CHAPTER 24
With a cheerful face our Lord looked into his side and gazed, rejoicing. With his sweet looking he led my human understanding into the same wound in his side. And then he showed me a fair and delightful place, large enough for all humankind who shall be saved; a place to rest in peace and love. And by this he brought to mind his dear blood and precious water which he allowed to be poured out for love. And in this sweet vision, he revealed his blessed heart literally broken in two.
And with this sweet experience he showed to my understanding, in part, the blessed Godhead, which stirred my simple soul to grasp - that is, to think on - the endless love that was without beginning, and is and shall be forever. And with this our good Lord said quite blissfully: ‘See how I love you’, as if he had said: ‘My darling, behold and see your Lord and God who is your maker your endless joy! See what pleasure and bliss I have in your salvation; and rejoice with me in my love.’
To give more understanding, this blessed word was said: ‘See, how I loved you! Behold and see that I loved you so much before I ever died for you that I would die for you, and now I have died for you and suffered willingly all that I can. And now my bitter pain and hard travail is all turned into endless joy and bliss both to me and to you. How could it now be that you pray for anything that pleases me and I do not grant it you gladly? For my delight is your holiness and your endless joy and bliss with me.’
This is the understanding, as simply as I can say it, of this blessed word: ‘See how I loved you.’ This showed our good Lord’s will is to make us glad and merry.