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 3

Fourthly, let us hear how Mary is blessed by her diligence against sloth; for the slothful are accursed, because they do not do the work of God diligently and faithfully. Jeremias says[1]: 

“Cursed be he who doth the work of God negligently.” 

Against the curse of torpor, Mary enjoyed the blessing of rigour in her discipline. She may be prefigured by that Jahel who killed Sisara with a nail, of whom in the Book of Judges it is written[2]: 

“Blessed among women is Jahel.” 

Jahel may be interpreted as “ascending”[3] which befits Mary who did not sink downwards like the slothful, but always ascended diligently from virtue to virtue, from a lower to a higher grade, according to the words of the Canticle[4]: 

“Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer?” 

What has this blessed Jahel done? She killed Sisara with a nail. Sisara may be interpreted as meaning “exclusion from joy,” and well does this signify the devil because he himself, being excluded from eternal joy, strives to entice others into exclusion. Alas, he excluded all of us by means of the first mother of the human race, but the curse of this exclusion was lifted by the blessed Mother of our Saviour. Well, therefore, does the Venerable Bede say[5]: 

“Blessed art thou among women, for through thy virginal bringing forth the curse of the first mother was lifted from those born of women.” 

But what is signified by the nail which pierced the head of Sisara? What is this nail but the rigour of discipline? What is the rigour of discipline to the slothful but a sort of nail through the eyes? The rigour of discipline is a nail wounding the devil most painfully and impaling him most effectively. The blessed Jahel, therefore, pierced the head of Sisara with that death-dealing nail, prefiguring how the blessed Mary extinguished in herself the strength of Satan by the rigour of discipline. Blessed, therefore, is Jahel among women, and blessed art thou among women, O Mary. Among which women? Listen to the venerable Bede, who says[6]: 

“Not only art thou blessed among women, but even among women who are blessed thou art eminent by a greater blessing.”

Footnotes

[1] Jerem. xlviii. 10.

[2] Judges v. 24.

[3] Origen., Homil. 5. super ludic. n. 5.

[4] Cant iii. 6.

[5] Homil. in solemn. Deiparae, quando salutavit Elisabeth, inter homil. aestiv. de Sanct., ante medium.

[6] Ibid. paulo ante.

Fifthly, let us hear how blessed Mary is by virtue of her generosity against avarice. For the avaricious are accursed, as St. Peter says[1]: 

“Having their heart exercised with covetousness, children of malediction.” 

Against this curse of avarice, Mary merited the blessing of generosity and munificence; for she was in truth like a fountain ever flowing and ever giving, and therefore was truly blessed, according to what is said in Proverbs[2]: 

“Let thy vein be blessed.” 

In temporal things Mary’s vein was more than generous because she generously and liberally thought little of all things worldly. Therefore, according to Haymo’s commentary[3], 

“the Blessed Mother of God had the moon beneath her feet[4] because she despised all temporal things.”

Oh, what great graces have flowed out to men by means of this vein! Therefore, O Church, let thy vein be blessed, by whom such great gifts have come to thee. Truly a noble vein, a vein filled with the Holy Ghost and a vein from the fountain of life, Mary is the vein of our salvation. For through this vein Christ, the fountain of life, came to us, and through this vein we come to Jesus Christ who is the fountain of life; truly, therefore, is this vein blessed. Whence St. Bernard says[5]: 

“By thee we have access to the Son,  O blessed finder of grace, Mother of life and Mother of salvation, that by thee He may receive us, who by thee was given to us.”

Footnotes

[1] 2 Pet. ii.14.

[2] Prov. v. 18. 

[3] Comment. in Apoc. c. 12. (by Haymo of Halberstadt, d. 853).

[4] Apoc. xii. 1.

[5] Serm. 2. de Adventu Dom. n. 5.

+       +        +

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 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 2

Secondly, let us hear how Mary is blessed with charity against envy. The envious are accursed, as it is said of the envious Cain[1]:

“Cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand.” 

Against the curse of envy, Mary has received the blessing of charity. She may well, therefore, be foreshadowed by Sara, of whom the Lord said[2]: 

“I will bless her, and out of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless.” 

Sara may be interpreted as meaning “coal.”[3] This is well suited to Mary who was like a coal on fire with the ardour of charity. Therefore, the burning bush is a fitting figure for Mary, by whom the blessing of grace is ministered to every faithful soul. Whence it is said in Deuteronomy[4]: 

“The blessing of him, who appeared in the bush, may it come upon the head of Joseph.” 

Joseph may be interpreted as “increase”[5] and signifies every faithful soul enriched by an increase in divine grace. Blessed is the bush, and blessed is He who by His Incarnation appeared in the bush, by whom so great a blessing came upon the heads of the faithful. O truly blessed coal, producing so blessed a flame : Blessed Mary bringing forth so blessed a Child. 

“Of her,” saith the Lord, “I will give thee a son, whom I will bless.”[6] 

Think, therefore, what great charity Mary had towards God, when God is her Son according to the flesh. Think also what charity she had towards her neighbour, when the good neighbour is her Son spiritually; and if we are her sons, we are the brethren of her Son. Well, therefore, doth St. Anselm say of this blessed Mother[7]: 

“O thou who art blessed and exalted, not for thyself alone but also for us: what is it, how great is it, how lovable is it, that which I see happening by thee for us, which seeing, I rejoice, which, rejoicing, I dare not utter ? For if thou, O Lady, art the Mother of God, are not thy other sons the brethren of God?”

Footnotes

[1] Gen. iv. 11.

[2] Gen. xvii. 16.

[3] Hieron., de Nom. Hebr. (Iosue).

[4] Deut. xxxiii. 16.

[5] Hieron., loc. cit. (Gen.).

[6] Gen. xvii. 16.

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

Thirdly, let us hear how Mary is blessed for her meekness and gentleness against anger. For the angry are accursed, as it is written in Genesis[1]: 

“Cursed be their fury, for it was stubborn: and their wrath, because it was cruel.” 

Against this curse of wrath, Mary obtained the blessing of meekness. For truly her meekness was such that not only had she no anger of her own, but she even turned the anger of the Lord to meekness. Therefore, she is fittingly prefigured by Abigail, to whom David said[2]: 

“Blessed be thy speech, and blessed be thou, who hast kept me to-day from coming to blood and revenging me with my own hand.” 

It is the property of meekness to soothe with gentle words the anger of those who are offended, as is written in Proverbs[3]: 

“A mild answer breaketh wrath: but a harsh word stirreth up fury.” 

The meek Abigail prefigures the meek Mary. Do you wish to know how meek Mary was? Listen to St. Bernard[4]:

 

“Turn over diligently in your mind,” he says, “the whole of the Gospel story, and if you could find in Mary anything reproachful, anything hard-hearted, or even the slightest sign of indignation, you might perhaps suspect her thereafter in other things, and fear to approach her; but finding her full of all the piety and grace, full of the meekness and mercy which pertain to her, then give thanks to Him who, in His most gracious compassion, has provided you with such a Mediatrix, in whom nothing can be suspected.”

David prefigures Christ, who by Mary’s meekness is soothed and placated, lest He should take vengeance on the sinner with eternal death. Let every soul in danger of eternal death never cease to sigh to Mary in her great meekness, for which she is rightly so blessed. Let therefore every soul about to die say with St. Anselm[5]: 

“O thou who art blessed above women, who dost surpass the Angels by thy purity and the Saints by thy loving kindness; my dying soul doth sigh at the sight of such great kindness but doth blush at such resplendent whiteness.”

Footnotes

[1] Gen. xlix. 7.

[2] 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 25:32-33.

[3] Prov. xv. 1.

[4] Serm. in Dom. infr. Oct. Assumt. B. M. V. n. 2

[5] Orat. 50. (alias 49.)

+       +        +

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 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.