The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Previous Psalms
👈 Taken from a book of hours, this is an image of King David, author of the Psalms, by Willem Vrelant (early 1460s), Bruges, Belgium.
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of our family's consecration to Lord Jesus, Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.
Veni Creator Spiritus
Ave Maris Stella
Magnificat
Gloria
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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
I have for some time been closing my posts with a triple seal:
* the beautiful icon of the Holy Mother of God known to many as the Vladimirskaya Icon;
* the Sub tuum præsidium, said to be the oldest prayer to Our Lady; and
* a short prayer of consecration to the Immaculate heart of Mary.
Over the coming weeks, I shall include a short commentary on one or other of these prayers, (recalling that holy icons are traditionally said to be written like prayers rather than painted).
The Vladimirskaya Icon :
In a previous post, we spoke of the hands depicted by the artist in the icon. A closer inspection will show how the hands are remarkable for their delicate fingers. In contemplating the fingers of Our Lord, we may perhaps be reminded of the Psalmist's words:
For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded. [Psalm viii. 4]
Thy fingers, not hands, because (as St. John Chrysostom says), this is but a small thing for God's omnipotence. Others note that the use of the word fingers implies the work of a skilled craftsman shaping things of great beauty.
May we not see the Infant Christ as the Divine craftsman who fashioned the moon as described by the Psalmist? But where are we to find this moon in the image? The answer may lie in the following excerpt from Fr Taunton's Treatise on the Little Office:
"...the moon, says Jorgius, Confessor of Edward I., denotes our ever dear and blessed Lady ; and that for various reasons :
- As the moon draws all its brightness from the sun, and yet it is the most luminous object next to him, so Mary, made full of grace by Him whose countenance is as the sun shining in his strength, is the brightest of all the saints.
- And yet, as the moon is nearest to the earth, so our Lady is the lowliest of all in her humility.
- As the moon rules the tides, so Mary by her prayers helps those who are tossed on the bitter surges of the world.
- And as Easter, the festival of the Resurrection, follows the course of the moon, so the spiritual arising of the Man by the Incarnation followed the consent of Mary’s will to the message of the Angel.
The choirs of angels which are her fellows and bear her company, are rightly compared to the stars ; only less than the moon in glory and beauty." [The Little Office of Our Lady, A Treatise Theoretical, Practical, and Exegetical. By Ethelred L. Taunton. 1903.]
Let us recall the mysterious link between Mary and the moon that is revealed in the following words of Scripture:
Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair [pulchra] as the moon...? [Canticles (Solomon) vi. 9]
And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: [Apocalypse (Revelation) xii. 1]
To conclude this short reflection, I offer the following poem-prayer to Our Blessed Mother which I adapted from Song to the Moon by Jaroslav Kvapil (which features in Russalka by Antonín Dvořák). To see my original post on this poem, click here: 👉 Ad Jesum per te, Maria!
Here is the poem, followed by a link to a beautiful sung performance:
Ad Jesum per te, Maria!
To Jesus through thee, O Mary!
Hail O beautiful moon, our Mother in the highest heaven,
Whose gentle gaze sees far and wide;
The light of thy maternal love streams down
Upon thy children here below.
O radiant moon, our Queen, please pause awhile
And tell me, O tell me where He is who hath so loved me;
Help me to tell Him, O Heavenly Mother,
To tell Him my heart yearns for us to draw close;
How I pray that for a little while
I may be present to His thoughts;
With the light of Grace, I ask thee to show me His distant dwelling,
Tell Him, O tell Him that someone is seeking Him...
And knocking for His attention;
May this little plea prompt His recollection;
Beautiful moon, our gentle Queen and Mother, don't leave me, don't leave me...
Don't leave me!
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Here is a link to the song performed in Czech by Patricia Janečková (1998-2023):
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers always Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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