The Nativitye of Christ

Ad Jesum per Mariam. J-J Tissot.

This is the fifth day of a Novena in preparation for the great Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, on October 7th. Today is the feast of  Sainte Thérèse of Lisieux, in whose honour I have prepared a separate post. 

The Novena is offered as a gift to Our Lady praying that, through her maternal intercession, she will mediate graces so as to guide and protect the author, his family* and all the members of the Church Militant, in these disturbing times. [*E, E, K, P, T, E ,E; E, A.] 

We shall be posting each day examples of Marian poetry written by St Robert Southwell who himself lived in a terrible time of trial for Catholics. Much of his poetry was written whilst he was in solitary confinement prior to his execution at Tyburn on the 21st of February, 1595. 

The original spelling and punctuation has been retained; the notes which follow each poem are my own.

The Nativitye of Christ

 

Behold the father is his daughters sonne
The bird that built the nest, is hatchd therein
The old of yeres an hower hath not outrunne
Eternall life to live doth now beginne
The worde is dumm the mirth of heaven doth weepe [5]
Might feeble is and force doth fayntly creepe.

O dyinge soules behold your living springe
O dazeled eyes behould your sunne of grace
Dull eares attend what word this word doth bringe
Up heavy hartes with joye your joy embrace [10]
From death from darke from deaphness from despayres
This life this light this word this joy repaires

Gift better than himself god doth not knowe
Gift better then his god no man can see
This gift doth here the giver given bestowe [15]
Gift to this gift lett ech receiver bee
God is my gift, himself he freely gave me
Gods gift am I and none but God shall have me.

Man altered was by synn from man to best
Bestes food is haye haye is all mortall fleshe [20]
Now god is fleshe and lyes in manger prest
As haye the brutish synner to refreshe.
O happy feilde wherein this foder grewe
Whose taste doth us from beastes to men renewe.

Notes

[First verse] A common feature of RS's writings is the paradox, well-illustrated here.

paradox: an apparently absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition, or a strongly counter-intuitive one, which investigation, analysis, or explanation may nevertheless prove to be well-founded or true. 

[l 1] the father is his daughters sonne:  Jesus is Mary's son but He is the Son of God the Father,  He and the Father are one.

 

I and the Father are one. Ego et Pater unum sumus. [John x. 30]

Therefore it may be said the father is his daughter's son. 

[l 2] the bird that built the nest... is hatched therein: The creation is attributed by appropriation to Jesus, God the Son, per quem omnia facta sunt (Nicene Creed):

All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.

Omnia per ipsum facta sunt : et sine ipso factum est nihil, quod factum est.

per quem omnia facta sunt  [John i.3]

He was in the world, and the world was made by him. In mundo erat, et mundus per ipsum factus est, et mundus eum non cognovit.  [John i.10]

Cf, Christ's own words which can be understood as having reference to his place of birth, in a cave's stable:

And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests: but the son of man hath not where to lay his head. Et dicit ei Jesus : Vulpes foveas habent, et volucres caeli nidos; Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet.[Matt. viii. 20]

[l 3] the olde of yeres (years) an hower (hour) hath not outrunne: The 'olde of yeares', the Lord God, is the 'Ancient of days' spoken of by the prophet Daniel: 

Till the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the saints of the most High,[Daniel vii. 22]

Jesus, one with His Father, is less than an hour old.

[l 4] Eternall life... begin: God, outside time and space, sends His son Who is born of Mary to begin His earthly life. 

[l 5] the word is dumm: In the beginning was the Word (God the Son), the Word became flesh and dwelled amongst us. But as a newborn baby, the Word did not utter words (though doubtless communicating like all newborn infants!).

[l 5] the mirth of heaven doth weepe: The sense then seems to be that God's Heaven is bliss ('mirth') where there are no tears; but the Christ child cries like any other infant here on earth in 'this vale of tears'.

'mirthe' - Often used of religious joy and heavenly bliss. Now obsolete.[OED]

[l 6] fayntly: weakly, feebly. The Lord God Omnipotent allows Himself to become 'feeble' and must needs 'creep' before learning to walk: 

1546   J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. xi. sig. Divv   Children lerne to crepe er they can lerne to go (walk).[OED]

[l 11-12]: The subtility of the syntax may be better appreciated when read as an acrostic:

From death                                        :    This life

from darke ('darkness')                     :     this light  

from deaphnesse (deafness)           :        this word

from despayres                              :      this joy       repaires

[l 15 et seq] gift/giver/given: the giver is God; the gift is Himself (ie His Son); He is bestowed on or given to us. He gives Himself to us through His incarnation; He gives Himself unto death as a sacrifice to redeem us; with such great love, he lays down or gives His life for His friends; He gives Himself in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and offers to give Himself to the faithful in Holy Communion.

[l 16 & l 18] We who receive God as a gift of Himself to us, in a similar fashion we must make ourselves God's gift by giving ourselves unto God, and to none but God.

[l 19] best: beast. Man lost the gift of freedom from concupiscence, a desire of the lower appetite contrary to reason and hence likened here to animal impulses.

I find then a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me. For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man: But I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my members. Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [Ephesians vii. 21-24]

[l l20-24] haye: The context here suggests an image of baby Jesus lying on hay in the manger of the stable in Bethlehem, with the ox and the ass nearby. This image conveys another meaning: God has come down from Heaven ('Now god is fleshe') and has a taste of life on earth, like one of his creatures; He lies in a manger where animals eat the hay to keep themselves alive. He will become like this hay for our sake and offer Himself to us through Mass and Communion so that we may have a taste of Heaven here on earth; and so that we, 'brutest synners', by partaking of Him, might be refreshed and have the hope one day of life with Him forever in Heaven.

There is no ass or ox in the Biblical narratives of the birth of Christ but with exception of the Child himself, the ass and the ox are the most ancient and stable elements in  the iconography of the nativity.  See The Ass and The Ox in The Nativity Icon by Jonathan Pageau at The Orthodox Arts Journal.

The ox (a clean animal, a castrated male) represents Israel (the chosen people, circumcised)  and the ass (an unclean, uncastrated animal, a beast of burden) represents the gentiles (uncircumcised of the flesh).  Together they represent the whole of mankind, as in the poem.

They feature in the prophecies of Isaiah:

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel hath not known me, and my people hath not understood.[Isaiah i.3]

This has an interesting parallel in St Paul:

For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: [23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: [1 Corinthians i.22]

Coda

Fulton Sheen provides a modern version of the use of paradox in describing the Incarnation of Christ: 

“He who made his mother is born of his mother. He who made all flesh is born of flesh. The bird that built the nest is hatched therein. Maker of the sun, under the sun; molder of the earth, on this earth; ineffably wise, a little infant; filling the world, lying in a manger; ruling the stars, suckling a breast; the mirth of heaven weeps; God becomes man; Creator, a creature. Rich becomes poor; Divinity, incarnate; Majesty, subjugated; Liberty, captive; Eternity, time; Master, a servant; Truth, accused; Judge, judged; Justice, condemned; Lord scourged; Power, bound with ropes; King, crowned with thorns; Salvation wounded; Life, dead. And thought we shall live on through eternity, eternity will not be long enough for us to understand the mystery of that Child Who was a Father and of the mother who was a child.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Divine Romance, delivered in the Catholic Radio Hour 1930)

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

The Visitation

Ad Jesum per Mariam. J-J Tissot.

This is the fourth day of a Novena in preparation for the great Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, on October 7th. Today is the feast of  the Holy Guardian Angels (see line 9 and note below). 

The Novena is offered as a gift to Our Lady praying that, through her maternal intercession, she will mediate graces so as to guide and protect the author, his family* and all the members of the Church Militant, in these disturbing times. [*E, E, K, P**, T, E ,E; E, A.] **Today is his birthday and we wish him 'Ad multos annos,' praying that his Holy Guardian Angel, his patron saints and Our Blessed Lady will watch over him and lead his soul to Heaven.

We shall be posting each day examples of Marian poetry written by St Robert Southwell who himself lived in a terrible time of trial for Catholics. Much of his poetry was written whilst he was in solitary confinement prior to his execution at Tyburn on the 21st of February, 1595. 

The original spelling and punctuation has been retained; the notes which follow each poem are my own.

The Visitation

Proclaymed Queene and mother of a god

The light of earth the Soveraigne of Saints

With Pilgrimm foote upp tyring hils she trodd

And heavenly stile with handmayds toyle acquaints

Her youth to age her helth to sicke she lends [5]

Her heart to god to neighbour hand she bendes.

A prince she is and mightier prince doth beare

Yet pompe of princely trayne she would not have

But doubtles heavenly quires attendant were

Her child from harme her selfe from fall to save [10]

Word to the voyce songe to the tune she bringes

The voyce her Word, the tune her dittye sings

Eternall lightes enclosed in her breste

Shott out such percing beames of burning love

That when her voyce her Cosens eares possest [15]

The force thereof did force her babe to move

With secret signes the children greete ech other

But open praise ech leaveth to his mother.

Notes

[l 1] Proclaymed Queene and mother of a god: Mary, declared 'Mother of God' or theotokos at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD,  is honoured as a Queen under various titles throughout Catholic tradition, including the thirteen times in the Litany of Loreto.

[l 2] The light of earth the Soveraigne of Saints: This can in one sense refer to Mary who is the Stella Matutina and the Stella Maris - the Morning Star, the Star of the Sea: the 'light of the earth'. Other references to light include those in the beautiful antiphon for the Assumption:

Who is she that cometh like the dawn,

fair as the moon, bright as the sun,

terrible as an army prepared for battle?

Quae est ista quae progreditur

quasi aurora consurgens,

pulchra ut luna, electa ut sol,

terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata ? [Canticle of Canticles. vi. 10]

See also the use of 'soveraigne' in line 7 in 'Our Ladies Salutation' (posted yesterday).The syntax supports, however, a second sense whereby she is the 'mother of a god' and mother of 'the light of the earth', i.e., Christ, the 'light of the world'; and the mother of the 'Soveraigne of Saints', Christ the King.

[l 3] with Pilgrimm foote: 'pilgrim': the normal sense today is: A person who makes a journey (usually of a long distance) to a sacred place; a person who makes a journey to visit a place of particular significance or interest, esp. as an act of homage, respect. The word derives from 'peregrinus': peregrīnus, a, um: adj. (peregre from per and ager), of foreign lands; foreign.

[l 3] upp tyring hils she trodd: Mary made a journey from Nazareth to a village in the hill country of Judah, Ain Karim, some 90 miles distant, hence the 'tiring hills'.  'Ain Karim' means 'Spring of the Vineyard', an interesting name for the birthplace of John the Baptist who was to baptise Christ in the waters of the Jordan. There are many texts linking Christ to the 'vine': see, for instance:[5] I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.[John XV]

[l 4] And heavenly stile: heavenly style: this line makes reference to the heavenly and the earthly. The angel from Heaven speaks of miraculous, Heavenly things:

[31] Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. [32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. [33] And of his kingdom there shall be no end. [34] And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? [35] And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

[36] And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: [37] Because no word shall be impossible with God. [Luke i. 31-37]

The Blessed Virgin Mary, here in her earthly home in Nazareth, replies: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. Pondering the Heavenly words in her heart, but mindful of earthly, practical concerns for her elderly kinswoman, Elizabeth, Mary journeys 'with haste' to offer help. She bends her heart to God, but to her neighbour (Elizabeth), she will lend a helping hand [l 6]. This last line is a wonderful example by Mary of Jesus' answer to the scribe who asked which was the 'first commandment of all':

[29] And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God. [30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. [31] And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these. [Matt. xxii. 37]

[l 5] sicke: either a sickness or a person suffering (in this case, Elizabeth). Cf 1526   Bible (Tyndale) Matt. ix. f. xj   Then sayd he vnto the sicke of the palsey.

[l 7] prince: Mary. 'Prince' can be applied to a female sovereign in Elizabethan usage. See eg, 1581   W. Stafford Compend. Exam. Complaints (1876) i. 29   Yea, the Prince,..as she hath most of yearely Reuenewes,..so should shee haue most losse by this dearth. 

[l 7] mightier prince doth beare: recalling the prophecy of Isaias:

[6] For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.

Parvulus enim natus est nobis, et filius datus est nobis, et factus est principatus super humerum ejus : et vocabitur nomen ejus, Admirabilis, Consiliarius, Deus, Fortis, Pater futuri saeculi, Princeps pacis. [Is. ix. 6]

[l 8] trayne - train: a long line or procession (of courtiers, attendants etc.)

[l 9] heavenly quires: heavenly choirs of angels.

[l 9-10] : recalling the Psalmist's words:

[11] For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.

Quoniam angelis suis mandavit de te, ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis.

[12] In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

In manibus portabunt te, ne forte offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum.[Ps xc]

 [l 11-12] Word, voyce, songe, tune, dittye: these two lines are rich in imagery and meaning. There is clearly at one level a reference to Mary singing the Magnificat, the 'Canticle of Mary'. She voices her ideas through words that she sets to a tune which becomes her song, the Magnificat. 

There is another possible reference:
'Word to the voyce...she bringes': Mary bears within her womb Jesus, the 'Word made flesh', and she has brought him to John who is in the womb of his mother Elizabeth and who will later say that he is the 'voice of one crying in the wilderness'.
dittye: The words of a song, as distinguished from the music or tune. See eg, 1561   Iniunctions Bishop of Norwich sig. B.iii   'That the songe in the Churche be..so deuised and vsed that the ditte may plainly be vnderstand.' OED. 

[l 13] breste: her womb; but note associated meanings as in: fig. and transf. The seat of the affections and emotions; the repository of consciousness, designs, and secrets; the heart; OED.

[l 14-15] eternall lightes...percing beames of burning love: Jesus is the 'light of the world', enabling us to see the truth and the way to Heaven:

[12] Again therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the light of the world: 
he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life. [John  8, 12].

But the Divine fire that provides this light also enflames hearts. After the resurrection, two disciples met up with a stranger on their way to Emaus. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him. They did not recognise him as Jesus until the breaking of bread in the evening, when their eyes were suddenly opened.

[32] And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in this way, and opened to us the scriptures? [Luke 24]

ll17-18] With secret signes... : Luke recounts the words uttered by Elizabeth and Mary. 'secret signes' can mean here a sign that is not outwardly visible, as in the coming of the Holy Ghost upon Elizabeth and her baby's dancing for joy in the womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: [42] And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. [43] And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.[Luke 1]

The angel who visited Zachary in the temple to prophesy the birth of John included the following words: 

he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.[Luke 1, 15]

John was not free from original sin at the moment of his conception but was freed from sin while he was still in his mother's womb, when the little Lamb of God arrived, Himself also in a mother's womb. This is almost like a baptism by his cousin Christ.

There may also be a reference to the 'secret signs' necessary in Elizabethan England for people to avoid falling foul of the oppressive, anti-Catholic laws. In this scene, two cousins greet each other by 'secret signes'.  Did two other cousins, Fr Southwell and Shakespeare, use such signs?

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Our Ladies Salutation

Ad Jesum per Mariam. J-J Tissot.

This is the third day of a Novena in preparation for the great Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, on October 7th. 

The Novena is offered as a gift to Our Lady praying that, through her maternal intercession, she will mediate graces so as to guide and protect the author, his family* and all the members of the Church Militant, in these disturbing times. [*E, E, K, P, T, E ,E; E, A.]

We shall be posting each day examples of Marian poetry written by St Robert Southwell who himself lived in a terrible time of trial for Catholics. Much of his poetry was written whilst he was in solitary confinement prior to his execution at Tyburn on the 21st of February, 1595. 

The original spelling and punctuation has been retained; the notes which follow each poem are my own.

Our Ladies Salutation

Spell Eva backe and Ave shall yowe finde
The first beganne the last reversd our harmes
An Angells witching wordes did Eva blynde
An Angells Ave disinchaunts the charmes
Death first by Woemans Weakenes entred in [5]
In woemans vertue life doth nowe beginn.

O Virgin brest the heavens to thee inclyne
In thee their joy and soveraigne they agnize
Too meane their glory is to match with thyne
Whose chaste receite god more then heaven did prize [10]
Hayle fayrest heaven that heaven and earth dost blisse
Where vertewes starres god sonne of justice is.

With hauty mynd to godhead man aspird
And was by pride from place of pleasure chas'd
With loving mynde our manhead god desird [15]
And us by love in greater pleasure plac'd
Man labouring to ascend procur'd our fall
God yelding to descend cutt off our thrall.

Notes

[l 1] Eva... Ave: This correspondence appears at least as early as the 9th century in the hynb, Ave Maris Stella (anon), of which the second verse has: Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, funda nos in pace,mutans Hevae nomen. Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, peace confirm within us, changing Eve's name.

yowe: you

[l 3] witching wordes: 'witching': 'that casts a spell; enchanting'. This is a reference to the seductive lies of the fallen Angel, Lucifer, who persuades Eve she can disobey the commandment God gave not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 

[4] And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. [5] For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. [Genesis 3]

[l4] An Angells Ave: The Angel Gabriel, who fought in the victory of the good angels over Lucifer's proud hordes, begins the process of undoing the effects of the 'witching wordes', by a simple salutation: Ave...

[l 5] Death: 

[12] Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. [Romans V]

[l 5] Woemans Weakenes: woman's weakness; woeman: etymology: < wife n. + man. The word 'woman' appears at the beginning of Genesis in reference to Eve: 

"And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman [mulier*]: and brought her to Adam. And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman,[virago**] because she was taken out of man." [Genesis ii: 22, 23]

The Septuagint uses one word for 'woman' in both contexts: γυνή, γυνή, γυναικός, ἡ (voc. γύναι), woman; wife. St Jerome uses the words mulier and virago in these two verses. It has been suggested that St Jerome used the words Vir for man and Virago for "woman" attempting to reproduce a pun on "male" and "female" (ish and ishah) that existed in the Hebrew text:

וַיֹּאמֶר, הָאָדָם, זֹאת הַפַּעַם עֶצֶם מֵעֲצָמַי, וּבָשָׂר מִבְּשָׂרִי; לְזֹאת יִקָּרֵא אִשָּׁה, כִּי מֵאִישׁ לֻקְחָה-זֹּאת.

Then the man said, "This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called Woman (isha) for from man (ish) she was taken".

However, almost all modern linguists say that ish and isha aren't related. Ish comes from the root אוש, meaning strength (the related root אשש means "to strengthen"), and isha derives from אנש, meaning weak. See: Balashon.

*mulier: mŭlĭer, ĕris, f. mollior, comp. of mollis, q. v., a woman, a female, whether married or not. mollis, e, adj. Gr. μαλακός, ἀμαλός, μῶλυς; cf. βληχρός, perh. Lat. mulier (mollior), easily movable, pliant, flexible, supple; soft, tender, delicate, gentle, mild, pleasant 

**virago: vĭrāgo, ĭnis, f. virgo: man-like, vigorous, heroic maiden, a female warrior, heroine.

[l 6] woemans vertue: A reference to another woman, the second Eve, Mary, Mother of Jesus. Note the two occasions that Our Lord addresses Our Lady, using the word 'Woman.'

[4] And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come. Et dicit ei Jesus : Quid mihi et tibi est, mulier? nondum venit hora mea. [John ii. 4]

[26] When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. Cum vidisset ergo Jesus matrem, et discipulum stantem, quem diligebat, dicit matri suae : Mulier, ecce filius tuus. [John xix. 26]

Through a woman's 'virtue', through Our Lady's virtue, 'life doth nowe beginn.' She is to be the mother of the 'the Way, the Truth and the Life.'

Note the etymology of 'virtue':  virtūs, ūtis (gen. plur. virtutium,  f. vir, manliness, manhood, i. e. the sum of all the corporeal or mental excellences of man, strength, vigor; bravery, courage; aptness, capacity; worth, excellence, virtue, etc

[l 7] In art, Gabriel, Heaven;s envoy, inclines (bows or genuflects) before the Blessed Virgin.

[l  8] agnize: recognize, acknowledge. Christians acknowledge Mary as the 'Cause of our joy' (Causa nostrae laetitiae, Litany of Loreto, 12th century); and they honour her as Queen (see the thirteen titles in the same litany). Alternatively, the meaning here may be that the heavens acknowledge Jesus Christ, present body, blood, soul and divinity 'in thee', ie in the tabernacle of Mary's womb. See however lines 1-2 of The Visitation by Southwell:

Proclaymed Queene and mother of a god
The light of earth the Soveraigne of saints

[l 10] receite: The act of receiving or taking in; or A place of reception or accommodation for people; a shelter, refuge.

[l 11] blisse: 'bless'. Some interesting definitions from the OED: To consecrate (a person) to a sacred office. To consecrate by a prayer committing a person to God for his patronage, defence, and prospering care. To sanctify or hallow by making the sign of the cross. 'Orig. meaning (probably), To make ‘sacred’ or ‘holy’ with blood; to consecrate by some sacrificial rite.' A curious foreshadowing of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, even unto shedding the last drop of His blood for us.

Mary is apostrophized as 'fairest heaven'. She is 'Heaven' because God is dwelling in her and she is completely free from sin. 'dost' is second person singular and so the line reads as: 'Hail fairest Heaven, thou dost bless heaven and earth', because of the blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus, and for which reason she is esteemed blessed among all women. The second 'heaven' may be taken to mean everything above and around the earth: the sky, the sun, the moon, the starts and the planets. 'heaven and earth' therefore represent all the created world.

[l 12]: Where vertewes...sonne of justice is: The uncertainty over punctuation, number and ellipsis in this line gives pause for thought. The sense may be: God, the Sun of Justice, is (there) where Virtue's Star [Mary] is. 'sonne' shows up as either 'sun' or son' in OED citations from the Elizabethan and Jacobean period. 'Sun of Justice' is a known title of Jesus Christ when He comes again in judgement of the living and the dead. see for example:

[2] But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise... [Malachi 4]

[l 13] hauty: haughty, proud, arrogant; referring to the original sin of pride committed by our first parents through the deceit of Satan.

[l 15] manhead: The state of being human; the condition of belonging to humanity; human nature. Esp. as opposed to godhead. An illustration of this now rare word may be found in: 'The Glorie of Christs Godhead was hid..by the sufferinges of his Manhead'.

[l 18] thrall: thraldom, bondage, servitude; captivity.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Our ladies Nativitye

Ad Jesum per Mariam J-J Tissot.

This is the second day of a Novena in preparation for the great Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, on October 7th. 

The Novena is offered as a gift to Our Lady praying that, through her maternal intercession, she will mediate graces so as to guide and protect the author, his family* and all the members of the Church Militant, in these disturbing times. [*E, E, K, P, T, E ,E; E, A.]

We shall be posting each day examples of Marian poetry written by St Robert Southwell who himself lived in a terrible time of trial for Catholics. Much of his poetry was written whilst he was in solitary confinement prior to his execution at Tyburn on the 21st of February, 1595. 

The original spelling and punctuation has been retained; the notes which follow each poem are my own.

Our ladies Nativitye

 

Joye in the risinge of our orient starr
That shall bringe forth the Sunne that lent her light
Joy in the peace that shall conclude our Warr
And soon rebate the edge of Satons spight
Load starr of all engolfd in worldly waves [5]
The card and Compasse that from Shipwracke saves.

The patriacks and Prophetts were the flowres
Which time by course of ages did distill
And culld into this little cloude the showres
Whose gratious droppes the world with joy shall fill [10]
Whose moysture suppleth every soule with grace
And bringeth life to Adams dyeing race.

For god on earth she is the royal throne
The chosen cloth to make his mortal weede
The quarry to cutt out our Corner stone [15]
Soyle full of fruite yet free from mortall seed
For heavenly floure shee is the Jesse rodd
The childe of man the parent of a god.

Notes

[l 1-2]orient starr...the Sunne that lent her light: the star rising in the east. Mary is the 'Stella Matutina,' the Morning Star, appearing after the dark night but always heralding the Sun. The star's place is in the high heaven. Mary's womb was a heaven where she welcomed her Son; and He has welcomed her into Heaven. 'Mary, like the stars, abides for ever, as lustrous now as she was on the day of her Assumption; as pure and perfect, when her Son comes to judgment, as she is now.' [Newman, Meditations and Devotions]

'It is Mary’s prerogative to be the Morning Star, which heralds in the sun. She does not shine for herself, or from herself, but she is the reflection of her and our Redeemer, and she glorifies Him. When she appears in the darkness, we know that He is close at hand.' [ibid]

'Stella maris', star of the sea, is the most popular interpretation of the name Mary (Miriam), and dates back to St. Jerome AD (340-420). In Isaiah 40:15, however, Jerome renders the word 'stilla maris' (drop of the sea), instead of  stella maris. Miriam occurs only once in the Old Testament, with reference to the name of Moses' sister. Some have concluded from this that it is of Egyptian origin, from the Egyptian mer or mar, 'to love', and the Hebrew Divine name Yam or Yahweh. Miriam then comes to mean 'one loving Yahweh' or 'one beloved of Yahweh'. Another fascinating suggestion is that Miriam derives not from a compound form but from a simple Hebrew noun meaning 'well-formed'. It would therefore be equivalent to 'the beautiful one'. For a fuller treatment of this subject, see 'The Name of Mary' in the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia. 

[l 4] rebate: To reduce the effect or force of (a physical agent); to ward off or turn aside (a blow, stroke, etc.). To blunt a weapon; to dull the edge or point of a blade, etc.

Satons spight: Satan's spite. We are engaged in a 'warr' but we now through Mary have the hope of peace: 

[12] For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. [Ephesians 6]

[l 5] Load starr: lodestar | loadstar ; a star that shows the way; esp. the pole star. A ‘guiding star’; that on which one's attention or hopes are fixed. 'If the winds of temptation arise, if you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call on Mary. If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.' Attributed to St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153).


[l 6] The card and Compasse: The mariner's compass consists essentially of three parts, the bowl or box, containing the card on which the 32 points of the compass are marked, and the needle'.

[l 7] patriacks: patriarchs.

[l 8] distill: here used with a different sense from line 4 of The Conception of oure Ladie (above). Here the sense is: To extract the essence of (a plant, etc.) by distillation; to obtain an extract of. Cf Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 76   'Earthlyer happy is the rose distild, Then that, which, withering on the virgin thorne, Growes, liues, and dies, in single blessednesse.'

[l 9] cull'd: Gathered, picked, plucked (flowers, fruits, etc.). 

this little cloud: This may be a reference to 'Elias little cloud' :  See Chapter 18 of the Third Book of Kings (1 Kings). Achab, King of Israel, had married Jezabel and together they had promoted the worship of the demon Baal throughout the land. The Lord God punished this idolatry with a drought. Elias, a prophet of the lord, challenged the priests of Baal to a trial by fire on Mount Carmel. The idolaters were unable to call down fire from their demon but Elias' prayer to the one, true God was answered.  The priests of the demon Baal were all slain and Elias told Achab that rain would come. Eventually, Elias servant reported that a little cloud had appeared in the cloudless sky, coming from the direction of the sea and shaped like a foot. The cloud grew and the rain they had prayed for arrived,  showered down upon the people of Israel to save them from death and suffering through the hunger and thirst caused by the drought.

[l 10] gratious: several possible layers of meaning: enjoying grace or favour; pleasing, acceptable to, popular with. Characterized by or exhibiting kindness, courtesy, or generosity of spirit; courteous, considerate, generous. Of a person or thing: characterized by, conveying, or filled with divine grace;

[l 11] suppleth: supplieth.

[l 13] the royal throne: Cf. Sedes sapientiae, Seat of wisdom (Litaniae Lauretanae, Litany of Loreto)

[l 14] weede:  An article of apparel; a garment.

[l 15] our Corner stone: Christ. 

[22] The stone which the builders rejected; the same is become the head of the corner. [Psalm 117, the Psalmist foretelling the coming of Christ]

[l 16] Soyle...free from mortall seed: the soyle here is Mary's womb; the blessed fruit of her womb is  Jesus. Mary herself asked Gabriel how she could become a mother without the human (mortal) seed of a husband.

[34] And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? [35] And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. [Luke 1]

[l 17] the Jesse rod: this is a reference to one of the prophecies of Isaiah foretelling the coming of the Messiah, some 700 years before Christ:

[1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. [Isaiah 11]

Jesse was the father of eight sons. The youngest was born in Bethlehem and was to become the King of Israel. Christ came from this royal line and was born in Bethlehem. 'rod' means here a straight, slender shoot or branch, growing on or cut from a tree or bush; by extension an offshoot, a scion. 'Rod' apparently derives from the same root as 'rood', meaning 'cross' (as in the 'rood screen' in Christian churches). The flower that rises up out of Jesse's root is Mary, the 'heavenly floure.' 

[l 18] the parent of a god:  Theotokos: Greek θεοτόκος adjective, < θεός God + -τοκος bringing forth, < stem τεκ-, τοκ- of τίκτειν to bear. Deipara: mother of God, < deus God + -parus, -para, bearing, parĕre to bear; a Latin representation of Greek θεοτόκος. (A dogma defined and affirmed at the Council of Ephesus, 431 AD).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

A Novena in Poetry: The Conception of Our Ladie

Ad Jesum per Mariam. J-J Tissot.

Today, on the Feast of St Michael the Archangel, we begin a Novena in preparation for the great Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, on October 7th. 

The Novena is offered as a gift to Our Lady praying that, through her maternal intercession, she will mediate graces so as to guide and protect the author, his family* and all the members of the Church Militant, in these disturbing times. [*E, E, K, P, T, E ,E; E, A.]

We shall be posting each day examples of Marian poetry written by St Robert Southwell who himself lived in a terrible time of trial for Catholics. Much of his poetry was written whilst he was in solitary confinement prior to his execution at Tyburn on the 21st of February, 1595. 

The original spelling and punctuation has been retained; the notes which follow each poem are my own.

The Conception of Our Ladie

Our second Eve putts on her mortall shrowde
Earth breedes a heaven for gods new dwelling place
Now ryseth up Elias little cloude
That growing shall distill the shoure of grace
Her being now begins who ere she ende [5]
Shall bringe the good that shall our evill amende.

Both grace and nature did their force unite
To make this babe the summe of all their best
Our most her lest, our million but her mite
She was at easyest rate worth all the reste [10]
What grace to men or Angells god did part
Was all united in this infants hart.

Fower only wightes bredd without fault are nam'd
And all the rest conceived were in synne
Without both man and wife was Adam fram'd [15]
Of man but not of wife did Eve beginne.
Wife without touch of man Christ's mother was
Of man and wife this babe was bred in grace.

Notes

[l1] Our second Eve: The parallels and contrasts between the first Eve and Mary, the 'second Eve', have been the subject of commentaries from the earliest times of Christianity. One of the first examples comes from St  Justin Martyr, born about AD 100 and converted to Christianity about A.D. 130. He taught and defended the Christian religion in Asia Minor and at Rome, where he suffered martyrdom about the year 165. Two 'Apologies' bearing his name and his "Dialogue with the Jew Tryphon" have come down to us. Here is an excerpt from his Dialogue:

He (Christ) became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience which proceeded from the serpent might receive its destruction in the same manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God; and she replied, 'Be it unto me according to thy word.' And by her has He been born, to whom we have proved so many Scriptures refer, and by whom God destroys both the serpent and those angels and men who are like him; but works deliverance from death to those who repent of their wickedness and believe upon Him. [Chapter C]

[l1] mortall shrowde: words with connotations for the modern mind of death, winding sheets, funerals etc. 'shrowde' had a broader meaning in Elizabethan English of a 'covering' (preserved today when used in expressions such as 'shrouded in mystery'). Her 'being now begins' when God creates her soul and her  body, the latter 'covering' or 'clothing' the former. 'Mortall' perhaps means 'human' rather than destined to die, because although Mary was human she never died like other mortals but was assumed into Heaven by her Divine Son after a brief 'dormition'. 

[l 2] Earth breedes a heaven...: An earthly creature, Mary, provides in her womb a heavenly dwelling place for her Creator. A human being, in the order of nature, provides a home in her flesh for a supernatural being, God the Son. Mary, a woman bred of earthly parents but conceived without sin, will provide an immaculate dwelling place, a heavenly home for her Son.

[l 3-4] Elias little cloud/distill the shoure of grace: This is a reference to Chapter 18 of the Third Book of Kings (1 Kings). Achab, King of Israel, had married Jezabel and together they had promoted the worship of the demon Baal throughout the land. The Lord God punished this idolatry with a drought. Elias, a prophet of the lord, challenged the priests of Baal to a trial by fire on Mount Carmel. The idolaters were unable to call down fire from their demon but Elias' prayer to the one, true God was answered.  The priests of the demon Baal were all slain and Elias told Achab that rain would come. Eventually, Elias servant reported that a little cloud had appeared in the cloudless sky, coming from the direction of the sea and shaped like a foot. The cloud grew and the rain they had prayed for
arrived,  showered down upon the people of Israel to save them from death and suffering through the hunger and thirst caused by the drought.

Mary appears amidst a humanity suffering from the terrible consequences of the sin committed by their first parents. People were hungry and thirsty for faith, hope and love in a world dominated by Satan and his minions.  many of them praying for the coming of the reign of the promised Messiah.   Small in her humility, like a little cloud, she is to become a conduit through which the reign arrives and  divine grace will be showered upon a suffering mankind.

The little cloud shaped like a foot recalls the following prophecy in Genesis:

[14] And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. [15] I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. [Genesis 3]

The 'woman' is Mary; the serpent's seed are his human minions;* 'her seed' is the Messiah, Jesus; Christian art traditionally shows Our Lady crushing the head of a serpent beneath her feet.

*[44] You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. [John 8]

According to a tradition of the Carmelite Order, a group of holy men formed a religious community on Mount Carmel during the lifetime of Elias, leading strict lives of fasting, penance and prayer. Their descendants were rescued by the Crusaders from the Saracen Muslims sweeping across the Holy Land. These refugees from persecution formed the first Carmelite community in England. 

[l 9] her lest...her mite: her lest = her 'least'. 'mite': a. Any small coin of low value; originally applied to a Flemish copper coin, but in English used mainly as a proverbial expression for an extremely small unit of monetary value. b. In proverbial phrases (esp. based on Biblical reference), as the type of a small or insignificant amount.

Mary is the 'summe' of all that is best in grace and nature (l8). In one sense, therefore, she is the summit or high-point. As a representative of mankind fallen low after Adam's sin, she is the highest, in other words 'our most'. Mary, having perfect humility, in her own eyes regards herself as the least.

My soul doth magnify the Lord. [47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. [48] Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. [49] Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.[Luke I]

In another sense, Mary is the 'sum' resulting from the 'addition' of all that's best in grace and nature. This 'sum' would naturally be regarded by us as a huge figure or quantity: 'our best', 'our million'. Mary, however, magnifies the Lord not herself and contemplates the might of Him that is mighty and the great things that He has done for her, despite her unworthiness and lowliness. He must increase, but I must decrease, says John the Baptist (John 3:30). Our Lord Himself says to us: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. [4] Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 18]. St Therese of Lisieux, the 'little flower',  placed this at the heart of her little life in Carmel.

[l 13]: fower: four.
[ll 13-18]: wight: a human being, man, woman or person.  wife: historically, 'wife' could mean simply a woman or a married woman considered in relation to her spouse.

This verse refers to the only four people named in all human history who were not conceived in sin, ie who were sinless from the instant of their conception (or coming into being).

• Adam: specially created by God with no human parents, male or female.
• Eve: created by God from a man (Adam) and having in a certain sense a male parentage  but with no female parentage.
• Mary: 'of man and wife this babe was bred in grace'. Mary's parents were St Anne and St Joachim, names coming through unbroken tradition from Apostolic times. 'bred 'in grace' means that Mary was from the first instant of her conception in her mother's womb free from all sin. This is what is meant by her 'immaculate conception'. For more details, see Ineffabilis Deus, 1854.
• Jesus: 'Wife without touch of man Christ's mother was'. Jesus' father is God the Father; He was conceived by the Holy Ghost; He was born of the Virgin Mary, His mother.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Holy Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle

On October 13, 1884,  Pope Leo XIII paused at the foot of the altar after Mass, and fell into a sort of coma. When the Pope recovered, he spoke of a terrifying vision he had of the battle between the Church and Satan. Afterwards, Pope Leo went to his office and composed this now famous prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and ordered it to be recited after Low Mass. This was duly done until it was removed after Vatican II.

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in prœlio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae caelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute, in infernum detrude. Amen.

Carlo Crivelli, National Gallery. 1476. [CC BY 3.0 ].
From an altarpiece which Crivelli painted for a side chapel in the Dominican church at Ascoli Piceno, in the Italian Marche. A framed print is in author's dining room.

Holy Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God thrust into hell Satan and all the wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bossuet 22: Summary of the preceding reflections and conclusion

  "And thy own soul a sword shall pierce" are words spoken by Simeon to Our Blessed Mother when she presented her first-born in the Temple, in accordance with the Law of Moses.

It is traditional to reflect on the Sorrows of Mary in the month of September. To this end, in the following posts I offer the words of the French scholar and preacher Bossuet, taken from his Elevations* on the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. I have added my own (fairly literal) translation and occasional notes on Scriptural references.

*élévation: THÉOLOGIE. Mouvement de l’âme vers Dieu ; prière qui favorise et traduit ce mouvement. Elevation: theology.  A movement of the soul towards God; a prayer that favours and translates this movement.

Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Immaculata.

The Presentation in the Temple. J-J Tissot.

XXIIe ÉLÉVATION.

Abrégé et conclusion des réflexions précédentes.

The Twenty-Second Elevation

Summary of the preceding reflections and conclusion

L'abrégé de ce mystère est que Jésus s'offre, nous offre en lui et avec lui, et que nous devons entrer dans cette oblation et nous y unir comme à la seule et parfaite adoration que Dieu demande de nous.

Les trois personnes qui se trouvent avec Jésus-Christ dans ce mystère, nous apprennent ce que nous devons offrir à Dieu.

La sainte Vierge lui offre et lui sacrifie le cher objet de son cœur, pour en faire ce qu'il lui plaira, c'est-à-dire son propre Fils : elle voit la contradiction poussée à l'extrémité contre lui, et en même temps elle sent ouvrir la plaie de son cœur par cette épée qui la perce. Mères chrétiennes, aurez-vous bien le courage dans l'occasion de faire à Dieu avec elle une oblation semblable ? Tant que nous sommes de fidèles, unissons-nous à la foi d'Abraham et offrons à Dieu notre Isaac, c'est-à-dire ce qui nous tient le plus au cœur.

The summary of this mystery is that Jesus offers Himself, and offers us in Him and with Him, and that we must enter into this oblation and unite ourselves thereto as to the sole and perfect adoration that God asks of us. 

The three persons who find themselves with Jesus Christ in this mystery each teach us what we must offer to God.

The Blessed Virgin offers to Him and sacrifices to Him the dearest object of her heart, for God to dispose of as He pleases, that is to say her own Son; she sees the signs of contradiction pushed to an extreme against Him, and at the same time she experiences a wound opened in her own heart by this sword.  Christian mothers, will you too have the courage if required to make a similar oblation with her unto God? For as long as we are faithful, let us unite ourselves to the faith of Abraham and offer unto God our own Isaac, which is to say, that which is dearest to our heart.

Siméon a immolé l'amour de la vie, et la laisse pour ainsi dire s'exhaler à Dieu en pure perte. Ne disons pas qu'il ne lui sacrifie qu'un reste de vie dans sa vieillesse : il n'a jamais désiré de vivre, que pour avoir la consolation de voir Jésus-Christ et de lui rendre témoignage. Car ce n'était pas seulement une faible consolation des yeux que ce saint vieillard attendait. Il désirait les sentiments que Jésus présent inspire dans les cœurs : il voulait l'annoncer, le faire reconnaître, en publier les merveilles, autant qu'il pouvait, aux Juifs et aux gentils ; montrer au monde ses souffrances et la part qu'y aurait sa sainte Mère. Après cela il voulait mourir, et l'on voit en lui dans tous les temps un parfait détachement de la vie. C'est ce qu'il nous faut offrir à Dieu avec le saint vieillard.

Simeon immolated love of life, and he leaves it as though, so to speak, breathing his last in an offering to God.  Let it not be said that he is sacrificing only a portion of his life, in his old age; he never desired to live except in order to have the consolation of seeing Jesus Christ and of bearing witness unto Him.  For it was not only a passing consolation of the eyes  that this holy old man awaited.  He sought those feelings which the presence of Jesus inspires in hearts; he wanted to announce Him, to make Him known, to broadcast His wonders, as much as he could, to Jews and Gentiles; to show to the world His sufferings and the share therein that His Blessed Mother would have.  After that, he wished to die, and there is seen in him throughout the ages a perfect detachment from life.  That is what we must offer to God with this holy old man.

Et qu'immolerons-nous avec Anne, sinon l'amour des plaisirs par la mortification des sens? Exténuons par le jeune et par l'oraison ce qui est trop vivant en nous. Vivons avec cette sainte veuve dans une sainte désolation : arrachons-nous à nous-mêmes ce qui est permis, si nous voulons n'être point entraînés par ce qui est défendu. Déracinons à fond l'amour du plaisir. Le plaisir des sens est le perpétuel séducteur de la vie humaine. L'attention au beau et au délectable a commencé la séduction du genre humain. Eve prise par là, commence à entendre la tentation qui lui dit avec une insinuation aussi dangereuse que douce : Pourquoi Dieu vous a-t-il défendu ce qui est si plaisant et si flatteur ? L'attention au plaisir éloigne la vue du supplice. On se pardonne tout à soi-îiirine, et on croit que Dieu nous est aussi indulgent que nous nous le sommes. « Vous n'en mourrez pas : » vous reviendrez des erreurs et des faiblesses de votre jeunesse. Eve entraîne Adam : la partie faible entraîne la plus forte : le plaisir a fait tout son effet : il a rendu le péché plausible et lui a fourni des excuses. Il emmielle le poison : il affaiblit, il étouffe le remords de la conscience : il en émousse la piqûre ; et à peine sent- on la grièveté de son péché, jusqu'à ce que dans les flammes éternelles ce ver rongeur se réveille, et par ses morsures éternelles nous cause un pleur inutile avec cet effroyable grincement de dents.

And what shall we immolate in company with Anna, if not the love of pleasure through the mortification of our senses? Let us through fasting and prayer rein in all that is excessive within us.  With this holy widow, let us live our lives in holy detachment; let us deny ourselves even that which is permitted, if we do not wish to be drawn astray by that which is forbidden.  Let us uproot completely the love of pleasure.  The pleasure of the senses is an ever-present temptation in human life.  It was looking at something beautiful and delightful which began the seduction of the human race.  Once captivated thereby, Eve begins to understand the words of temptation uttered to her in a manner as dangerous as it is sweet: Why has God forbidden that which is so pleasing and desirable?  Focusing on the pleasure distracts us and removes from view the penalty.  We always find it easy to forgive ourselves, and we think that God is equally forgiving.  "You shall not die!" You'll leave behind the errors and the mistakes of your youth.  Eve then draws in Adam: the weak party draws in the stronger; the thought of pleasure works its effect; it has made sin acceptable and has even provided excuses.  It sweetens the poison; it weakens and stifles the remorse of conscience; it takes away the sting; and the sinner scarcely feels the seriousness of his sin until that moment when, in the eternal flames, the conscience re-awakens and, like a worm eating him on the inside for all eternity, causes him to weep and wail in vain with a terrible gnashing of teeth.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.