Praises of the Virgin Mother by St Bernard : Homily I : §5-6/9

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 I : §5-6/9

 §5.  Into this city the Angel Gabriel was sent from God. To whom? 

“To a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph.”[1] 

"He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;"
The Magnificat; James Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

Who is this Virgin so venerable that she was saluted by an Angel and so lowly as to be espoused to a carpenter? What a beautiful commingling of virginity with humility! That soul is in no small degree pleasing to God whose virginity is commended by humility, and whose humility is adorned by humility. But how much do you think she is worthy of veneration in whom humility is exalted by fecundity and virginity is consecrated by child-bearing? When you hear the Virgin you hear her humility; if you cannot imitate the humble handmaid’s virginity then imitate the Virgin’s humility. Virginity is a praiseworthy virtue but humility is actually more necessary. The former is of counsel, the latter of precept; the former is an invitation, but the latter is an obligation.

Of the one it is said[2]: “He that can take, let him take it.” Of the other, it is said[3]: “Unless . . . you become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” To the one, a reward is offered; the other is required with a threat of consequences in cases where it is absent. In the end, we can be saved without virginity but not without humility. Through humility a soul can find favour despite lamenting the loss of virginity; without humility (if I may be so bold as to say this) even the virginity of Mary would not have found favour.

“Upon whom shall my spirit rest, if not on him that is humble and peaceable ?”[4] On him that is humble, He says, not on the virgin. If, therefore, Mary had not been humble the Spirit would not have rested on her; and if the Holy Spirit had not rested on her, she would not have become pregnant, for how without Him could she have conceived of Him? It is therefore evident, as she herself testifies[5], that in order she might conceive of the Holy Ghost, God the Father “regarded the humility of his handmaid” rather than her virginity. Accordingly, if by her virginity she was acceptable to Him it was nevertheless by her humility that she conceived Him. Hence it is evident that it was her humility that rendered even her virginity pleasing to God.

Footnotes

[1] Luke i. 27.

[2] Matt. xix. 12.

[3] Matt. xviii. 3.

[4] But to whom shall I have respect, but to him that is poor and little, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my words? Isaias lxvi. 2. 

[5] Luke i. 48.

 §6.  If you are a proud virgin, what have you to say? 

The First Wise Virgin (Matt. xxv. 1-13);
Martin Schongauer (15c.); 
Cleveland Museum of Art

Mary forgets herself and her virginity, glorying only in her humility; and are you, neglecting humility, priding yourself on your virginity? She says[1]: 

“He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid.” 

And who is this handmaid? She is a holy virgin, a prudent virgin and a devout virgin. Are you more chaste than she is? Are you more devout? Is your purity more pleasing than the chastity of Mary, so that without humility you deem it sufficient for you, when without humility her virginity could not find favour? In short, the more honourable you are by virtue of the singular gift of chastity, the greater the injury you inflict upon yourself by defiling its beauty within you by an admixture of pride. It would have been better for you not to be a virgin than to grow shamelessly insolent because of your virginity. Virginity is not, indeed, for everyone; yet humility combined with virginity belongs to far fewer still. Accordingly, if you can only admire the virginity of Mary without being able to imitate it, study to copy her humility and it will be sufficient for you; but if you are both a virgin and humble – whoever you are – then you are great.

Footnotes

[1] Luke i. 48.

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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.