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| 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. |
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).
Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:
Psalm 82
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| “As the heavens are above the earth : so art thou high above above all, and exceedingly exalted.” Madonna in Glory with Saints, by Pietro Perugino (c. 1500).[5] National Art Gallery of Bologna. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. |
2. As the heavens are above the earth: so art thou high above all, and exceedingly exalted[2].
3. Pierce my heart with thy charity[3]: make me worthy of thy grace and thy gifts.
4. May the cares of my heart melt out of reverence for thee: and may the desire of thee inflame my soul[4].
5. Make me desire thy honour and thy glory: that I may be received by thee into the peace of Jesus Christ.
Glory be to the Father etc.
1. Domina mea, quis similis erit tibi: quæ gratia et gloria superemines universos?
2. Sicut exaltantur cœli a terra: sic tu præcelsior cunctis, et nimis exaltata.
3. Vulnera cor meum caritate tua: fac me dignum gratia et muneribus tuis.
4. Liqueat cura mea in timore tuo: et concupiscentia tua cor meum inflammetur.
5. Fac me desiderare honorificentiam et gloriam tuam: ut per te recipiar ad pacem Jesu Christi.
Gloria Patri, etc.
Footnotes
[1] Cf. “O God, who shall be like to thee?”: Davidic Ps. LXXXII, 2.
[2] Cf. “For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.” Is. lv, 9.
[3] Cf. “Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart.” Cant.iv. 9.
[4] Cf. “Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. / Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.”
[5] The standing figures in the painting are (from the viewer’s left to right): St Michael the Archangel; St Catherine of Alexandria (martyred c. 305) ) with her spiked wheel, on the rim of which are the words PETRUS PERUGINUS PINXIT (Pietro Peruginus painted this); St Apollonia holding a pair of pincers with a tooth, a reference to her martyrom (d. 249); and an elderly St John the Evangelist, together his symbol, the eagle.
Davidic Psalm LXXXII
1 A canticle of a psalm for Asaph.
2 O God, who shall be like to thee? hold not thy peace, neither be thou still, O God. 3 For lo, thy enemies have made a noise: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. 4 They have taken a malicious counsel against thy people, and have consulted against thy saints. 5 They have said: Come and let us destroy them, so that they be not a nation: and let the name of Israel be remembered no more. 6 For they have contrived with one consent: they have made a covenant together against thee, 7 The tabernacles of the Edomites, and the Ismahelites: Moab, and the Agarens, 8 Gebal, and Ammon and Amalec: the Philistines, with the inhabitants of Tyre. 9 Yea, and the Assyrian also is joined with them: they are come to the aid of the sons of Lot.
10 Do to them as thou didst to Madian and to Sisara: as to Jabin at the brook of Cisson. 11 Who perished at Endor: and became as dung for the earth. 12 Make their princes like Oreb, and Zeb, and Zebee, and Salmana. All their princes, 13 Who have said: Let us possess the sanctuary of God for an inheritance. 14 O my God, make them like a wheel; and as stubble before the wind. 15 As fire which burneth the wood: and as a flame burning mountains: 16 So shalt thou pursue them with thy tempest: and shalt trouble them in thy wrath. 17 Fill their faces with shame; and they shall seek thy name, O Lord. 18 Let them be ashamed and troubled for ever and ever: and let them be confounded and perish. 19 And let them know that the Lord is thy name: thou alone art the most High over all the earth.
Notes
A prayer for God to deliver the Israelites from several Pagan nations I lied against them.
1: Asaph: This is the last of the twelve psalms attributed to this celebrated cantor or to his descendants.
The Psalm speaks of a formidable coalition against the theocratic kingdom by the peoples surrounding it, coordinated by the Assyrians, in order to bring about its total destruction. The danger is great and the prayer of the psalmist is proportionately urgent. The best commentaries have always held this coalition is no different from the league formed against the holy king Josaphat which was crushed by a spectacular miracle. Cf. II Par. xx, 1 et seq. If this is the case, then it is quite possible that the author of the canticle was Jahaziel, a “Levite of the sons of Asaph” (II Par. xx, 14-17), who on this memorable occasion prophesied to the king and to all the people a swift victory.
Structure: The psalm may be divided into two parts separated by a sélah:
‣ the lament, or a dramatic description of the danger: verses 2-9;
‣ the prayer, or anathemas against the enemies: verses 10-19.
First part:
2-5: A prayer for God to make haste and intervene in order to save his people who are gravely threatened.
6-9: the list of the pagan nations in the coalition against the Hebrews. This is longer then the one found in the second book of Paralipomenon (xx, 1, 22-23) because it is more complete.
Second part: the prayer, an impassioned appeal for help against the enemies of Israel. Verses 10-19.
10-13: The psalmist implores God to inflict on these people the same punishments as He did against other enemies of His people who were no less formidable.
10: Madian: The first example is the miraculous victory won by Gideon’s three hundred heroes. Cf. Judges vii, 1 et seq.
Sisara...Jabin: the second example recalls the glorious names of Debbora and Barac (cf. Judges iv & v) but the poet refers only to the vanquished: Jabin was a powerful Chanaanite king and Sisara commanded his armies.
at the brook of Cisson: this river crosses the plain of Jesrael which served as a battlefield for Debbora and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the foot of Mount Carmel. Swollen by a sudden storm, it swallowed up thousands of enemy troops.
Endor: a small city in the plain of Jesrael rendered famous by the pythoness consulted by Saul.
12: Oreb, Zeb, Zebee and Salmana: kings and princes of Madian.
14-16: a continuation of the prayer and anathemas.
14: “like a wheel”: an admirable figure of speech suggesting the flight of an army prey to panic.
19: cf. II Par. xx, 6: “O Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and rulest over all the kingdoms and nations, in thy hand is strength and power, and no one can resist thee.”
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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.
The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.
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.
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