Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily IV : §1/11

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

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

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily IV : §1/11

 §1.   There is no doubt that whatever we offer in praise of the Mother redounds to the Son; and conversely, when we honour the Son, we take nothing away from the glory of the Mother. For if, according to Solomon, “A wise son is the glory of his father,”[1] how much more glorious is it to become the Mother of Wisdom Himself! But how can I begin to commend her whose praises are proclaimed by Prophets, announced by an Angel and recorded by the Evangelist? I will therefore not praise, because I do not dare, but rather I will devoutly repeat what the Holy Spirit Himself has spoken by the Evangelist, who goes on to say[2]: 

“And the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.” 

These are the words of the Angel to the Virgin declaring that her promised Son should possess the kingdom of David. No one doubts that our Lord Jesus sprang from David’s stock; but how, I ask, did God give Him the throne of His father David since He never reigned in Jerusalem? On the contrary, when the people would make Him King, He would not consent[3]; and when He was before Pilate, He protested “My kingdom is not of this world.”[4] Besides, what great gain would it be for Him who sits upon the Cherubim[5], and whom the Prophet saw “sitting upon a throne high and elevated,”[6] to be promised the throne of David, His ancestor? 

King David, by Guercino (1651). National Gallery, London.
Public domain. The tablet bears words from Ps. lxxxvi.[11].

We know in fact that another Jerusalem is represented by the one that now is, a city far nobler and richer than that in which David reigned. I believe this is how it should be understood here, because we often find in Scripture a figure or type is used to represent something else. Evidently God gave our Lord the throne of His father David when He was “appointed by him King over Sion, his holy mountain;”[7] and here the Prophet seems to show more plainly of which kingdom he was speaking when he said not in Sion, but over Sion. For perhaps the word “over” was used because, while David indeed reigned “in” Sion, being King “over” Sion belongs to Him of whom it was said to David[8]: “Of the fruit of thy womb I will set upon thy throne;” and of whom another Prophet says[9]: “He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom.” You see that the words “upon” or “over”[10] are found everywhere: over Sion, upon thy throne, upon his kingdom. “The Lord God,” therefore, “will give him the throne of David his father” – not a type or symbol but a true throne, not temporal but eternal and not earthly but celestial. As we have said, it is referred to as the throne of David (upon which he sat for a time) because it bore the image of that eternal throne.

Footnotes

[1] Prov. x. 1. The Vulgate has: Filius sapiens laetificat patrem, which the Douai-Rheims translates as “A wise son maketh the father glad.”

[2] Luc. i. 32.

[3] John vi. 15.

[4] John xviii. 6.

[5] Psalm. lxxix 2.

[6] Isaias i. 1.

[7] Psalm. ii. 6.

[8] Psalm. cxxxi. 11.

[9] Isaias ix. 7.

[10] The reference here is to one word in the Latin, super, which is variously translated in the Douay-Rheims text as “upon” or “over”.

[11] Gloriosa dicta sunt de te, civitas Dei / Glorious things are said of thee, O city of God. Ps. lxxxvi. 3.

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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.

Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily III : §12-14/14

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

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

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily III : §12-14/14

 §12.   But let us consider what the Angel thinks of Him upon whom He bestowed such a name before He was even conceived. He says[1]: 

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High.” 

Great indeed is He who deserves to be called the Son of the Most High. 

 Saint Michael striking down Satan and the rebellious angels.
Rubens (1635). Thyssen Museum, Madrid. Public domain.

Is not He great of whom the Psalmist declares[2]: “of his greatness there is no end,”and asks[3]: “who is the great God like our God?” He is truly great who is so great and who is Most High, being Himself the Most High. As “Son of the Most High,” He thought it not robbery to be equal with God[4]. Satan, indeed, is rightly judged to have contemplated this robbery for, although made from nothing into an Angelic form, he compared himself with his Maker, and arrogated to himself what belonged of right to the Son of the Most High, the Son not made by God, but begotten of Him. For the Most High God the Father, though Omnipotent, could not make a creature equal to Himself, nor beget a Son who was not His equal. He made the Angel great, but not like Himself and therefore not Most High. The Almighty Father did not create but begat His only-begotten and Almighty Son; thus the Most High begat the Most High and the Eternal Father begat the co-eternal Son. The Almighty did not think it robbery nor an insult for His Son to compare Himself to Him in all things. Rightly, then, shall He be great who shall be called the Son of the Most High.

Footnotes

[1] Luke i. 32. 

[2] Psalm. cxliv. 3. 

[3] Psalm. lxxvi. 14.

[4] Phil. ii. 6. 

 §13.   But why is it here said “He shall be” rather than “He is” great, since He is always equally great, and can have no increase? He will not be more exalted after His conception than He was before. Perhaps the Angel would have us understand that He who was great as God will be great as man. It is therefore rightly said that “He shall be great:” a great man, a great teacher and a great prophet. Thus it is written in the Gospel[1]: 

“A great Prophet hath risen up amongst us.” 

And by a certain lesser Prophet, a great Prophet is likewise promised who is to come: “Behold,” he says, “a great prophet will come, and He Himself will renew Jerusalem.”[2]. 

The Virgin Nursing the Christ Child, by Guido Reni (1628-30).
North Carolina Museum of Art. Public domain.

And you, O Virgin, you will indeed give birth to a little one, you will nurse this little one in your arms and you will feed this little one at your breast; but while you look on Him as little, think upon Him as the Great One He is. He will be great, because God will magnify Him in the sight of kings; let all kings, therefore, adore Him and all nations serve Him. Let your soul magnify the Lord, for “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High.” He shall be great; and He that is mighty shall do great things for thee, and Holy is his name[3]. What name could be holier than “Son of the Most High”? 

This great Lord shall be magnified also by us, His little ones; for He became a Little One so that He might make us great. “A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us.”[4] “To us,” and not to Himself, for He who before time began was much more nobly born of His Father did not need to be born in time of a Mother. Nor was He born and given to the Angels, for they who possessed Him in His greatness did not require Him in His lowliness. To us, then, He is born and to us He is given, because we have such great need of Him. 

Footnotes

[1] Luke vii. 16.

[2] Antiphon from Divinum Officium, first Sunday in Advent. See: Zacharias i 16 & ii. 10-12.

[3] Luke i. 49.

[4] Isai. ix. 6.

 §14.   Since He is born of our race and given to us, let us accomplish that for which He was born and given. Let us make use of Him who became one of us for our profit; let us work out our salvation by means of our Saviour. 

“And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them.”
By james Tissot (1886–1896). Brooklyn Museum. Public domain.

Behold, “a child is set in the midst.”[1] O Little Child, desired by little children! O true Child, ignorant of malice not of wisdom[2]! Let us study to become as this Little Child. Let us learn from Him for He is meek and humble of heart[3], lest the great God should fruitlessly have become a little Child for us; lest He should have died in vain and have been crucified for nothing. Let us learn His humility; let us imitate His meekness; let us embrace His love; let us share His sufferings; let us be washed in His blood. Let us offer Him as a propitiation for our sins, since for this end He was born and given to us. 

Let us offer Him in the sight of His Father, and let us offer for the sake of His own; for the Father “spared not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all;”[4] and the Son “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.”[5] He “delivered His soul unto death and was reputed with the wicked.” “He hath borne the sins of many, and prayed for the transgressors,”[6] that they might not perish. But they cannot perish for whom the Son prays that they will not perish[7] and for whose sake the Father delivers His own Son to procure for them eternal life. Therefore, pardon is to be hoped for equally from both, with whom there is equal mercy and compassion, equal power in will, and who are substantially one in divinity; and in which the Holy Spirit lives and reigns as God with them, for ever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes

[1] Matt. xviii. 2. & Mark ix. 35.

[2] in malice be children, and in sense be perfect: 1 Cor. xiv. 20. Consider the commentary of Cornelius A Lapide on this verse: “Howbeit in malice be ye children. Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Ephrem render this: ‘Let malice be as unknown to you as to infants.’ So, too, S. Augustine (qu. lxi. lib. 73) says: ‘Be, like infants, free from malice.’ As ‘infant’ is derived from in, ‘not,’ and fans, ‘speaking,’ and as a child who cannot speak knows still less of malice or anything else, so too the Christian is to be an infant in evil, not to know it nor to be able to speak of it, e.g., not to know what emulation, defilement, fornication are. So Theophylact, following S. Chrysostom. Tertullian (contra Valent. lib. ii.) beautifully says: ‘The Apostle bids us after God be children again, that we may be infants in malice through our simplicity, and at last wise in understanding.’”

[3] Matt. xi. 29.

[4] Rom. viii. 32.

[5] Phil. ii. 7.

[6] Isai. liii. 12.

[7] John iii. 16.

[End of Homily III]

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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.

Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily III : §10-11/14

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

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

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily III : §10-11/14

 §10.   Then the Angel, looking upon the Virgin and easily reading the various thoughts turning over in her mind, comforts her in her fear and reassures her in her doubt; addressing her familiarly by her name, he gently persuades her not to be afraid, saying[1]:

“Fear not, Mary...” The Annunciation, by Philippe de Champaigne (c. 1644).
The Met Fifth Avenue, N.Y. Public domain.

“Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.” 

There is here no deception here, no falsehood; no fraud, no snare. I am not a man, but a spirit; I am an Angel of God, not a minion of Satan. “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.” 

Oh, if you knew how pleasing your humility is to the Most High and what a sublime exaltation awaits you in His presence, you would not judge yourself unworthy of conversation with an Angel, nor even of his service! Why would you consider yourself unworthy of Angels’ grace when you have found grace with God? You have found what you were seeking; you have found what no one before you could find; you have found grace with God. What grace? The grace of peace and reconciliation between God and man, the destruction of death and the restoration of life. This is the grace you have found with God, and let this be a sign for you[2]:

“Thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.” 

Understand from the name of the promised Son, O prudent Virgin, how great and what a special grace you have found with God. “And thou shalt call his name Jesus.” Another Evangelist gives the reason for this name”[3]:

“For he shall save his people from their sins.”

Footnotes

[1] Luke i. 30.

[2] Ibid. 31.

[3] Matt. i. 21.

 §11.   I have read of two men who bore the name of Jesus; they both prefigured Him and both were of service to their people. 

Joshua passing the River Jordan, by Benjamin West (1800).
Art Gallery of New South Wales. Public domain.

One conducted his brethren into the Land of Promise[1]; the other led forth his people from the captivity of Babylon[2]. Both did, indeed, defend those they governed from their enemies, but they did not save them from their sins. Our Jesus, on the other hand, saves His people from their sins and likewise introduces them into the land of the living. 

“For he shall save his people from their sins.” Who is this that also forgives sins? Would that the Lord Jesus would deign to number me, a sinner, among His people, and save me from my sins! Truly, blessed are the people that have our Lord Jesus for their God, for He will save His people from their sins. But I fear there are many who profess to be of His people, but whom He does not recognize as such. I fear that to many who seem to be among the more religious-minded of His people He will say[3]: 

“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” 

For “the Lord knoweth who are His”[4], and whom He hath chosen from the beginning. “And why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say?”[5]  

Do you want to know whether you belong to His people, or rather do you want to be one of His people? Do what Jesus tells you, and He will number you among His followers. Fulfil what the Lord Jesus commands in the Gospel, what He prescribes in the Law and the Prophets, what He ordains through His ministers in the Church. Obey His representatives set over you – not only the good and considerate ones, but also the difficult ones; and learn of Jesus Himself for He is meek and humble of heart[6]. You will then belong to the blessed people whom He has chosen for His inheritance; you shall be of His praiseworthy people, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying[7]: “You are the work of my hands, Israel, my inheritance;” and of whom He bears witness, saying[8]: 

“A people, which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.”

Footnotes

[1] Jos. i. 11.

[2] Aggeus i. ; Ezra ii. 2.

[3] Matt. xv. 8.

[4] 2 Tim. 2. 19.

[5] Luke vi. 46. 

[6] Matt. xi. 29.

[7] Isai. xix, 25.

[8] Psalm. xvii. 45.

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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.

Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily III : §8-9/14

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

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

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily III : §8-9/14

 §8.   Dear Virgin; make ready your womb, your bosom and your lap; for behold, He that is mighty is about to do great things for you – so much so that, in place of the curse upon Israel, all generations shall call you blessed. You need not view fruitfulness with suspicion, O Virgin most prudent, for your integrity will remain intact. You will conceive, yet without sin; you will be with child, yet not burdened; you will give birth, yet without sorrow: you will know no man, and you will bear a son. What kind of son? You will be the Mother of Him whose Father is God and this Son of the Father’s glory will be the crown of your chastity. The Wisdom[1] of the Father’s heart shall be the fruit of a virginal womb. In the end you shall give birth to God, and conceive of God. Take courage, then, O fruitful Virgin, child-bearing Maiden and Mother whose purity shall remain intact. You will no longer be accursed in Israel, nor reckoned among the barren, except that they begrudge you your fruitfulness. Remember that Christ – who blessed you, His mother in the heavens – also endured the curse of the Cross; yet you were blessed on earth by the Angel, and are deservedly called blessed by all generations of the earth. “Blessed art thou amongst women,” therefore, and “blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

Footnotes

[1] 1 Cor. i. 24 & 30.

 §9.  “Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.” 

“She was troubled at his saying”:  The Cestello Annunciation, by Botticelli
(1489-90). Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Public domain.

Virgins who deserve the name are ever timorous and never think themselves secure, so that they are wary and fearful where there is no danger. They know that they bear a precious treasure in earthen vessels[1] and that it is difficult to live an angelic life among men; that it is hard to conduct themselves on earth like the celestial spirits and to lead a celibate life in mortal flesh. Consequently, whenever something new arises suddenly, they regard it as a possible trap, suspecting it all might be a plot to ensnare them. For this reason,  Mary was troubled at the words of the Angel. 

She was troubled, but not disturbed. “I was troubled,” says the Psalmist[2], “and I spoke not. I thought upon the days of old, and I had in my mind the eternal years.” Mary was troubled, and spoke not; she thought with herself what manner of salutation this might be. That she was troubled proves her virginal modesty; that she was not disturbed, her fortitude; that she was silent and thoughtful shows her prudence. 

“She thought what manner of salutation this might be.” This prudent Virgin knew how often Satan transforms himself into an Angel of light[3], and because she was truly simple and humble, deep down she did not expect to hear such words addressed to her by an Angel, so she thought with herself what manner of salutation this might be. 

Footnotes

[1] 2 Cor. iv. 7.

[2] Psalm. lxxvi. 5-6.

[3] 2 Cor, xi. 14.

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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.

Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily III : §7/14

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

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

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily III : §7/14

 §7.   “Blessed,” then, “is the fruit of thy womb” whom God has blessed for ever, and by whom thou thyself, O Mary, art blessed amongst women, because an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit[1].

The Virgin in Prayer, by Salvi (c1640-1650).
National Gallery, London. Public domain.

Blessed art thou amongst women, I am saying, for you escaped that universal curse[2], “In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children”; and that which is referred to later[3]: “Cursed is the barren in Israel.” You obtained the singular blessing of neither remaining barren, nor bringing forth in sorrow – that harsh exigency and heavy yoke upon all the daughters of Eve! For if they give birth, they suffer pain and if they do not give birth, they are cursed. Pain prevents obedience, and a curse forbids disobedience. What will you do, O Virgin, when you hear this and read this? If you bear children, you suffer pain; if you remain barren, you are cursed. What will you choose, prudent Virgin? 

“I am hemmed in on all sides,” she said; “yet it is better for me to incur a curse and remain chaste than to conceive through lust that which I would later deservedly bring forth in pain. For on the one hand. although I see a curse I do not see sin; but on the other, I see both sin and torment. In the end, what else is this curse but a reproach from men? Indeed, the barren woman is called accursed for no other reason than that she is to be held in reproach and contempt, as useless and unfruitful, and this only in Israel. To me, however, it matters little that I displease men, provided I can present myself to Christ as a chaste virgin.”

Footnotes

[1] Matt. vii. 18.

[2] Gen. iii. 16.

[3] Exod. xxiii. 26 & Deut. vii. 14.

 §7.  (continued) O prudent Virgin, O devout Virgin: who taught you that virginity is pleasing to God? What law, what justice, what page of the Old Testament either commands, counsels, or exhorts anyone to live in the flesh without living carnally, and to lead an angelic life on earth? Where, O blessed Virgin, did you read that “the wisdom of the flesh is death;”[1]  and “make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences”?[2] Where did you read of virgins that they sing “a new canticle” no other can sing[3], and that “they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth”?[4]  Where did you read that they are praised “who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven”?[5]  Where did you read that “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh”?[6]  and that “he that giveth his virgin in marriage doth well; but he that giveth her not, doth better”?[7]  Where did you hear, “I would that all men were as myself,”[8]  and “it is good for a man, if he so remain according to my counsel”?[9]  “Now concerning virgins,” the Apostle says[10], “I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel.”

I will not speak here of precept, nor even of counsel or example – except for the fact that the unction of the Holy Spirit taught you concerning all these things; and the living and effective Word of God became your teacher before He became your Son, instructing your mind before He put on flesh. You vow yourself to Christ as a virgin, yet you do not know you are to be at the same time His mother. You choose to be held in low esteem in Israel; and, to please the One to whom you have commended yourself, you incur the curse of barrenness. Yet behold, the curse is transformed into a blessing, and barrenness is rewarded with fruitfulness.

Footnotes

[1] Rom. viii. 6.

[2] Rom. xiii. 14..

[3] Apoc. xiv. 3.

[4] Ibid. 4.

[5] Matt. xix. 12.

[6] 2 Cor. x. 3.

[7] 1 Cor. vii. 38.

[8] Ibid. 7.

[9] Ibid. 40. But more blessed shall she be, if she so remain, according to my counsel;

[10] Ibid. 25.

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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.

Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily III : §5-6/14

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

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

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily III : §5-6/14

 §5.   “Blessed art thou amongst women.” 

“Blessed art thou among women and blessed is 
the fruit of thy womb.” The Visitation, by Rogier
 van der Weyden (1436-40). Museum of Fine Arts,
Leipzig. Public domain.

These are the words of Elizabeth and it is worth adding what she said next: 

“Blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”[1] 

It is not because you are blessed that the fruit of your womb is therefore blessed; it is because of His prevenient blessings of sweetness that you are blessed. 

Truly blessed is the fruit of your womb, in whom all nations are blessed and from whose fullness you too received[2], along with the rest, though in a different way than others. For this reason, therefore, blessed art thou,  but blessed “amongst women.” He is called blessed not amongst men, nor amongst angels, but “over all,” as the Apostle says[3]: 

“Christ . . . is over all things, God blessed for ever.”  

It is possible to speak of a man as blessed, bread as blessed, a woman as blessed, the earth as blessed – or anything else among created things as blessed; but the fruit of your womb is blessed in a unique way, since He is God, “over all things, God blessed for ever.”

 

Footnotes

[1] Luke i. 42.

[2] And of his fulness we all have received, and grace for grace: John i. 16.

[3] Rom. ix. 5.

 §6.   “Blessed,” therefore, “is the fruit of thy womb.” Blessed in fragrance, blessed in sweet savour and blessed in beauty. The fragrance of this odoriferous fruit was perceived by him who said[1]: 

“The smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed”; 

Is not he truly blessed who is blest by the Lord? 

King David in prayerful meditation. Willem
Vrelant (early 1460's). Getty Museum, L.A. 

Of the sweet relish of this fruit, someone who had tasted of it exclaimed, saying[2]: “O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet;” and elsewhere[3]: “O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee!” Again, it is written[4]: “If so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet.” And the Fruit says of Himself while inviting us all to Him[5]: 

“They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst.” 

He said this because the sweet savour of this fruit, when once tasted, excites a greater appetite. 

Blessed is this fruit which is the food and drink of those who hunger and thirst after justice. You have heard of its fragrance and you have heard of its savour; hear now of its beauty. For if the fruit which brought death into the world was not only sweet to the taste, but fair to the eyes and delightful to behold, as the Scripture testifies[6], how much more ought we to seek out the life-giving beauty of this life-sustaining fruit – “upon whom,” as another verse in Scripture testifies[7], “the Angels long to gaze”? His beauty was seen in the spirit, and desired to be seen in the flesh by the royal Prophet who said[8]: 

“Out of Sion the loveliness of his beauty.” 

And, lest you should think lightly of the beauty here commended, remember what is said in another Psalm[9]: 

“Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee for ever.” 

Footnotes

[1] Gen. xxvii. 27.

[2] Psalm. xxxiii. 9.

[3] Psalm. xxx. 20.

[4] 1 Pet. ii. 3.

[5] Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 29.

[6] Gen. iii. 6.

[7] 1 Pet. i. 12.

[8] Psalm. xlix. 2.

[9] Psalm. xliv. 3.

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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.