Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily III : §8-9/14

St Bernard, by Juan Correa de Vivar,
c. 1540-45. Museo del Prado.
(Public domain)

The following posts present the text of four homilies by St Bernard (1090-1153) frequently given the title of Missus est but which he himself called Praises of the Virgin Mother.

 

He was the first Cistercian monk to be placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Alexander III on the 18th January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church, “Doctor mellifluus,” on the 20th of August 1830. 

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bernard’s Homilies as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her multitudinous graces and favours, requesting her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

The Latin text and references are based upon De laudibus Virginis Matris (Patrologia latina, vol. 183. J. P. Migne). The English text is based upon the version compiled and translated at St. Mary's Convent, York, and published by Washbourne in 1909.

Homily III : §8-9/14

 §8.   Dear Virgin; make ready your womb, your bosom and your lap; for behold, He that is mighty is about to do great things for you – so much so that, in place of the curse upon Israel, all generations shall call you blessed. You need not view fruitfulness with suspicion, O Virgin most prudent, for your integrity will remain intact. You will conceive, yet without sin; you will be with child, yet not burdened; you will give birth, yet without sorrow: you will know no man, and you will bear a son. What kind of son? You will be the Mother of Him whose Father is God and this Son of the Father’s glory will be the crown of your chastity. The Wisdom[1] of the Father’s heart shall be the fruit of a virginal womb. In the end you shall give birth to God, and conceive of God. Take courage, then, O fruitful Virgin, child-bearing Maiden and Mother whose purity shall remain intact. You will no longer be accursed in Israel, nor reckoned among the barren, except that they begrudge you your fruitfulness. Remember that Christ – who blessed you, His mother in the heavens – also endured the curse of the Cross; yet you were blessed on earth by the Angel, and are deservedly called blessed by all generations of the earth. “Blessed art thou amongst women,” therefore, and “blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

Footnotes

[1] 1 Cor. i. 24 & 30.

 §9.  “Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.” 

“She was troubled at his saying”:  The Cestello Annunciation, by Botticelli
(1489-90). Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Public domain.

Virgins who deserve the name are ever timorous and never think themselves secure, so that they are wary and fearful where there is no danger. They know that they bear a precious treasure in earthen vessels[1] and that it is difficult to live an angelic life among men; that it is hard to conduct themselves on earth like the celestial spirits and to lead a celibate life in mortal flesh. Consequently, whenever something new arises suddenly, they regard it as a possible trap, suspecting it all might be a plot to ensnare them. For this reason,  Mary was troubled at the words of the Angel. 

She was troubled, but not disturbed. “I was troubled,” says the Psalmist[2], “and I spoke not. I thought upon the days of old, and I had in my mind the eternal years.” Mary was troubled, and spoke not; she thought with herself what manner of salutation this might be. That she was troubled proves her virginal modesty; that she was not disturbed, her fortitude; that she was silent and thoughtful shows her prudence. 

“She thought what manner of salutation this might be.” This prudent Virgin knew how often Satan transforms himself into an Angel of light[3], and because she was truly simple and humble, deep down she did not expect to hear such words addressed to her by an Angel, so she thought with herself what manner of salutation this might be. 

Footnotes

[1] 2 Cor. iv. 7.

[2] Psalm. lxxvi. 5-6.

[3] 2 Cor, xi. 14.

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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.