Chapter 86

This book is begun by God's gift and His grace, but it is not yet performed, as to my sight.

This book was begun through God's gift and his grace, but as I see it, it is not yet complete.

For Charity pray we all; [together] with God's working, thanking, trusting, enjoying. For thus will our good Lord be prayed to, as by the understanding that I took of all His own meaning and of the sweet words where He saith full merrily: I am the Ground of thy beseeching. For truly I saw and understood in our Lord's meaning that He shewed it for that He willeth to have it known more than it is: in which knowing He will give us grace to love to Him and cleave to Him. For He beholdeth His heavenly treasure with so great love on earth that He willeth to give us more light and solace in heavenly joy, in drawing to Him of our hearts, for sorrow and darkness¹ which we are in.

For love, let us all pray, together with God's working, giving thanks, trusting, and rejoicing. For this is how our good Lord wants us to pray to him. I understood this from all that he meant and from his sweet words, spoken so joyfully: I am the Ground of thy beseeching. Truly, I saw and understood that our Lord revealed this because he wants it to be better known. Through this knowledge, he will give us grace to love him and cling to him. He looks with such great love on his heavenly treasure on earth that he wants to give us more light and comfort in heavenly joy. He does this by drawing our hearts to him, because of the sorrow and darkness¹ we are in.

And from that time that it was shewed I desired oftentimes to learn² what was our Lord's meaning. And fifteen years after, and more, I was answered in ghostly understanding, saying thus: Wouldst thou learn³ thy Lord's meaning in this thing? Learn it well: Love was His meaning. Who shewed it thee? Love. What shewed He thee? Love. Wherefore shewed it He? For Love. Hold thee therein and thou shalt learn and know more in the same. But thou shalt never know nor learn therein other thing without end. Thus was I learned⁴ that Love was our Lord's meaning.

From the time this was revealed to me, I often wanted to know² what our Lord meant. More than fifteen years later, I received an answer through spiritual understanding: Would you know³ your Lord's meaning in this revelation? Know it well: love was his meaning. Who showed it to you? Love. What did he show you? Love. Why did he show it to you? For love. Hold to this, and you will learn and know more about love. But you will never learn or know anything else in it, for all eternity. In this way I was taught⁴ that love was our Lord's meaning.

And I saw full surely that ere God made us He loved us; which love was never slacked, nor ever shall be. And in this love He hath done all His works; and in this love He hath made all things profitable to us; and in this love our life is everlasting. In our making we had beginning; but the love wherein He made us was in Him from without beginning: in which love we have our beginning. And all this shall we see in God, without end.

And I saw with complete certainty that God loved us before he made us. His love has never weakened and never will. In this love he has done all his works. In this love he has made all things beneficial to us. And in this love our life is everlasting. We had a beginning when we were made. But the love in which he made us has always been in him, without beginning. In that love we have our beginning. And we will see all this in God forever.