The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Re-posted from 22 August 2020 

Three framed prints hang on the wall of our living room. They have been there several years and depict the Annunciation, the Nativity and the Flight into Egypt. They were given by a person unable to specify the name of the painter and it was only a few days ago that I happened by chance to be browsing online through paintings by the great Fra Angelico. To my amazement, I recognised one of the paintings as his and located the other two after a little research. 

Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Immaculata!

I offer the following post in honour of Maria Immaculata, on this feast of her Immaculate Heart. The three images are presented with my own annotations. I also pray that the Immaculata will watch over and protect EB whose birthday it is today: ad multos annos !

The Annunciation: setting

The first print is of the second image in a panel (shown below) forming part of the Armadio degli Argenti ("Wardrobe of the Silversmiths"), a series of tempera on panel paintings completed by Fra Angelico 1451-53. Designed for the Santissima Annunziata, a Florentine church founded in 1250,  the Armadio illustrates the life of Christ, culminating with His Passion, Death, Resurrection, the General Judgement  and the Coronation of Our Lady. 

Armadio degli Argenti. Fra Angelico. 1451-53.  Museo nazionale di San Marco in Florence

The image above shows the first nine of the Armadio series and depicts: 

 Ezekiel's Vision,                   the Annunciation,                             the Nativity

The Circumcision,                the Adoration of the Magi,               the Presentation of Christ in the Temple

The Flight into Egypt,           the Massacre of the Innocents          the Christ Child in the Temple.

                  

The Annunciation: a short commentary

The Annunciation. Fra Angelico. 1451-53.  Museo nazionale di San Marco in Florence

The painting features two scrolls with excerpts from Sacred Scripture:

ecce virgo concipiet, et pariet filium, et vocabit[ur] nomen ejus Emmanuel

Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.[This verse is taken from Is vii. 14. Quære reference to 'Isa. VI. C' - presumably Caput VI]

This is the prophecy of Isaias, made some 700 years before the Word was made flesh. 

There then follow the words uttered by Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary:

Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. [Luc. i. 31]

The parallels are striking: ecce, concipiet/concipies, pariet/paries, filium, vocabitur nomen eius/vocabis nomen eius, Emmanuel/Jesum. 'Emmanuel' means 'God with us' and 'Jesus' means 'God saves (us).'

Dominating the composition are two figures. Mary, who will one day be hymned as the Queen of Angels, is kneeling on the ground. Perhaps she was kneeling in prayer whilst, according to an ancient tradition, she meditated upon the prophecy of Isaias.  Her attention is now completely focused on the second figure, the Angel Gabriel ('Fortitudo Dei', the Strength of God). Despite his lofty status and his role as God's own envoy, he kneels before the future Theotokos ('God-bearer') and the Regina Cæli (Queen of Heaven). She listens attentively to his announcement. His finger points Heavenward and we catch sight of a dove descending towards Mary. We recall his words:

Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi. Ideoque et quod nascetur ex te sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei.

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. [Luke. i. 35]

The Holy Ghost is at the high point of a line dividing the composition into two almost perfectly symmetrical halves. This symmetry suggests a mirror and Mary, the Speculum Justitiae (Mirror of Justice) is also a mirror in other ways. She has been compared to a mirror of the Holy and Undivided Trinity; for she is the daughter of the Father, the spouse of the Holy Ghost and the mother of the Word. Kneeling in humility, she reflects this and all other virtues super-abundantly. Facing Gabriel, Fortitudo Dei, she is the mulier fortis (strong and valiant woman) par excellence (Ecclesiasticus xxvi. 2).

The setting is altogether ascetic in its simplicity and spareness. Fra Angelico, a Domican friar, was himself an ascetic and much of his work reflects the plain architecture and decor of the convent in Florence where he painted many of his works. Adding depth to the composition, the linear perspective has for its vanishing point the end of a 'strait and narrow' corridor, similar to the corridors in Fra Angelico's convent of San Marco.

The Flight into Egypt

This is a print of the seventh image in the Armadio panel (see above).

The Flight into Egypt. Fra Angelico. 1451-53.  Museo nazionale di San Marco in Florence

The texts from Sacred Scripture in this image are as follows:

Ecce elongavi fugiens; et mansi in solitudine.

Lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness.[Ps. liv. 8]

This is a Psalm of David (c. 1000 years before Christ): "A prayer of a just man under persecution from the wicked. It agrees to Christ persecuted by the Jews, and betrayed by Judas."[Douay-Rheims]

The bottom text refers to the instruction given to St Joseph by an angel:

Surge, et accipe puerum, et matrem ejus, et fuge in Ægyptum

Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: [Matt. ii. 13]

With light coming from the left, the compositional lines and arrangement form an arrow pointing to the right, achieving a dynamic effect of movement. The shapes are solidly three-dimensional and depth is suggested by the diminishing proportions in a simple perspective and the slight transition from darker to lighter.

The Blessed Mother cradles baby Jesus tenderly as she gazes into the distance, pondering all these things in her heart.

The Nativity: Setting

This image comes from a different setting, being a fresco on the wall of Cell 5 of the Convento di San Marco in Florence. The Convent, dating from the 12th century, was renovated for the Dominican Order around 1440 and it seems this fresco was completed shortly after this date. Most of the cells have frescoes by Fra Angelico.

The Nativity. Fra Angelico. 1440-41. Fresco, 193 x 164 cm. Convento di San Marco, Florence. 

The Nativity: A short commentary

Fra Angelico painted the newborn baby naked and luminous, following the vision of the mystic St. Bridget of Sweden (c1303-1373). His halo bears the cross that he was Himself to bear before His salvific death on Calvary. The haloes are painted in two dimensions, representing the traditional format  in contrast to the three dimensional versions that the artist tried later in life (see above).  The Baby is lying on straw and His eyes are fixed upon His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who tenderly returns His gaze : Ad Jesum per Mariam...

Four figures kneel in adoration before the Christ child, Who is the Word made flesh. Apart from His mother, we see His foster-father, St Joseph. Behind Mary is St Catherine of Alexandria (martyred c 305 AD) and in the foreground to our right is St Peter the Martyr (1206-1252).

Saint Catherine was a virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. She became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity and was martyred around the age of 18. Saint Peter Martyr was a Dominican friar (like Fra Angelico) as well as a priest. He was a celebrated preacher who was killed by an assassin sent by the Cathars. He is buried in Milan, in the Church of Sant'Eustorgio. According to tradition, he conversed with St Catherine.

In the background, a wooden structure has been added to a cave to create the stable where Christ was born. The ox and the ass are clearly visible next to the manger.

Cognovit bos possessorem suum, et asinus præsepe domini sui; Israel autem me non cognovit, et populus meus non intellexit.

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]

Under the Law, the Jews were forbidden from mingling with the Gentiles. The ox (a castrated bull) was a clean animal but the ass was not; accordingly, the ox represented the circumcised Jews and the ass the Gentiles.

Non arabis in bove simul et asino.

Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together.[Deut. xxii. 10]

The Incarnation was to change all this:

Non est Judæus, neque Græcus : non est servus, neque liber : non est masculus, neque femina. Omnes enim vos unum estis in Christo Jesu.

There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Si autem vos Christi, ergo semen Abrahæ estis, secundum promissionem hæredes

And if you be Christ's, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.[Gal, iii.28-29].

In the celestial vault over the scene are four winged angels. Like the kneeling figures below, their hands joined in prayer: silent adoration, contemplation, wonder and  joyous peace.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam

 

 

 

Assumpta est Maria in Cælum

I am republishing last year's post as a gift to Our Blessed Mother, to celebrate her feast day by sharing images of a painting : The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin by Fra Angelico. I have added a few notes.

The images below are reproduced with thanks to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. 

Here is the first image showing the painting in its entirety.

    The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin by Fra Angelico. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Dimension Notes

Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 61.8 x 38.3 cm (24 5/16 x 15 1/16 in.).

Provenance

Possibly commissioned for the church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence by its sacristan Fra Giovanni di Zanobi Masi as one of four reliquaries around 1430, the painting remained at the church until at least 1754.
Collection of Rev. John Sanford (d.1855), Nynehead, Somerset by 1816. Exhibited at the British Institution, London in the same year.
Bequeathed by Rev. John Sanford to Frederick Henry Paul Methuen (d.1891), 2nd Baron Methuen, Corsham Court in 1855.
By descent to Paul Sanford Methuen (d.1932), 3rd Baron Methuen, Corsham Court around 1891.
Purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the art dealers Colnaghi & Co., London on 23 February 1899 for £4,000 through Bernard Berenson (1865–1959), American art historian.

Notes on the lower register

In the lower register, Our Lady's body lies on a stretcher covered in golden drape; her head rests upon a small pillow and the whole is supported by a low bed or mattress, also covered in golden material. Framed by a halo, her head is slightly raised. Her eyes are closed and we are given a glimpse of her right hand clasping her left. Her skin is pale but her lips show a natural colour. She wears a blue cloak and hood, edged with gold.

Her bier is surrounded by four lighted candles of unbleached wax, traditionally used for a Requiem Mass. 

Fifteen bare-footed figures surround Our Blessed Lady. Is it fanciful to catch an echo of the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary?

In the centre stands Our Lord, gazing down at His mother. His tunic is unique amongst those of the other figures - does it suggest Christ as the High Priest? The symbols appear to include the Greek letters Alpha and Omega.

He holds in His arms a small figure whose hands are joined in prayer. This is believed to represent Our Lady. This mirrors in scale but in reverse the traditional image in icons that show the Holy Mother of God holding her Divine Son in a protective embrace. 

Peter, James and John. Fra Angelico. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The cross in the Redeemer's halo finds an echo in the pallium worn by the man on the left of the painting. The modern pallium is a circular band about two inches wide, worn about the neck, breast, and shoulders, and having two pendants, one hanging down in front and one behind. The use of the pallium is reserved to the pope and archbishops, but the latter may not use it until on petition they have received the permission of the Holy See. Bishops sometimes receive the pallium as a mark of special favour, but it does not increase their powers or jurisdiction nor give them precedence. The pope may use the pallium at any time. [Catholic Encyclopedia]. This is evidently Peter, the first Pope, who is reading or singing from a small volume. Perhaps it is a Psalter, or perhaps he is chanting the In Paradisum...

To Peter's left is a figure holding a bucket (aspersorium) and a sprinkler (aspergillum), still used in today's Requiem Mass.

The palm frond.  Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

On the extreme right of the picture, a man is holding what may be a palm frond. Brian G. Svoboda identifies him as St John the Evangelist: see the Catholic Thing. St John, however, is traditionally portrayed as a clean-shaven young man and I suspect that he is the one with hands clasped in prayer next to St Peter. This would suggest that the man with the aspergillum may be St James, as Peter, James and John are frequently grouped together in the New Testament.

Notes on the middle register

In the middle register, Our Blessed Lady is rising Heavenwards, drawn aloft by the power of her Divine son. her cheeks and her complexion are no longer pale. Her eyes are now open and she is looking upwards. Her hands are raised in what the Abbé Fouard observes is the traditional Oriental manner of praying: in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. 

Her sky blue tunic and robe, edged with gold, with diaphonous and translucent scrolls, dazzle the eye. The golden motifs on her garments suggest tiny winged angels bearing her to Heaven; or perhaps a shower of gifts from the Holy Ghost, in the form of tongues, as it were, of fire. They are echoed in the robes of the Angels around her.

The Angels are portrayed in three groups. The lowest group are four in number and are kneeling before the Queen of Angels. The one on the left seems to be shielding his gaze from the dazzling brightness.

The Angels in the middle group are holding hands as though executing a celestial dance; their movement shows in the flowing pleats of their garments. Music is provided by the uppermost group, an angelic sextet, featuring two trumpets, a tambourine, a psaltery, a fiddle and a lute.

Notes on the upper register

The upper register features Christ in Heaven gazing down towards His mother as she is assumed by His Divine power into His Royal Court. The triangular cutaway in the frame suggests the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 

Assumpta est Maria in cælum: gaudent angeli, laudantes benedicunt Dominum.

Mary was taken up into Heaven, the angels rejoice, and with praises bless the Lord. 

[Antiphon from Lauds, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary]

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam

The Gospel According to St Matthew

St Peter & St Paul.  El Greco. (1590-1600)
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. 

Background

The Life of Christ site was established in 2019 to provide a platform for presenting and illustrating the life of Christ. This was in response to an idea which seemed to speak from the last line of the motto I had adopted in the same year (see below and at the end of each post):

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

I have, D.G.(per Mariam), so far produced three lives, followed by a study of the Acts of the Apostles:

• The first Life followed the format of The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the remarkable artist James J. Tissot (1897). The posts began on the 14th of October 2019 and concluded on the feast of the Ascension, the 21st of May 2020.
• The second Life followed the work of l'Abbé Constant Fouard:  La Vie de N-S Jésus-Christ (1880). The first post was published on the feast of Corpus Christi (11th of June 2020) and the series concluded on the 4th of October 2020.
• The third Life followed the Gospel of St Mark, making extensive use of a work by Madame Cecilia published in 1904 entitled The Gospel according to St Mark. This Life opened on the Feast of St Mark (25th April 2022) and concluded on the 26th of June 2022.
• The series of posts on the Acts of the Apostles also made extensive use of Madame Cecilia's work published in 1907 entitled The Acts of the Apostles. The series began on the 29th June 2022 and concluded on the 11th of September in the same year.

St Peter and St Paul

I pray that the feast of St Peter and St Paul will serve as a suitable launching point for my next project: The Gospel according to St Matthew. Once again, I shall be making extensive use of Madame Cecilia's work. Her study of St Matthew's Gospel received its imprimatur on the 8th of June 1906 and comprises two Books. Madame Cecilia was a religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham (London) and produced a number of volumes in her series entitled Catholic Scripture Manuals.

Dedication

Exposition in the chancel of Corpus Christi.
Andy Scott. CC BY-SA. 2018.

👈The image here shows the chancel of Corpus Christi Church in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden. The statues of St Peter and St Paul are set in elevated niches on either side of the altar. Like the rest of the interior, these statues have been extensively and richly restored since the days when I first  knew the church (in the 1980's)..

Following treatment in King’s College Hospital for an injury received in the Brixton riots in April 1981, I was making my way back home across London when I stumbled by chance upon this church. I decided to pop inside and, quite providentially, I was just in time for Mass. There was an almost palpable atmosphere of reverence and I was especially impressed by the solemn demeanour and dignity of the priest, Father Henry Dodd. I was to return many times and the church was to play an important part in my family, albeit for a tragically brief period of time.

Fr Dodd was especially impressive in his sermons where, without any notes, he displayed a powerful eloquence and an effortless erudition - so much so that some of his expressions remain with me to this day. He had a particularly strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Blessed Lady. One Saturday each month he led devotions which included all the mysteries of the most Holy Rosary, interspersed with readings and hymns, and which finished with Benediction. This devotion was nicknamed the "Mariathon."

In praying that St Peter and St Paul will, on this their feast day, extend their help to this project, I offer the work to our gentle Queen and Mother, with a petition that she present it as an act of reparation to her Divine Son so as to heal the wounds, repair the damage and undo the scandal caused by sins against His Most Sacred Heart and against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per te, Maria.

Our Mother of Perpetual Succour

By courtesy of Golgotha Monastery, Papa Stronsay Island.

Today is the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour and we are reposting a compendium of text and images we first published in 2019 and 2020.

Totus tuus ego sum 
Et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum semper tutus sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

[  ] references in the text to numbered footnotes are not hyperlinked but may be found at the end of the relevant text.

👈This image is from a prayer card dating back to a Mission given by two Redemptorist priests during Lent 1984 in the parish of Our Lady and St Joseph, Kingsland (Hackney).

Miserere mei, Deus 

secundum magnam misericordiam tuam

Where is this icon today?

Sant' Alfonso Liguori, Rome.The nave. [2015]
Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0] 

The original of the icon is on display in the Church of Sant' Alfonso Liguori on the Esquiline Hill, the largest of the seven hills of Rome. This church is on the Via Merulana, a street connecting the basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The church also has the nickname of Madonna del Perpetuo Soccorso after the famous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is enshrined here.

The church belongs to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, whose members are known as the Redemptorists and who operate throughout the world.

The motto of the Redemptorists is ‘Copiosa apud Eum Redemptio’ The phrase is taken from Psalm 129 (130)[1] and may be translated as  ‘With Him is plentiful Redemption’.

Closer view of the icon. Fczarnowski 2017 [CC BY-SA 4.0]

Here is a closer view of the icon, displayed over the altar and decorated with flowers.

The church was designed  in 1855–1858 by George Wigley, famous for his involvement in the foundation of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.The scheme was paid for by Fr Edward Douglas (1819-98), who used his personal fortune to finance the project, and served as the superior of the order subsequently.

This was the last new church built within the walls of Rome before the suppression of the Papal government by Italy in 1870.





St Alphonsus (1696-1787) was the original founder of the Redemptorist order. Originally the church was dedicated to Christ the Redeemer, but this was changed to honour St Alphonsus after a major restoration was completed in 1900. There was another restoration in 1932, when the entrance staircase was provided; and a further restoration for the centenary of the enthronement of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in 1958. The last restoration was in 1964.

Notes

[1] De profundis. Ps 129. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.

[1] Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Canticum graduum. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
[2] Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
[3] If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
[4] For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus;
[5] My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
speravit anima mea in Domino.
[6] From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;
[7] Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
[8] And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

What is the history of this icon?

Site of Mary's house, Ephesus.

1st century AD: There are some who link the origins of this icon with the story of an icon painted by St Luke. After the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, Mary moved to Ephesus in the care of St John, the beloved disciple.[1] She took with her some personal and family items, including a table fashioned by Jesus. Before writing his gospel, St Luke painted a portrait of Mary, making use of the table top. During the sittings, Mary related to him certain details that would by then have been known only to her, such as those concerning the Annunciation, the Nativity and the flight into Egypt.


👈 Photo 2005. Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada [CC BY-SA 2.0]



960: possible date of creation (see the website: Sant' Alfonso)

1495: The image was by this date located in a church on the island of Crete. When the island was threatened by the Muslim Turks, the icon was carried off by a merchant who took it with him to Rome. Shortly after his arrival, the man fell seriously ill. He instructed a friend to take the icon to one of the churches in Rome so that it might be venerated publicly by the faithful.The friend's wife, however, persuaded her husband to keep the icon in their home. It required a miraculous intervention by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself to command the woman to place the icon in a certain church 'between St. Mary Major’s and St. John Lateran’s'.

1499: The icon was taken in solemn procession to the said church, which was dedicated to St. Matthew the Apostle. For the next three hundred years, this tiny church was one of the most popular pilgrimage places in Rome and many miracles, including cures, were reported by pilgrims.

1798: The Church of St. Matthew was destroyed by Napoleon’s invading forces. The icon was rescued and preserved but it was lost to the rest of the world

1850-51: A student monk, who had seen the icon as an altar boy in 1840, recognized it in the monastery of Santa Maria in Posterula. [2]

1855: The Redemptorists acquired the Villa Caserta in Rome along the Via Merulana and converted it into their headquarters. This was the site of the church and monastery of Saint Matthew.

Sant Alfonso Church. Justin Ennis. CC BY 2.0

1859:  The Redemptorists’ new church, Chiesa di Sant’Alfonso di Liguori (the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori), was completed.

1863: Fr. Francis Blosi gave a sermon about famous pictures enshrined in the churches of Rome. He described the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that was once enshrined in the old Church of St. Matthew.

He appealed for information on its whereabouts and reminded everyone that the Blessed Virgin had commanded that it be placed  in a cerain church 'between St. Mary Major’s and St. John Lateran’s'. (see 1495: above).



COPIOSA APVD EVM REDEMPTIO: These words in the arch, over the rose window, are the motto of the Redemptorists. 'with Him plentiful redemption'. [3]

Image over doorway.  Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0]

1866: Pope Pius IX granted a formal request by the Redemptorists to move the icon to the new church, built on the location of the icon’s earlier home. Pope Pius IX told the Redemptorist Superior General: “Make her known throughout the world!”

 1866 April 26:  a solemn procession and the formal enthronement of the icon took place. Along the procession route the buildings and the roadsides were decorated with flowers, vines and banners. For three days the celebration continued, with solemn High Masses, Benediction, special devotions and sermons each day.Many miracles were reported by pilgrims.


S. MARIA DE PERPETVO SVCCVRSU. Holy Mary of Perpetual Help

1867 June 23: the image was granted a Canonical Coronation. Two golden, jewel-encrusted crowns were blessed, with one crown being placed on the head of the Blessed Virgin and the other on the head of the Infant Jesus.

Notes

[1] [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.
[27] After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
Deinde dicit discipulo : Ecce mater tua. Et ex illa hora accepit eam discipulus in sua. [John 19]

[2] Demolished in 188 for the Tiber embankment extensions.

[3] De profundis. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.

[1] Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Canticum graduum. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
[2] Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
[3] If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
[4] For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus;
[5] My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
speravit anima mea in Domino.
[6] From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;
[7] Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
[8] And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. [Ps 129]

The 'Indicator of the Way'

Measuring 17 x 21 inches (43.2cm x 53.3cm), the icon is painted on poplar wood with a gold leaf background. The Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted wearing a dress of dark red with a blue mantle. She is supporting the infant Jesus with her left arm and his hands are intertwined with her right hand. On the left  side is Saint Michael the Archangel carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is Saint Gabriel the Archangel carrying a cross and nails.

This style of icon is known as a 'hodegetria'. This word is based on the Greek ὁδηγητρία which means 'Indicator of the Way'. In these icons, Mary is the 'Indicator of the Way'.

Our Lord spoke of 'the way' in words that may at first seem daunting:  

How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it![1]  

How fitting that Mary our Mother should offer us help and encouragement by pointing out to us the 'Way' in the very person of Jesus Christ, her son, who said:

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. [2]

The presence in the of the instruments of Christ's Passion, borne by St Michael and St Gabriel, reminds us of Christ's invitation to follow Him in His Way of the Cross.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.[3]

There are numerous references to 'the way' throughout Scripture. I have included a small selection below.[4]

Notes

[1] [14] How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!
Quam angusta porta, et arcta via est, quae ducit ad vitam : et pauci sunt qui inveniunt eam!
14 ⸀ὅτι στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν.[Matt 7]

[2] [6] Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.
Dicit ei Jesus : Ego sum via, et veritas, et vita. Nemo venit ad Patrem, nisi per me.
6 λέγει αὐτῷ ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι’ ἐμοῦ. [John 14]

[3]  [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Tunc Jesus dixit discipulis suis : Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum, et tollat crucem suam, et sequatur me. [Matt 16]

[4] Some references to the 'way' in Scripture:

"My foot hath followed his steps, I have kept his way, and have not declined from it." [Job 23:11]
"Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence."[Psalms I.1]

"Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies." [Psalms 26:11]

"Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name."[Psalms LXXXV. 11]

"I have restrained my feet from every evil way: that I may keep thy words." [Psalms 118:101]

"I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:"[Proverbs iv. 11]

"The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God."[Isaias (Isaiah) xl. 3]

"They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." [Jeremias (Jeremiah) xxxi. 9]

The words on the icon

There are five sets of Greek letters on the icon. They are abbreviations of words and the two largest are at the top in capitals:

Mother of God (ΜΡ  ΘΥ)

These are abbreviations for : Μητηρ Θεου (Meter Theou), signifying Mother of God.

This title had been confirmed by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD which rejected the heretical statements of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. It solemnly affirmed that Jesus was one person and not two separate persons, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. It published 12 anathemas, the first of which was:

If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the Holy Virgin is the Theotokos, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [as it is written, "The Word was made flesh"] let him be anathema.[1]

Theotokos is often translated as 'Mother of God' or 'God-bearer'. A literal translation, however, would be 'Birth-giver to God'.[2]

Jesus Christ

Next to Mary's son are two abbreviations signifying Jesus Christ. "Jesus" is a transliteration of the Latin Iesus,from the Greek Ιησους (Iēsoûs). This itself is a Hellenisation of the Hebrew יהושע (Yehoshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic ישוע (Yeshua ), (Joshua), meaning "the Lord saves".

"Christ" is His title derived from the Greek Χριστος (Christós), meaning the "Anointed One", a translation of the Hebrew-derived Mashiach ("Messiah"). In the Old Testament, priests, prophets and kings were anointed.[3]  These were types of the threefold role of the Christ: prophet, priest and king. Both the Prophet and the priest stand between God and man. The prophet delivers the word of God to men. In the case of the priest, he offers the sacrifices of people to God. Christ, accordingly, is a prophet who delivers the word of God to us, and He is also the priest who delivers His sacrifice, on our behalf, to God the father.

St Michael and St Gabriel

The abbreviations here expand to ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ and ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ

ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ > archangel Michael
Μιχαήλ: מִיכָאֵל, Michael > quis ut Deus? >  'who is like unto God?'

ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ > archangel Gabriel
Γαβριὴλ:גַּבְרִיאֵל, > Fortitudo Dei, > 'strength of God'

Notes

[1] anathema: Latin anathema an excommunicated person, also the curse of excommunication, < Greek ἀνάθεμα , originally ‘a thing devoted,’ but in later usage ‘a thing devoted to evil, an accursed thing’ (see Rom. ix. 3). Originally a variant of ἀνάθημα an offering, a thing set up (to the gods), n. of product < ἀνατιθέναι to set up, < ἀνά up + τιθέναι (stem θε- ) to place.
The great curse of the church, cutting off a person from the communion of the church visible, and formally handing him over to Satan; or denouncing any doctrine or practice as damnable.
[2] Theotokos: Etymology: Greek θεοτόκος adjective, θεός God + -τοκος bringing forth, < stem τεκ-, τοκ-, of τίκτειν to bear.  = Deipara n.
[3] Examples of anointing: the priest Aaron, the prophet Eliseus and the king Saul.

[7] And thou shalt pour the oil of unction upon his head: and by this rite shall he be consecrated.
et oleum unctionis fundes super caput ejus : atque hoc ritu consecrabitur. [Ex. xxix]

[16] And thou shalt anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, of Abelmeula, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy room.
et Jehu filium Namsi unges regem super Israel : Eliseum autem filium Saphat, qui est de Abelmeula, unges prophetam pro te  [3 Kings (1 Kings) xix. 16]

[1] And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his People Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:
Et dixit Samuel ad Saul : Me misit Dominus, ut ungerem te in regem super populum ejus Israel : nunc ergo audi vocem Domini. [1 Kings (1 Samuel) xv. 1]

Symbolism

Composition

Our Lady is tenderly holding Jesus, her head inclined towards Him. She is supporting Him with her left hand and clasps His hands with her right. Mary is making direct eye contact with us but the fingers of her hands, together with her right arm, form diagonals that shift the focus our gaze towards her son: see our previous post on Our Lady as 'hodegetria' (the 'indicator of the way'). This focus on her son is reinforced by the downward gaze of the Archangels. The Christ Child, secure in the arms of His mother, is looking upwards over His shoulder to His left.

Seat of Wisdom

'One of Mary's titles is 'Sedes Sapientiæ,' the 'Seat of Wisdom'. Mary has this title in her Litany, because the Son of God, who is also called in Scripture the Word and Wisdom of God, once dwelt in her, and then, after His birth of her, was carried in her arms and seated in her lap in His first years. Thus, being, as it were, the human throne of Him who reigns in heaven, she is called the Seat of Wisdom. In the poet's words:—

    His throne, thy bosom blest,
    O Mother undefiled,
    That Throne, if aught beneath the skies,
    Beseems the sinless Child.'[1]

(From notes made by John Henry Newman (1801-1890) for his May meditations on Mary in the Litany of Loreto.)

[1] Verse seven from a seventeen verse poem: source,The Christian Year (1827). IX. “Bless’d are the pure in heart” By John Keble (1792–1866) (The Purification). John Keble, 1792-1866, ordained Anglican Priest in 1816, tutor at Oxford from 1818 to 1823, published in 1827 a book of poems called The Christian Year, containing poems for the Sundays and Feast Days of the Church Year.

At His right hand

In the icon, Our Lady is situated at the right hand of her son who is gazing heavenwards, towards His Father. Some years after His Ascension, His mother would be assumed into heaven, and take her place of honour at the right hand of her Son, there to be crowned Queen. In the Rosarium Aureum, we pray:

Qui te super æthera
potenter exaltavit:
et in sua dextera
decenter collocavit. Ave Maria.

Who now for thee to glory raised,
     A blessed rest provideth,
At His right hand in honour placed,
     Where He in bliss abideth. Hail Mary.

Alternatively (added by author):

Qui te super æthera

in cœlum exaltavit:

et in sua dextera

Reginam coronavit. Ave Maria.

Who now for thee to glory raised,

     A blessed rest provideth,

At His right hand in honour placed,

     As Queen where He abideth. Hail Mary.

Eye hath not seen...

Our Lady is gazing directly and deeply into our hearts. The Archangels' gaze is fixed upon Christ. Christ's gaze is turned heavenwards. Which ever we look at it, we face vital questions for our conscience: In our own life, where do we choose to direct our gaze? What do we see? What are our blind spots? Where should we be looking?

The disciples once asked Christ why He spoke in parables. He replied to them:

[13] Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Ideo in parabolis loquor eis : quia videntes non vident, et audientes non audiunt, neque intelligunt.
[14] And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.
Et adimpletur in eis prophetia Isaiae, dicentis : Auditu audietis, et non intelligetis : et videntes videbitis, et non videbitis.
[15] For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Incrassatum est enim cor populi hujus, et auribus graviter audierunt, et oculos suos clauserunt : nequando videant oculis, et auribus audiant, et corde intelligant, et convertantur, et sanem eos.
[16] But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
Vestri autem beati oculi quia vident, et aures vestrae quia audiunt.
[17] For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.
Amen quippe dico vobis, quia multi prophetae et justi cupierunt videre quae videtis, et non viderunt : et audire quae auditis, et non audierunt. [Matt. xiii]

We observe that the expressions in the icon are serious, because sin is deadly serious.With Our Lady's help and through her intercession, however, which she never ceases to offer us, we may yet hope for mercy from her Divine Son, in true contrition and in offering reparation. The Apostle takes up this theme of hope what we may dare to behold one day:

[9] But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.
Sed sicut scriptum est : Quod oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quae praeparavit Deus iis qui diligunt illum : [1 Cor. 2]

Mary as the Gate of Heaven

Mary makes direct eye contact with us and draws our focus towards her son, Jesus ('God saves'). His heavenly gaze towards His Father should raise our own hearts and minds towards Our Father, in Heaven. Mary was assumed into Heaven after her death and received a Crown and royal privileges. She becomes for us a gateway to Heaven, a gateway through which divine graces are channelled so that we may come to know, love and serve God in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.

Marian litanies, antiphons and hymns are rich in references to this role. For example:

Queen assumed into heaven : Regina in cælum assumpta;

HAIL, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd: AVE, Regina cælorum. [Ave Regina Cælorum]

Blessed gate of heaven : felix cæli porta; [Ave Maris Stella]

Gate of heaven, R. pray for us. Ianua cæli, R. ora pro nobis.

Thou gate of heaven’s high Lord, the door through which the light hath poured.
Tu Regis alti janua, Et aula lucis fulgida: [O Gloriosa Virginum]

Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.

Paradisi
clavis et ianua,
fac nos duci
quo, Mater, gloria
coronaris. Amen   [Flos Carmeli, 13th century]

Christ's Passion

The angels in the picture are holding instruments of His Passion and death, with the angel on the left bearing the gall, the lance and the reed, while the angel on the right holds the cross and nails. Christ's halo also features His cross.

IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM. JJ Tissot.

The cross has three horizontal crossbeams.

The top one represents the plaque on which Pilate had ordered to be written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

Christ's hands were nailed to the the central crossbeam. The lower crossbeam was a footrest to which Christ's feet were nailed. In many depictions of this cross, the side to Christ's right is higher. This is because the footrest slants upward toward the penitent thief St. Dismas, who was (according to tradition) crucified on Jesus' right, and downwards toward the impenitent thief Gestas. It is also a common perception that the foot-rest points up, toward Heaven, on Christ’s right hand-side, and downward, to Hades, on Christ’s left.[1]


[By User:Tadas12 - Own work by the original uploader. Public Domain]

The falling sandal

Some interpreters see the falling sandal as an indication of the haste shown by the child Jesus as He quickly fled into His mother's arms for safety when He saw the instruments of his own Passion for the first time.

Others see a reference to covenants. According to the Book of Ruth, removing one's sandal means to conclude a contract. Here, Christ is establishing a contract with us, a new and everlasting covenant.[2]

Moses removed his sandals before approaching the burning bush,[3] The burning bush is sometimes seen as prefiguring Mary's perpetual virginity.[4]

We recall that Christ's cousin, the greatest of all the prophets, stated he was unworthy to loosen the straps of Christ's sandals.[5]

The colours

The colours used in the icon have been given various interpretations. Our Lady wears a red tunic and a blue mantle with a green lining. According to some commentators, red is said to be the colour worn by virgins in Palestine at the time of Christ, while blue was the colour worn by mothers. Others say that red represents divinity and blue represents humanity. Mary (blue) was the Theotokos; she carried God within her as her son.[4] Yet others see red as representing humanity and blue as the colour of the heavenly or divine. Adam was created from the earth and his name may derive from the Hebrew אדם ('adam) meaning "to be red", referring to his ruddy colouring or the colour of the earth from which he was formed. There may be a word play on the Hebrew אֲדָמָה ('adamah) "earth").

Notes

[1] [32] And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:
et congregabuntur ante eum omnes gentes, et separabit eos ab invicem, sicut pastor segregat oves ab haedis :
[33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
et statuet oves quidem a dextris suis, haedos autem a sinistris.
[34] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Tunc dicet rex his qui a dextris ejus erunt : Venite benedicti Patris mei, possidete paratum vobis regnum a constitutione mundi :
[41] Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
Tunc dicet et his qui a sinistris erunt : Discedite a me maledicti in ignem aeternum, qui paratus est diabolo, et angelis ejus :
[46] And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
Et ibunt hi in supplicium aeternum : justi autem in vitam aeternam. [Matt. xxv]

[2] [8] So Booz said to his kinsman: Put off thy shoe. And immediately he took it off from his foot.
Dixit ergo propinquo suo Booz : Tolle calceamentum tuum. Quod statim solvit de pede suo.
[9] And he said to the ancients and to all the people: You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and Chelion's, and Mahalon's, of the hand of Noemi:
At ille majoribus natu, et universo populo : Testes vos, inquit, estis hodie, quod possederim omnis quae fuerunt Elimelech, et Chelion, et Mahalon, tradente Noemi :
[10] And have taken to wife Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahalon, to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance lest his name be cut off, from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.
et Ruth Moabitidem, uxorem Mahalon, in conjugium sumpserim, ut suscitem nomen defuncti in haereditate sua, ne vocabulum ejus de familia sua ac fratribus et populo deleatur. Vos, inquam, hujus rei testes estis. [Ruth iv]

[3] [5] And he said: Come not nigh hither, put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
At ille : Ne appropies, inquit, huc : solve calceamentum de pedibus tuis : locus enim, in quo stas, terra sancta est. [Ex iii]

[4] It is said of Christ that He is a “consuming fire” (Hebrews xii. 29). The fire burning inside the bush is a symbol of Christ and the bush itself symbolizes the Virgin. In the song of The Burning Bush, sung during the fourth month of the Coptic calendar, the faithful chant:

The burning bush seen by Moses
The prophet in the wilderness;
The fire inside it was aflame
But never consumed or injured it.
The same with the Theotokos; Mary
Carried the fire of Divinity
Nine months in her holy body.

[5] [26] John answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not.
Respondit eis Joannes, dicens : Ego baptizo in aqua : medius autem vestrum stetit, quem vos nescitis.
[27] The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.
Ipse est qui post me venturus est, qui ante me factus est : cujus ego non sum dignus ut solvam ejus corrigiam calceamenti. [John i]

Totus tuus ego sum 
Et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum semper tutus sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

Feast of the Holy and Undivided Trinity (re-posted from 2020)

The Baptism of Jesus. J-J Tissot.

For much of my adult life, I have never ceased to be amazed at the number of times it is possible to discern groupings of three, whether in the real or spiritual domains of experience. It is a fascinating experiment to develop a personal list of these triplets, trios, and trichotomies. Here are a few to start you off:

Mum, Dad, Baby
Beginning, Middle, End
Length, Breadth, Height
Solid, Liquid, Gas
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
Past, Present, Future
Adjective, Comparative, Superlative
Persons (grammar): 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Masculine, Feminine, Neuter
Birth, Marriage, Death

There are perhaps some who would dismiss this as a trivial pursuit. They might be surprised to learn the origin of the very word "trivia". The Complete OED gives us its etymology:

Latin ( < tri- , tri- comb. form + via way), a place where three ways meet.

The "Trivium" was for a thousand years the foundational course for higher learning throughout Christendom. Comprising grammar, rhetoric and dialectics, it taught students how to think and prepared them for the "Quadrivium", on completion of which they would be awarded their title of Master. Although nowadays something of a formality, the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge still award their Master's Degrees in the seventh year after matriculation.

"Trivia" aside, I am convinced that the universal presence of the three-in-one pattern points ineluctably to the Creator of the universe. It is the finger-print of the Divine Creator of all things visible and invisible. The Spirit of God who moved over the waters at the Creation is also known as digitus paternae dexterae, finger of God's right hand.

Philos-Sophia website. 

By way of illustration of the pattern, I am including a series of diagrams below which are modelled on the "Cosmic Icon".

I discovered this icon in the extraordinary work of Wolfgang Smith, mathematician, physicist, classical philosopher and student of ancient sapiential writings of the East. I cannot rate too highly his unique intellectual achievements and his remarkable spiritual insights. For those who wish to discover his work, please visit the Philos-Sophia website.






The Macrocosm

The Corporeal Domain is the world of whole objects whose being is perceptible to me through their qualities and my senses. The objects really exist in space and time. Physicists operate in the Physical Domain and measure the quantities  of the "particles" and/or "waves"  whose actualisation from potential into whole entities produces corporeal objects. The Physical Domain is subject to time but not to space. Causation within this domain is said to be "horizontal".
The Spiritual Domain in this model is non-corporeal and non-physical, existing  aeviternally, beyond space and time, producing effects outside its domain by "vertical causation".




The Microcosm

Man, according to this argument, is  a microcosm manifesting a tripartite or trichotomous aspect to his being like the macrocosm. He is composed of body, soul and spirit. All seem to agree that man has a body and a soul. Now, plants and animals have souls too, in the sense of a life-principle. But man has certain faculties quite absent from plants and animals, such as his power of reason. Some argue that these faculties are super-added to a man who, accordingly, has a body, a soul (life-principle) and a spirit. Others argue the faculties are super-added to man's soul so that it becomes a rational soul. According to them, man's being is dichotomous rather than trichotomous. There is not space in this post to develop this issue further.



The Human Soul

I heard the priest this morning in his sermon on the Trinity refer to the three faculties of the human soul. This recalled the questions in the Catechism of my childhood:

29. Is there any likeness to the Blessed Trinity in your soul?

There is this likeness to the Blessed Trinity in my soul: that as in one God there are three Persons, so in my one soul there are three powers.

30. Which are the three powers of your soul?

The three powers of my soul are my memory, my understanding, and my will.


The Triune God

God the Father, despite the arguments between the East and the West over "Filioque", is recognised by both as the aeviternal point of origin; God the Son (Logos, Verbum, reason, understanding) is eternally begotten from the Father; God the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father as His point of origin but, from a different perspective, is breathed into aeviternal being by the mutual love between the Father and the Son. In this sense He "proceeds from the Father and the Son."





The Incarnation

In space and time, the Word was made flesh;  descendit de coelis -He descended from Heaven. He entered the corporeal world (the circumference in the icon) and, as man, He was subject to space and time.
God the Father - Memory (the Ancient of Days)
Jesus Christ - Logos
The Holy Ghost - Will / Love







Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui dedísti fámulis tuis in confessióne veræ fídei, ætérnæ Trinitátis glóriam agnóscere, et in poténtia maiestátis adoráre Unitátem: quǽsumus; ut, eiúsdem fídei firmitáte, ab ómnibus semper muniámur advérsis.
Almighty, eternal God, You Who have given Your servants, in the confession of the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of that majesty to adore its unity, grant, we beseech You, that in the firmness of this faith we may ever be protected from all harm. [From today's Collect]

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam