Chapter 64

Afore this time I had great longing and desire of God's gift to be delivered of this world and of this life. For oftentimes I beheld the woe that is here, and the weal and the bliss that is being there: (and if there had been no pain in this life but the absence of our Lord, methought it was some-time more than I might bear;) and this made me to mourn, and eagerly to long. And also from mine own wretchedness, sloth, and weakness, me liked not to live and to travail, as me fell to do.

Before this time, I had longed deeply for God to deliver me from this world and this life. I often reflected on the suffering here, and the well-being and bliss there. (Even if the absence of our Lord had been the only pain in this life, it sometimes seemed unbearable to me.) This made me mourn and long eagerly for deliverance. Also, because of my own wretchedness, laziness, and weakness, I did not want to live and labor as I had to do.

And to all this our courteous Lord answered for comfort and patience, and said these words: Suddenly thou shalt be taken from all thy pain, from all thy sickness, from all thy distress¹ and from all thy woe. And thou shalt come up above and thou shalt have me to thy meed, and thou shalt be fulfilled of love and of bliss. And thou shalt never have no manner of pain, no manner of misliking, no wanting of will; but ever joy and bliss without end. What should it then aggrieve thee to suffer awhile, seeing that it is my will and my worship?

To all this, our gracious Lord replied with words of comfort and patience: Suddenly you will be freed from all your pain, all your sickness, all your distress¹ and all your sorrow. You will rise above and have me as your reward. You will be filled with love and bliss. You will never have any kind of pain, displeasure, or unfulfilled desire. Instead, you will have joy and bliss forever. Why, then, should it trouble you to suffer for a while, when it is my will and brings me glory?

And in this word: Suddenly thou shalt be taken,—I saw that God rewardeth man for the patience that he hath in abiding God's will, and for his time, and [for] that man lengtheneth his patience over the time of his living. For not-knowing of his time of passing, that is a great profit: for if a man knew his time, he should not have patience over that time; but, as God willeth, while the soul is in the body it seemeth to itself that it is ever at the point to be taken. For all this life and this languor that we have here is but a point, and when we are taken suddenly out of pain into bliss then pain shall be nought.

In the words Suddenly you will be taken, I saw that God rewards people for patiently waiting for his will and his timing. He also rewards them for extending their patience beyond the time of their lives. Not knowing when we will die is a great benefit. If a person knew when they would die, they would not have patience beyond that time. But, as God wills, while the soul is in the body, it feels that it is always about to be taken. For all this life and the suffering we have here last only a moment. And when we are suddenly taken from pain into bliss, pain will be nothing.

And in this time I saw a body lying on the earth, which body shewed heavy and horrible,² without shape and form, as it were a swollen quag of stinking mire.³ And suddenly out of this body sprang a full fair creature, a little Child, fully shapen and formed, nimble⁴ and lively, whiter than lily; which swiftly⁵ glided up into heaven. And the swollenness of the body betokeneth great wretchedness of our deadly flesh, and the littleness of the Child betokeneth the cleanness of purity in the soul. And methought: With this body abideth⁶ no fairness of this Child, and on this Child dwelleth no foulness of this body.

At this time, I saw a body lying on the earth. It looked heavy and horrible,² without shape or form, like a swollen bog of stinking mud.³ Suddenly, a very beautiful creature sprang from the body. It was a little Child, perfectly shaped and formed, nimble⁴ and lively, and whiter than a lily. The Child swiftly⁵ glided up into heaven. The swollen body signifies the great wretchedness of our mortal flesh. The Child’s smallness signifies the cleanness and purity of the soul. And I thought: None of this Child’s beauty remains⁶ with the body, and none of the body’s ugliness remains on the Child.

It is more blissful that man be taken from pain, than that pain be taken from man;⁷ for if pain be taken from us it may come again: therefore it is a sovereign comfort and blissful beholding in a loving soul that we shall be taken from pain. For in this behest⁸ I saw a marvellous compassion that our Lord hath in us for our woe, and a courteous promising⁹ of clear deliverance. For He willeth that we be comforted in the overpassing;¹⁰ and that He shewed in these words: And thou shalt come up above, and thou shalt have me to thy meed, and thou shalt be fulfilled of joy and bliss.

It is more blessed for us to be taken away from pain than for pain to be taken away from us.⁷ For if pain is taken away from us, it may return. Therefore, a loving soul finds the thought that we will be taken away from pain a supreme comfort and a blessed sight. In this promise⁸ I saw our Lord's wonderful compassion for us in our suffering. I also saw his gracious promise⁹ that we would be completely set free. For he wants us to be comforted as we pass through this life.¹⁰ He showed that in these words: And you will come up above, and you will have me as your reward, and you will be filled with joy and bliss.

It is God's will that we set the point of our thought in this blissful beholding as often as we may,—and as long time keep us therein with His grace; for this is a blessed contemplation to the soul that is led of God, and full greatly to His worship, for the time that it lasteth. And [when] we fall again to our heaviness, and spiritual blindness, and feeling of pains spiritual and bodily, by our frailty, it is God's will that we know that He hath not forgotten us. And so signifieth He in these words: And thou shalt never more have pain; no manner of sickness, no manner of misliking, no wanting of will; but ever joy and bliss without end. What should it then aggrieve thee to suffer awhile, seeing it is my will and my worship?

It is God's will that we focus our thoughts on this blissful vision as often as we can. With his grace, we should remain in it as long as we can. For this is a blessed contemplation for the soul led by God. It also brings him great honor while it lasts. In our weakness, we fall again into sadness and spiritual blindness. We feel spiritual and bodily pain. When this happens, it is God's will that we know he has not forgotten us. He shows us this in these words: And you will never again have pain, any kind of sickness or discontent, or any unfulfilled desire. Instead, you will have joy and bliss without end. So why should it trouble you to suffer for a while, since it is my will and brings me honor?

It is God's will that we take His behests¹¹ and His comfortings as largely and as mightily as we may take them, and also He willeth that we take our abiding and our troubles¹² as lightly as we may take them, and set them at nought. For the more lightly we take them, and the less price we set on them, for love, the less pain we shall have in the feeling of them, and the more thanks and meed we shall have for them.

God wants us to receive his promises¹¹ and his comforts as fully and deeply as we can. He also wants us to bear our waiting and our troubles¹² as lightly as we can and count them as nothing. For the more lightly we bear them, and the less importance we give them for love, the less pain we will feel from them. And the more thanks and reward we will receive for them.