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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 14 : Blessed art thou among women
Mary is blessed on account of her fullness of grace, the majesty of her Son, the abundance of her mercy and the greatness of her glory
Part 1
Blessed art thou among women. It has been shown in the previous chapters how Mary, because of the utter purity and innocence of her life, is saluted by the Ave; it has also been shown how she is rightly called “full of grace” because of the most copious outpouring of her grace; it has moreover been shown how, because of the most special presence of Our Lord with her, she is saluted with the words “The Lord is with thee.” Now we have to show how, because of the most pleasing reverence of her person, she is hailed as “Blessed among women.”
Consider, therefore, how the Archangel Gabriel, by hailing the glorious Virgin Mary with a glorious salutation, consummated her blessedness most fittingly by saying, “Blessed art thou among women.” Commenting on these words, St Jerome says[1]:
“Blessed art thou among women,”– that is, most blessed of all women. By this, whatever effect of malediction was passed on through Eve, it was taken away by the blessing of Mary.”
Let Gabriel therefore say: “Blessed art thou among women.” Blessed, I say, because of the fullness of grace to be venerated in thee; blessed because of the majesty of the Person who is to be incarnated of thee; blessed because of the abundance of mercy to be bestowed by thee; and blessed because of the greatness of glory which is to be accumulated in thee.
Footnotes
[1] Epist. cit. n. 5.
Firstly, consider how Mary is truly blessed because of the fullness of grace to be venerated in her, as Gabriel shows most aptly when he says[1]:
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.”
Blessed art thou, because thou art full of grace. Thou hast found grace with God[2], and therefore thou art blessed with the Lord. St. Bernard says most fittingly of this blessedness of Mary[3]:
“Through thee we have access to thy Son, O blessed among women, who hast found grace, who art Mother of life and Mother of salvation.”
Blessed art thou, O Mary, because of thy grace; blessed, I say, because of the grace in thy heart, in thy mouth and in thy works. Blessed in thy heart, because of the grace of gifts; blessed in thy mouth, because of the grace on thy lips; and blessed in thy works, because of the grace of thy moral ways.
Truly is Mary blessed because of the grace of her heart, for the grace of the gifts of her heart; for her heart was most delightful, being like God’s paradise, so that the words in Ecclesiasticus[4] might be applied to this blessedness: “Grace is like a paradise in blessings.” Here the Interlinear commentary says[5]: “Bearing fruit in the different kinds of virtues.” Of these happy blessings of graces and virtues the Apostle says[6]:
“Who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”
If, therefore, in the blessings of virtues grace makes the human mind delightful like God’s paradise, how much more delightful must Mary’s mind and soul be, being like God’s paradise in the blessings of the Holy Spirit? Indeed, not only was the mind of Mary a Paradise of God but also her womb, containing within itself the tree of life[7], Jesus Christ. Whence St. Bernard says[8]:
“Truly thou art the Paradise of God, for thou hast brought forth to the world the Tree of Life, of which he who eateth shall live forever.”
Alas, how far from this blessedness of Mary is he whose mind is not a paradise of God in the blessings of grace, but a cess-pit of the devils in the curse of malice! Of such is it said in the Psalm[9]:
“And he loved cursing, and it shall come unto him: and he would not have blessing, and it shall be far from him.”
Footnotes
[1] Luc. i. 28.
[2] Luc. i. 30.
[3] Serm. 2. de Adventu Dom. n. 5.
[4] Ecclus. xl. 17.
[5] Apud Lyranum in hunc locum. Apparently a reference by the editor of the Latin text to the Postillae by Nicholas of Lyra (1270-1349), commentaries bound alongside the earlier Glossa Ordinaria.
[6] Eph. i. 3.
[7] Gen. ii. 9.
[8] Egbert., Serm. panegyr. ad B. M. V. n. 4.
[9] Psalm. cviii. 18.
Again, Mary is blessed, not only because of the grace of her heart’s gifts, but also because of the grace of her lips, according to those words of the Psalm[1]:
“Grace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee for ever.”
Oh, how great a grace was on the lips of Mary in her prayers most devout and in her conversations most beneficial! Oh, how great a grace was always on Mary’s lips : for men, for angels and for the Lord! God Himself willingly hearkened to the words of her lips, as is attested by St Bernard who addresses her as follows[2]:
“Him whom thou hast pleased by thy silence thou shalt henceforth please much more by thy words, since He Himself crieth to thee from Heaven: ‘O fairest among women . . . make me hear thy voice.[3]’”
Oh, how the utterances of Mary’s lips were most true, most pure, most discreet and most sincere! “Therefore hath God blessed her for ever[4].” Oh, how far from the blessedness of Mary are they whose lips are so unlike hers, for on their lips grace is not poured abroad, but rather they are confounded with malice; therefore, God hath not blessed but hath cursed and will curse them forever.