The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 16

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 16

“Imitate her, ye holy virgins of God.” The Virgin among the Virgins, by 
Gerard (c. 1450-1523). Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, France. Public domain.

1. Hear, O Lady, my justice[1] and my love: remove from me my tribulations.

2. I will give praise to thee in the voice of rejoicing: when thou shalt magnify thy mercy in me.

3. Imitate her, ye holy virgins of God[2]: as Agnes[3], Barbara[4], Dorothy[5], and Catherine[6] have done.

4. Give honour to her by the voice of your lips: thus have Agatha[7], Lucy[8], Margaret[8], and Cecilia[10] received her grace.

5. She will give you as your Spouse[11] the Son of the Father: and a crown incomparably radiant with the lilies of Paradise.[12]

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. verse 1 of Davidic Psalm XV: “Hear, O Lord, my justice.”

[2] Of the eight names which follow, four are mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass: Agatha, Lucia, Agnes, and Cæcilia.

[3] St Agnes of Rome, virigin and martyr (c. 291 – January 21, 304).

[4] St Barabara, 3rd century virgin and martyr.

[5] St Dorothea of Caesarea, virgin and martyr, executed c. 303 or 311.

[6] St Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr (c. 287–c. 305).

[7] St Agatha of Sicily, virgin and martyr (c. 231 – 251).

[8] St Lucia of Syracuse, virign and martyr (c. 203-304). 

[9] St Margaret of Antioch, virgin and martyr, executed c 304.

[10] St Cæcilia of Rome, virgin and martyr, executed c. 230.

[11] Cf. “Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana:” Cant. iv. 8.  The idea of Christ and His beloved as Spouses is elaborated throughout the Canticle of Canticles.

[12] “lilies”: Cf. “I to my beloved, and my beloved to me, who feedeth among the lilies:” Cant. vi.2. This is but one out of eight references to the lily or lilies in the Canticles.

Davidic Psalm XVI

 1 The prayer of David. Hear, O Lord, my justice: attend to my supplication. Give ear unto my prayer, which proceedeth not from deceitful lips.  2 Let my judgment come forth from thy countenance: let thy eyes behold the things that are equitable.  3 Thou hast proved my heart, and visited it by night, thou hast tried me by fire: and iniquity hath not been found in me.  4 That my mouth may not speak the works of men: for the sake of the words of thy lips, I have kept hard ways.  5 Perfect thou my goings in thy paths: that my footsteps be not moved.  6 I have cried to thee, for thou, O God, hast heard me: O incline thy ear unto me, and hear my words.  7 Shew forth thy wonderful mercies; thou who savest them that trust in thee.  8 From them that resist thy right hand keep me, as the apple of thy eye. Protect me under the shadow of thy wings.  9 From the face of the wicked who have afflicted me. My enemies have surrounded my soul:  10 They have shut up their fat: their mouth hath spoken proudly. 11 They have cast me forth and now they have surrounded me: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth.  12 They have taken me, as a lion prepared for the prey; and as a young lion dwelling in secret places.  13 Arise, O Lord, disappoint him and supplant him; deliver my soul from the wicked one: thy sword  14 From the enemies of thy hand. O Lord, divide them from the few of the earth in their life: their belly is filled from thy hidden stores. They are full of children: and they have left to their little ones the rest of their substance.  15 But as for me, I will appear before thy sight in justice: I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.

Notes

Verse 1: The prayer (Lat. Oratio): Hebr. t’fillah, a noun which designates prayer in the strict sense of the word and this is what predominates in fact throughout the Psalm. It is found at the opening of Psalms LXXXV, LXXXXIX, CI and CXLI.

The poet is surrounded by ruthless enemies whose only thought is be rid of him. Amongst them is one who is particularly set against him (cf. verse 13)  and the supplicant has need of immediate help which he implores from heaven with loud cries. We may deduce from these details that the Psalm was probably composed during Saul’s persecution and, to be more precise, in the days of distress described in I Kings xxiii. 25 et seq., when David was hiding in the wilderness of Maon, to the south east of Hebron, being closely pursued by his ferocious enemies.

The Psalm is divided into three parts : firstly, an appeal to the God of justice who would not abandon an innocent man (verses 1 to 5); secondly, a new appeal even more pressing, motivated by the increasing proximity of the danger, (verses 6 to 12); and a third appeal, contrasting the earthly preoccupations of his persecutors with the altogether heavenly hopes of the victim.

There is a certain similarity between this Psalm and Psalm XV, compare especially Psalm XV verse 4 with Psalm XVI verse 15; but the tone is very different, even though the hope and confidence may be the same. In this Psalm we do not find a joyful serenity and sweet repose in God but rather agitation and violent feelings, brought on by the threat of danger.

Verse 13: “thy sword” (Lat. frameam): Cf. “Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword;” Psalm XXI. 21. According to the commentators on the Vulgate text, this word denotes here the royal sword which God had for a time left in the hands of Saul. On the other hand, the ordinary translation of the Hebrew text would be : “Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword ; deliver my soul from men by thy hand.”

Verse 15: “when (thy glory) shall appear” (Lat. Cum apparuerit).  The Hebrew text here possesses a great beauty: “On awakening, I will be filled to satisfaction by Thine image.” “Awakening” is a perfect way for a Christian to describe the state of the soul after death. 

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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.