Revelations of Divine Love · 38 of 127 · tr. Grace Warrack

Chapter XXIX

"How could all be well, for the great harm that is come by sin to the creature?" But in this I stood beholding things general, troublously and mourning, saying thus to our Lord in my meaning, with full great dread: Ah! good Lord, how might all be well, for the great hurt that is come, by sin, to the creature? And here I desired, as far as I durst, to have some more open declaring wherewith I might be eased in this matter. And to this our blessed Lord answered full meekly and with full lovely cheer, and shewed that Adam's sin was the most harm that ever was done, or ever shall be, to the world's end; and also He shewed that this [sin] is openly known in all Holy Church on earth. Furthermore He taught that I should behold the glorious Satisfaction : for this Amends-making is more pleasing to God and more worshipful, without comparison, than ever was the sin of Adam harmful. Then signifieth our blessed Lord thus in this teaching, that we should take heed to this: For since I have made well the most harm, then it is my will that thou know thereby that I shall make well all that is less.

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Themes

Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The visionary is described as 'beholding things general' and being taught to 'behold the glorious Satisfaction,' indicating a meditative practice focused on specific spiritual imagery and concepts.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The central theme is God's active ordering of history and salvation, asserting that because He has made well the greatest harm (Adam's sin), He will inevitably make well all lesser harms.

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Living Godtheology

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

The text depicts God as a personal, responsive reality who speaks 'meekly' with 'lovely cheer' and engages in a direct dialogue to comfort the visionary.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The text presents the paradoxical teaching that the 'Amends-making' (Satisfaction) is more pleasing to God than the sin of Adam was harmful, using this reversal to resolve the visionary's doubt about whether 'all can be well.'

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Prayerpraxis

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

The passage explicitly describes the visionary's act of speaking to the Lord with 'full great dread' and desire for clarity, which is met by a divine response.

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Related passages · 7 parallels

neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XIX

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Shared concept: Active Contemplation — A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness. (derived)

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Shared concept: Active Contemplation — A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness. (derived)

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“Section 16 16. But if all this is true, what room is left for evil? Where are we to place wrong-doing and sin? How explain that in a world organized in good, the efficient agents [human beings] behave unjustly, commit sin? And how comes…”