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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
Part 4
Thirdly, think how truly Mary is blessed because of the multitude of her acts of kindness. She is foreshadowed by Ruth, of whom it was said[1]:
“Blessed art thou of the Lord, my daughter, and thy latter kindness has surpassed the former.”
The former kindness of Mary was that which she showed while she still lived in this world; the latter kindness is that which she has shown from Heaven for these last twelve hundred years. The latter kindness has surpassed the former, because she has exceeded it by a multitude of countless blessings. Who can estimate how inestimably blessed Mary is because of her kindness, when her kindness is in itself inestimable? And who can estimate how inestimable is Mary’s kindness, on account of which she herself is so inestimably blessed! St. Bernard says of this[2]:
“Who can trace out, Blessed Mary, the breadth, and length, and height, and depth[3] of thy kindness?”
Blessed, therefore, is Mary for the manifold acts of kindness which have come and continue to come through her; blessed indeed, because by her God becomes favourable to man; blessed is she also, because through her, man becomes acceptable to God; blessed, moreover, is she, because by her, the devil can be overcome by man.
I say that Mary is blessed because by her, God was induced to be favourable to man, as is shown in the example of Abigail of whom we read that, when David became angry with the churlish Nabal and wanted to kill him, Abigail came in haste to pacify him. David was indeed placated and said[4]:
“Blessed be thy speech and blessed be thou, who hast kept me today from coming to blood, and revenging me with my own hand.”
The churlish fool Nabal represents the sinner; for every sinner is a fool; but, alas, as it is said in Ecclesiastes[5]: “The number of fools is infinite.” Abigail represents Mary, for her name may be interpreted as meaning[6], “joy of my father.” Oh, how great was the joy of the heavenly Father in Mary, and that of Mary in the heavenly Father, when she herself said[7]:
“My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
As Abigail represents Our Lady, so David represents Our Lord; for David was offended by the churlish fool Nabal, and Our Lord was offended by sinful man; similarly, David is reconciled with the fool Nabal through Abigail’s intercession, and Our Lord is appeased and reconciled with sinful man through Mary’s intercession. Abigail placated David by words and gifts; Mary placates the Lord by her prayers and merits. Abigail turned away temporal vengeance, but Mary turned away that which was eternal; the former turned aside the sword of man, the latter, that of God. Therefore St. Bernard well says[8]:
“No one was so fitting, dear Lady, to turn away the sword of the Lord by their own hand, as thou who art the most beloved of God, through whom we first received mercy from the hand of the Lord, our God.”
Footnotes
[1] Ruth iii. 10.
[2] Serm. 4. in Assumt. B. M. V. n. 8.
[3] Eph. iii. 18.
[4] 1 Kings (1 Samuel) xxv. 32-33.
[5] Eccleses. i. 15.
[6] Hieron., de Nom. Hebr. (I. Reg.).
[7] Luc. i. 47.
[8] Egbert., loc. cit. n. 1.
Mary is blessed not only because through her God’s wrath with man was appeased, but she is also blessed because through her man is made acceptable to God, inasmuch as through her blessedness man becomes blessed. Therefore, it is well said in Isaias[1]:
“In that day shall Israel be . . . a blessing in the midst of the land, which the Lord of hosts hath blessed, saying: ‘Blessed be my people of Egypt, and the work of my hands to the Assyrian: but Israel is my inheritance.’”
The midst of the land which the Lord of hosts hath blessed can be said to be the Blessed Virgin, in the midst of which land was begun the blessing of our salvation, according to that word of the Psalmist[2]:
“But God is our king before ages: he hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.”
Of this midst of the earth, St. Bernard says[3]:
“With wonderful fitness is Mary called the midst of the earth; for towards her, as to the middle, as to the ark of God, as to the cause of things, as to the business of the ages, look all those who dwell in Heaven and in hell, and those who have gone before us, and those who follow us. Those who are in Heaven, that they may be repaired; those who are in the nether regions, that they may be delivered; those who went before, that thy prophets may be found faithful[4]; those who follow, that they may be glorified.”
In this blessed midst of the earth, therefore, blessed is Israel, blessed is the people of God, since through the blessed Mother of God it is acceptable to God. What wonder is it that through the blessed Mary every rational creature is blessed and acceptable to God, since by her every creature is blessed? Therefore St. Anselm exclaims[5]:
“O Virgin blessed, and supremely blessed! By whose blessing every creature is blessed, and not only the creature by the Creator, but the Creator by the creature.”
Footnotes
[1] Isai. xix. 24-25.
[2] Psalm. lxxiii. 12.
[3] Serm. 2. in Pent. n. 4.
[4] Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxxvi. 18.
[5] Orat. 52. (alias 51.) circa medium.
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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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