be He.
Travail and Unquenchable Love
Christ suffers the sharpest birth-pains in His Passion and then feeds us with Himself in the Eucharist, showing a love that would suffer even more.
Thus He sustains us within Himself in love, and He labored until the time had fully come when He would suffer the sharpest birth-pangs and the most severe pains that ever were or ever will be—and at last He died.8 And when He had finished, and so brought us into bliss, even then all this could not satisfy His marvelous love—and He showed that in these exalted, surpassing words of love: If I could suffer more, I would suffer more.9 He could no longer die, but He would not stop working. So then He must feed us, for the precious love of motherhood has made Him indebted to us.10 The mother may give her child her milk to nurse, but our precious Mother Jesus can feed us with Himself—and He does, most courteously and most tenderly, with the blessed Sacrament, which is precious food of true life.
The Sacraments and His Open Side
Jesus sustains us through the sacraments and Holy Church, and invites us into His open side to see His love and the joys of Heaven.
And with all the sweet sacraments He sustains us fully mercifully and graciously. And so He meant in this blessed word where He said, "It is I whom Holy Church preaches to you and teaches you."✦ That is to say: all the health and life of the sacraments, all the virtue and grace of my word, all the goodness ordained in Holy Church for you—I am that.11 The mother may lay the child tenderly to her breast, but our tender Mother Jesus can intimately lead us into His blessed breast by His sweet open side and show there part of the Godhead and the joys of Heaven, with spiritual assurance of endless bliss.✦12 And that is what He showed in the tenth revelation, giving the same understanding in this sweet word where He says, "Look how I loved you," as she gazed into His side and rejoiced.✦13
The Motherly Work of Grace
Christ alone is truly our Mother, working through nature and grace, tending, disciplining, and drawing all our love to Himself.
This fair, lovely word Mother is so sweet and so kind in itself that it can't truly be said of anyone except of Him, and of her who is true Mother of Him and of all. To the property of motherhood belong kind love, wisdom, and knowing, and it is good; for though our bodily bringing-forth is only little, lowly, and simple compared with our spiritual bringing-forth, yet it is He who does it in the creatures by whom it is done. The kind, loving Mother who knows and understands her child's need keeps it very tenderly, as the nature and condition of motherhood require. And as the child grows older, she changes her working, but not her love. And when it has grown older still, she allows it to be chastened in the breaking down of vices, so that the child may receive virtues and graces.14 This working, with all that is fair and good, our Lord does in those by whom it is done. Thus He is our Mother in nature by the working of grace in the lower part, for love of the higher part, and He wills that we know it.15 For He wills to have all our love fastened to Him.
The Debt of Love to Father and Mother
Our whole duty to God is fulfilled in loving Him, for His fatherhood and motherhood are realized in the love Christ works in us.
And in this I saw that all the debt we owe by God's command is owed through fatherhood and motherhood, for God's fatherhood and motherhood is fulfilled in truly loving God — that blessed love Christ works in us; and this was shown in everything, and especially in the high, abundant words where He says, "I am the one you love."16
Read the original Middle English
But now behovyth to sey a litil mor of this forthspredyng, as I understond in the menyng of our Lord, how that we be bowte agen be the Moderhede of mercy and grace into our kyndly stede, wher that we were made be the Moderhede of kynd love; which kynd love, it never levyth us. Our kynd Moder, our gracious Moder - for He wold al holy become our Moder in al thyng - He toke the ground of His werke full low and ful myldely in the maydens womb. And that He shewid in the first where he browte that meke mayde aforn the eye of myn understondyng in the simple statur as she was whan she conceivid.
That is to sey, our hey God is sovereyn wisdom of all. In this low place, He rayhid Him and dyte Him ful redy in our pore flesh, Himselfe to don the service and the office of Moderhede in all thyng. The Moders service is nerest, redyest, and sekirest, for it is most of trueth. This office ne myte ne couthe ne never non don to the full but He alone. We wetyn that all our Moders beryng is us to peyne and to deyeng. And what is that but our very Moder Jesus? He, al love, beryth us to joye and to endles lyving. Blissid mot He be.
Thus He susteynith us within Himselfe in love and traveled into the full tyme that He wold suffre the sharpist throwes and the grevousest peynes that ever were or ever shall be, and dyed at the last. And whan He had don, and so born us to bliss, yet myte not al this makyn aseth to His mervelous love, and that shewid He in these hey overpassing wordes of love: If I myte suffre more, I wold suffre more. He myte no more dyen, but He wold not stynten of werkyng. Wherfore than Him behovyth to fedyn us, for the dereworthy love of moderhede hath made Him dettor to us. The Moder may geven hir child soken her mylke, but our pretious Moder Jesus, He may fedyn us with Himselfe, and doith full curtesly and full tenderly with the blissid sacrament that is pretious fode of very lif.
And with al the swete sacraments He susteynith us ful mercifully and graciously. And so ment He in this blissid word wher that He seid, I it am that Holy Church prechith the and techith the. That is to sey, all the helth and lif of sacraments, al the vertue and grace of my word, all that godness that is ordeynid in Holy Church for the, I it am. The moder may leyn the child tenderly to her brest, but our tender Moder Jesus, He may homely leden us into His blissid brest be His swete open syde and shewyn therin party of the Godhede and the joyes of Hevyn with gostly sekirnes of endless bliss. And that He shewid in the tenth, gevyng the same understondyng in this swete word wher He seith, Lo, how I lovid the, beholdand into His syde, enjoyand.
This fair, lovely word Modir, it is so swete and so kynd of the self that it may ne verily be seid of none but of Him and to hir that is very Moder of Hym and of all. To the properte of Moderhede longyth kinde love, wisdam, and knowing, and it is good; for thow it be so that our bodily forthbrynging be but litil, low, and simple in regard of our gostly forthbringing, yet it is He that doth it in the creatures be whom that it is done. The kynde, Loveand Moder that wote and knowith the nede of hir child, she kepith it ful tenderly as the kind and condition of moderhede will. And as it wexith in age, she chongith hir werking but not hir love. And whan it is waxen of more age, she suffrid that it be bristinid in brekyng downe of vices to makyn the child to receivyn virtues and graces. This werkyng with al that be fair and good, our Lord doith it in hem be whom it is done. Thus He is our Moder in kynde be the werkyng of grace in the lower parte for love of the heyer parte, and He will that we know it. For He will have al our love festynyd to Him.
And in this I saw that all our dett that we owen, be Gods biddyng, be faderhede and Moderhede, for Gods faderhede and Moderhede is fulfillid in trew lovyng of God, which blissid love Christ werkyth in us; and this was shewid in all, and namly in the hey plentiuous words wher He seith, I it am that thou lovest.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.1.24 — but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
- ↩John.6.20 — But he said to them, "I am. Do not be afraid."
- ↩John.19.34 — But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
- ↩John.19.34 — But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME kynd/kyndly here means nature/natural (Julian's kynde), not merely 'kind' in the modern sense; kyndly stede is our natural estate or rightful standing in creation.
- 2 ↩al holy rendered as 'wholly/entirely' (ME al-holy), not as 'all-holy' in the sanctity sense; context is total assumption of motherhood 'in al thyng'.
- 3 ↩in the first taken as Julian's First Showing/revelation, where Mary is presented to her understanding; 'simple statur' is her ordinary, humble form at the moment of conception.
- 4 ↩rayhid…dyte: both mean prepared/arrayed (ME rayen/dighten). Rendered as 'arrayed…and made…fully ready' to keep the paired verbs without archaic 'dight'.
- 5 ↩ME multiple negation (ne…ne…ne never non) is emphatic, not logical double negation; rendered as a single strong English negation.
- 6 ↩Moders may be plural genitive ('mothers'') or singular ('Mother's'). Plural is preferred here for the earthly-mother contrast that s6–s7 resolve in Jesus as true Mother; singular would already identify the bearer [REDACTED] Jesus.
- 7 ↩very Moder = true/genuine Mother (Julian's 'very'). The referent of 'that' is slightly elliptical in the ME: either the fulfilled maternal office, or the turn from earthly bearing to Jesus as the true Mother.
- 8 ↩ME traveled here is the birth-labor sense (travailed), not journeying; throwes are birth-throes, continuing the motherhood metaphor of the chapter.
- 9 ↩makyn aseth means make satisfaction or amends; rendered satisfy to keep Julian's sense that even the Passion did not exhaust His love's measure.
- 10 ↩dettor keeps Julian's bold legal-metaphor: motherhood's love binds Christ to nourish us; not a claim that God owes creatures by nature alone.
- 11 ↩ME 'helth' here means spiritual health/healing/well-being conferred by the sacraments, not merely bodily fitness; rendered as 'health' to keep Julian's pairing with 'lif'.
- 12 ↩ME 'homely' is Julian's term for intimate, familiar nearness (not 'plain' or 'unattractive'); rendered 'intimately' to preserve that register.
- 13 ↩'the tenth' refers to Julian's Tenth Showing/Revelation; the participles 'beholdand… enjoyand' are taken as the visionary posture accompanying the word (gazing into His side and rejoicing).
- 14 ↩enm 'bristinid' rendered as 'chastened'; the sense is disciplinary correction that breaks down vices, not mere physical bruising.
- 15 ↩Julian's 'lower parte' / 'heyer parte' kept as lower/higher part: the sensual self ordered toward the higher spiritual substance.
- 16 ↩ME "be faderhede and Moderhede" is rendered as the mode of the debt (owed through/under fatherhood and motherhood). The following "for" clause ties that debt to God's own fatherhood and motherhood fulfilled in true love of God.
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
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