The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 50

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. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 50

“Have mercy on me...cleanse me from all my iniquities.” The Penance

of David (1485-6), by Jean Colombe (Les Très Riches Heures du duc 

de Berry). Condé Museum, Chantilly. Public domain.

1. Have mercy on me, O Lady: for thou art called the Mother of Mercy.[1]

2. And according to thy mercy: cleanse me from all my iniquities.[2]

3. Pour forth thy grace upon me[3]: and withdraw not from me thine accustomed clemency.[4]

4. For I will confess my sins to thee: and I will accuse myself of all my crimes before thee.[5]

5. Reconcile me to the Fruit of thy womb: and make peace for me with Him who has created me.[6]

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Miserere mei, Domina : quæ mater misericordiæ nuncuparis.

2. Et secundum viscera misericordiarum tuarum : munda me ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis.

3. Effunde gratiam tuam super me : et solitam clementiam tuam ne subtrahas a me.

4. Quoniam peccata mea confitebor tibi : et coram te me accuso de sceleribus meis.

5. Fructui ventris tui me reconcilia : et pacifica me ei, qui me creavit.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy”: Davidic Ps. L, 3.

[2] Cf. “And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”: Davidic Ps. L, 3-4.

[3] Cf. “Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts,”: from the Angelus prayer. In 1269 St. Bonaventure urged the faithful to adopt the custom of the Franciscans of saying three Hail Mary’s as the evening bell was rung. See the Preces Latinæ website (©copyrighted by Michael Martin).

[4] Cf. “She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue.” Prov. xxxi, 26.

[5] Cf. “I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord:” Ps. XXXI, 5.

[6] Cf. “Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” From the Salve Regina, attributed by some to St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) and by others to Hermannus Contractus (1013-1054).

Davidic Psalm L

[For those wishing to listen to a legendary 1980 recording of Allegri’s setting of the Miserere (1630’s), click here:

Allegri : Miserere -Tallis Scholars

The Latin text is included in an Appendix at the end of the post.]

1 Unto the end, a psalm of David,  2 When Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bethsabee.

3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.  4 Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 5 For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.   6 To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged.  7 For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me. 8 For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.  9 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.  10 To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.  11 Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.  12 Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.  13 Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  14 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

15 I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.  16 Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.  17 O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.  18 For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.  19 A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.  20 Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.  21 Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.

Notes

This is the fourth of the Penitential Psalms. It marks the beginning of a series of fifteen psalms, (L-LXIV) composed by David. It is easy to discern, in its details as in its totality, the signature of this Prince. Compare, for example, verse 6 and the text of II Kings xii, 9 and 13.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.” 
Nathan Confronts David, 1860. Woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld.
“Die Bibel in Bildern.” Public domain.

The occasion of its writing may be determined with the greatest precision through the words “when Nathan the Prophet came to him.” This prophet had come to find David in the name of the Lord, he had reproached him discreetly but firmly for his double crime and he had caused the blindfold to fall from his eyes which passion had kept in place for nearly a year. Cf. II Kings xii, 1 et seq. The king, touched to the very depths of his soul and understanding how greatly he had offended God, gave free rein to the feelings of repentance agitating his heart, proceeding to write Psalms VI, XXXI and L. There is every reason to believe that Psalm L was the second one he wrote.

The subject matter is therefore evident from what we have said. The “Miserere” is a magnificent commentary on the word “Peccavi” which David uttered as soon as he had recognised the enormity of his sin (II Kings xii, 13). Although he had received from Nathan a precious assurance of pardon, the guilty king wanted to obtain an even more perfect remission of his sins and this is the reason for the pressing appeal he addresses to Divine mercy. The sentiments he describes are admirable ones: the most sincere repentance, a humble confession, trust in God, an ardent supplication along with promises to lead a holy life in the future. All of this has a style and incorporates imagery which students of literature cannot but celebrate and its overall is to produce a remarkable unity of conception. There is here truly the most beautiful of acts of contrition; never has a sinner felt so tenderly and expressed so powerfully the need to obtain pardon for his sins. It does not take much to discover in this Psalm an evangelical spirit and character. The canticle has always been particularly treasured by the Church and by the Saints. It may also be said, moreover, that there are few pages in the Bible which contain so many dogmatic truths in so few lines: Sin stains the soul; it is a direct offence against God; only God Himself, the unique dispenser of graces, can erase it; pardon is obtained only through contrition ; original sin exists, etcetera.

Structure: the psalm may be divided into two parts : the first, verses 3-14, contains the prayer for pardon; the second, verses 15-21, is a promise of thanksgiving.

First part:  an insistent prayer pardon. Verses 3-14. 

3-4:In contemplating his soul, the supplicant sees sin after sin, crimes of every kind committed over entire months ; and so he repeats unceasingly, in his humble confession, the words “iniquity” and “sin.” In Hebrew, the song makes use of three distinct expressions: pesa, transgression which separates man from his God; hâtah, staining or straying; âvah, the perversion of moral qualities. For such evils, there is only one remedy – the infinite mercy of God. This is why David uses the words “according to thy great mercy and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.” The Lord will need to make use of multiple operations to make sins so serious disappear and this is indicated by the choice of verbs.  “blot out” (dele), in Hebrew mâhah, which means to wash an object thoroughly or even to erase written characters;  “wash” (lava), in Hebrew kâbas, which applies to the pounding actions of fullers when there are stains deep in material; “cleanse” (munda), in Hebrew tâhar, used to indicate the purification of lepers. These opening words of the Psalm already reveal the perfect contrition in the penitence heart.

5-6: Here he recognises and confesses the whole extent of his guilt and he is not satisfied with having a dead and inert awareness of this but his feelings are animated and penetrate the innermost parts of his being, producing constantly in his soul horror and detestation in reaction to his sins.

6: “To thee only have I sinned”: these words contain a profound truth. Although guilty of grievous sin against so many people who had to suffer from the results  (Bethsabee, Urias, the Israelites massacred under the walls of Rabbath-Ammon; cf. II Kings xi, 14 et seq.), David feels especially and above all that he has sinned against God. Accordingly, what do the rest amount to in comparison with this infinite outrage, this crime of divine lèse-majesté?

“that thou mayst be justified in thy words”: so that the mayest appear just, or that thy justice may be demonstrated before men.

“and mayst overcome when thou art judged”: In the Hebrew, so that thou mayest be pure, meaning innocent, or perfect.

“when thou art judged”: on the hypothesis where men permit themselves to criticise the conduct of the Lord towards the king, finding the punishment too severe. David therefore wishes to say that by confessing the whole extent of his sin, he is the first to recognise the justice of the divine punishment and accordingly he is helping this infinite justice to shine with all its brightness before those foolhardy enough to make accusations.   

7-8: The prime cause of David’s crime and the opposition they caused between his and that holiness which is so dear to God. These lines provide classic support for the dogma of original sin and tradition is unanimous on this point.

8: “the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom”: the extraordinary graces and Illuminations that the great king had received from the Lord throughout his life and which naturally aggravated the enormity of his crime .

14: “a perfect spirit”: spiritu principali: meaning worthy of a Prince, noble and magnanimous. In the Hebrew: a spirit of goodwill, or full of generosity, which spontaneously and courageously moves towards that which is good. According to the Septuagint, a spirit of hegemony, which directs man and helps him to overcome his unruly passions. The three expressions amount to the same thing.

Part two: promises of thanksgiving. Verses 15-21. 

16: “Deliver me from blood, O God,”: blood is in the plural in the Vulgate, in obvious reference to the fact that David had not only spilt the blood of Urias. 

18-19: The blood and flesh of victims are not at all pleasing to God in themselves but only by virtue of the dispositions by which they are offered up to him. David can offer better a better sacrifice than sheep and bulls : a contrite spirit, a spirit broken by sincere repentance, the trembling of a deeply contrite heart.

20-21: Fearing that by virtue of being king, his crimes might have drawn down divine wrath on the whole people, he implores the Lord to bless Sion in a loving manner and then he expresses his ardent desire to be able to complete the building of the walls of the city. We know from II Kings v, 9 that David did everything he could to protect Jerusalem with defensive walls but on the other hand we learn from III Kings iii, 1 that it was actually Solomon who completed this important work.

Appendix: The Latin Vulgate text of Psalm L

[1 In finem. Psalmus David,  2 cum venit ad eum Nathan propheta, quando intravit ad Bethsabee.]  

3 Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam; et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.  

4 Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea, et a peccato meo munda me.  

5 Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco, et peccatum meum contra me est semper.

6 Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci; ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.  

7 Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum, et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.  

8 Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti; incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.  

9 Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.  

10 Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam, et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.

11 Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis, et omnes iniquitates meas dele.  

12 Cor mundum crea in me, Deus, et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.  

13 Ne projicias me a facie tua, et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.  

14 Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui, et spiritu principali confirma me.  

15 Docebo iniquos vias tuas, et impii ad te convertentur.

16 Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae, et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.  

17 Domine, labia mea aperies, et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.  

18 Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique; holocaustis non delectaberis.  

19 Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus; cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.  

20 Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion, ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem.

21 Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes et holocausta; tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.

 +       +        +

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.