How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Page)
Quote #1
And often while she was kept with such holy speeches and conversation, she would so weep and sob that many men were greatly astonished, for they little knew how at home our Lord was in her soul. (I.Proem.34)
The intensity of Kempe's spiritual life often overwhelms her emotionally and leaves little room for proper social behavior. But despite the appearance of distress, Kempe wouldn't give up this situation for the world, since she gets to be "homely" (familiar or intimate) with the Supreme Being of the universe.
Quote #2
Sometimes she wept very abundantly and violently out of desire for the bliss of heaven, and because she was being kept from it for so long. (I.7.54)
Although it seems like Kempe cries at the drop of a hat (actually, she kind of does, especially if that hat reminds of her main man Jesus), she has some deep and specific reasons for doing so. In this case, it's longing and desire—actual suffering for the love of God.
Quote #3
It was a great solace and comfort to her when she was chided and scolded for the love of Jesus, for reproving of sin, for speaking of virtue, for conversing about scripture, which she learned in sermons and by talking with clerks. (I.14.65)
It may seem strange that a person's spiritual life can thrive on adversity, but for Christians in general, and Kempe in particular, the worse things are in life, the better it can be for your soul. In this case, Kempe isn't being tormented for her tears and loudness. She's being tormented for doing things forbidden to women—especially talking about scripture. She will take some serious flak for this, since it is a hallmark of the Lollard heresy.
Quote #4
"Daughter, you will be very welcome to my father, and to my mother, and to all my saints in heaven, for you have given them to drink very many times with the tears of your eyes." (I.22.87)
Jesus often tells Kempe that her tears are like sacrificial offerings to God and will earn her bonus points in heaven. Here, her tears are described as life giving to the other inhabitants of heaven—which makes Kempe a favorite not only with God, but also with everyone else. This is another way that Kempe understands that she has been chosen by God for special intimacy and favor.
Quote #5
Then for the joy that she had and the sweetness that she felt in the conversation of our Lord, she was on the point of falling off her ass, for she could not bear the sweetness and grace that God wrought in her soul. (I.28.103)
Aside from pleasing our inner 12-year-old, this passage shows how Kempe really inhabits two worlds: a physical one and a spiritual dimension that is so real and present for her that it shapes her perception of the world around her. Her emotional response to the blending of these two realms of perception can be intense—and dangerous. We're glad she didn't actually fall off her… donkey.
Quote #6
And then the Father took her by the hand [spiritually] in her soul, before the Son and the Holy Ghost, and the Mother of Jesus, and all the twelve apostles, and St. Katherine and St. Margaret and many other saints and holy virgins, with a great multitude of angels, saying to her soul, "I take you, Kempe, for my wedded wife..." (I.35.123)
This is one of the wildest and most confusing moments in Kempe's narrative. Up to this point, she has been wholly devoted to Jesus, the Son of God. It's easy to see why, since Jesus takes the form of a (kind of hot) man and is more familiar to her. But God the Father has bigger plans: he wants Kempe to graduate to a more abstract, profound form of spirituality and become familiar with "the Godhead" itself. Hence, we get a "spiritual wedding" between God the Father and Kempe.
Quote #7
"Daughter, it is more pleasing to me that you suffer scorn and humiliation, shame and rebukes, wrongs and distress, than if your head were struck off three times a day every day for seven years." (I.54.170)
Jesus's comparison may strike you as odd and unnecessarily violent, but he is in fact responding to Kempe's desire to be martyred for Christ's love. He's telling her that a life of lived spirituality is a kind of martyrdom that is more difficult (and therefore more pleasing) to achieve.
Quote #8
So by process of time her mind and her thoughts were so joined to God that she never forgot him, but had him in mind continually, and beheld him in all creatures. (I.72.212)
The whole point of Kempe's narrative is to show the process of spiritual growth—an often imperfect process—rather than a person who has attained perfection seemingly overnight. The result of her struggle may seem humble, but Kempe does something quite amazing. She is able to bring the material world into alignment with the spiritual one.
Quote #9
"Daughter, you shall have as great reward with me in heaven for your good service, and the good deeds that you have done in your mind and meditation, as if you had done those same deeds with your bodily senses outwardly." (I.84.244)
Did you catch that? Kempe gets spiritual credit for good deeds she even thinks about doing. That's a pretty sweet deal. But don't get too excited: we're pretty sure there are spiritual demerits in store for those who even think wicked thoughts, too.
Quote #10
And at once, in the sight of her soul, she saw our Lord standing right up over her, so near that she thought she took his toes in her hand and felt them, and to her feeling it was as if they had been really flesh and bones. (I.85.249)
Kempe's version of spirituality is, for a long time, practical and physical. She tells us that she has a particular attachment to the "manhood of Christ"—meaning that she's fascinated with his humanity. Nowhere is this more apparent than here, when she grasps for his toes in a vision. She needs to feel divinity, quite literally, so that she can devote herself to the contemplative life.