The Book of Margery Kempe Book I, Chapters 56-60 Summary

Chapter 56

Kempe's suffering now takes a turn and gets physical. She gets dysentery and is at the point of death.
Then the illness travels: first to Kempe's head and then to her back. It settles in her right side and is so excruciating that she's sure she's going to lose her mind.
At first, Kempe is like, "Why can't I suffer these little pains when you, Christ, suffered so much for me?" Then she's like, "I can't take this anymore! Physical pain is too much!"
Kempe decides that "cutting words" are a way better way to suffer for Christ.
Kempe finds herself re-dedicated to the Passion (that is, the suffering and death) of Jesus Christ. It's so strong in her soul that she sees the events of Christ's suffering and death before her "bodily" and "spiritual" eyes.
After eight years (!), Kempe gets better and goes back to her crying and screaming during Communion at church.
Kempe's so disruptive that the priest has to take her to a smaller chapel to give her Communion. She has to be held up by two men because she is so consumed by the fire o' love.

Taking Communion privately in the chapel at Lynn does not last long for Kempe. A new monk has come to town, and he despises her. He won't allow her to commune in "his" chapel.
Kempe's confessor, Robert Spryngolde, reminds everyone that they can't deny her Communion outright, because she has the seal of approval from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
So back Kempe goes to the main church (St. Margaret's). The priest has to wait until she stops crying to give her Communion.
It turns out that Good Friday is totally unbearable for Kempe, since it really helps her to envision the suffering and death of Christ.
Kempe tells us that she sobs and screams for five or six hours on this holy day—and then she tells us exactly what she's crying for.
Jesus speaks to Kempe's soul and tells her to "ask and you shall receive". Kempe says that she wants God not to punish people by damning them to hell.
Kempe promises that she won't stop praying and crying until all the people of the world are saved from damnation. That's a pretty tall order.
Kempe ends by telling Christ that she would just love to be chopped up into mincemeat if it would glorify the name of God.

Kempe has a new problem: her anchorite friend who used to read religious works to her is now gone out of her life. She hungers for good words and has no one.
So Jesus tells Kempe to be patient, and he will send someone to take the anchorite's place.
Sure enough, a new priest moves to Lynn with his old mother. They both like Kempe very much, and pretty soon, he is reading to her often.
Kempe cries out very loudly in front of both mother and son. They don't know what the heck is going on, but they assume that Kempe is very holy.
It turns out to be a mutually beneficial situation. The priest has to look up and read many religious works that he'd never seen before in order to keep up with Kempe.
Kempe gives a listing of the works that the new priest reads to her, and it is impressive. Although she's illiterate, she now has access to the most respected mystics and theologians of her day.
We learn that these reading sessions go on for seven or eight years. At the end of them, the priest gets a large benefice and is forever thankful that Kempe made him do all that reading.

Kempe becomes more learned and thoughtful in her religious devotion after listening to mystical and theological works being read to her by her priest friend.
Kempe's revelations become "higher"—though she doesn't reveal specifically what they are. She does learn who will be saved and who will be damned, and this is a heavy psychological burden to her.
Kempe can't believe that God would tell her such things, since she feels that God is all-merciful and wouldn't damn anyone to hell. She's basically having a crisis of faith.
Kempe's way of coping is to think that these revelations are from the devil. She simply won't listen to the voice of God on this topic.
So God decides to teach Kempe a lesson. He stops speaking to her and sending her good thoughts. Instead, he allows the devil to fill her head with ugly (er, sexual) thoughts and images.
Kempe sees visions of male genitalia and has fantasies of being prostituted to holy men. These visions torment her, mostly because she no longer speaks with God.
God tells Kempe that she will have to suffer this kind of diabolical communication for twelve days. Then he'll speak to her again. That's harsh, dude.
After her punishment is over, God tells Kempe that she must believe the things he tells her. Otherwise, she will suffer true evil.
Kempe has learned her lesson and promises to be obedient forever after.

Kempe skips back in time to show us a moment when her priest friend (the one who read to her) became seriously ill.
Christ tells Kempe that he will not die, and she decides to make a journey to Norwich to say a prayer of thanks at the tomb of her holy friend, Richard of Caister.
When Kempe gets to the tomb, she weeps and writhes on the ground so much that the people around her are annoyed. Again.
But the clergy know Kempe and take her for a drink at the tavern to calm her down.
Kempe also has the good luck to run into a sympathetic lady who invites her to dine. This lady witnesses Kempe's cryings firsthand.
The lady's priest, however, is freaked out and tells Kempe that she doesn't need to cry so much: Christ died a long time ago, after all, so what's with the waterworks?
Kempe tells this priest that it feels like it was just yesterday that Christ died—and that all good Christians should feel that way about it.
The lady thinks Kempe is very holy and keeps her as long as she wants to stay.
When Kempe returns home to Lynn, she finds that her priest-reader-friend has recovered from his illness.