In Chapter 25 of Julian's Revelations we reach her eleventh (of sixteen) showings. In this showing, Julian sees Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing beside the cross:
our gode Lord lokyd downe on the ryte syde and browte to my mynde where our Lady stode in the tyme of His passion, and seid, Wilt the se here?
Translation:
Our good Lord looked down on the right side and brought to my mind where our Lady stood at the time of His passion, and said, "Do you wish to see her here?"
From there, the showing dwells upon Christ's delight in his mother, and in that delight she comes to represent the delight Christ has in us:
And also to more understondyng this swete word our Lord God spekyth to al mankynde that shal be save, as it were al to one person, as if He seyd, "Wilt tho seen in hir how thou art lovid? For thy love I made her so hey, so noble, and so worthy, and this likyth me, and so wil I that it doith the." For after Hymselfe, she is the most blisful syte.
Translation:
And also, for more understanding this sweet word our Lord God speaks to all humankind that shall be saved, as though it were all to one person, as if He said, "Will you see in her how you are loved? For your love I made her so high, so noble, and so worthy, and this pleases me, and so I will that it pleases you." For after Himself, she is the most blessed sight.
Julian sees Mary as a representative of all of humanity. As Mary is loved, so we are loved.
Christ speaks to all of humanity, as if to a single person, and asks: "Will you see in her how you are loved?"
Julian’s devotion to Mary in her Revelations highlights one of the most significant contrasts between Catholicism and Orthodoxy with Protestantism. In August, on Substack Notes, I shared that my favorite moment of the day during my retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani was hearing the monks sing the Salve Regina, one of the great Marian antiphons of the Western Christian tradition, traditionally sung at the end of Compline in monastic settings. Salve means “Hail” in Latin, and Regina means “Queen.”
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
