Revelations of Love

Here is an excerpt from the writings of Julian of Norwich titled "Revelations of Divine Love":

He showed me a very lofty spiritual delight in my
soul, and in it I was completely filled with
everlasting certitude, firmly sustained, without any
painful dread. This feeling was so glad and so
spiritual that I was entirely at peace, at ease and at
rest, so that there was nothing on earth that could
have disturbed me.

This lasted only for a while. Then I was transformed
and left to myself in depression, weary of my life and
irked with myself, so that I kept the patience to go
on living only with difficulty. There was no comfort
and no ease for me, except faith, hope and charity,
AND THESE I HAD IN REALITY THOUGH I HAD VERY LITTLE
FEELING OF THEM.

And Immediately after this our Lord again gave me
comfort and rest of soul and delight and certitude,
so blessed and so mighty that no dread, no sorrow, no
bodily or spiritual pain that could be suffered should
have caused me distress.

And then the pain returned to my feelings, again
followed by the joy and delight--first the one and then the other, at, I suppose about twenty different times. In the time of joy I could have said with Saint Paul, "Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ." And in the pain I could have said, "Lord, save me! I perish!"

This vision was showed to me to teach my understanding that IT IS PROFITABLE FOR SOME SOULS TO EXPERIENCE
THESE ALTERATIONS OF MOOD--SOMETIMES TO BE COMFORTED
AND SOMETIMES TO FAIL AND TO BE LEFT TO THEMSELVES.
GOD WILLS THAT WE KNOW THAT HE EVER KEEPS US EQUALLY
SAFE, IN WOE AS IN WELL BEING"(emphasis mine)