Revelations of Divine Love · 33 of 127 · tr. Grace Warrack

Chapter XXIV

"Our Lord looked unto His [wounded] Side, and beheld, rejoicing.... Lo! how I loved thee " Then with a glad cheer our Lord looked unto His Side and beheld, rejoicing. With His sweet looking He led forth the understanding of His creature by the same wound into His Side within. And then he shewed a fair, delectable place, and large enough for all mankind that shall be saved to rest in peace and in love. And therewith He brought to mind His dearworthy blood and precious water which he let pour all out for love. And with the sweet beholding He shewed His blessed heart even cloven in two. And with this sweet enjoying, He shewed unto mine understanding, in part, the blessed Godhead , stirring then the poor soul to understand, as it may be said, that is, to think on, the endless Love that was without beginning, and is, and shall be ever. And with this our good Lord said full blissfully: Lo, how that I loved thee, as if He had said: My darling, behold and see thy Lord, thy God that is thy Maker and thine endless joy, see what satisfying and bliss I have in thy salvation; and for my love rejoice [thou] with me. And also, for more understanding, this blessed word was said: Lo, how I loved thee! Behold and see that I loved thee so much ere I died for thee that I would die for thee; and now I have died for thee and suffered willingly that which I may. And now is all my bitter pain and all my hard travail turned to endless joy and bliss to me and to thee. How should it now be that thou shouldst anything pray that pleaseth me but that I should full gladly grant it thee? For my pleasing is thy holiness and thine endless joy and bliss with me. This is the understanding, simply as I can say it, of this blessed word: Lo, how I loved thee. This shewed our good Lord for to make us glad and merry. THE ELEVENTH REVELATION

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Themes

◆Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

The divine is described with distinct human features and actions: a wounded side, a heart cloven in two, looking, rejoicing, and speaking.

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◆Bhakti

The path of loving devotion and self-surrender to a personal deity as itself sufficient means of liberation — the Gita's 'to those constantly devoted, I come forward as their deliverer,' Kabir's and the Sant poets' love-religion, the devotional stream that parallels Sufi love-mysticism. Distinct from mystical_union (the resulting state), fana_annihilation (the ego's unmaking at the path's end), ladder_of_love (eros staged toward Beauty), and prayer (the practice of address): bhakti names devotion as the soteriological road itself.

The passage emphasizes a relationship of intense personal love and devotion ('Lo, how I loved thee') as the foundation of salvation and joy.

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◆Emotional Epistemologysoteriology

The doctrine that emotions constitute a valid and necessary mode of knowing reality, complementing or surpassing intellectual cognition.

The text explicitly describes 'sweet looking,' 'glad cheer,' and 'bliss' as the primary vehicles through which the soul understands divine truth.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The passage centers on the soul's direct experiential understanding of God's love and nature through a visionary revelation, bypassing mere intellectual assent.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is portrayed as an active, personal being who looks, rejoices, speaks, and feels love and joy in a dynamic relationship with the creature.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The vision leads the creature 'into His Side within' and describes a state where the Lord's joy becomes the soul's joy, indicating a deep merging of identities.

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◆Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The passage explicitly discusses the efficacy of prayer, stating that God gladly grants petitions that please Him.

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Related passages · 1 parallel

◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document SECONDad

“Answered further Jesus, said he to her, Well (done), O pure spiritual Maria, this is the explanation of the word. It happened therefore also after all these words, added Jesus in the word, said he to his disciples, [185 ] Hear that I may s…”

Both passages describe a divine revelation of a place of eternal joy and salvation, emphasizing the love and mercy of the divine figure. The structural parallel lies in the divine figure showing a place of rest and bliss to the devotee, highlighting the transformative power of divine love.