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The Annunciation, early 1460s; by Willem Vrelant.The Getty Museum, L.A. |
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 10 : Mary the Daughter, Mother, Spouse, and Handmaid of the Lord
Part 1
The Angel says to the blessed Mary, “the Lord is with thee.” The Lord is with Mary in such a singular manner that she is His most noble Daughter, His most worthy Mother, His most beautiful Spouse and his most devoted Handmaid.
We must now consider that this Lord, of whom it is said, “the Lord is with thee,” is not only in a general sense the Lord of every creature, not only the Lord of rational creatures, but also in a most special sense the Lord of the virginal court of His most Holy Mother. Mary is singularly (both in body and in soul) the court of the Lord and the most holy house of God, of whom it is said in the Psalm[1]: “Holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord.” O singularly blessed House, who alone hast merited so singularly to have the Lord. St. Bernard saith[2]:
“Thou alone hast been found worthy that in thy virginal court the King of kings and the Lord of lords[3], leaping down from His royal throne[4], chose thee for His first dwelling among the sons of men.”
This singular Lord of Mary was with her in such a singular way that He made of her a Lady in a singular way such that “there never was one like her either before or after her;”[5] for she became in a wonderful and singular manner the Daughter of the Lord, the Mother of the Lord, the Spouse of the Lord and the Handmaid of the Lord. Mary was as Daughter of the Lord, singularly generous; as Mother of the Lord, singularly glorious; as Spouse of the Lord, singularly beautiful; and as Handmaid of the Lord, singularly obedient. If we wish to describe her relation to each of the Divine Persons, we can say that the Lord who is with Mary is the Lord as Father, as Son, as Holy Ghost, and as triune and one. He is the Lord and Father, of whom Mary is the most noble daughter; He is the Lord and Son, of whom Mary is the most worthy Mother; He is the Lord and Holy Ghost, of whom Mary is the most beautiful Spouse; He is the Lord Triune and One, of whom Mary is the most submissive Handmaid. Mary truly is the Daughter of the Most High Eternity, the Mother of the Most High Truth, the Spouse of the Most High Goodness and the Handmaid of the Most High Trinity.
Footnotes
[1] Psalm. xcii. 5.
[2] Potius Egbert., loc. cit. n. 2.
[3] 1 Tim. vi. 15.
[4] Wisdom xviii. 15.
[5] Bernard., Serm. 4. in Assumt. B. M. V. n. 5.
First, therefore, note, that this Lord, who is so singularly with Mary, is the Lord of whom Mary is the most noble daughter. Of this Lord and of this daughter can be understood that which Booz said[1]:
“Blessed art thou of the Lord, my daughter, and thy latter kindness has surpassed the former.”
Therefore Mary is the daughter blessed by the Lord; by the Most High Lord, I say, whose daughter she is. O truly daughter most noble of the most noble King, who hast been so abundantly adorned interiorly with manifold glory, so that truly it can be said of thee[2]:
“All the glory of the king’s daughter is within in golden borders, clothed round about with varieties.”
Therefore Mary, as the most true daughter of the King, was most powerfully drawn to the kingdom with great abundance, as St. Bernard testifies, saying[3]:
“Thou, a delightful daughter and full of all grace, dearly beloved in thy delights, hast been anointed for the glory of thy beauty and as a sign of love.”
This blessed daughter surpassed her former kindness by the latter; for great as the mercy of Mary was while she was still an exile in this world, much greater is her mercy now that she reigns in Heaven. Now by her innumerable benefits she shows men a greater mercy, for she now sees more clearly the untold sufferings of mankind. For the splendour of her former mercy Mary was fair as the moon; but for the splendour of her later mercy she is bright as the sun[4]. For as the sun surpasses the moon in the greatness of his splendour, so the later mercy of Mary surpasses her former mercyin greatness. Who is there upon whom the sun and the moon do not shine? Who is there upon whom the mercy of Mary does not shine? Hear what St. Bernard thinks of this[5]:
“As the sun shines indifferently upon the good and the bad, so when Mary is petitioned, she does not analyse the merits of the petitioners but shows herself ready to hear them, being most merciful to all, and in the end she shows her compassion towards the misery of all with her most abundant affection.”
The Lord is with thee, therefore O Mary, as a father with a most noble daughter.
Footnotes
[1] Ruth iii. 10.
[2] Psalm. xliv. 14.
[3] Serm. de Assumt. B. M. V. (inter opera Hugon. a S. Vict.), Migne Patr. Lat. t. 177. col. 1214.
[4] Cant. vi. 9.
[5] Serm. in Dom. inf. Oct. Assumt. B. M. Y. n. 3.
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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.
The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.
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.
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