Our good Lord showed me the enmity of the fiend, from which
I gathered that everything opposed to love and peace comes from the fiend and
his set.
Inevitably we fall because of our weakness and stupidity –
and just as surely we get up with even greater joy because of the mercy and
grace of the Holy Spirit.
Even if our enemy gains something from us when we fall (this
is what he likes!), he loses very much more because of our love and humility
when we get up again.
This glorious rising up gives him such sorrow and pain (he
hates our soul so much) that he burns and burns with envy.
[...] The remedy is to be aware of our wretchedness, and to
fly to our Lord. The greater our need, the more important it is to draw near to
him.
Let our meaning be, ‘I am well aware that my suffering is
deserved. Our Lord is almighty, and may punish me mightily; he is all-wise, and
can punish me wisely; and he is all-good, and loves me most tenderly.’
And with the sight of this we have got to stay. The humility
of a sinful soul is a lovely thing, and is a work of the Spirit’s mercy and
grace, when we consciously and gladly accept the scourge and punishment given
by our Lord himself.
It even becomes gentle and bearable when we are really
content with him and with what he does.
[...] This was shown, with particular and loving emphasis,
that we are to accept and endure humbly whatever penance God himself gives us,
with his blessed passion ever in mind.
[...] Our Lord is with us, protecting us and leading us into
fullness of joy. For it is an unending source of joy to us that our Lord should
intend that he, our protector here, is to be our bliss there – our way and our
heaven is true love and sure trust!
This is the message of all the revelations, and particularly
in that of his passion where he made me wholeheartedly choose him to be my
heaven.
Flee to our Lord, and we shall be strengthened. Touch him,
and we shall be cleansed. Cling to him, and we shall be safe and sound from
every danger.
For it is the will of our courteous Lord that we should be
as much at home with him as heart may think or soul desire.
But we must be careful not to accept this privilege so
casually that we forget our own courtesy.
For our Lord himself is supremely friendly, and he is as
courteous as he is friendly: he is very courteous.
Julian of Norwich
(1342-1416): Showings, 77, 6); from
the Monastic Office of Vigils, Friday of Week 28 in Ordinary Time, Year 2
