Why Does God Reveal Things to Us?

In the year 1373, when the great church leader Julian of Norwich was 30 years old, she received a series of visions from God. She wrote about them afterwards (her writings are the oldest existing written works by a woman in the English language). Here are a couple of excerpts that speak to how we’ve been reflecting on seeing the scriptures through a lens of love. How would it change your perspective on scripture if this is what God was saying about how to read it faithfully?

Throughout the time of my showings, I wished to know what our Beloved meant. More than fifteen years later, the answer came in a spiritual vision. This is what I heard. “Would you like to know our Lord’s meaning in all this? Know it well: love was his meaning. Who revealed this to you? Love. What did he reveal to you? Love. Why did he reveal it to you? For love. Stay with this and you will know more of the same. You will never know anything but love, without end.

And so what I saw most clearly was that love is his meaning. God wants us to know that he loved us before he even made us, and this love has never diminished and never will. All his actions unfold from this love, and through this love he makes everything that happens of value to us, and in this love we find everlasting life. Our creation has a starting point, but the love in which he made us has no beginning, and this love is our true source.

- Julian of Norwich, Showings