The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 69

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 69

“Show forth thy power against our enemies.” Maria
 Immaculata, by Martino Altomonte (1728). St. Peter's
 Parish Church, Sarleinsbach (Austria). W.Sauber [8] 

1. O Lady, come to my assistance[1]: and by the light of thy mercy enlighten me[2].

2. Teach us to seek thy goodness: that we may declare thy wonders[3].

3. Show forth thy power against our enemies[4]: that thou mayest be praised among the distant nations.

4. In the flames of thy wrath let them be plunged into hell[5]: and may they who trouble thy servants find perdition[6].

5. Have mercy on thy servants, upon whom thy name is invoked ! and do not permit them to be straitened in their temptations[7].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina, in adjutorium meum intende: et luce misericordiæ tuæ illustra mentem meam.

2. Doce nos exquirere bonitatem tuam: ut enarremus mirabilia tua.

3. Ostende potentiam tuam contra inimicos nostros: ut sanctificeris in nationibus procul.

4. In ira flammæ tuæ mergantur in infernum: et qui conturbant servos tuos, inveniant perditionem.

5. Miserere servorum tuorum, super quos invocatum est nomen tuum; et ne sinas angustiari eos in tentationibus suis.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Davidic Ps. LXIX, 2. “These words form the introductory prayer to every Hour of the Roman, monastic, and Ambrosian Breviaries, except during the last three days of Holy Week, and in the Office of the Dead. While they are said, or sung, all present sign themselves with the sign of the cross. Tradition says that St. Benedict introduced this custom into the monastic Office and that St. Gregory I extended it to all the Roman churches; Cassian (Coll., X, 10), however, says that from the earliest Christian times the monks used this introduction very often, probably outside of the liturgical prayers.” For more, see Deus in Adjutorium Meum Intende in the Catholic Encyclopedia. 

[2] Cf. “For  . . . being compared with the light, she is found before it.” Wisdom vii, 26 & 29; “For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth”: Ephes. v, 9.

[3] Cf. “Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy”: Luke i, 43-4.

[4] Cf. “Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?” Cant. vi, 9.

[5] Cf. “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.” [Matt. xxv, 41;  “And there came down fire from God out of heaven, and devoured them; and the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Apoc. xx, 9-10.

[6] Cf. “But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men.” 2 Peter iii, 7.

[7] Cf. “In all things we suffer tribulation, but are not distressed [non angustiamur]; we are straitened, but are not destitute”: 2 Cor. iv, 8.

[8] Wikimedia Commons: GNU Free Documentation License: See Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Davidic Psalm LXIX

1 Unto the end, a psalm for David, to bring to remembrance that the Lord saved him.

2 O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.  3 Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul:  4 Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils to me: Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me: Tis well, tis well.  5 Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.  6 But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay.

Notes

Prayer of a man persecuted by cruel enemies.

 1. This short poem is limited to reproducing almost literally the second half of XXXIX, verses 14 et seq. There is nothing to suggest that David himself may have extracted the words and inserted them for some liturgical reason. 

“to bring to remembrance”: See Ps. XXXVII, 1.

“that the Lord saved him”: these words are missing in the Hebrew text and in the majority of Greek manuscripts. They were added by the Vulgate, following the Codex Vaticanus of the Septuagint.

The poet, finding himself in a perilous situation and surrounded by his enemies who wish to take his life, implores God to come unto his aid. He appeals to heavenly vengeance against the wicked and to divine goodness for himself and for other just men.

Structure : The psalm may be divided into two parts:

a prayer by the psalmist against the enemies who are attacking him remorselessly : versus 2-4;

a prayer in favour of the good and for himself: verses 5 to 6.  

For more, see Notes on Ps. XXXIX. 

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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.