The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary
👈 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
- Litany of the Holy Ghost
- Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Ave Maris Stella
- Prayer to Mary by St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort) (see bottom of page)
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 : The Blessed Virgin
[In addition to sharing the same name] The second resemblance is that Mary, sister of Moses, is the first in the Old law to have embraced virginity by virtue of her state in life No mention is ever made in Sacred Scripture of her husband because otherwise she would have born his name like other women and would not have been referred to as the sister of Moses and Aaron, as she is normally called. But the Mother of God took this to a higher level for she is the first to have honoured virginity with a solemn vow. Such is the teaching of St Augustine, St Bernard and ... many Doctors and Theologians who prove this incontrovertibly by the response Mary gave to the Angel, saying:
How shall this be done, because I know not man?
In this regard, the Holy Fathers have erected a tribute festooned with a thousand titles of honour. Origen says she has offered and consecrated the first fruits of chastity ... St Ambrose calls her the standard-bearer and Mistress of virginity. St Epiphanius names her the Princess and Model for all others... St Gregory Nazianzen calls her the first among Virgins; Sophronius calls her the Mirror of virginal perfection; St John Damascene the Queen, the Mother and the Glory; St Ildefonse, the High Point and Exemplar for Virgins; St Bonaventure the Flower of Virginity ... St Peter Chrysologus the Virgin of Virgins, the Queen of Virgins and the Virgin par excellence.
I would add to the above that, in her incomparable virginity, the Mother of God had two advantages over Mary the sister of Moses, of which the value can scarcely be estimated: for she was humble and fruitful, qualities not present in the case of the sister of Moses.
St Anselm, in speaking of Our Lady's matchless virginity, closely united to her deep humility, compares them to the parapet walkway and battlement in a castle, which defend one another. The walkway supports the battlement and the battlement protects the walkway. In the same way, humility safeguards virginity, which serves by way of a rampart. St Bernard, speaking of the marriage of virginity with fruitfulness, says that this is what makes the Blessed Virgin beyond comparison with all others, for it is clear that these two qualities had never existed together in one person before and that they have never been found together since. This is why ... the celestial Spouse calls her beautiful two times, saying:
How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! [Cant. iv. 1]
You are beautiful by reason of your virginity; you are beautiful because of the Son you have brought forth, for in none other has ever been seen, nor will be seen again, this twofold beauty. Elsewhere, he comments on the words spoken by the same Spouse, Thy two breasts like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies [Cant. iv. 5]: Never have been seen, nor will ever be seen again, two breasts like unto yours: which is to say, virginity with fruitfulness. Never shall we hear again of breasts filled with milk belonging to a woman who is a mother and a virgin at one and the same time. In sum, you are truly unique as a Virgin the like of whom was never seen in history and will never be seen in times to come.
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Prayer
O most glorious Virgin of Virgins, in the sublimest heights beyond the stars: thou didst feed at thy breast the tiny Infant Who created thee.
That which the tragic Eve didst throw away, thou dost restore with thy Holy Infant; and to allow tearful souls to join the Blessed, thou dost open the gates of Heaven.
Thou art the High King's Gate of Heaven and His Royal Antechamber resplendent with light; all ye who have been redeemed, give praise to the Life given to us by the Virgin.
O my Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, glory be to Thee and to the Father and to the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
Prayer to Mary (St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort)
Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father! Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son! Hail Mary, faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost! Hail Mary, my dear Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign! Hail my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul! Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am all thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give myself wholly to thee again, as your servant in eternity, without keeping anything back for myself or others. If thou still seest in me anything which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee to take it and to make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine. Destroy in me all that may be displeasing to God, root it up and bring it to naught; place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee.
Que la lumière de votre foi dissipe les ténèbres de mon esprit ; que votre humilité profonde prenne la place de mon orgueil; que votre contemplation sublime arrête les distractions de mon imagination vagabonde; que votre vue continuelle de Dieu remplisse ma mémoire de sa présence; que l’incendie de la charité de votre cœur dilate et embrase la tiédeur et la froideur du mien ; que vos vertus prennent la place de mes péchés ; que vos mérites soient mon ornement et mon supplément devant Dieu. Enfin, ma très chère et bien-aimée Mère, faites, s’il se peut, que je n’aie point d’autre esprit que le vôtre pour connaître Jésus-Christ et ses divines volontés ; que je n’aie point d’autre âme que la vôtre pour louer et glorifier le Seigneur; que je n’aie point d’autre cœur que le vôtre pour aimer Dieu d’un amour pur et d’un amour ardent comme vous. Je ne vous demande ni visions, ni révélations, ni goûts, ni plaisirs même spirituels. C’est à vous de voir clairement sans ténèbres; c’est à vous de goûter pleinement, sans amertume ; c’est à vous de triompher glorieusement à la droite de votre Fils dans le ciel, sans aucune humiliation ; c’est à vous de commander absolument aux anges et aux hommes et aux démons, sans résistance, et enfin de disposer, selon votre volonté, de tous les biens de Dieu, sans aucune réserve.
May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind; may thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination; may thy continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine; may thy virtues take the place of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know Jesus and His divine will; that I may have no other soul but thine to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may have no other heart but thine to love God with a love as pure and ardent as thine I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotion or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly; it is thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons; it is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.
Voilà, divine Marie, la très bonne part que le Seigneur vous a donnée et qui ne vous sera jamais ôtée; et ce qui me donne une grande joie. Pour ma part, ici-bas, je n’en veux point d’autre que celle que vous avez eue, savoir:
- de croire purement, sans rien goûter ni voir;
- de souffrir joyeusement, sans consolation des créatures;
- de mourir continuellement à moi-même sans relâche; et
- de travailler fortement jusqu’à la mort, pour vous, sans aucun intérêt, comme le plus vil de vos esclaves.
Such is, O heavenly Mary, the "best part," which the Lord has given thee and which shall never be taken away from thee-and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was thine: to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures; to suffer joyfully without human consolation; to die continually to myself without respite; and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death as the humblest of thy servants.
La seule grâce que je vous demande, par pure miséricorde, c’est que, tous les jours et moments de ma vie, je dise trois fois Amen / Ainsi soit-il:
The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say:
Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous avez fait sur la terre, lorsque vous y viviez;
Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous faites à présent dans le ciel;
Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous faites en mon âme, afin qu’il n’y ait que vous à glorifier pleinement Jésus en moi pendant le temps et l’éternité.
Ainsi soit-il.
Amen, to all that thou didst do while on earth; Amen, to all that thou art now doing in Heaven; Amen, to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
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.
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