The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 66

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 66

“O Star of the sea: shed thy brightness upon me.”
Our Lady, Star of the Sea in Sliema, Malta. 1891,
artist unknown. Public domain.

1. May God have mercy on us and bless us[1]: by her who brought Him forth.

2. Have mercy on us, O Lady, and pray for us: turn our sadness into joy.

3. Enlighten me, O Star of the sea[2]: shed thy brightness upon me, O resplendent Virgin[3].

4. Extinguish the burning of my heart[4]: refresh me with thy grace.

5. Let thy grace ever protect me: let thy presence give light to my end[5].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Deus misereatur nostri, et benedicat nobis: per illam quæ eum genuit.

2. Miserere nostri, Domina, et ora pro nobis: in lætitiam bonam converte mœstitiam nostram.

3. Illumina me, Stella maris: clarifica me, Virgo clarissima.

4. Extingue ardorem cordis mei: refrigera me gratia tua.

5. Protegat me semper gratia tua: præsentia tua illustret finem meum.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Davidic Ps. LXVI, 2.

[2] Cf. The Ave Maris Stella hymn which some authorities trace to the 8th. Century. See too: “Whoever you may be, when you find that in the turbulence of this world you are tossed about amidst storms and tempests rather than walking upon dry land, do not turn your eyes away from the radiance of this star if you do not wish to be overwhelmed by storms. If the winds of temptations rise against you, or if you are foundering among the rocks of tribulation, look up to the Star and call on Mary. If you are tossed by the waves of pride, or ambition, or slander, or envy, look to the star and call on Mary.” From Praises of the Virgin Mother (Homily II, §17.) by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153).

[3] Cf. “For she is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty, and the image of his goodness . . . For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of the stars: being compared with the light, she is found before it.” Wisdom vii, 26 & 29. 

[4] Cf. “In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one.” Eph. Vi, 16.

[5] Cf. “For  . . . being compared with the light, she is found before it.” Wisdom vii, 26 & 29. 

Davidic Psalm LXVI

1 Unto the end, in, hymns, a psalm of a canticle for David.

2 May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.  3 That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.

4 Let people confess to thee, O God: let all people give praise to thee.  5 Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth.

6 Let the people, O God, confess to thee: let all the people give praise to thee:  7 The earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us, 8 May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.

Notes

May God protect Israel and may he be adored by the Gentiles.

1: in hymns. Hebr.: bin‘ginôt, to the accompaniment of stringed instruments.

It is a psalm-canticle, a short poem composed by David which contains spirited lyrical effusions. The dominant thought in this canticle is a burning desire for the conversion of the world as a result of particular manifestations of God’s bounty towards Israel ; when the face of God shines fully upon His people, then all the nations will be attracted and won over; and the reign of justice will be restored. Psalm LXVI is therefore messianic since it predicts albeit indirectly the conversion of all peoples to the one true God and the catholicity of the Church of Christ.

Structure: The Psalm may be divided into three parts or strophes : verses 2-3, 4-5, and 6-8 ; of these, the second and third begin with an identical refrain (verses 4-6).

First part: A prayer to obtain increasingly abundant blessings from God for Israel. Verses 2-3.

2-3: This opening is linked in a most evident manner to the ancient formula of priestly blessing that God himself revealed to Moses: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace. And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Num. vi, 22-27.

Second part: the psalmist prays ardently for the conversion of all peoples to the one true God. Verses 4-5.

4: “all people”: all peoples, irrespective of race, form with Israel but one and the same theocratic nation.

5: “thou judgest the people with justice”:  the peoples come especially in the Orient, frequently suffered from the injustice of their rulers; but there will be nothing similar to that in the kingdom of God and of Christ, Where the most perfect equity will be the only rule The justice of the Messianic Kingdom is frequently celebrated in the Old Testament. Cf. Ps. LXXI, 12-13; Is. xi, 3-4, etc.

Third part: a recapitulation. Verses 6-8.

7: “The earth hath yielded her fruit”: according to modern commentators, this is an allusion to a fruitful harvest. But the entire tenor of the psalm leads us to see something more elevated in this expression. By way of corresponding to the blessings which God is to shower upon the earth, meaning the great human family, abundant fruits of sanctity will be produced. An even higher interpretation in a purely spiritual sense and which has appeared relatively recently is that: The earth has yielded her fruit; Mary has given birth to Jesus. (Pierre Lombard). Cf. “In that day the bud of the Lord shall be in magnificence and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be high”: Is. iv, 2.

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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.