Chapter 21
- Skipping back in time—to before Kempe's vow of chastity—Christ tells her that she is pregnant, again.
- Kempe kind of despairs: how is she to live the contemplative life if she's got to take care of a crying baby?
- Christ says that he will work it out for her, so she shouldn't worry. Kempe laments her married life the loss of her virginity.
- Kempe's worried. She can't live a perfect life if she has lost her virginity; she can't dedicate her purest self to God.
- Christ comforts Kempe by saying that he "loves wives too." He's really interested in the gift of love, and so he encourages Kempe to think about his love for her and vice-versa.
- Christ tells Kempe that the best way to love him is to think about how wicked she is and how great he is.
- Kempe is down with that. She already thinks she's the most horrible creature in the world, after all, so this shouldn't be too hard.
- But Christ doesn't want Kempe to despair. It's a fine line. He tells her that he doesn't think about how bad a person has been, but about how good that person will be in the future.
- Christ tells Kempe to remember the stories of St. Paul, St. Mary of Egypt, and Mary Magdalene. They all had huge conversions from previous, wicked lives.
- Christ also promises Kempe that she may converse with any saint in heaven that she chooses. This is because he loves her with all his heart.
- Naturally, this reduces Kempe to tears. Mary then speaks to her and says she will teach Kempe how to please God.
- Kempe speaks with Mary for a long time and is so embarrassed by the favor she is shown that she doesn't want to tell anybody else but her confessor.
Chapter 22
- Kempe has a vision of maidens dancing in heaven—and it makes her cry.
- Kempe complains to Christ that she will never be part of that group, because she is a wife with fourteen children.
- But Christ promises that he loves Kempe best, and that when she dies, he will appear himself to take her before his father for judgment. His mother, the apostles, angels, and several saints will also appear.
- Christ tells Kempe not to worry about the devil: he's more afraid of her than she is of him.
- Christ explains that Kempe will be welcome in heaven because she has given the saints drink through all the tears she's shed.
- Christ will favor Kempe as he did with saints Barbara, Catherine, Margaret, and Paul (all virgin martyrs): anything people ask in her name until the end of time will be granted.
- Christ calls Kempe a "maiden in her soul" and tells her that she will be given the same joy in heaven as actual virgins.
Chapter 23
- Kempe gives examples of her revelations concerning the souls and lives of the people around her.
- First, there is a vicar who comes to Kempe for professional advice, and she learns from God that he is to continue in his course of work. He does as advised and prospers.
- Kempe is one day in the presence of a corpse in the church of St. Margaret. The husband is there to offer prayers, and Christ tells her that he will also soon be dead—and it happens.
- There follow several similar stories of people on the verge of death. Each time, Christ reveals to Kempe the state of these people's souls, and he says whether they will live or die.
- Kempe prays for those in need and helps save many from damnation.
- Finally, Kempe's special friend falls ill, and everyone thinks that she will die, but Christ tells Kempe that her friend will recover, and they will continue their friendship.
- Kempe says that these revelations are exquisitely painful to her. She is especially upset when what God tells her seems to be at odds with what she knows—but she gets over it when the truth comes out.
Chapter 24
- This chapter has less to do with revelation and more to do with Kempe's good judgment—though she would never let us believe she had common sense without God's help.
- These stories concern the priest who was writing down Kempe's narrative. He was often skeptical enough to question Kempe about her revelations, but he was less skeptical when dealing with men.
- Kempe recalls a time when a handsome, well-spoken young man came into the parish with a serious backstory: he was a priest who got caught up in a fight and killed one or two men.
- The guy asks the priest to help him by finding "support" for him in the area. The priest likes the guy and promises to help, so he goes to a prominent citizen of the city.
- But Kempe distrusts the story of the handsome stranger. She tells the prominent citizen that he should spend his charitable money on the people of the city instead.
- The priest is annoyed that Kempe has interfered and ruined his chances of helping the stranger. She tells him that her "feelings" tell her the man is a scoundrel.
- In the end, the handsome man bilks the priest out of some silver with the promise of repaying him. He never returns and never pays back.
- On another occasion, a shady old man tries to sell the priest a breviary. The priest is a little bit of a simpleton and would like to buy it, but he consults with Kempe first.
- Kempe tells the priest to take a pass on it, because she "feels" that there's something wrong with the old man.
- The priest takes Kempe's advice and asks the old man some pointed questions about where he'd gotten such a nice book (books in this day were wicked expensive).
- The old man gives the priest his best story and tells him that the owner wanted him to sell it to a young priest, and for a good price. Whatevs.
- The old man promises to bring the priest the breviary in the morning—but he vanishes and is never seen again.
- Kempe never uses the word "revelation" in this chapter: she's telling us about her common sense or "sixth sense" and her discretion in worldly matters.
Chapter 25
- Kempe here remembers an extraordinary instance in which her "feeling" predicted the right outcome of a tricky situation.
- Kempe's town of Bishop's Lynn had a parish church (St. Margaret's) and two smaller chapels.
- The chapels were under the control of the prior of St. Margaret's and could administer all sacraments except baptism and purification.
- The parishioners of these chapels wanted to press for a papal bull to grant the chapels the right to perform these other two sacraments.
- Since the parishioners who wanted the change for the chapels were wealthy men and had many lords on their side, everyone considered it a done deal.
- What's the big deal, you say? Well, if the chapels could administer all the sacraments, it would take away from the dignity and income of the main parish church, St. Margaret's.
- The Bishop of Norwich sided with the parishioners of the larger of the two chapels and gave them the right to perform the other sacraments, as long as it didn't detract from the main church.
- So the young priest who is writing down Kempe's story comes to her to ask advice. Does she think that the wealthy parishioners will get their way and take away from St. Margaret's?
- Against all appearances, Kempe says no. Her feeling is that the parishioners will not accept the conditions set out by the bishop.
- Kempe prays to God that his will be done in the matter… but could he please come out on the side of St. Margaret's?
- Sure enough, Kempe tells us, the wealthy parishioners are too proud to take the conditions of the bishop, so they get nothing.
- St. Margaret's retains all its power, and the little chapels stay small.