Chapter LX
"The Kind, loving, Mother"
BUT now is fitting for to say a little more of this distribution, as I understand in the meaning of our Lord: how that we be brought again by the Motherhood of Mercy and Grace into our Nature's place, where we were made by the Motherhood of Nature-Love: which Kindly-love, it never leaves us.
Our Kind Mother, our Gracious Mother, for that He would all wholly become our Mother in all things, He took the Ground of His Works low and mildly in the Maiden's womb. (And that He shewed in the First Shewing where He brought that meek Maid before the eye of my understanding in the simple stature as she was when she conceived.) That is to say: our high God is sovereign Wisdom of all: in this low place He arrayed and purposed Him ready in our poor flesh, Himself to do the service and the office of Motherhood in all things.
The Mother's service is nearest, readiest, and surest: nearest, for it is most of nature; readiest, for it is most of love; and surest for it is most of truth. This office none might, nor could, nor ever should do to the , but He alone. We know that all our mothers' bearing is bearing of us to pain and to dying: and what is this but that our Very Mother, Jesus, He - All-Love - bears us to joy and to endless living? - blessed may He be! Thus He sustains us within Himself in love; and travailed, to the time that He would suffer the sharpest throes and the most grievous pains that ever were or ever shall be; and died at the last. And when He had finished, and so borne us to bliss, yet might not all this make content to His marvellous love; and that shews He in these high overpassing words of love: If I might suffer more, I would suffer more.
He might no more die, but He would not stint of working: wherefore then it is fitting for Him to feed us; for the precious love of Motherhood has made Him debtor to us. The mother may give her child suck of her milk, but our precious Mother, Jesus, He may feed us with Himself, and does it, courteously and tenderly, with the Blessed
Sacrament that is precious food of my life; and with all the sweet Sacraments He sustains us mercifully and graciously. And so meant He in this blessed word where He said: It is I that Holy Church preaches you and teaches you. That is to say: All the health and life of Sacraments, all the virtue and grace of my Word, all the Goodness that is ordained in Holy Church for you, it is I. The Mother may lay the child tenderly to her breast, but our tender Mother, Jesus, He may homely lead us into His blessed breast, by His sweet open side, and shew in it part of the Godhead and the joys of Heaven, with spiritual sureness of endless bliss. And that shewed He in the Tenth Shewing, giving the same understanding in this sweet word where He says: Lo! how I loved you; looking to the Wound in His side, rejoicing.
This fair lovely word Mother, it is so sweet and so close in Nature of itself that it may not truly be said of none but of Him; and to her that is very Mother of Him and of all. To the property of Motherhood belongs natural love, wisdom, and knowing; and it is good: for though it be so that our bodily fruit be but little, low, and simple in regard of our spiritual fruit, yet it is He that does it in the creatures by whom that it is done. The Kindly, loving Mother that understands and knows the need of her child, she keeps it tenderly, as the nature and condition of Motherhood will. And as it grows in age, she changes her working, but not her love. And when it is waxen of more age, she suffers that it be beaten in breaking down of vices, to make the child receive virtues and graces. This working, with all that be fair and good, our Lord does it in them by whom it is done: thus He is our Mother in Nature by the working of Grace in the lower part for love of the higher part. And He wills that we know this: for He will have all our love fastened to Him. And in this I saw that all our duty that we owe, by God's bidding, to Fatherhood and Motherhood, for reason of God's Fatherhood and Motherhood is fulfilled in true loving of God; which blessed love Christ works in us. And this was shewed in all the Revelations and especially in the high plenteous words where He says: It is I that you love.