The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary : Chapter 15 : How Mary is blessed with the seven virtues against the seven capital vices

The Annunciation, early 1460s; by

Willem Vrelant.The Getty Museum, L.A.

The following posts contain the text of a work by St Bonaventure (1221-1274) known as Speculum Beatæ Mariæ Virginis : The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin. 

It is referred to in the French work by Fr François Poiré called The Triple Crown of the Holy Mother of God (1630) which I translated on this blog starting on the 1st of May 2024.

I offer this annotated edition of St Bonaventure’s work as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for all her graces and favours, requesting her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

The Latin text and references are based upon Speculum Beatae Mariae Virginis (1904). The English text is based upon that attributed to Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. (published by Herder in 1932). Amazon's various editions ackowledge that this text is in the Public Domain worldwide, attributing it to the text of a Dublin edition (author unknown) published in 1849.

Chapter 15 : How Mary is blessed with the seven virtues against the seven capital vices

Part 1

Blessed art thou among women. Let us continue our discussion of the Blessed Virgin’s blessedness and let us learn still more about it. How happy is the Blessed Mary and how unhappy is every accursed soul to whom it shall be said[1]: 

“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!” 

Cursed without doubt is every sinful soul, but blessed art thou, O virtuous Mary. The world incurred malediction through the seven capital vices, but Mary obtained blessing by the contrary virtues. Blessed, therefore, art thou among women, O Mary. Blessed by humility against pride, by charity against envy, by meekness against anger, by diligence against sloth, by generosity against avarice, by temperance against gluttony, and by chastity against lust.

Footnotes

[1] Matt. xxv. 41.

First let us hear how Mary is blessed with humility against pride; for the proud are accursed, as it is written[1]: 

“Thou hast rebuked the proud: they are cursed who decline from thy commandments.” 

Against this curse of pride Mary obtained the blessing of humility. She may accordingly be signified by that valley of which it is said in Paralipomenon[2]: 

“They called that place the valley of blessing.” 

If every humble soul is, as it were, a valley of God, according to that word of Isaias[3]: “Every valley shall be exalted,” how much more was Mary a valley, who was so deep in humility! What wonder if she were the valley of valleys, being the most humble of the humble? This valley which is blessed with blessings is greatly exalted for her humility so deep, so beneficial and so pleasing! St. Augustine says[4]: 

“O truly blessed humility of Mary, who brought forth the Lord to men, gave life to mortals, renewed the heavens, purified the world, opened up paradise and delivered the souls of men from hell.” 

Just as the deeper a valley is, the more waters it can receive; so too was Mary’s deep humility able to receive more graces. A valley, however, receives irrigation by waters sometimes from above and sometimes from below; from above, when the rains flow down from the mountains; from below, when there are springs of water in it. In like manner, the humble Mary received graces both from above and from below; for she was, as it were, irrigated from a mountain and from a spring, when from the divine and from the human nature of her Son she was blessed by so many graces being poured into her. This is that blessing of which we read in the Book of Judges[5], when Axa said to her father: 

“Give me a blessing,” so her father “gave her the upper and the nether watery ground.”[6] 

Axa was a type of Mary, who received a well-watered blessing from the heavenly Father; for God the Father gave her “upper watery ground” by a blessing from above in the divinity of Christ, and “nether watery ground” by a blessing from below in the humanity of Christ; from above in her mind, and from below in her womb; from above in her love of God, from below in her love for her neighbour; from above in contemplation, from below, in action. Or the heavenly Father gave her an ineffable blessing from Heaven above and from earth below so that in Heaven she might possess the blessing of glory, and on earth the blessing of grace. She would thus be blessed both in Heaven and on earth, as St. Bernard intimates when he says[7]:

“Remember, O Mary, that Christ who bore the malediction of the Cross blessed thee, His Mother, in Heaven; but thou wert also blessed on earth by the Angel, and art rightly called blessed on earth by all generations.”

Footnotes

[1] Psalm. cxviii. 21.

[2] 2 Para. xx. 26.

[3] Isai. xl. 4.

[4] Serm. 208. append. (alias 35. de Sanct.) n. 10.

[5] Judges i. 15.

[6] i.e., her father gave her a place well watered from above and from below.

[7] Homil. 3. super Missus est n. 8.

+       +        +

The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

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. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.

The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary : Chapter 14 : Blessed art thou among women (Pt 6)

The Annunciation, early 1460s; by

Willem Vrelant.The Getty Museum, L.A.

The following posts contain the text of a work by St Bonaventure (1221-1274) known as Speculum Beatæ Mariæ Virginis : The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin. 

It is referred to in the French work by Fr François Poiré called The Triple Crown of the Holy Mother of God (1630) which I translated on this blog starting on the 1st of May 2024.

I offer this annotated edition of St Bonaventure’s work as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for all her graces and favours, requesting her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

The Latin text and references are based upon Speculum Beatae Mariae Virginis (1904). The English text is based upon that attributed to Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. (published by Herder in 1932). Amazon's various editions ackowledge that this text is in the Public Domain worldwide, attributing it to the text of a Dublin edition (author unknown) published in 1849.

Chapter 14 : Blessed art thou among women

Part 6

Again, Mary is blessed not only because of the most excellent glory of her dignity, but also because of the most abundant immensity of her glory; its fullness is such that it is poured out for all men. She is therefore rightly blessed by all men, as is written in the Book of Judith[1] : 

“They all blessed her with one voice, saying: ‘Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honour of our people.’” 

They all blessed her, unconditionally. Note the use of the word all, for this has a universal signification here, involving three categories. The three categories who bless Mary are God, the Angels and man. God indeed blessed Mary : the Father blessed Mary; the Son blessed her and the Holy Ghost blessed her; all three Persons blessed her. The Angels also blessed Mary; the first order in the hierarchy blessed her, as did the second and also the third; and so all the Angels blessed her. Man too has blessed Mary: the married have blessed her; widows have blessed her and virgins have blessed her – all have blessed her. They have blessed her, saying: Thou art the glory of Jerusalem triumphant; the glory, let it be said, of all the Saints; thou art the joy of Israel, contemplating God; thou art the joy, let it be said, of all the Angels; thou art the honour of our people who are still pilgrims – that is, thou art the honour of all the just who are in this world. 

Blessed, therefore, be thy most beloved Son, O Mary, who through thy most abundant blessings doth bestow such good things in Heaven and on earth, so much so that the Angels as well as men can join with Anselm and praise thee, declaring[2]: 

“Such great gifts as these came through the blessed Fruit of the blessed womb of the blessed Mary.”

 

Footnotes

[1] Judith xv. 10.

[2] Orat. 52. (alias 51.) ante medium.

Again, Mary is blessed not only because of her glory most sublime in dignity, not only because of her glory most abundant in immensity, but also because of her glory most enduring in stability. This is signified by the house which is spoken of in the First Book of Paralipomenon[1]: 

“For seeing thou blessest it, O Lord, it shall be blessed for ever.” 

Truly for ever, as it says in the Psalm[2]: 

“Therefore hath God blessed thee forever.” 

Thus, therefore, O most sweet Virgin Mary, truly blessed art thou among women and above women; yea also above men, and even above the Angels. Blessed, I say, because of the fullness of grace which thou hast found; blessed, because of the majesty of the Person whom thou hast brought forth; blessed, because of the multitude of the acts of kindness which thou hast shown; and blessed, because of the greatness of the glory which thou hast received.

We invoke thee, we implore thee,  and we pray to thee with St. Bernard[3]: 

“Grant, O blessed one, by the grace which thou hast found, by the prerogatives which thou hast merited, by the mercy which thou hast brought forth, that He who through thee deigned to become a partaker of our weakness and misery, may by thy intercession make us sharers in His heavenly beatitude and glory. Amen.”

Footnotes

[1] 1 Paralipomenon (1 Chronicles) xvii. 27.

[2] Psalm. xliv. 3.

[3] Serm. 2. de Adyentu Dom. n. 5.

[End of Chapter 14]

+       +        +

The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

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. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.

The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary : Chapter 14 : Blessed art thou among women (Pt 5)

The Annunciation, early 1460s; by

Willem Vrelant.The Getty Museum, L.A.

The following posts contain the text of a work by St Bonaventure (1221-1274) known as Speculum Beatæ Mariæ Virginis : The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin. 

It is referred to in the French work by Fr François Poiré called The Triple Crown of the Holy Mother of God (1630) which I translated on this blog starting on the 1st of May 2024.

I offer this annotated edition of St Bonaventure’s work as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for all her graces and favours, requesting her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

The Latin text and references are based upon Speculum Beatae Mariae Virginis (1904). The English text is based upon that attributed to Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. (published by Herder in 1932). Amazon's various editions ackowledge that this text is in the Public Domain worldwide, attributing it to the text of a Dublin edition (author unknown) published in 1849.

Chapter 14 : Blessed art thou among women

Part 5

Again, Mary is not only blessed because through her the Lord has been appeased towards man, not only is she blessed because man through her becomes acceptable to God, but she is also blessed because through her the devil can be overcome by man. She is, therefore, represented by Judith of whom it is said[1] : 

“The Lord hath blessed thee in his power, because by thee he hath brough our enemies to naught.” 

Our enemies are the demons whom the Blessed Virgin brought to naught when she brought their wiles to naught in herself and in many others, as St. Bernard says[2]: 

“Thou art an outstanding warrior; the horde of evil spirits has been put to flight before thy face.” 

Let us, therefore, fly to the Mother of the Lord and seek her help and protection against all the wiles and attacks of the devil; for to the enemies of our souls, she is terrible as an army set in battle array[3]. Alas, how manifold is our misery, for which we truly need the blessings and kindness of Mary. Let us, therefore, invoke this mercy and this blessing with St. Bernard, when he says[4]: 

“O blessed Virgin, through thy holy prayers may the grace of that piety thou didst merit from God, make known and available to the world pardon for sinners, healing for the sick, strength for the faint-hearted, help and deliverance for those in danger.” 

We have seen, O most sweet Mary, that thou art truly blessed because of thy manifold acts of kindness. Blessed, I say, because by thee God is appeased towards man; blessed because by thee man is made pleasing to God; and blessed because through thee the devil is overcome by man. Alas, how far from this blessing of Mary are they who are not pleasing to God, they towards whom God’s wrath is not appeased, and they who are subject to the devil; souls such as these are accursed of God.

 

Footnotes

[1] Judith. xiii. 22.

[2] Egbert., loc. cit. n. 5.

[3] Cant. vi. 3.

[4] Serm. 4. in Assumt. B. M. V. n. 9.

Fourthly, consider how truly Mary is blessed because of the greatness of her glory, according to the words of Ezechiel[1]: 

“Blessed be the glory of the Lord, from his place.” 

The glory of the Lord is the glorious Mother of God who is truly blessed because of the glory which she possesses from two places. She is blessed, I am saying, from the place wherein her Son rested in her womb; and she is also blessed from the place where she rests with her Son in Heaven. Both these places are most worthy, as appears in the words of St. Bernard[2]: 

“There was not in the world a more venerable place than the temple of virginal womb into which Mary received the Son of God; nor in Heaven, than the regal throne to which the Son of Mary elevated Mary.”

Blessed is Mary, therefore, because of her glory; blessed indeed because of her most sublime, most abundant and most enduring glory. Blessed, I say, because of her glory most sublime in dignity; blessed because of her glory most copious in immensity; and blessed because of her glory most enduring in stability. 

I am saying that Mary is blessed because of her glory most excellent in dignity. Of this blessing can be understood those words of the Psalmist[3]: 

“Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy goodness.” 

Note that there is a year of equanimity, a year of severity, and a year of goodness. The first year is that of those still fighting in this world; the second is that of those weeping in the nether regions; and the third is that of those rejoicing in Heaven. The first year has days and nights; the second has nights, but no days; and the third has days, but no nights. I say that the first year has days and nights, that is, the good and the bad who are together in this world; for there are as many days and nights in this year as there are good and evil people in the world. The second year has nights only, that is, only sinners who are darker than night; for there are as many nights in this year as there are sinners in hell. The third year has only days, that is, the good, who are more resplendent than the day; there are as many days in this year as there are just souls in Heaven. In the first year, that of equanimity, the good and the evil are equally tolerated; in the second year, that of severity, the evil are most severely tormented; in the third year, that of goodness, the good are most benignantly crowned. The blessed crown of this year is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is without doubt the crown of all the days in this year, for she is the crown of all the Saints in Heaven. Just as a crown is put on the head, so is Mary placed over the heads of all the Saints and she is exalted over all their heads. As St. Jerome says[4]: 

“She deserved to be placed above the choirs of the angels; and she went beyond the lowliness of our nature.”

 Without doubt the Son of Mary is the highest crown of the Saints; but Mary is the Crown beneath this Crown. It is manifest, therefore, how sublimely blessed is our crown, our Mother Mary. Let us all, therefore, follow her who is so sublimely blessed, so blessed indeed that St. Bernard says[5]: 

“We have not here a lasting city, but we seek[6] the one which Mary has blessedly attained.”

 

Footnotes

[1] Isai. xix. 24-25.

[2] Psalm. lxxiii. 12.

[3] Serm. 2. in Pent. n. 4.

[4] Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxxvi. 18.

[5] Orat. 52. (alias 51.) circa medium.

[6] Orat. 52.

+       +        +

The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

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. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.