St Bernard's Praises of the Virgin Mother: Homily 2, Part 12

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. 

...To a Virgin, he says, betrothed

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

12. Ad Virginem, inquit, desponsatam. Quare desponsatam? Cum esset, inquam, virgo electa, et, ut ostensum est, virgo conceptura, virgo paritura, mirum cur desponsata fuerit, non nuptura. Nunquid vel hoc casu factum quis dixerit? Non est casu factum, quod rationabilis causa commendat, causa valde utilis et necessaria, et divini prorsus adinventione consilii digna.

To a Virgin, he says, betrothed. Why betrothed? Because she was a virgin chosen, and (as has been shown), a virgin who would conceive, a virgin who would give birth; the wonder is that she was betrothed, not married. Wouldn't someone say this was unfortunate? It was not done by accident, because a reasonable cause commended it, a cause greatly useful and necessary, a (miraculous) invention absolutely worthy of the divine plan.

Dicam quod mihi, imo quod ante me Patribus visum fuit. Illa utique fuit ratio desponsationis Mariae, quae et dubitationis Thomae. Mos siquidem Judaeorum erat, ut a die desponsationis suae, usque ad tempus nuptiarum, sponsis sponsae traderentur custodiendae: quatenus earum ipsi eo sibi pudicitiam curiosius servarent, quo sibi ipsi fideliores existerent.

I will say what appears to me and to the Fathers before me. Here is the reason for the betrothal of Mary and for the doubts of Thomas. The custom among the Jews was that, from the day of betrothal to the time of the wedding, betrothed fiancées were delivered into the custody of their fiancés: so that they might preserve their chastity, from which they might emerge more faithful.

Sicut ergo Thomas dubitando, palpando, constantissimus factus est Dominicae confessor resurrectionis, ita et Joseph Mariam sibi desponsando ejusque conversationem in tempore custodiae studiosius comprobando, factus est pudicitiae fidelissimus testis.

In this way, accordingly, Thomas through his doubting was made a more constant confessor to the Lord's resurrection; similarly Joseph, by taking unto himself Mary as his betrothed, in the time of his guardianship was made a more faithful witness to chastity.

Pulchra utriusque rei convenientia: et dubitatio Thomae, et desponsatio Mariae. Poterant quidem similis erroris laqueum nobis injicere, fidei videlicet in illo, castitatis in illa, veritatem in suspicionem adducere: sed valde prudenter et pie factum est per contrarium, ut unde metuebatur suspicio, firma sit certitudo.

There is here a beautiful harmony for each: the doubt of Thomas and the betrothal of Mary. These could cast over us a snare of similar error, namely of his faith and her chastity, putting the truth under suspicion. But most wisely and piously was it disposed in the contrary sense, that where suspicion was feared, certainty might be made firm.

Nam et de Filii resurrectione citius quidem ego, qui infirmus sum, crediderim Thomae dubitanti et palpanti, quam Cephae audienti et credenti: et de Matris continentia facilius sponso ejus custodienti et experienti, quam ipsi quoque Virgini de sola sua conscientia se defendenti.

So that I, in my infirmity, might more speedily believe in the resurrection of the Son through the doubts of Thomas and his (need for) touching (Christ's wounds) than through Cephas' hearing and believing; and in the continence of the Mother through the guardianship and experience of her spouse than solely through her defence in her own conscience.

Dic, quaeso, quis eam videns non desponsatam et gravidam, non potius diceret meretricem [alias, corruptam] quam virginem? Non autem decebat hoc dici de Matre Domini. Tolerabilius vero atque honestius fuit putari ad tempus Christum de conjugio fuisse natum, quam de fornicatione.

Tell me, please, who seeing her pregnant but not married would not say that she was a prostitute rather than a virgin? It was not however fitting that this should be said of the Mother of the Lord. It was more acceptable and more honourable at the time for Christ to be thought born in wedlock rather than in fornication.

Latin vocab

conjugium, marriage, wedlock.
convĕnĭentĭa, ae, f. convenio, a meeting together, agreement, accord, harmony, symmetry, conformity, suitableness, fitness 
dē-spondĕo, spondi, sponsum, 2:  to promise in marriage, to betroth, engage
error , ōris, m.: a wandering; a winding maze; mistake, error; deception.
grăvĭdus, a, um, adj. gravis, burdened, loaded; hence in partic., pregnant, with child, with young
injĭcĭō, jēcī, jectum, ĕre (in et jacio), tr., ¶ 1 jeter dans, sur
lăquĕus, i, m., a noose, snare
meretrīx īcis, f mereo, a prostitute, courtesan
metuō, uī, ūtus, 3, a. and n.: to fear, dread, be in terror of, be afraid of; to experience fear; fear, 
nun(m)quid, from num, adv. an acc. m., of which nam is the acc. f., an interrog. particle, usually implying that a negative answer is expected
quaesō, īvi or ĭi, 3, v. a. old form of quaero; 3, a.: to seek; ask, beg, beseech,