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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 2
Secondly, note that this Lord who is so singularly with Mary is the Lord whose most worthy Mother Mary is. Of this Lord and of this Mother Elizabeth said[1] :
“And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
The Mother of the Lord, the Virgin and Mother, is a most worthy Mother. She is the Mother who is most becoming to such a Son and She is the Mother to whom such a Son is most becoming. God could make no greater than her. God could make a greater world and God could make a greater Heaven, but He could not make a greater mother than the Mother of God. St. Bernard saith[2] :
“No other mother was becoming to God than the Virgin; nor was any other son becoming to a Virgin than God.”
A greater among mothers than Mary and a greater among sons than Jesus could not be born. This Mother is, therefore, the Mother of the flower of mercy, the Mother of the Sun of justice, the Mother of the Fountain of wisdom, and the Mother of the King of glory. She is the Mother of Him, I say, whose mercy leads us to love, whose justice to fear, whose wisdom to knowledge and whose glory to hope. Mary is, therefore, the Mother of Him who is in fact our love through mercy, our fear through justice, our knowledge through wisdom, and our hope by glory, so that she can truly say[3] :
“I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.”
But is Mary the Mother of Christ only? Nay, what is most joyful is for us to realise she is not only the Mother of Christ, but also the Mother of all the faithful. St. Ambrose saith:
“If Christ is the brother of all believers, is not she, who brought forth Christ, the Mother of all believers?”
Oh, dearly beloved, let us all rejoice and exclaim:
“Blessed is the Brother, through whom Mary is our Mother; and blessed is the Mother by whom Christ is our Brother.”
St. Anselm says[4] :
“Dear Lady and Mother by whom we have such a Brother, what thanks and what praise shall we offer unto thee?”
The Lord is with thee, therefore, O Mary: as a Son with a most worthy Mother.
Footnotes
[1] Luc. i. 43.
[2] Homil. 2. super Missus est n. 1.
[3] Ecclesus. xxiv. 24.
[4] Orat. 52. (alias 61.) post medium.
Thirdly, note that this Lord who is so singularly with Mary is the Lord who has Mary for His spouse most beautiful. To this Lord, as to this spouse, we can apply the words of Osee[1]:
“I will espouse thee to myself in justice, and in judgment, and in mercy, and in commiserations, and I will espouse thee to me in faith; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.”
Behold a beautiful spouse, beautiful in justice and judgment in her regard, beautiful in compassion and mercy in the regard of her neighbour, and beautiful in faith in the regard of God. Beautiful indeed in the justice of her life and in the judgment of her conscience; beautiful in mercy, in affection, and in compassion when it comes to her deeds; beautiful in faith, whereby she believed all that was to be believed above herself, and whereby she believed all that was to be done in her, according to that word[2]:
“And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.”
But behold Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, as she is and was most beautiful in conversation, so also is she most sweet in her address, as it is said in the Canticle of Canticles[3]:
“Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue.”
Oh, what mellifluous words have those sweet lips of Mary so often distilled! Had she not indeed milk and honey under her tongue in those sweet words which she addressed to Gabriel? Had not Mary milk under her tongue when she uttered those milk-white words of chastity[4]:
“How shall this be done, for I know not man?”
Had she not honey under her tongue when she uttered those honey-sweet words:
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word”?[5]
From the honeyed sweetness of these mellifluous words, “throughout the whole world, the Heavens have dropped down sweetness,”[6] Mary had honey under her tongue in her mellifluous words to God, and she had milk under her tongue in her pleasant speech to her neighbour. How great is the sweetness and beauty of her who is Spouse of the Supreme Consoler! As St. Augustine asks[7]:
“Who is this Virgin, so holy that the Holy Spirit deigns to come to her? So beautiful, that God chooses her for His Spouse?"
The Lord is with thee, therefore, O Mary, as a Bridegroom with His beloved spouse.
Footnotes
[1] Osee (Hosea) ii.19-20.
[2] Luc. i. 45.
[3] Cant. iv. 11.
[4] Luc. i. 34.
[5] Ibid. 38.
[6] Breyiar., respons. ad lect. 2. in Nativ. Dom.
[7] Serm. 208. append. (alias 35.) n. 4.
Fourthly, note that this Lord who is so singularly with Mary, is the Lord whose most devout handmaid she is, as she herself testifies[1]: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” Mary is the handmaid of God the Father, of God the Son and of God the Holy Ghost. What wonder if she is the handmaid of that Lord, when her son is the servant of this Lord, according to the human nature assumed from His Mother? He Himself confesses it in the Psalm, where He says[2]:
“O Lord, for I am thy servant: I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid.”
O what a good handmaid, and what a good Son of the handmaid! Alas, how many are bad handmaids, and bad sons of handmaids!
“But what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son.”[3]
We read in Genesis[4] of the handmaid of Sara that, seeing that she “perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress.” Therefore, whereas the evil handmaid Agar is puffed up by her fecundity, the good handmaid Mary is made fecund by her humility. That proud handmaid despised her mistress; the Lord looked on this humble handmaid, as she herself says[5]:
“He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid.”
O Christian soul, handmaid of the Lord, embrace fecundity with Mary in such a manner that you may not be wanting in humility; so that, therefore, you may not be puffed up by your fecundity in good works, take note of the humble handmaid and contemplate the humble Mary. “Behold,” she says, “the handmaid of the Lord.” St. Ambrose says here[6]:
“See her humility, see her devotion. She calls herself the handmaid of the Lord, she who is chosen to be Mother of the Lord; nor is she suddenly carried away by the promise.”
O truly admirable humility! Behold in what manner Mary deigns not only to be the handmaid of the Lord, but also the handmaid of the servants of the Lord. For it is she who is foreshadowed by Abigail, who sent messengers that she might be brought to David, saying[7]:
“Behold, let thy servant be a handmaid, to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
By the blessed handmaid Mary, how many servants of the Lord have been washed, how many faithful by her prayers have been cleansed from their sins! For she, as it were, offered water for their feet like Abigail when she obtained for them tears of compunction for their sins.
The Lord is with thee, therefore, O Mary, as with a most devout handmaid.
The Father is with thee; the Son is with thee; and the Holy Ghost is with thee. St. Bernard says[8]:
“The Father is with thee, because He made His Son thine; the Son is with thee, who, in order to work in thee an admirable secret, unlocked in a wondrous manner a secret of generation, whilst keeping intact for thee the seal of virginity; and the Holy Spirit is with thee, who together with the Father and the Son sanctified thy womb. The Lord is, therefore, with thee.”
The Lord, indeed, whose daughter thou art, than whom none is more noble; the Lord, whose Mother thou art, than whom none is more wonderful; the Lord, whose spouse thou art, than whom none is more lovable; the Lord, whose handmaid thou art, than whom none is more humble, nor ever was, nor ever will be. Therefore, O dearest Lady, because so great a Lord is in such a manner and so much with thee, grant that by grace He may also be with us.
Footnotes
[1] Luc. i. 8.
[2] Psalm. cxv. 16.
[3] Gal. iv. 30. Gen. xxi. 10.
[4] Gen. xvi. 4.
[5] Luc. i. 48.
[6] II. in Luc. n. 16.
[7] 1 Kings (1 Samuel) xxv. 41.
[8] Homil. 3. super Missus est n. 4.
[End of Chapter 10]
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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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