Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Our Lady of Perpetual Help. File by Pablete [Public domain]

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and we are publishing in one consolidated post  text and images from earlier this month.

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum tutus semper sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

[  ] References in the text to numbered footnotes are not hyperlinked but may be found at the end of the relevant text.

Where is this icon today?

Sant' Alfonso Liguori, Rome.The nave. [2015]

The original of the icon is on display in the Church of Sant' Alfonso Liguori on the Esquiline Hill, the largest of the seven hills of Rome. This church is on the Via Merulana, a street connecting the basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The church also has the nickname of Madonna del Perpetuo Soccorso after the famous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is enshrined here.

The church belongs to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, whose members are known as the Redemptorists and who operate throughout the world.

The motto of the Redemptorists is ‘Copiosa apud Eum Redemptio’ The phrase is taken from Psalm 129 (130)[1] and may be translated as  ‘With Him is plentiful Redemption’.
Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0] 
 

Closer view of the icon. Fczarnowski 2017 [CC BY-SA 4.0]

Here is a closer view of the icon, displayed over the altar and decorated with flowers.

The church was designed  in 1855–1858 by George Wigley, famous for his involvement in the foundation of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.The scheme was paid for by Fr Edward Douglas (1819-98), who used his personal fortune to finance the project, and served as the superior of the order subsequently.

This was the last new church built within the walls of Rome before the suppression of the Papal government by Italy in 1870.





St Alphonsus (1696-1787) was the original founder of the Redemptorist order. We followed the Lenten meditations of Alphonsus earlier this year: see here. Originally the church was dedicated to Christ the Redeemer, but this was changed to honour St Alphonsus after a major restoration was completed in 1900. There was another restoration in 1932, when the entrance staircase was provided; and a further restoration for the centenary of the enthronement of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in 1958. The last restoration was in 1964.

Notes

[1] De profundis. Ps 129. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.

[1] Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Canticum graduum. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
[2] Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
[3] If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
[4] For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus;
[5] My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
speravit anima mea in Domino.
[6] From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;
[7] Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
[8] And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

What is the history of this icon?

Site of Mary's house, Ephesus.

1st century AD: There are some who link the origins of this icon with the story of an icon painted by St Luke. After the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, Mary moved to Ephesus in the care of St John, the beloved disciple.[1] She took with her some personal and family items, including a table fashioned by Jesus. Before writing his gospel, St Luke painted a portrait of Mary, making use of the table top. During the sittings, Mary related to him certain details that would by then have been known only to her, such as those concerning the Annunciation, the Nativity and the flight into Egypt.


Photo 2005. Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada [CC BY-SA 2.0]



960: possible date of creation (see the website: Sant' Alfonso)

1495: The image was by this date located in a church on the island of Crete. When the island was threatened by the Muslim Turks, the icon was carried off by a merchant who took it with him to Rome. Shortly after his arrival, the man fell seriously ill. He instructed a friend to take the icon to one of the churches in Rome so that it might be venerated publicly by the faithful.The friend's wife, however, persuaded her husband to keep the icon in their home. It required a miraculous intervention by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself to command the woman to place the icon in a certain church 'between St. Mary Major’s and St. John Lateran’s'.

1499: The icon was taken in solemn procession to the said church, which was dedicated to St. Matthew the Apostle. For the next three hundred years, this tiny church was one of the most popular pilgrimage places in Rome and many miracles, including cures, were reported by pilgrims.

1798: The Church of St. Matthew was destroyed by Napoleon’s invading forces. The icon was rescued and preserved but it was lost to the rest of the world

1850-51: A student monk, who had seen the icon as an altar boy in 1840, recognized it in the monastery of Santa Maria in Posterula. [2]

1855: the Redemptorists acquired the Villa Caserta in Rome along the Via Merulana and converted it into their headquarters. This was the site of the church and monastery of Saint Matthew.

Sant Alfonso Church. Justin Ennis. CC BY 2.0

1859:  The Redemptorists’ new church, Chiesa di Sant’Alfonso di Liguori (the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori), was completed.

1863: Fr. Francis Blosi gave a sermon about famous pictures enshrined in the churches of Rome. He described the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that was once enshrined in the old Church of St. Matthew.

He appealed for information on its whereabouts and reminded everyone that the Blessed Virgin had commanded that it be placed  in a cerain church 'between St. Mary Major’s and St. John Lateran’s'. (see 1495: above).



COPIOSA APVD EVM REDEMPTIO: These words in the arch, over the rose window, are the motto of the Redemptorists. 'with Him plentiful redemption'. [3]

Image over doorway.  Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0]

1866: Pope Pius IX granted a formal request by the Redemptorists to move the icon to the new church, built on the location of the icon’s earlier home. Pope Pius IX told the Redemptorist Superior General: “Make her known throughout the world!”

 1866 April 26:  a solemn procession and the formal enthronement of the icon took place. Along the procession route the buildings and the roadsides were decorated with flowers, vines and banners. For three days the celebration continued, with solemn High Masses, Benediction, special devotions and sermons each day.Many miracles were reported by pilgrims.


S. MARIA DE PERPETVO SVCCVRSU. Holy Mary of Perpetual Help

1867 June 23: the image was granted a Canonical Coronation. Two golden, jewel-encrusted crowns were blessed, with one crown being placed on the head of the Blessed Virgin and the other on the head of the Infant Jesus.

Notes

[1] [26] When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son.
Cum vidisset ergo Jesus matrem, et discipulum stantem, quem diligebat, dicit matri suae : Mulier, ecce filius tuus.
[27] After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
Deinde dicit discipulo : Ecce mater tua. Et ex illa hora accepit eam discipulus in sua. [John 19]

[2] Demolished in 188 for the Tiber embankment extensions.

[3] De profundis. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.

[1] Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Canticum graduum. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
[2] Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
[3] If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
[4] For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus;
[5] My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
speravit anima mea in Domino.
[6] From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;
[7] Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
[8] And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. [Ps 129]

The 'Indicator of the Way'

Measuring 17 x 21 inches (43.2cm x 53.3cm), the icon is painted on poplar wood with a gold leaf background. The Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted wearing a dress of dark red with a blue mantle. She is supporting the infant Jesus with her left arm and his hands are intertwined with her right hand. On the left  side is Saint Michael the Archangel carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is Saint Gabriel the Archangel carrying a cross and nails.

This style of icon is known as a 'hodegetria'. This word is based on the Greek ὁδηγητρία which means 'Indicator of the Way'. In these icons, Mary is the 'Indicator of the Way'.

Our Lord spoke of 'the way' in words that may at first seem daunting:  

How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it![1]  

How fitting that Mary our Mother should offer us help and encouragement by pointing out to us the 'Way' in the very person of Jesus Christ, her son, who said:

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. [2]

The presence in the of the instruments of Christ's Passion, borne by St Michael and St Gabriel, reminds us of Christ's invitation to follow Him in His Way of the Cross.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.[3]

There are numerous references to 'the way' throughout Scripture. I have included a small selection below.[4]

Notes

[1] [14] How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!
Quam angusta porta, et arcta via est, quae ducit ad vitam : et pauci sunt qui inveniunt eam!
14 ⸀ὅτι στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν.[Matt 7]

[2] [6] Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.
Dicit ei Jesus : Ego sum via, et veritas, et vita. Nemo venit ad Patrem, nisi per me.
6 λέγει αὐτῷ ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι’ ἐμοῦ. [John 14]

[3]  [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Tunc Jesus dixit discipulis suis : Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum, et tollat crucem suam, et sequatur me. [Matt 16]

[4] Some references to the 'way' in Scripture:

"My foot hath followed his steps, I have kept his way, and have not declined from it." [Job 23:11]
"Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence."
[Psalms 1:1]
"Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies."
[Psalms 26:11]
"Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name."
[Psalms 85:11]
"I have restrained my feet from every evil way: that I may keep thy words."
[Psalms 118:101]
"I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:"
[Proverbs 4:11]
"The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God."
[Isaias (Isaiah) 40:3]
"They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn."
[Jeremias (Jeremiah) 31:9]

The words on the icon

There are five sets of Greek letters on the icon. They are abbreviations of words and the two largest are at the top in capitals:

Mother of God (ΜΡ  ΘΥ)

These are abbreviations for : Μητηρ Θεου (Meter Theou), signifying Mother of God.

This title had been confirmed by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD which rejected the heretical statements of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. It solemnly affirmed that Jesus was one person and not two separate persons, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. It published 12 anathemas, the first of which was:

If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the Holy Virgin is the Theotokos, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [as it is written, "The Word was made flesh"] let him be anathema.[1]

Theotokos is often translated as 'Mother of God' or 'God-bearer'. A literal translation, however, would be 'Birth-giver to God'.[2]

Jesus Christ

Next to Mary's son are two abbreviations signifying Jesus Christ. "Jesus" is a transliteration of the Latin Iesus,from the Greek Ιησους (Iēsoûs). This itself is a Hellenisation of the Hebrew יהושע (Yehoshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic ישוע (Yeshua ), (Joshua), meaning "the Lord saves".

"Christ" is His title derived from the Greek Χριστος (Christós), meaning the "Anointed One", a translation of the Hebrew-derived Mashiach ("Messiah"). In the Old Testament, priests, prophets and kings were anointed.[3]  These were types of the threefold role of the Christ. Both the Prophet and the priest stand between God and man. The prophet delivers the word of God to men. In the case of the priest, he offers the sacrifices of people to God. Christ, accordingly, is a prophet who delivers the word of God to us, and He is also the priest who delivers His sacrifice, on our behalf, to God the father.

St Michael and St Gabriel

The abbreviations here expand to ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ and ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ

ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ > archangel Michael
Μιχαήλ: מִיכָאֵל, Michael > quis ut Deus? >  'who is like unto God?'

ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ > archangel Gabriel
Γαβριὴλ:גַּבְרִיאֵל, > Fortitudo Dei, > 'strength of God'

Notes

[1] anathema: Latin anathema an excommunicated person, also the curse of excommunication, < Greek ἀνάθεμα , originally ‘a thing devoted,’ but in later usage ‘a thing devoted to evil, an accursed thing’ (see Rom. ix. 3). Originally a variant of ἀνάθημα an offering, a thing set up (to the gods), n. of product < ἀνατιθέναι to set up, < ἀνά up + τιθέναι (stem θε- ) to place.
The great curse of the church, cutting off a person from the communion of the church visible, and formally handing him over to Satan; or denouncing any doctrine or practice as damnable.
[2] Theotokos: Etymology: Greek θεοτόκος adjective, θεός God + -τοκος bringing forth, < stem τεκ-, τοκ-, of τίκτειν to bear.  = Deipara n.
[3] Examples of anointing: the priest Aaron, the prophet Eliseus and the king Saul.

[7] And thou shalt pour the oil of unction upon his head: and by this rite shall he be consecrated.
et oleum unctionis fundes super caput ejus : atque hoc ritu consecrabitur. [Ex 29]
[16] And thou shalt anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, of Abelmeula, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy room.
et Jehu filium Namsi unges regem super Israel : Eliseum autem filium Saphat, qui est de Abelmeula, unges prophetam pro te  [3 Kings (1 Kings) 19:16]
[1] And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his People Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:
Et dixit Samuel ad Saul : Me misit Dominus, ut ungerem te in regem super populum ejus Israel : nunc ergo audi vocem Domini. [1 Kings (1 Samuel) 15:1]

Symbolism

Composition

Our Lady is tenderly holding Jesus, her head inclined towards Him. She is supporting Him with her left hand and clasps His hands with her right. Mary is making direct eye contact with us but the fingers of her hands, together with her right arm, form diagonals that shift the focus our gaze towards her son: see our previous post on Our Lady as 'hodegetria' (the 'indicator of the way'). This focus on her son is reinforced by the downward gaze of the Archangels. The Christ Child, secure in the arms of His mother, is looking upwards over His shoulder to His left.

Seat of Wisdom

'One of Mary's titles is 'Sedes Sapientiæ,' the 'Seat of Wisdom'. Mary has this title in her Litany, because the Son of God, who is also called in Scripture the Word and Wisdom of God, once dwelt in her, and then, after His birth of her, was carried in her arms and seated in her lap in His first years. Thus, being, as it were, the human throne of Him who reigns in heaven, she is called the Seat of Wisdom. In the poet's words:—

    His throne, thy bosom blest,
    O Mother undefiled,
    That Throne, if aught beneath the skies,
    Beseems the sinless Child.'[1]

(From notes made by John Henry Newman (1801-1890) for his May meditations on Mary in the Litany of Loreto.)

[1] Verse seven from a seventeen verse poem: source,The Christian Year (1827). IX. “Bless’d are the pure in heart” By John Keble (1792–1866) (The Purification). John Keble, 1792-1866, ordained Anglican Priest in 1816, tutor at Oxford from 1818 to 1823, published in 1827 a book of poems called The Christian Year, containing poems for the Sundays and Feast Days of the Church Year.

At His right hand

In the icon, Our Lady is situated at the right hand of her son who is gazing heavenwards, towards His Father. Some years after His Ascension, His mother would be assumed into heaven, and take her place of honour at the right hand of her Son, there to be crowned Queen. In the Rosarium Aureum, we pray:

Qui te super aethera
potenter exaltavit:
et in sua dextera
decenter collocavit. Ave Maria.

Who now for thee to glory raised,
     A blessed rest provideth,
At His right hand in honour placed,
     Where He in bliss abideth. Hail Mary.

Eye hath not seen...

Our Lady is gazing directly and deeply into our hearts. The Archangels' gaze is fixed upon Christ. Christ's gaze is turned heavenwards. Which ever we look at it, we face vital questions for our conscience: In our own life, where do we choose to direct our gaze? What do we see? What are our blind spots? Where should we be looking?

The disciples once asked Christ why He spoke in parables. He replied to them:

[13] Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Ideo in parabolis loquor eis : quia videntes non vident, et audientes non audiunt, neque intelligunt.
[14] And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.
Et adimpletur in eis prophetia Isaiae, dicentis : Auditu audietis, et non intelligetis : et videntes videbitis, et non videbitis.
[15] For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Incrassatum est enim cor populi hujus, et auribus graviter audierunt, et oculos suos clauserunt : nequando videant oculis, et auribus audiant, et corde intelligant, et convertantur, et sanem eos.
[16] But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
Vestri autem beati oculi quia vident, et aures vestrae quia audiunt.
[17] For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.
Amen quippe dico vobis, quia multi prophetae et justi cupierunt videre quae videtis, et non viderunt : et audire quae auditis, et non audierunt. [Matt 13]

We observe that the expressions in the icon are serious, because sin is deadly serious.With Our Lady's help and through her intercession, however, which she never ceases to offer us, we may yet hope for mercy from her Divine Son, in true contrition and in offering reparation. The Apostle takes up this theme of hope what we may dare to behold one day:

[9] But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.
Sed sicut scriptum est : Quod oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quae praeparavit Deus iis qui diligunt illum : [1 Cor 2]

Mary as the Gate of Heaven

Mary makes direct eye contact with us and draws our focus towards her son, Jesus ('God saves'). His heavenly gaze towards His Father should raise our own hearts and minds towards Our Father, in Heaven. Mary was assumed into Heaven after her death and received a Crown and royal privileges. She becomes for us a gateway to Heaven, a gateway through which divine graces are channelled so that we may come to know, love and serve God in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.

Marian litanies, antiphons and hymns are rich in references to this role. For example:

Queen assumed into heaven : Regina in caelum assumpta;

HAIL, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd: AVE, Regina caelorum. [Ave Regina Coelorum]

Blessed gate of heaven : felix caeli porta; [Ave Maris Stella]

Gate of heaven, R. pray for us. Ianua caeli, R. ora pro nobis.    

Thou gate of heaven’s high Lord, the door through which the light hath poured.
Tu Regis alti janua, Et aula lucis fulgida: [O Gloriosa Virginum]

Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.

Paradisi
clavis et ianua,
fac nos duci
quo, Mater, gloria
coronaris. Amen   [Flos Carmeli, 13th century]

Christ's Passion

The angels in the picture are holding instruments of His Passion and death, with the angel on the left bearing the gall, the lance and the reed, while the angel on the right holds the cross and nails. Christ's halo also features His cross.

IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM. JJ Tissot.

The cross has three horizontal crossbeams.

The top one represents the plaque on which Pilate had ordered to be written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

Christ's hands were nailed to the the central crossbeam. The lower crossbeam was a footrest to which Christ's feet were nailed. In many depictions of this cross, the side to Christ's right is higher. This is because the footrest slants upward toward the penitent thief St. Dismas, who was (according to tradition) crucified on Jesus' right, and downwards toward the impenitent thief Gestas. It is also a common perception that the foot-rest points up, toward Heaven, on Christ’s right hand-side, and downward, to Hades, on Christ’s left.[1]


[By User:Tadas12 - Own work by the original uploader. Public Domain]

The falling sandal

Some interpreters see the falling sandal as an indication of the haste shown by the child Jesus as He quickly fled into His mother's arms for safety when He saw the instruments of his own Passion for the first time.

Others see a reference to covenants. According to the Book of Ruth, removing one's sandal means to conclude a contract. Here, Christ is establishing a contract with us, a new and everlasting covenant.[2]

Moses removed his sandals before approaching the burning bush,[3] The burning bush is sometimes seen as prefiguring Mary's perpetual virginity.[4]

We recall that Christ's cousin, the greatest of all the prophets, stated he was unworthy to loosen the straps of Christ's sandals.[5]
 

The colours

The colours used in the icon have been given various interpretations. Our Lady wears a red tunic and a blue mantle with a green lining. According to some commentators, red is said to be the colour worn by virgins in Palestine at the time of Christ, while blue was the colour worn by mothers. Others say that red represents divinity and blue represents humanity. Mary (blue) was the Theorokos; she carried God within her as her son.[4] Yet others see red as representing humanity and blue as the colour of the heavenly or divine. Adam was created from the earth and his name may derive from the Hebrew אדם ('adam) meaning "to be red", referring to his ruddy colouring or the colour of the earth from which he was formed. There may be a word play on the Hebrew אֲדָמָה ('adamah) "earth").

Notes

[1] [32] And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:
et congregabuntur ante eum omnes gentes, et separabit eos ab invicem, sicut pastor segregat oves ab haedis :
[33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
et statuet oves quidem a dextris suis, haedos autem a sinistris.
[34] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Tunc dicet rex his qui a dextris ejus erunt : Venite benedicti Patris mei, possidete paratum vobis regnum a constitutione mundi :
[41] Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
Tunc dicet et his qui a sinistris erunt : Discedite a me maledicti in ignem aeternum, qui paratus est diabolo, et angelis ejus :
[46] And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
Et ibunt hi in supplicium aeternum : justi autem in vitam aeternam. [Matt 25]

[2] [8] So Booz said to his kinsman: Put off thy shoe. And immediately he took it off from his foot.
Dixit ergo propinquo suo Booz : Tolle calceamentum tuum. Quod statim solvit de pede suo.
[9] And he said to the ancients and to all the people: You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and Chelion's, and Mahalon's, of the hand of Noemi:
At ille majoribus natu, et universo populo : Testes vos, inquit, estis hodie, quod possederim omnis quae fuerunt Elimelech, et Chelion, et Mahalon, tradente Noemi :
[10] And have taken to wife Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahalon, to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance lest his name be cut off, from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.
et Ruth Moabitidem, uxorem Mahalon, in conjugium sumpserim, ut suscitem nomen defuncti in haereditate sua, ne vocabulum ejus de familia sua ac fratribus et populo deleatur. Vos, inquam, hujus rei testes estis. [Ruth 4]

[3] [5] And he said: Come not nigh hither, put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
At ille : Ne appropies, inquit, huc : solve calceamentum de pedibus tuis : locus enim, in quo stas, terra sancta est. [Ex 3]

[4] It is said of Christ that He is a “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). The fire burning inside the bush is a symbol of Christ and the bush itself symbolizes the Virgin. In the song of The Burning Bush, sung during the fourth month of the Coptic calendar, the faithful chant:

The burning bush seen by Moses
The prophet in the wilderness;
The fire inside it was aflame
But never consumed or injured it.
The same with the Theotokos; Mary
Carried the fire of Divinity
Nine months in her holy body.

[5] [26] John answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not.
Respondit eis Joannes, dicens : Ego baptizo in aqua : medius autem vestrum stetit, quem vos nescitis.
[27] The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.
Ipse est qui post me venturus est, qui ante me factus est : cujus ego non sum dignus ut solvam ejus corrigiam calceamenti. [John 1]

Totus tuus ego sum 
Et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum semper tutus sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

Feast of the Birth of St John the Baptist

Saint John the Baptist
1476, Carlo Crivelli

In Nativitate S. Joannis Baptistæ

This image of Saint John the Baptist is part of an altarpiece made for the high altar of San Domenico in Ascoli Piceno, east central Italy.

Saint John is shown standing in a wilderness in garment of camels' hair with a leathern girdle about his loins. He holds a cross and points with his right finger to a scroll with the first four words of the  'ECCE AGNVS DEI QVI TOLLIT PECCATA MVNDI' ('Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world').

A bird with a flash of red is perched at near John's right leg. It is probably a goldfinch which is said to have acquired its characteristic red flash when it was splashed by Christ's blood as it tried to remove thorns from His crown during the passion


National Gallery, London. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

None born of women greater than John the Baptist

[11] Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Amen dico vobis, non surrexit inter natos mulierum major Joanne Baptista : qui autem minor est in regno caelorum, major est illo. [Matt 11]
[13] But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John:
Ait autem ad illum angelus : Ne timeas, Zacharia, quoniam exaudita est deprecatio tua : et uxor tua Elisabeth pariet tibi filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Joannem :
[14] And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice in his nativity.
et erit gaudium tibi, et exsultatio, et multi in nativitate ejus gaudebunt :
[15] For he shall be great before the Lord; and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
erit enim magnus coram Domino : et vinum et siceram non bibet, et Spiritu Sancto replebitur adhuc ex utero matris suae :
[16] And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
et multos filiorum Israel convertet ad Dominum Deum ipsorum :
[17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias; that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people.
et ipse praecedet ante illum in spiritu et virtute Eliae : ut convertat corda patrum in filios, et incredulos ad prudentiam justorum, parare Domino plebem perfectam. [Luke 1]

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum tutus semper sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

 

New blogsite on the Little Office

Today, I laid the foundations for a new site presenting the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Officium Parvum BVM. The post below contains my annotated text taken from The Myroure of Oure Ladye, a work written in the first half of the15th century and first printede in 1530.

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum tutus semper sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

This page [on the Officium Parvum site] contains excerpts from The Myroure of Oure Ladye, a work that was written for the Sisters of Sion, a religious community which existed at Isleworth on the banks of the Thames from the year 1415 until the Dissolution of the Monasteries and which was temporarily revived in its old quarters during the short reign of Queen Mary. The work consists of a "Rationale" of Divine Service in general, with a translation and explanation of the "Hours" and "Masses" of Our Lady, as they were used at Sion. There remain a few printed copies, all more or less imperfect, of an edition which issued from the press of Richard Fawkes in the year 1530.

The original orthography and phraseology have been preserved except where clarity seemed to require  a measure of modernisation.

[  ] References in the text to numbered footnotes are not hyperlinked but may be found at the end of the relevant text.

Resources used include 'The Myroure of Oure Ladye : containing a devotional treatise on divine service, with a translation of the offices used by the sisters of the Brigittine monastery of Sion, at Isleworth, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries'.

How and why God's service is sayde each daye in VII houres

 

The text below is believed to have been written between 1415 and 1450 by Dr Thomas Gascoigne, Chancellor of Oxford University.

Septies in die, Laudem dixi tibi.[1] These are the wordes of the prophete David sayinge thus to our Lorde: Seven times on the day, I have sayde praysynges.

All resonable creatures were made to knowe & to love, & to prayse god, & therin to have theyr endeless ioy. But whyle our soulles are prisoned in these dedly[2] bodyes, we may not, for corruption & heavyness of the same bodyes, attende contynually to that godly praysinge, like as they do that by death are made free from thraldome of the flesshe, & are come to the ende of theyr joye, that is, the presence of God. Therfore our Mother, Holy Churche, ruled by the Holy Ghoste, knowynge the frailty & febleness of her children, hath set us eache daye Seven Howres, whiche at leaste we ought to occupy in the service and prayseynge of God, that is to say: Matyns, Prime, Tierce, Sexte, None, Evensong, & Complyn.

For since it is so as Salomon sayth, that a ryghtfull man fallyth seven times on a day[3], and the numbre of all wyckednesse is named under seven deadly synnes, againste whiche Holy Churche has ordeyned seven Sacramentes, and given seven seven gyftes of the Holy Ghoste ; therrfore, to gette remission of oure synnes, and to thanke God for His gyftes, we say praysinges to Hym in the saide houres, seven tymes eche day.

And for God made all thinges in Genesis in syx dayes[4] & fulfylled them in the seventh day & rested ; therfore doinge thankinges to God for all His werkes, & for all that He made, eche daye we prayse hym seven tymes.

Also for the lyfe of man is departed in seven ages, wherof we have spente some full idly or evyl: therfore to thanke God for oure lyfe, & to recompense suche neglygence, seven tymes on the day we do service to God

But now, perauenture, ye might aske why these seven hours, that is to say, Matyns tyme, Pryme tyme, & so fourth, are rather assyned of Holy Churche to the praysyng of God  than other houres, since there is many more houres in the daye, & in the nyghte then vii.
And to this I answere, that these howres are more specially privyleged than others for greate werkes that God hath wroughte therin, for which He is everlastyngly to be praysed, & therfore we rede that Sayntes, both in the Olde Lawe, & in the New, praysed God in these howres.

For David the prophete sayth to God of hymselfe thus: Media nocte surgebam ad confitendum tibi; that is, Lorde at midnyghte I rose to prayse Thee.[5]  & also he sayth thus: Vespere, et mane et meridie narrabo et annunciabo, that is, By the morow, at pryme
tyme, & at none, and at evensonge tyme. I shall tell & shewe thy prayseynges.[5]

Also Daniel the prophete worshyped God thrice in the day knelynge, that was after the exposytion of Saint Jerome, at Tyerse, at Sexte, & at None.[7]

Also Peter & John wente up in to the Temple to pray at the houre of None, as it is writen
in the Actes of the Apostles.[8]

And saint Paule & Silas, beinge in pryson, prayed to God at mydnyght, & then the erthe quaked, & all pryson dores openEd, & all the fetters & bondes of prysoners were loosed.[9]

Our Lorde Iesu Chryst also prayed, not only in one parte of the nyght, but all the night He woke in prayer as the Gospel telleth. And in the begynnyng of Holy Chirche, practice of the clergy, & the comon people, both men & women, rose grounded on events of Christ's life to prayse god 1111 tymes in the night, First in the passion and beginnyng of the night, whan folke are wonte to go to bed. The seconde tyme at mydnight. The thirde tyme a lytel before day, & the iiii tyme in the selfe morow tyde.

For at even Our Lorde was taken of the Jewes, & booed and scorned. At midnight he was borne. Before day he despoyled hell, & in the mornyng he rose from death to lyfe. And therfore in some [Sedum cor\-feastes], matyns are yet said at even, & in some religions at mydnight. And in some, before day, & [in] Sarum in other diverse tymes of the night. And in some churches they say Mattyns in the morrow tyde.

At Pryme tyde, our Lorde Ihesu Crist was led to Pylate, & accused[10] , & in the same howre after his Resurrecction He appeared to Mary Magdeleyne, & another day He appered to Hys dysciples, as they were fysshyng[11] the same houre.

At howre of Tyerse, our Lorde Jesu Crist was scourged & crowned with thornes & scorned. The same howre after Hys resurreccion he appeared to the women comyng from the sepulcre.[12] And on Pentecoste Sunday the same howre he sent the Holy Goste downe to the Apostles.[13]

At Sexte, Our Lorde Ihesu Cryste wasdone on the Cross, & fed with eysel [vinegar] & gall.[14] The same howre after His Resurrection, he appered to the Apostel Seynt James, & on the Ascension day the same houre he sat & ate with his Apostels.

At howre of None, Oure Lorde Ihesu Crist cryed, & gave out His soulle by deathe [15],
the same houre a knyght openyd Our Lordes sIde with a spere, & smote thorugh his herte, where out came water to our baptysm, & bloode to our redemption.[16]  And
on Easter day he appered the same howre to Seint Peter.

At Evensonge tyme, Oure Lorde Jesu Crist on Shere[17] Thursday supped with Hys Apostels, & ordeyned the Holy Sacrament of His Holy Body and Bloode.[18] The same
houre on Good Friday he was taken downe from the Cross. And on Ester day the same houre he met with too of his disciples goyng towarde Emaus, & made hymselfe knowen to them in breking of breade.

At Complyn tyme, Our Lorde Jesu Cryst on Shere Thursday at eVen prayed & swette bloOde. The same houre on Good Fryday He was buryed, & on EAster day the same houre he apperyd to hys discyples gathered together in a close place for fere of the Jewes, & said to them: Peace be to you.

Thus ye may se that not without great causes, these houres are set & ordeyned
to be specially occupyed to the servyce & praysyng of Our Lorde God : rather than other houres on the day.

Why Oure Lady oughte to be praysed and servyced in these same houres

Now in happes ye thynke that these are good causes why God shulde be served in these houres, but since all youre service is of Our Lady, ye would wytt [understand] why her
servyce shulde be sayde in these same seven houres. And as to this ye oughte to thynke, that it is full convenient that her holy service shuld be sayd in time according to His, for her wyll was never contrary to His Blessyd Wyll.

And furthermore some say that for at the Matyns tyme there apperyth a starre in the firmament guiding shipmen wherby shipmen ar ruled in the sea, & brynge themselfes to right haven, & for our mercyfull Lady is that star that sucoureth mankynde in the troubelous sea of this worlde, & bringeth her lovers to the haven of health : therfore it is worthy that she be served, & praysed at matyns tyme.

At Prime tyme there appereth a starre before the sun, as if it were the ladder or
brynger forth of the sun, & our lady came before, & brought forth to mankynde that Sun of Righteousness that is our Lorde Ihesu Crist.

At Tierce, labourers desyre to hae theyr diner, & Our Lady hath brought forth to us, Him that is foode, & breade of lyfe, Our Lorde Ihesu Crist, comfort, & refection to all that laboure in his service.

At houre of Sexte, the sun waxeth more hotte, & by means of Our Lady, the everlastyng Sun hath shewed the heat of His charitie more largely to mankynde.

At houre of None, the sonne is highest, & the highest grace & mercy that ever was done to man in earth, was broughte in by means of Our Lady.

At Evensonge tyme, the day faileth muche and, when all other sucour fayleth, Our Lady's grace helpeth.

Complin is the ende of the day, & in the ende of our lyfe we have the moste nede of Our Lady's helpe, and therfore in all these houres we ought to do her worship & praysyng. Also the paynes that Our Lorde Ihesu Crist suffered in His Holy Passion in all these vii houres, as is before said, Our Lady His Mother sufferyd the same paynes in her hearte
by compassion, & therfore it is convenient to prayse her & do her service in all the same houres.

There be also vii  ages of the worlde:

The fyrste is from Adam unto Noe.

The seconde from Noe til Abraham.

The thyrde from Abraham to Moyses.

The iiii from Moyses unto David.

The fyfth from David unto Jechonye

The vi from Jechonye, to the comyng of Our Lorde Ihesu, &

The vii from thence unto the Doome[20]

And in all these ages Our Lady hath been desyred & loved of holy fathers that have be in eache of them as is shewed more openly in the legende of your service. And all the chosen of God that ever were or shall be in these vii ages of the worlde are or shall be brought to health by means of her. And God Hymself loveth her more than he loveth all creatures that ever were or ever shall be in the same ages ; therfore it is resonable that the vii tymes eache day she be worshyped & praysed, & Our Lorde God for her, of all His Churche, & more specially of you that are so specyally called to be her maydens and daily to singe & to say her holy service.

[1] [164] Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, for the judgments of thy justice.
Septies in die laudem dixi tibi, super judicia justitiae tuae. [Ps 118]
[2] deadly: mortal
[3] [16] For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again: but the wicked shall fall down into evil.
Septies enim cadet justus, et resurget : impii autem corruent in malum. [Prov 24]
[4] [Gen 2]
[5] [62] I rose at midnight to give praise to thee; for the judgments of thy justification.
Media nocte surgebam, ad confitendum tibi super judicia justificationis tuae. [Ps 118]
[6] [18] Evening and morning, and at noon I will speak and declare: and he shall hear my voice.
Vespere, et mane, et meridie, narrabo, et annuntiabo; et exaudiet vocem meam. [Ps 54]
[7] [10] Now when Daniel knew this, that is to say, that the law was made, he went into his house: and opening the windows in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem, he knelt down three times a day, and adored, and gave thanks before his God, as he had been accustomed to do before.
Quod cum Daniel comperisset, id est, constitutam legem, ingressus est domum suam : et fenestris apertis in coenaculo suo contra Jerusalem tribus temporibus in die flectebat genua sua, et adorabat, confitebaturque coram Deo suo sicut et ante facere consueverat. [Dan 6]
[8] [1] Now Peter and John went up into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer.
Petrus autem et Joannes ascendebant in templum ad horam orationis nonam. [Acts 3]
[9] [26] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bands of all were loosed.
Subito vero terraemotus factus est magnus, ita ut moverentur fundamenta carceris. Et statim aperta sunt omnia ostia : et universorum vincula soluta sunt [Acts 16]
[10] [1] And when morning was come, all the chief priests and ancients of the people took counsel against Jesus, that they might put him to death.
Mane autem facto, consilium inierunt omnes principes sacerdotum et seniores populi adversus Jesum, ut eum morti traderent.
[2] And they brought him bound, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
Et vinctum adduxerunt eum, et tradiderunt Pontio Pilato praesidi. [Matt 27]
[11] [4] But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
Mane autem facto stetit Jesus in littore : non tamen cognoverunt discipuli quia Jesus est. [John 21]
[12] [8] And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples.
Et exierunt cito de monumento cum timore et gaudio magno, currentes nuntiare discipulis ejus.
[9] And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him.
Et ecce Jesus occurrit illis, dicens : Avete. Illae autem accesserunt, et tenuerunt pedes ejus, et adoraverunt eum. [Matt 28]
[13] Acts 2, 1-4 et seq
[14] [34] And they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall. And when he had tasted, he would not drink.
Et dederunt ei vinum bibere cum felle mistum. Et cum gustasset, noluit bibere.  [Matt 27]
[15] [50] And Jesus again crying with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Jesus autem iterum clamans voce magna, emisit spiritum. [Matt 27]
[16] [34] But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water.
sed unus militum lancea latus ejus aperuit, et continuo exivit sanguis et aqua. [John 19]
[17] sheer: 1. Exempt, free (from service or fealty); clear, acquitted (from guilt or crime). Obsolete.Two cognate and synonymous adjectives (Old Norse skǽrr skere adj. and adv., sheer adj., and skírr skire adj., shire adj.) appear to have been applied to Maundy Thursday with allusion to the purification of the soul by confession (compare Shrove Thursday, French jeudi absolu), and perhaps also to the practice of washing the altars on that day.[18] [Matt 26, 26 et seq]
[19] Jechonye: Jeconiah (Hebrew: יְכָנְיָה Yekonya [jəxɔnjaː], meaning "Yah has established";[2] Greek: Ιεχονιας; Latin: Iechonias, Jechonias), also known as Coniah[3] and as Jehoiachin (Hebrew: יְהֹויָכִין ; Latin: Ioachin, Joachin), was a king of Judah who was dethroned by the King of Babylon in the 6th century BC.
[20] The last or great Judgement at the end of the world