| 18. "When He was in pain, we were in pain" | ||||
HERE I saw a part of the compassion of our Lady, Saint Mary: for Christ and she were so united in love that the greatness of her loving was cause of the greatness of her pain. For in this [Showing] I saw a Substance of Nature's Love, continued by Grace, that creatures have to Him: which Kind Love was most fully showed in His sweet Mother, and overpassing; for so much as she loved Him more than all other, her pains passed all other. For ever the higher, the mightier, the sweeter that the love be, the more sorrow it is to the lover to see that body in pain that is loved. | ||||
And all His disciples and all His true lovers suffered pains more than their own bodily dying. For I am sure by my own feeling that the least of them loved Him so far above himself that it passes all that I can say. | ||||
Here saw I a great oneing between Christ and us, to my understanding: for when He was in pain, we were in pain. | ||||
And all creatures that might suffer pain, suffered with Him: that is to say, all creatures that God has made to our service. The firmament, the earth, failed for sorrow in their Nature in the time of Christ's dying. For it belongs naturally to their property to know Him for their God, in whom all their virtue standeth: when He failed, then behoved it needs to them, because of kindness [between them], to fail with Him, as much as they might, for sorrow of His pains. | ||||
And thus they that were His friends suffered pain for love. And, generally, all: that is to say, they that knew Him not suffered for failing of all manner of comfort save the mighty, privy keeping of God. I speak of two manner of folk, as they may be understood by two persons: the one was Pilate, the other was Saint Dionyse of France, which was [at] that time a Paynim. For when he saw wondrous and marvellous sorrows and dreads that befell in that time, he said: Either the world is now at an end, or He that is Maker of Kind suffers. Wherefore he did write on an altar: THIS IS THE ALTAR OF UNKNOWN GOD. God that of His goodness makes the planets and the elements to work of Kind to the blessed man and the cursed, in that time made withdrawing of it from both; wherefore it was that they that knew Him not were in sorrow that time. | ||||
Thus was our Lord Jesus made-naught for us; and all we stand in this manner made-naught with Him, and shall do till we come to His bliss: as I shall tell after. | ||||