St Bernard's Praises of the Virgin Mother: Homily 2, Parts 10-11

St Bernard. Musée de Cluny [Public domain]

'To this warm love of Jesus Christ was joined a most sweet and tender devotion towards His glorious Mother, whose motherly love he repaid with the affection of a child, and whom he jealously honoured. (from Pope Pius XII's Encyclical 'Dr Mellifluus', on St Bernard, the 'last of the Fathers' - 1953)

Our series on St Bernard's homilies in praise of the Virgin Mother continues with the second homily. The Latin text and an English translation are followed by references and notes on vocabulary. 

...how beautifully the worked miracles are in harmonious fulfilment with the fore-tellings of the holy prophets.

 Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Tecum tutus semper sum. 

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

10. Nec te moveat, quod de ipso legis in alio loco: Jesum autem proficiebat sapientia, et aetate, et gratia apud Deum et homines [1]. Nam quod de sapientia et gratia hic dictum est, non secundum quod erat, sed secundum quod apparebat, intelligendum est: non quia videlicet aliquid ei novum accederet, quod ante non haberet; sed quod accedere videretur, quando volebat ipse ubi videretur [alias, ut videretur].

Yet be not surprised if you read in another place : And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and grace before God and men.[1] For what is here said of wisdom and grace is to be understood not according to what was but according to what appeared to be. That is to say, He did not acquire anything new that He did not already have; but He seemed to acquire it when He willed it to appear so. 

Tu, homo, cum proficis, non quando, nec quantum vis proficis: sed te nesciente tuus moderatur profectus, tua vita disponitur. At vero puer Jesus, qui disponit vitam [deest aliis] tuam, ipse disponebat et suam, et quando volebat, et quibus volebat sapiens apparebat, quando et quibus volebat sapientior, quando et quibus volebat sapientissimus: quanquam in se nunquam esset nisi sapientissimus.

You, O man, advance not when and as you want to advance; not knowing yourself your advance is checked, your life is regulated by another. But the Child Jesus, Who guides your life, regulated also His own. When He would, and to whomsoever He would, He appeared wise; when and to whomsoever He would, he appeared more wise ; when and to whomsoever He would, he appeared most wise; though all the while He never was aught but all wise.

Similiter et cum semper omni gratia plenus fuisset, sive quam apud Deum, sive quam apud homines habere deberet, pro suo tamen arbitrio eam nunc plus, nunc minus ostendebat, prout cernentium vel meritis congruere, vel saluti expedire sciebat. Constat ergo quia semper Jesus virilem animum habuit, etsi semper in corpore vir non apparuit. Cur denique dubito virum fuisse in utero, quem inibi Deum fuisse non ambigo? Minus quippe est esse virum, quam esse Deum.

In like manner, He was always full of all the grace which He should have before God or before men; according however to His judgement, He would show now more, now less, according to the merits of the observers, or as He knew how to serve their spiritual health. It is evident, therefore, that even if in His body Jesus did not always appear a grown man, He always had the mind of an adult man. Why then do I question whether a man was compassed in the womb when I do not doubt that a God was therein.

11. Sed vide si non etiam hanc Jeremiae novitatem Isaias lucidissime aperit, qui et novos superius Aaronicos flores exposuit. Ecce, inquit, virgo concipiet, et pariet filium. En habes, feminam, scilicet Virginem. Vis et de viro audire quis scit? Et vocabitur, ait, nomen ejus Emmanuel, id est, Nobiscum Deus.  [2]

But let us see if Isaias, who above explained the new flowers on Aaron's rod, has not also revealed most lucidly this new idea of Jeremias. He says : Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bring
forth a son. Here for the 'woman' we have 'virgin.' Do you want to hear what he says of the 'man'?
And his name shall be called Emmanuel, that is, God with us.[2]

Femina itaque circumdans virum, Virgo est concipiens Deum. Vides quam pulchre et concorditer sanctorum mira facta et mystica dicta sibi invicem concinant. Vides quam stupendum sit hoc unum de Virgine et in Virgine factum miraculum, quod tot miracula praevenerunt, tot oracula promiserunt. Unus nimirum fuit spiritus prophetarum, et licet diversis modis, signis et temporibus, eamdem rem diversi, non diverso spiritu et praeviderunt, et praedixerunt.

Therefore the woman encompassing a man is the Virgin conceiving (the Son of) God. You see ...how beautifully the worked miracles are in harmonious fulfilment with the fore-tellings of the holy prophets.You see how stupendous this very miracle wrought in a virgin and from a virgin, a miracle which so many other miracles had foreshadowed, so many oracles promised. The spirit of the Prophets was ever the same; although at different times with different signs and in different ways, it was not in a different spirit that they foresaw and predicted the same truth.

Quod Moysi monstratum est in rubo et igne, Aaroni in virga et flore, Gedeoni in vellere et rore; hoc aperte Salomon praedixit in forti muliere et ejus pretio; apertius Jeremias praecinuit de femina et viro, apertissime Isaias declaravit de Virgine et Deo, Gabriel tandem exhibuit ipsam Virginem [Virginem deest aliis] salutando. Ipsa namque est, de qua nunc Evangelista: Missus est, ait, angelus Gabriel a Deo ad Virginem, desponsatam Joseph.[3]

This was shown to Moses in the bush and fire, to Aaron in the rod and flower, to Gideon in the fleece and dew; Solomon clearly foretold this in the valiant woman and her price; Jeremias predicted this more clearly in the woman and the man ; Isaias declared this most clearly in the Virgin and God. But it was Gabriel who finally pointed her out by his salutation. For this is her of whom the Evangelist says : The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin espoused to Joseph. [3]

References

[1] [52] Et Jesus proficiebat sapientia, et aetate, et gratia apud Deum et homines.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. [Luke 2]

[2] [14] Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum : ecce virgo concipiet, et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel. [Isaias 7]

[3] [26] In mense autem sexto, missus est angelus Gabriel a Deo in civitatem Galilaeae, cui nomen Nazareth,
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,

Latin vocab

amb-ĭgo, ĕre (perf. tense not used), v. n. ago. to wander about; to waver, hesitate, be undecided, to doubt, be in suspense (syn. dubito; class., but mostly in prose)
cernō, crevī, crētus, 3, a.: to distinguish; discern, perceive, see, behold
con-cĭno, cĭnŭi, no sup., 3, v. n. and a. [cano]. Neutr., to sing, play, or sound together, in concert or harmoniously 
dēnique: (adv.), at last, at length, finally
ĭn-ĭbi, adv., therein, there.
nīmīrum: (adv.), without wonder or doubt; certainly, undoubtedly, doubtless
prae-cĭno, cĭnŭi centum, 3, v. n. and a. [cano].to sing or play before (class.): To foretell, predict:
prout, adv. according as, in proportion, accordingly, proportionately as, just as, as