The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 14

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 14

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit...” The Sermon on the 
Beatitudes, by James Tissot 1886-94.
Brooklyn Museum, N.Y. Public domain.

1. O Lady, who shall dwell in the tabernacle of God ? or who shall rest[1] with the leaders[2] of the people?

2. The poor in spirit, and the clean of heart : the meek, the peacemakers, and they that mourn[3].

3. Remember, O Lady, to speak good things on our behalf : and to turn away thy Son’s indignation from us.

4. O sinners, let us stay close to the footsteps of Mary : and cast ourselves at her blessed feet.

5. Let us hold her fast[4], nor let her go : until we deserve to be blessed by her.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina, quis habitabit in tabernaculo Dei? Aut quis requiescet cum senatoribus populi?

2. Pauperes spiritu, et mundi corde : mites, pacifici, atque lugentes.

3. Recordare Domina, ut loquaris pro nobis bona : et indignationem Filii tui avertas a nobis.

4. Amplectamur Mariæ vestigia, peccatores : et eius beatis pedibus provolvamur.

5. Teneamus eam fortiter, nec dimittamus : donec ab ea meruerimus benedici.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf.  “Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?” Davidic Ps. XIV. 1.

[2] “with the leaders”, Lat. cum senatoribus: Cf. “Her husband is honourable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land:” Prov. xxxi. 23. Elsewhere, the same word (senes) is translated as “ancients”: see Ps. CIV. 22.

[3] Five of the beatitudes from Matt. v. 3-10.

[4] Cf.  “hold fast that which is good:” 1 Thess. v. 21; “Behold, I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast:” Apoc. iii. 11.

Davidic Psalm XIV

“Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle?”  Moses and Joshua in the
Tabernacle, by James Tissot (1886-94). The Jewish Museum, NYC.
Public domain.

1 A psalm of David. Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?  

2 He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:  3 He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.  4 In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not;  5 He that hath not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent: He that doth these things shall not be moved for ever.

Notes

The requirements for those who would enter into the house of God.

There is a considerable resemblance between this Psalm and Psalm XXIII which makes it more than likely that they were composed at the same time and for the same occasion : namely, for the transfer of the Ark to Mount Sion. Cf. II Kings xii. 6 et seq. 

Psalm 14 begins with a question in verse 1 and continues with a response in verses 2 to 5. The response is given at first in general terms and is then developed with a number of examples which show the perfection necessary to abide with God in His sanctuary. The subject is particularly aimed at the priests and levites but the poet also had in mind all those who presented themselves in the sanctuary for the purpose of prayer.

Verse 1: “dwell” and “rest”: the respective Hebrew verbs here are gur and sâkan which mean to live as a guest or stranger and to reside permanently as in the bosom of a family.

“holy hill”: referring to the new tabernacle erected by David on the summit of Mt Sion.

Verses 2-3: In order to be worthy of dwelling either in the Tabernacle of Sion, or in the heavenly Jerusalem which it represented, actions are required and the poet refers to three : walking, working, and speaking; walking in integrity and perfection (Hebr. tâmim), which the Vulgate/D.Rheims translates as “without blemish”;  practising justice, which is to say being obedient to the divine will; speaking Truth in the heart , as opposed to in the mouth, and making this the norm for all one’s actions.

Verses 3-5: A specific and concrete set of replies, couched generally in the negative.

“shall not be moved”: (Lat. non movebitur): We might have expected here a return to the words with which the Psalm opened: He who does these things will dwell on the holy mountain; but a more general form of words is used which says much more since “not to be moved” means to the object of God’s loving and enduring protection which will provide perpetual happiness and safety. Cf. “I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved;” Ps. XV. 8. 

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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.