The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 18

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

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

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 18

“Praise her, ye heavens of heavens and let the whole earth glorify
 her name.” Madonna of the rose bower, by Lochner (1440-42).
 Wallraf–Richartz Museum, Cologne. Public domain.

1. The heavens shew forth thy glory[1] : and the fragrance of thine ointments[2] is spread abroad among the nations.

2. Sigh unto her, ye lost sinners : and she will lead you to the haven of pardon[3].

3. In hymns and canticles knock to open her heart[4]: and she will rain down[5] the grace of her sweetness upon you.

4. Glorify her, ye just, before the throne of God : for by the fruit of her womb you have worked justice.

5. Praise her, ye heavens of heavens[6]: and let the whole earth glorify her name.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Diligam te, Domina cæli et terræ : et in gentibus nomen tuum invocabo.

2. Confitemini illi tribulati corde : et roborabit vos contra inimicos vestros.

3. Stilla nobis Domina gratiam uberum tuorum : ex manente lacte dulcedinis tuæ refice viscera puerorum tuorum.

4. Religiosi omnes honorate illam : quia ipsa est adiutrix, et vestra specialis advocata.

5. Esto refrigerium nostrum gloriosa Mater Christi : quia tu es totius religionis mirabile firmamentum.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “The heavens shew forth the glory of God:” Davidic Psalm XVIII. 2.

[2] Cf. Cant i. 3 & iv.10.

[3] Cf. “And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he brought them out of their distresses. And he turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still.  And they rejoiced because they were still: and he brought them to the haven which they wished for:” Psalm CVI. 28-30.

[4] Cf. “Knock, and it shall be opened to you:” Matt. vi. 7 & Luke xi. 9.

[5] Cf. “Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you”: Exod. xvi. 4.

[6] Cf. “Praise him, ye heavens of heavens:” Psalm. CXLVIII. 4.

Davidic Psalm XVIII

“The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting
souls.” Moses and the Ten Commandments,
by James Tissot (1896-1902). The Jewish
Museum, NYC. Public domain.

1 Unto the end. A psalm for David.  2 The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands.  3 Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge.  4 There are no speeches nor languages, where their voices are not heard.  5 Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.  6 He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he, as a bridegroom coming out of his bride chamber, hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way:  7 His going out is from the end of heaven, And his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.  8 The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.  9 The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes.  10 The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.  11 More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.  12 For thy servant keepeth them, and in keeping them there is a great reward.  13 Who can understand sins? from my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord:  14 And from those of others spare thy servant. If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be without spot: and I shall be cleansed from the greatest sin.  15 And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in thy sight. O Lord, my helper, and my redeemer.

Notes

God in nature and in revelation.

This Psalm has been described as one of the most profound compositions of the Holy King. It presents in turn the witness rendered to God on the one hand by the physical world and on the other by revealed law. It is accordingly divided into two parts which are quite different as to their substance and to their form. The first part (verses 2-7) celebrates the power and majesty of God the Creator, as attested especially by the heavens and the sun ; the second part (verses 8-15) expounds the beauty and the benefits of the theocratic law revealed by God to Israelites. In the first part there is more vivid imagery and greater lyricism ; in the second the form is more didactic and calm. God is referred to as ‘El in the first and Jehovah (seven times) in the second. Unity is present however amidst this diversity: in order to perceive it with simplicity and clarity, it is enough to recall the identity of Israel’s Law-giver and the world’s Creator was a fundamental principle of the religion of the Old Testament. Cf. “For behold he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind, and declareth his word to man, he that maketh the morning mist, and walketh upon the high places of the earth: the Lord the God of hosts is his name:” Am. iv. 13; See also v. 7-8, etc. The psalmist for his part affirms this principle, moving from praise of the Creator ('Elohim or 'El) to that of God the Lawgiver (Yehovah), and describing the wonder, albeit under various headings, of the magnificent works of this singular Lord.

St Paul applies verse 5 to the universal propagation of the Gospel, in other words to the Catholicity of the Church: “Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the whole world;”(Rom. x. 18). The Holy Fathers see in the triumphant progress of the Sun in verses 6 to 7 a symbol of the irresistible victories of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

First part:  God reveals himself miraculously in nature : verses 2-7.

Verses 2-5: Verse 1 enables us to hear a harmonious concert of music which echoes around the celestial spheres and the object of which is to sing the glory of Him who created them. The whole of creation reveals God, but it is especially the heavens in their immensity, their splendour, their order and their mysteries that reflect in a most striking manner His greatness and His Majesty.

Verse 2: This concert is constant and never ending. The hymns of praise from the heavens to the glory of their Creator are compared by the poet to a tradition which has never been interrupted : each day tells the following day, and each night tells the succeeding night, what they have learned and understood of the divine work. At first glance, it would seem more natural to say that the day tells the night of this glorious tradition; but the psalmist has preferred to link like with like. He has moreover chosen to indicate that they each transmit a special message : the day speaks of splendour, power and goodness; the night speaks of immensity, mystery, beauty and rest. They are like two parts of a single choir.

Verses 6-7: “He hath set his tabernacle in the sun:”according to the metaphor provided by the Vulgate, the Creator is imagined to have chosen this glorious star as a place of abode. The meaning in Hebrew, however, is different : He hath made of the heavens a tabernacle for the sun. This is an altogether poetic image where the heavens become like a magnificent pavilion in which the Sun retires each evening and from which it emerges in the morning.

The course of the Sun in the heavens is described by means of two elegant comparisons, the first of which represents His grace and the second His irresistible power: “as a bridegroom”: upon rising, the Sun is compared to a spouse emerging from the nuptial chamber with all the suppleness and beauty of youth, bursting with happiness. Cf. Is. lxi. 10 and lxii. 5; Joel ii. 16; “as a giant”: like a hero who, proud of his vigour and most keen to show it, makes haste to do combat and triumph over every obstacle.

Second part: the law of God shines forth in a manner no less wondrous. Verses 8-15.

Verses 8-11: The law referred to by David is not limited to the Decalogue but includes all the positive revelations made by the Lord to His chosen people and found no less in the writings of the Prophets than in the Pentateuch. This law is represented in the Psalms by six synonymous nouns and qualified by twelve expressions of praise which accompany the nouns in pairs, being so arranged that the first is to the second as cause is to effect.

Verses 12-15: The divine law considered subjectively and in practice. 

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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.