The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 71

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

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

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 71

“Inebriate my soul with the joy of Paradise.” Virgin and Child,
by Elisabetta Sirani (1663). NMWA, Washington DC.
Public domain.

1. Give to the King thy judgment, O God: and thy mercy to the Queen, His Mother[1].

2. In thy hand are life and salvation: perpetual joy and glorious eternity[2].

3. Sprinkle my heart with thy sweetness: make me forget the miseries of this life[3].

4. Draw me after thee[4] by the bands of thy mercy[5]: and with the bandages of thy grace and loving kindness heal my pain[6].

5. Stir up in me a desire for Heaven: and inebriate my soul with the joy of Paradise[7].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Deus, judicium tuum Regi da: et misericordiam tuam Reginæ matri ejus.

2. In manu tua salus et vita consistunt: lætitia perpetua et æternitas gloriosa.

3. Resperge cor meum dulcedine tua: fac me oblivisci miserias hujus vitæ.

4. Trahe me post te vinculis misericordiæ tuæ: et fomentis gratiæ et pietatis tuæ sana dolorem meum.

5. Concupiscentias sempiternas excita in animam meam: et de gaudio Paradisi inebria mentem meam.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king’s son thy justice”: Davidic Ps. LXXI, 2.

[2] Cf. “Thou hast dominion over all, in thy hand is power and might: in thy hand greatness, and the empire of all things.” I Para. xxix, 12.

[3] Cf. “He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.”: Davidic Ps. LXXI, 6.

[4] Cf. “Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments”: Cant. i, 3.

[5] Cf. “I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love”: Osee xi, 4.

[6] Cf. “For I will close up thy scar, and will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord”: Jer. xxx, 17. 

[7] Cf. God promises abundance of spiritual graces to the faithful, that shall believe in Christ: “All you that thirst, come to the waters . . . buy wine and milk without money, and without any price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which doth not satisfy you? Hearken diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and your soul shall be delighted in fatness.” Is. lv, 1-2.

Davidic Psalm LXXI

1 A psalm on Solomon.

2 Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king’s son thy justice: To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment.  3 Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice.  4 He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor.

5 And he shall continue with the sun, and before the moon, throughout all generations.  6 He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.  7 In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.

8 And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.  9 Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down: and his enemies shall lick the ground.  10 The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts:  11 And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper.  13 He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor.  14 He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honourable in his sight.  15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.

16 And there shall be a firmament on the earth on the tops of mountains, above Libanus shall the fruit thereof be exalted: and they of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth.  17 Let his name be blessed for evermore: his name continueth before the sun. And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him.

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone doth wonderful things.  19 And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with his majesty. So be it. So be it.

20 The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

Notes

Prayer for the King.

Title:

1: “A psalm on Solomon”: The word psalm is missing in Hebrew where we read only li’S’lomoh, which refers to the author of the poem and not its object. There is indeed something in this psalm which recalls Solomon’s style as a writer: for example, his way of proceeding in sentences, the richness of his imagery taken from nature etc. If you prefer to adopt the translation of the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and of numerous Jewish and Christian commentators, the author is understood to be David who would have composed this magnificent poetry as a prayer for his son Solomon, at the moment when he was going to leave him the throne.

This has rightly been described as a divine psalm which evidently was written in view of the arrival of a king, son of a preceding king. The author expresses the hopes and prayers natural to such an occasion, desiring and foreseeing a brilliant and happy reign. These hopes and prayers relate to two principal points : internally, justice, peace and prosperity; externally, great power, but a power which is pacific. The result is perfect happiness, especially for the little ones and the poor who normally have so much to suffer.

If the king in question is in fact Solomon, as many serious authors have thought, we should hasten to add that the psalmist goes beyond this Prince and his glories to prophecy in a most evident fashion the kingdom of the Messiah. This is the unanimous opinion of the ancient Synagogue and of the Christian Church. We believe, however, following Theodoret and a hundred other interpreters of the first rank, that Psalm LXXI does not concern Solomon in any way but rather Christ in an immediate and exclusive sense. How is it possible to apply to a king other than the Messiah verses 5, 7-8, 10, and 16 -17, which contain several of the principal ideas in the poem? The psalmist therefore is outlining the story of Christ, His arrival on earth, the exercise of His sovereignty in the world, the spread of the gospel, the spreading of the Church and the diffusion of grace among men until the end of this visible world. (Meignan).  

Structure: the psalm may be divided into five unequal strophes:

1. vers. 2-4: the justice of the King-Messiah; 

2. vers 5-7: the eternal duration and prosperity of His reign;

3. vers. 8-11: His domination over the entire earth;

4. vers. 12-15: His conduct with regard to little ones and the poor;

5. vers 16-17: the richness and glory of the Messianic reign. 

Verses 18 to 19 do not form part of the canticle but are the doxology which finishes the second book in the Psaltery. Verse 20 is an even more general conclusion.

Lack of space precludes a fuller treatment of Fillion’s commentary on this psalm, but readers may find the following of interest in connection with the Blessed Virgin Mary when he cites St Bernard on verse 6. I have included the full excerpt from St Bernard’s Homily below.

6: “He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.”

§7. Gideon’s fleece was indeed shorn from the flesh but without any wound to the flesh. It was placed upon the dry ground and firstly there was dew on the fleece and later on the ground. What can this represent if not the flesh assumed from the flesh of the Virgin, and without any loss of virginity? Heaven dropped down dew upon it, filling it with the plenitude of the Divinity, and of that fullness we have all received – we who, but for it, would be like the dry ground. There is a prophetic reference in the Psalms which seems to touch very beautifully on this fact in Gideon’s history: “He shall come down like rain upon the fleece.” The words which follow this – “and as showers falling gently upon the earth,”– have the same meaning as when the dry ground is found wet with dew. That voluntary rain, indeed, which God set apart for His inheritance, first descended gently and without any noise or clamour of human agency in a most tranquil infusion of the virginal womb. But afterwards, it spread throughout the world through the mouths of preachers – no longer like rain coming down upon the fleece, but like showers falling upon the earth, accompanied by a certain clamour of words and the resounding noise of miracles. For indeed, the preachers were like clouds bearing rain and they remembered the command given to them when they were sent forth: “That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops.” This injunction they carried out, for “their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.” From Homily II §7. of St Bernard’s Praises of the Virgin Mother. (1120).

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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 Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 70

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

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

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 70

 “O Lady...stretch forth thy hands, and succour him who perishes.”
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, the Church of St Alphonsus
Liguori, Rome. Public domain (Wikimedia Commons).[5]

1. In thee, O Lady, have I hoped: let me never be confounded: in thy mercy deliver me and free me[1].

2. Because of the multitude of my iniquities: I am vehemently oppressed[2].

3. Mine enemies have acted above my head: they have mocked me and derided me day by day[3].

4. See, O Lady, how I am troubled: stretch forth thy hands, and succour him who perishes[4].

5. Delay not, for the sake of the grace of thy name: so thou mayest become unto me joy and salvation.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. In te, Domina, speravi; non confundar in æternum: in tua misericordia libera me, et eripe me.

2. Propter multitudinem iniquitatum mearum: oppressus sum vehementer.

3. Facti sunt hostes mei in capite meo: subsannaverunt et deriserunt me quotidie.

4. Vide, Domina, quoniam tribulor: expande manus tuas, succurre pereunti.

5. Ne moreris, propter gratiam nominis tui: ut efficiaris mihi in gaudium et salutem.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be put to confusion: Deliver me in thy justice, and rescue me”: Davidic Ps. LXX, 1-2.

[2] Cf. “For our iniquities are multiplied before thee, and our sins have testified against us: for our wicked doings are with us, and we have known our iniquities”: Isaias lix,12.

[3] Cf. “For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me”: Ps. XXXVII, 5.  

[4] “succour him”: cf. The first lines of the Alma Redemptoris Mater, composed by Herman Contractus (1013-1054) “ Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli / Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti, / Surgere qui curat, populo:” ; “Nourishing Mother of the Redeemer, who remainest the open gate of heaven and star of the sea, assist the falling people who strive to rise again.” 

[5] Commonly dated to the 13th century. For more information on its intriguing history, see the article "Our Lady of Perpetual Succour" at the Redemptorist Publications site.

Davidic Psalm LXX

1 A psalm for David. Of the sons of Jonadab, and the former captives.

In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be put to confusion:  2 Deliver me in thy justice, and rescue me. Incline thy ear unto me, and save me.  3 Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a place of strength: that thou mayst make me safe. For thou art my firmament and my refuge.  4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of the transgressor of the law and of the unjust.  5 For thou art my patience, O Lord: my hope, O Lord, from my youth;  6 By thee have I been confirmed from the womb: from my mother’s womb thou art my protector. Of thee shall I continually sing:  7 I am become unto many as a wonder, but thou art a strong helper.  8 Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may sing thy glory; thy greatness all the day long.  9 Cast me not off in the time of old age: when my strength shall fail, do not thou forsake me.  10 For my enemies have spoken against me; and they that watched my soul have consulted together,  11 Saying: God hath forsaken him: pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.  12 O God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to my help.  13 Let them be confounded and come to nothing that detract my soul; let them be covered with confusion and shame that seek my hurt.

14 But I will always hope; and will add to all thy praise.  15 My mouth shall shew forth thy justice; thy salvation all the day long. Because I have not known learning,  16 I will enter into the powers of the Lord: O Lord, I will be mindful of thy justice alone.  17 Thou hast taught me, O God, from my youth: and till now I will declare thy wonderful works.  18 And unto old age and grey hairs: O God, forsake me not, until I shew forth thy arm to all the generation that is to come: thy power,  19 And thy justice, O God, even to the highest great things thou hast done: O God, who is like to thee?  20 How great troubles hast thou shewn me, many and grievous: and turning thou hast brought me to life, and hast brought me back again from the depths of the earth:  21 Thou hast multiplied thy magnificence; and turning to me thou hast comforted me.  22 For I will also confess to thee thy truth with the instruments of psaltery: O God, I will sing to thee with the harp, thou holy one of Israel.  23 My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee; and my soul which thou hast redeemed.  24 Yea and my tongue shall meditate on thy justice all the day; when they shall be confounded and put to shame that seek evils to me.

Notes

Prayer to obtain help against iniquitous persecutors.

1. Title: This title is completely absent in the Hebrew text. The Septuagint translators, who are the first to include these words, must have taken them from an ancient Jewish tradition. The song was composed by David during his later years, according to verses 9 and 18; perhaps during the time of Absalom’s revolt when he had so much to suffer.   

“the sons of Jonadab”: this is a reference to the Rechabites, the famous Israelite ascetics mentioned by the Prophet Jeremias (ch. xxxv; cf., IV Kings x, 15, 23; I Par. li, 55).

“and the former captives”:  these words refer to the Jews who the first to be deported into chaldea after the destruction of Jerusalem. This second half of the title probably indicates that the was regularly chanted by the Rechabites and the first captives.

It is a beautiful elegy which reproduces the sentiments found in other psalms which treat of similar circumstances: pain, prayer, trust and holy promises. The poet, fiercely persecuted, entreats the Lord for his help. To console himself in his present distress, he looks back on his life rich in experiences and filled with miracles worked by God in his favour. He is confident that he will once again be heard and rescued. This canticle features abundant reminiscences or even direct quotations taken from older psalms, notably Ps. XXI, XXX, XXXIV and XXXIX.

Structure: the sum may be divided into two parts:

1. verses 1-13: prayer, and the supporting reasons;

2. verses 14-24: Feelings of Lively Trust and Promises of praise is to offered. 

First part:

1-3: a prelude, in which the psalmist invokes the help of God  earnestly and with confidence.  Cf. Ps. XXX, 2-4.

4-8: The first reason on which the poet bases his request : the countless benefits showered upon him by God since his birth.

9-13: the second: divine honour is directly implicated in David’s salvation.

9: “Cast me not off in the time of old age”: now that I have grown old. After lovingly protecting his servant to an advanced age (cf. verse 6), it is not possible that God would suddenly abandoned him , now that he has a great need of help.

Second part: A promise in advance of thanksgiving.

15: “Because I have not known learning”: The Vulgate has followed the majority of the Septuagint manuscripts, giving the following sense: If he knew the art of writing, the supplicant would compose a special volume to celebrate God’s goodness to Him; not having this gift, he will at least try to make as much progress as possible, through meditation and understanding the wondrous benefits of the Lord, and he will celebrate them through his hymns. The Hebrew expresses an altogether different idea: My mouth shall declare thy justice and thy salvation all day long, for I do not know the limits (numbers). David will therefore praise unceasingly the countless benefits of God.

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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 Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 69

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

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

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 69

“Show forth thy power against our enemies.” Maria
 Immaculata, by Martino Altomonte (1728). St. Peter's
 Parish Church, Sarleinsbach (Austria). W.Sauber [8] 

1. O Lady, come to my assistance[1]: and by the light of thy mercy enlighten me[2].

2. Teach us to seek thy goodness: that we may declare thy wonders[3].

3. Show forth thy power against our enemies[4]: that thou mayest be praised among the distant nations.

4. In the flames of thy wrath let them be plunged into hell[5]: and may they who trouble thy servants find perdition[6].

5. Have mercy on thy servants, upon whom thy name is invoked ! and do not permit them to be straitened in their temptations[7].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina, in adjutorium meum intende: et luce misericordiæ tuæ illustra mentem meam.

2. Doce nos exquirere bonitatem tuam: ut enarremus mirabilia tua.

3. Ostende potentiam tuam contra inimicos nostros: ut sanctificeris in nationibus procul.

4. In ira flammæ tuæ mergantur in infernum: et qui conturbant servos tuos, inveniant perditionem.

5. Miserere servorum tuorum, super quos invocatum est nomen tuum; et ne sinas angustiari eos in tentationibus suis.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Davidic Ps. LXIX, 2. “These words form the introductory prayer to every Hour of the Roman, monastic, and Ambrosian Breviaries, except during the last three days of Holy Week, and in the Office of the Dead. While they are said, or sung, all present sign themselves with the sign of the cross. Tradition says that St. Benedict introduced this custom into the monastic Office and that St. Gregory I extended it to all the Roman churches; Cassian (Coll., X, 10), however, says that from the earliest Christian times the monks used this introduction very often, probably outside of the liturgical prayers.” For more, see Deus in Adjutorium Meum Intende in the Catholic Encyclopedia. 

[2] Cf. “For  . . . being compared with the light, she is found before it.” Wisdom vii, 26 & 29; “For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth”: Ephes. v, 9.

[3] Cf. “Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy”: Luke i, 43-4.

[4] Cf. “Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?” Cant. vi, 9.

[5] Cf. “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.” [Matt. xxv, 41;  “And there came down fire from God out of heaven, and devoured them; and the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Apoc. xx, 9-10.

[6] Cf. “But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men.” 2 Peter iii, 7.

[7] Cf. “In all things we suffer tribulation, but are not distressed [non angustiamur]; we are straitened, but are not destitute”: 2 Cor. iv, 8.

[8] Wikimedia Commons: GNU Free Documentation License: See Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Davidic Psalm LXIX

1 Unto the end, a psalm for David, to bring to remembrance that the Lord saved him.

2 O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.  3 Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul:  4 Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils to me: Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me: Tis well, tis well.  5 Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.  6 But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay.

Notes

Prayer of a man persecuted by cruel enemies.

 1. This short poem is limited to reproducing almost literally the second half of XXXIX, verses 14 et seq. There is nothing to suggest that David himself may have extracted the words and inserted them for some liturgical reason. 

“to bring to remembrance”: See Ps. XXXVII, 1.

“that the Lord saved him”: these words are missing in the Hebrew text and in the majority of Greek manuscripts. They were added by the Vulgate, following the Codex Vaticanus of the Septuagint.

The poet, finding himself in a perilous situation and surrounded by his enemies who wish to take his life, implores God to come unto his aid. He appeals to heavenly vengeance against the wicked and to divine goodness for himself and for other just men.

Structure : The psalm may be divided into two parts:

a prayer by the psalmist against the enemies who are attacking him remorselessly : versus 2-4;

a prayer in favour of the good and for himself: verses 5 to 6.  

For more, see Notes on Ps. XXXIX. 

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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 Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 68

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

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

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 68

“Save me, O Lady, for the waters of concupiscence have entered even unto my soul.”
The Presentation and Betrothal of the Blessed Virgin, by Ludovico Seitz
(1892-1902). Loreto Basilica, Italy. Public domain. Sailko: CC 3.0 Unported Licence.

1. Save me, O Lady: for the waters of concupiscence have entered even unto my soul[1].

2. I stick fast in the mire of sin: and the waters of pleasure have encompassed me[2].

3. Weeping, I have wept in the night[3]: and the day of joy has arisen for me[4].

4. Save my soul, O Mother of the Saviour: for by thee true salvation was given to the world[5].

5. While thou wast overshadowed when the Angel spoke to thee: and becamest pregnant with the Wisdom of the Father[6].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Salvum me fac, Domina: quoniam intraverunt concupiscentiarum aquæ usque ad animam meam.

2. Infixus sum in limo peccati: et aquæ voluptatis circumdederunt me.

3. Plorans ploravi in nocte: et dies lætitiæ ortus est mihi.

4. Salva animam meam, Genitrix Salvatoris: quia per te vera salus data est omni mundo.

5. Dum nuntiante Angelo fuisti obumbrata: et Patris sapientia prægnans et gravidata.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Davidic Ps. LXVIII, 2.

[2] Cf. “I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing. I am come into the depth of the sea: and a tempest hath overwhelmed me”: Ibid. 3.

[3] Cf. “Weeping she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks”: Lam. i, 2.

[4] Cf. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy”: Ps. CXXV, 5.

[5] Cf. “Salvation is of the Lord”: Ps. III, 9; “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” Ps. XXVI, 1; “But the salvation of the just is from the Lord”: Ps. XXXVI, 39; “After these things I heard as it were the voice of much people in heaven, saying: Alleluia. Salvation, and glory, and power is to our God”: Apoc. xix, 1.

[6] Cf. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”: Luke i, 35.

Davidic Psalm LXVIII

1 Unto the end, for them that shall be changed; for David.

2 Save me, O God: for the waters are come in even unto my soul.  3 I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing. I am come into the depth of the sea: and a tempest hath overwhelmed me.  4 I have laboured with crying; my jaws are become hoarse: my eyes have failed, whilst I hope in my God.  5 They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, who hate me without cause. My enemies are grown strong who have wrongfully persecuted me: then did I pay that which I took not away.

 6 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my offences are not hidden from thee:  7 Let not them be ashamed for me, who look for thee, O Lord, the Lord of hosts. Let them not be confounded on my account, who seek thee, O God of Israel.  8 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.  9 I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to the sons of my mother.  10 For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up: and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

 11 And I covered my soul in fasting: and it was made a reproach to me.  12 And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a byword to them.  13 They that sat in the gate spoke against me: and they that drank wine made me their song.  14 But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord; for the time of thy good pleasure, O God. In the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.  15 Draw me out of the mire, that I may not stick fast: deliver me from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

 16 Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.  17 Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind; look upon me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.  18 And turn not away thy face from thy servant: for I am in trouble, hear me speedily.  19 Attend to my soul, and deliver it: save me because of my enemies.  20 Thou knowest my reproach, and my confusion, and my shame.

 21 In thy sight are all they that afflict me; my heart hath expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none.  22 And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.  23 Let their table become as a snare before them, and a recompense, and a stumbling block.  24 Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and their back bend thou down always.  25 Pour out thy indignation upon them: and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

 26 Let their habitation be made desolate: and let there be none to dwell in their tabernacles.  27 Because they have persecuted him whom thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of my wounds.  28 Add thou iniquity upon their iniquity: and let them not come into thy justice.  29 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; and with the just let them not be written.  30 But I am poor and sorrowful: thy salvation, O God, hath set me up.

 31 I will praise the name of God with a canticle: and I will magnify him with praise.  32 And it shall please God better than a young calf, that bringeth forth horns and hoofs.  33 Let the poor see and rejoice: seek ye God, and your soul shall live.  34 For the Lord hath heard the poor: and hath not despised his prisoners.  35 Let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein.

36 For God will save Sion, and the cities of Juda shall be built up. And they shall dwell there, and acquire it by inheritance.  37 And the seed of his servants shall possess it; and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

Notes

A prayer of lament in the midst of profound distress.

1. “for them that shall be changed”: Cf. Ps. XLIV: The fathers have understood these words to refer to those who have the happiness of being morally transformed here below by the Messiah and are being glorified with him forever in heaven. The Hebrew text (‘al-sosânim) suggests a different meaning and was probably the first word of a popular song which was to provide the melody for the Psalm.

The author is David : Cf. Rom. Xi, 9, quoting verse 23 of this psalm.

The hero of the canticle finds himself plunged into great distress; violent and powerful enemies are surrounding him and attacking him. Meaning that he is in an extreme state of danger. But he knows, (and this sweet thought consoles him), that it is his zeal for God and holy things which is bringing upon him so many sufferings. He feels certain of his love for God and of being loved by God. Accordingly, he has an inner confidence that his prayer will be heard and granted, that God will bring down his enemies and will bless the whole of Israel.

The Psalm is messianic to a very high degree. It predicts the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Passion and it is the counterpart as well as the complement of Psalm XXI. Along with the latter, it is the psalm which is the most frequently cited in the New Testament:

1. The enemies of the Saviour hate Him without cause, Ps. LXVIII, 5 and John xv, 25.

2. Jesus is eaten up with zeal for the house of God, Ps. LXVIII, 10 and John ii, 17. 

3. He willingly ensures reproaches, Ps. LXVIII, 10 and Rom. xv, 3.

4. The curse of Ps. LXVIII, 26 is fulfilled in the person of Judas Iscariot , Acts i, 20.

5. The reprobation of Israel is indicated in Ps. LXVIII, 23-4; cf. Rom. xi, 9.

6. The vinegar given on the cross to Jesus Christ is prophesied, Ps. LXVIII, 22; cf. John xix, 28 and Matt. xxvii, 48.

All the Fathers, moreover, are unanimous in seeing in this psalm a literal prophecy of the resurrection of our Lord. We too adopt an interpretation which is directly Messianic. It is nevertheless allowed, following a number of serious Catholic commentators, to apply the psalm firstly to David himself, who is thought to have composed it on the occasion either of Saul’s persecution, or Absalom’s revolt, periods of his life during which he had so much to suffer. The holy king would then become the type and the figure of the “suffering Christ.” But even in this case, there is no doubt that the most important and most numerous features of this magnificent elegy could not be applied to David in any way.

Structure: The psalm may be divided into three parts:

‣ the terrible sufferings of the poem’s hero, verses 2-19;

‣ anathemas against the cruel enemies who are causing them, verses 20-29;

‣ the certainty of a speedy deliverance and the promise of acts of thanksgiving, verses 30-37.

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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 Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 67

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

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

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 67

“Let Mary arise, and let her enemies be scattered.”
The Immaculate Conception, Juan de Miranda (1778).
Iglesia de la Concepción, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
Public domain.[7]

1. Let Mary arise, and let her enemies be scattered[1]: let them all be crushed beneath her feet[2].

2. Bring to nothing the attack of our enemies: destroy all their iniquity.

3. To thee, O Lady, have I cried in my tribulation[3]: and thou hast given serenity to my conscience.

4. Let not thy praise fail in our mouths[4]: nor thy love in our hearts.

5. There is much peace to them that love thee[5], O Lady: their souls shall not see death forever[6].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Exurgat Maria, et dissipentur inimici ejus: conterantur omnes sub pedibus ejus.

2. Impetum inimicorum nostrorum dissipa: destrue omnem iniquitatem eorum.

3. Ad te, Domina, clamavi in tribulatione: et serenasti conscientiam meam.

4. Non deficiat laus tua in ore nostro: et amor tuus de visceribus nostris.

5. Pax multa diligentibus te, Domina: anima eorum non videbit mortem in æternum.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Davidic Ps. LXVII, 2.

[2] Cf. “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel”: Gen. iii,15.

[3] Cf. “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord”: Ps. CXXIX, 1.

[4] Cf. “that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men”: Jud. xiii, 25.

[5] Cf. “O Lord God . . . mercy to them that love thee, and keep thy commandments”: Dan. ix, 4.

[6] Cf. “Amen, amen I say to you: If any man keep my word, he shall not see death for ever”: John viii, 51.

[7] For the symbolism in this spainting: cf. Gen. iii, 15 & 23-24; Apoc. xii. In the bottom left, a seated female figure represents the Spanish Kingdom. She sits beside a crowned lion (symbolizing the Kingdom of León) and a royal shield/crown. Near the bottom centre rests a severed head, used in Counter-Reformation art to signify the defeat of heresy. An angel in the upper right holds a parchment with the words “Mater Immaculata” (Immaculate Mother) alongside a papal tiara, perhaps a reference to Spain’s historically fierce defence and promotion of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Davidic Psalm LXVII

1 Unto the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself.

2 Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face.  3 As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.  4 And let the just feast, and rejoice before God: and be delighted with gladness.  5 Sing ye to God, sing a psalm to his name, make a way for him who ascendeth upon the west: the Lord is his name. Rejoice ye before him: but the wicked shall be troubled at his presence,  6 Who is the father of orphans, and the judge of widows. God in his holy place:  7 God who maketh men of one manner to dwell in a house: Who bringeth out them that were bound in strength; in like manner them that provoke, that dwell in sepulchres.  8 O God, when thou didst go forth in the sight of thy people, when thou didst pass through the desert:  9 The earth was moved, and the heavens dropped at the presence of the God of Sinai, at the presence of the God of Israel.  10 Thou shalt set aside for thy inheritance a free rain, O God: and it was weakened, but thou hast made it perfect. 11 In it shall thy animals dwell; in thy sweetness, O God, thou hast provided for the poor.  12 The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power. 13 The king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved; and the beauty of the house shall divide spoils. 14 If you sleep among the midst of lots, you shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the hinder parts of her back with the paleness of gold.  15 When he that is in heaven appointeth kings over her, they shall be whited with snow in Selmon.  16 The mountain of God is a fat mountain. A curdled mountain, a fat mountain.  17 Why suspect, ye curdled mountains? A mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell: for there the Lord shall dwell unto the end.  18 The chariot of God is attended by ten thousands; thousands of them that rejoice: the Lord is among them in Sina, in the holy place.  19 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts in men. Yea for those also that do not believe, the dwelling of the Lord God.

20 Blessed be the Lord day by day: the God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us.  21 Our God is the God of salvation: and of the Lord, of the Lord are the issues from death.  22 But God shall break the heads of his enemies: the hairy crown of them that walk on in their sins.  23 The Lord said: I will turn them from Basan, I will turn them into the depth of the sea:  24 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thy enemies; the tongue of thy dogs be red with the same.  25 They have seen thy goings, O God, the goings of my God: of my king who is in his sanctuary. 26 Princes went before joined with singers, in the midst of young damsels playing on timbrels.  27 In the churches bless ye God the Lord, from the fountains of Israel.  28 There is Benjamin a youth, in ecstasy of mind. The princes of Juda are their leaders: the princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthali.  29 Command thy strength, O God: confirm, O God, what thou hast wrought in us.  30 From thy temple in Jerusalem, kings shall offer presents to thee.  31 Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the congregation of bulls with the kine of the people; who seek to exclude them who are tried with silver. Scatter thou the nations that delight in wars:  32 Ambassadors shall come out of Egypt: Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God.  33 Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth: sing ye to the Lord: Sing ye to God,  34 Who mounteth above the heaven of heavens, to the east. Behold he will give to his voice the voice of power:  35 Give ye glory to God for Israel, his magnificence, and his power is in the clouds.  36 God is wonderful in his saints: the God of Israel is he who will give power and strength to his people. Blessed be God.

Notes

A triumphal ode celebrating the victories of the God of Israel.

1: A psalm-canticle, like the two previous psalms. The essence of this canticle fits in well with two situations in David’s life : the translation of the Ark to mount Sion  (II Kings vi, 1 et seq.) or, better still, David’s departure with his troops, the Ark at the head of the column, in order to do battle against the Ammonites (cf. II Kings xi, 11 et seq.). According to the opinion of certain others, and what amounts almost to the same thing, the return of the victorious king after this battle.

The theme around which all the thoughts in the psalm are arranged focuses on the miraculous victories of the God of Israel over the pagan world. At the head of His people, the Lord of armies casts down and subdues all opposition. The poet’s tones are borrowed partly from what generally occurs when a conquering king gains victory, and partly from what actually took place in the history of the Israelites, when God was leading the Hebrews from Egypt into Chanaan.

Structure: The psalm may be divided into two parts:

1. a glorious description of the Lord’s conquests in the past, verses 2-19;

2. a magnificent perspective of things to come, Verses 20-36. 

In the first part, We see more of God’s actions and intervention ; the second part is more subjective and focuses especially on the impressions produced on Israel and on the pagans by His intervention. The psalm predicts with remarkable clarity the conversion of the gentiles to the one true God, and consequently the Catholicity of the Church. This ode, with its striking tempo, is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful poems in the Psalter and has also the distinction of being messianic. The style is abrupt, fragmentary, occasionally no-nonsense, extraordinarily dramatic and filled with energy. One of its special qualities is that we discover no less than thirteen expressions which are found nowhere else. For these reasons, and also because of the elevation of the feelings expressed, its lively tempo, the obscurity of some of the historical allusions, and the boldness of certain metaphors used, it has been extraordinarily difficult to interpret this song – and this of itself has added its fame. In the liturgy of the synagogue as in that of the Church, psalm LXVII forms part of the prayers at Pentecost.

[Ed. The Fillion commentary on this psalm extends to many pages; I have selected his summary of each of the nine strophes.]

1. verses 2-4: a magnificent opening for this triumphal ode. 

2. verses 5-7: a eulogy treating of the infinite goodness of the Lord triumphant, continuing the prelude and the general ideas therein. 

3. verses 8-11: the glorious march of the Lord and his people across the desert of Pharan. 

4. verses 12-15: the conquest of the Promised Land.

5. verses 16-19: the Lord takes possession of Sion and establishes His dwelling there.

6. verses 20-24: the special protection wish the Lord accords to His people.

7. verses 25-28: the solemn entry of the Lord into the sanctuary of Sion after the defeat of His enemies. 

8. verses 29-32: the future conversion of all peoples. David, casting his eyes beyond Israel, contemplates and describes in a prophetic manner the spreading of the Lord’s reign throughout the pagan world. 

9. verses 33-36: David invites all peoples to praise the Lord. A beautiful doxology to bring this majestic ode to a close.

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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.