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)
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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 : Judith, Holofernes and crushing satan's head
Blessed Judith was ordained by the Lord God to be one of the wonders of the world, someone who delivered her people, a cause of public rejoicing when she cut off the head of Holofernes, her people's enemy, who had filled with dread even the stoutest hearts in Israel. St Bonaventure points out that this quality is truly fulfilled in the glorious Virgin Mary, to whom he offers the same words that were spoken to Judith by the inhabitants of Bethulia:
The Lord hath blessed thee by his power, because by thee he hath brought our enemies to nought. [Judith xiii. 22]
Our enemies, writes St Bonaventure, are the demons that this Lady has cast down. She has thwarted their evil designs for her and for other souls and she has utterly destroyed their power. St Bernard, a devotee of Our Lady, says of her : Thou art the fearless warrior whose mere presence is sufficient to put the legions of hell to flight.
The following extract is from Crushing satan's head, by Fr James Mawdsley (2023). Bethulia was a city besieged by Holofernes, and saved by Judith.
Who, then, are the inhabitants of Bethulia? The name means ‘Yahweh’s Virgin’, which most suitably anticipates the Virgin Mary. The inhabitants are those of Mary’s city: they trust her, follow her instructions, they are her devotees. Perhaps her faithful maid, who accompanied Judith all the way into the enemy camp, and in her daily prayers, and worked in her service, represents those who make a total consecration to Mary? Like Judith, such consecrations are becoming “more and more famous”, and in the end, Judith “set her maid free” (Jud xvi. 23 RSVCE). So those who consecrate themselves as slaves of love to Jesus through Mary discover the truest type of freedom: adhesion to God’s Will. These are the ones who stay true to the ancient traditions, maintaining traditional worship.
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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 hast done 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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