The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 62

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 62

“Beauty and brightness are in thy sight.”
The Virgin and Child, by Wllem Vrelant (1460’s).
Getty Museum, L.A. Public domain.[7]

1. O God, my God[1]: I will glorify thee by Thy Mother.

2. For she hath conceived thee in virginity[2]: and without travail she hath brought Thee forth.[3]

3. Blessed be thou, O Lady: stand for us before the throne of God.[4]

4. Beauty and brightness are in thy sight.[5]

5. Keep my soul[6], O Lady: that it may never fall into sin.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Deus, Deus meus: per Matrem te glorificabo.

2. Virginaliter enim te concepit: et sine angustia te parturivit.

3. Benedicta sis, o Domina nostra: et pro nobis assiste ante thronum Dei.

4. Species et claritas: in conspectu tuo.

5. Custodi animam meam, Domina: ut nunquam corruat in peccata.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day.”: Davidic Ps. LXII, 2.

[2] Cf. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” Is. vii, 14. 

[3] Cf. “To Eve it was said : ‘In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children:’ Mary was exempt from this law, for preserving her virginal integrity inviolate, she brought forth Jesus the Son of God, without experiencing, as we have already said, any sense of pain.” The Catechism of the Council of Trent (1566): On the third article of the Creed.

[4] Cf. “And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God”: Apoc. viii, 3.

[5] Cf. “With thy comeliness [specie tua] and thy beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign.” Ps. XLIV, 5.

[6] “Custodi animam meam / Keep my soul”: Cf. “Keep thou my soul”: Ps. XXIV, 2o; “Preserve my soul”: Ps. LXXXV, 2.

[7]  The Latin text under the image reads: “Devotissima salutatio ad Mariam: salve. / A most devout salutation to Mary: Hail! Salve Virgo virginum, stella matutina / Hail, Virgin of virgins, morning star; Sordidorum criminum vera medicina / True remedy for sordid sins; Consolatrix hominum, qui sunt in ruina / Consoler of men who are in ruin.” These words are part of a Latin hymn for long attributed to St Bonaventure: see, for example, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Latin 3639.

Davidic Psalm LXII

1 A psalm of David when he was in the desert of Edom.

2 O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day. For thee my soul hath thirsted; for thee my flesh, O how many ways!  3 In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: so in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory.  4 For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips shall praise.  5 Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands.  6 Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.  7 If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning: 8 Because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings:  9 My soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.

10 But they have sought my soul in vain, they shall go into the lower parts of the earth: 11 They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes.  12 But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him: because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.

Notes

A morning prayer filled with holy desires and ardent love, despite the desperate situation of the supplicant.

Historical background 

1: “in the desert of Edom”: This refers to the time when David was a fugitive in the desert as a result of the intrigues and plans of his enemies. Instead of Edom, the Hebrew has: of Judah, and this would appear to be accurate. The reference is therefore to the desert of Judah situated between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. David was obliged on several occasions to seek refuge in this desert, whether during the persecution by Saul or during Absalom’s revolt. It is probable that Psalm LXII does not relate to the first of these periods because the poet speaks of himself as a king in verse 12, which he would not have been able to do before the death of Saul. That leaves the second period during which David was obliged to take flight far from Jerusalem and to seek refuge in the desert of Judah. The account in II Kings xvi, 14 seems to match very closely the situation which is described here (cf. Verses 2, 3, 7, 10-11).

Even though David was at this point in extreme danger, it is remarkable that he does not express any feelings of fear in this beautiful Psalm and he has no thoughts of complaining. The only sighs coming from his heart are his love for God and his trust in Him. These are expressed with exquisite delicacy and wonderful energy.

In form, the beauty of the psalm is perfect, with images which are numerous, powerful and captivating. There is no formal and explicit demand in the psalm, and yet the whole is one long intimate prayer, albeit expressed tacitly, to obtain David’s prompt deliverance from danger and the ruin of his enemies. The Ancient Church designated Psalm LXII as a prayer for the morning. Even today it forms part of the Office of Lauds which is recited at the dawn of the day.

Structure :  the psalm may be divided into two parts:

1. David gives free rein to his feelings of loving confidence and trust in the Lord : verses 2-9.

2. he predicts the ruin of his enemies and his own triumph : verses 10-12. 

First part: verses 2-9.

2: “for thee my flesh”: the words “hath hungered” need to be understood, extending the metaphor of thirst (which also reflects his concrete situation in the desert).

3: “so in the sanctuary have I come before thee”: Exiled in the wilderness,  I am transported in my thoughts to the Sanctuary.

4: “better than lives”: thy mercy is worth more than a million lives.

6: “marrow and fatness”: according to the Vulgate, these are the choice favours which David wishes to draw down upon himself by his prayer. According to the Hebrew, where the verb is in the present tense, the words represent the holy and exquisite sweetness that he experiences in praising his Divine friend. When I sing thy praises it is, O God, as if I were tasting the most succulent and sumptuous dishes. In the Middle East, the fat parts of meat are the most highly esteemed and are given to distinguished guests. The Mosaic Law made a point of reserving them for the Lord.

Second part: verses 10-12.

11: “the portions of foxes”: In Hebr., “the prey of jackals.” These animals very numerous in Palestine and it is by no means unheard of for them to dig up corpses in order to eat them. In the desert of Judah, David could often hear them howling. The prophecy was not long in being realised because a great number of those who had revolted against David perished in the subsequent battle he waged against them and they suffered the dreadful fate which has just been described.  

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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.