Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 5/33

The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By way of preparation for the great Feast of the Annunciation, I am re-posting a daily commentary on each of the Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The commentary was compiled by Father Ethelred L. Taunton and published in 1903. 

To read the commentary on today's Psalm, click on the following link: 👉  Psalm 44

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8      Psalm 18       Psalm 23         Psalm 94     

👈 Taken from a book of hours, this is an image of King David, author of the Psalms, by Willem Vrelant (early 1460s), Bruges, Belgium.

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary 

The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of our family's consecration to Lord Jesus, Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Veni Creator Spiritus 

Ave Maris Stella

 

Magnificat

 

Gloria 

+       +        +

The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

I have for some time been closing my posts with a triple seal:

* the beautiful icon of the Holy Mother of God known to many as the Vladimirskaya Icon; 

* the Sub tuum præsidium, said to be the oldest prayer to Our Lady;     and

* a short prayer of consecration to the Immaculate heart of Mary.

Over the coming weeks, I shall include a short commentary on one or other of these prayers, (recalling that holy icons are traditionally said to be written like prayers rather than painted).

The Vladimirskaya Icon : 

In a previous post, we spoke of the hands depicted by the artist  in the icon.  A closer inspection will show how the hands are remarkable for their delicate fingers. In contemplating the fingers of Our Lord, we may perhaps be reminded of the Psalmist's words:

For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded. [Psalm viii. 4]

Thy fingers, not hands, because (as St. John Chrysostom says), this is but a small thing for God's omnipotence. Others note that the use of the word fingers implies the work of a skilled craftsman shaping things of great beauty.

May we not see the Infant Christ as the Divine craftsman who fashioned the moon as described by the Psalmist? But where are we to find this moon in the image? The answer may lie in the following excerpt from Fr Taunton's Treatise on the Little Office:

"...the moon, says Jorgius, Confessor of Edward I., denotes our ever dear and blessed Lady ; and that for various reasons : 

• As the moon draws all its brightness from the sun, and yet it is the most luminous object next to him, so Mary, made full of grace by Him whose countenance is as the sun shining in his strength, is the brightest of all the saints. 
• And yet, as the moon is nearest to the earth, so our Lady is the lowliest of all in her humility. 
• As the moon rules the tides, so Mary by her prayers helps those who are tossed on the bitter surges of the world. 
• And as Easter, the festival of the Resurrection, follows the course of the moon, so the spiritual arising of the Man by the Incarnation followed the consent of Mary’s will to the message of the Angel.

 The choirs of angels which are her fellows and bear her company, are rightly compared to the stars ; only less than the moon in glory and beauty." [The Little Office of Our Lady, A Treatise Theoretical, Practical, and Exegetical. By Ethelred L. Taunton. 1903.]

Let us recall the mysterious link between Mary and the moon that is revealed in the following words of Scripture: 

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair [pulchra] as the moon...? [Canticles (Solomon) vi. 9]

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: [Apocalypse (Revelation) xii. 1]

To conclude this short reflection, I offer the following poem-prayer to Our Blessed Mother which I adapted from Song to the Moon by Jaroslav Kvapil (which features in Russalka by Antonín Dvořák). To see my original post on this poem, click here: 👉  Ad Jesum per te, Maria!

Here is the poem, followed by a link to a beautiful sung performance:

Ad Jesum per te, Maria!

To Jesus through thee, O Mary!

Hail O beautiful moon, our Mother in the highest heaven,

Whose gentle gaze sees far and wide;

The light of thy maternal love streams down

Upon thy children here below.

O radiant moon, our Queen, please pause awhile

And tell me, O tell me where He is who hath so loved me;

Help me to tell Him, O Heavenly Mother,

To tell Him my heart yearns for us to draw close;

How I pray that for a little while

I may be present to His thoughts;

With the light of Grace, I ask thee to show me His distant dwelling,

Tell Him, O tell Him that someone is seeking Him...

And knocking for His attention;

May this little plea prompt His recollection;

Beautiful moon, our gentle Queen and Mother, don't leave me, don't leave me...

Don't leave me!

+       +        +

Here is a link to the song performed in Czech by Patricia Janečková (1998-2023):

👉  Song to the Moon

+       +        +

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers always Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.  

Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 4/33

The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By way of preparation for the great Feast of the Annunciation, I am re-posting a daily commentary on each of the Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The commentary was compiled by Father Ethelred L. Taunton and published in 1903. 

To read the commentary on today's Psalm, click on the following link: 👉  Psalm 23

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8      Psalm 18      Psalm 94     

👈 Taken from a book of hours, this is an image of King David, author of the Psalms, by Willem Vrelant (early 1460s), Bruges, Belgium.

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary 

The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of our family's consecration to Lord Jesus, Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Veni Creator Spiritus 

Ave Maris Stella

 

Magnificat

 

Gloria 

+       +        +

The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

I have for some time been closing my posts with a triple seal:

* the beautiful icon of the Holy Mother of God known to many as the Vladimirskaya Icon; 

* the Sub tuum præsidium, said to be the oldest prayer to Our Lady;     and

* a short prayer of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Over the coming weeks, I shall include a short commentary on one or other of these prayers, (recalling that holy icons are traditionally said to be written like prayers rather than painted).

The Vladimirskaya Icon : His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy.

The hands of our Mother Mary and her Son are clearly visible in the icon. The Psalmist asked: Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in his holy place? The answer provided by the Holy Spirit could have no more beautiful illustration than the Holy Infant and His Virginal Mother depicted in the icon:

 The innocent in hands, and clean of heart. [Psalm xxiii. 4]

Mary's right hand supports her Son, forming a seat or throne for Him. This recalls her title in the Litany of Loreto as Seat of Wisdom (Sedes Sapientiæ), Christ Himself being called the Wisdom of God by no less an authority than St Paul:

"...Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." [1 Cor. i. 24]

It is meet for Christ to thus enthroned as king. The Angel Gabriel declared to Mary:

the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.  And of his kingdom there shall be no end. [Luke i. 32-33]

As St. Albert the Great states, Lord Jesus has many crowns, 

"of which the chief are :

‣    the Crown of Mercy, wherewith He was crowned in the Incarnation and Nativity ;
‣    the Crown of Sorrow, when the thorny diadem of the passion was given Him ;
‣    that of Glory in the Resurrection and Ascension ; and
‣    that of Dominion, which He will receive when the Court of the Redeemed gathers around Him." [cited in The Little Office of Our Lady, A Treatise Theoretical, Practical, and Exegetical. By Ethelred L. Taunton. 1903]

Mary's right hand, close to her own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, draws us to her Son, our dear Lord and Saviour. Christ's right hand occupies a central position in the icon, highlighting its importance which finds echoes throughout the Scriptures. Among the references to the saving power of His right hand, we may recall:

His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy. [Psalms xcvii. 1]

Finally, let us ask our dear Mother to intercede with her Son, borrowing the words of the royal psalmist:

Save me with thy right hand, and hear me. [Psalm lxix. 7]

+       +        +

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers always Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 3/33

The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By way of preparation for the great Feast of the Annunciation, I am re-posting a daily commentary on each of the Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The commentary was compiled by Father Ethelred L. Taunton and published in 1903. 

To read the commentary on today's Psalm, click on the following link:

 👉  Psalm 18

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8     Psalm 94     

👈 Taken from a book of hours, this is an image of King David, author of the Psalms, by Willem Vrelant (early 1460s), Bruges, Belgium.

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary 

The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of our family's consecration to Lord Jesus, Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Veni Creator Spiritus 

Ave Maris Stella

 

Magnificat

 

Gloria 

+       +        +

The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

I have for some time been closing my posts with a triple seal:

* the beautiful icon of the Holy Mother of God known to many as the Vladimirskaya Icon; 

* the Sub tuum præsidium, said to be the oldest prayer to Our Lady;     and

* a short prayer of consecration to the Immaculate heart of Mary.

Over the coming weeks, I shall include a short commentary on one or other of these prayers, (recalling that holy icons are traditionally said to be written like prayers rather than painted).

The Vladimirskaya Icon : Grace is poured abroad in thy lips

The Holy Infant's face is pressed against the cheek of His Mother and their faces are almost like mirror images. That Mary should resemble her Divine Son is not surprising, for we are told in Scripture that every human is made in the image and likeness of the Creator:

Let us make man to our image and likeness...

Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram

[Genesis i. 26]

 

Neither is it surprising that Jesus should look like His Mother, since the Word made flesh takes His flesh from His Mother as her Son. The mirroring of Mother and Son's faces recalls one of Mary's titles in the Litany of Loreto:

Mirror of Justice

Speculum Justitiæ

This harmonizes with one of Christ's own titles, the Sun of Justice: (see Malachi, iv. 2: the Sun of justice shall arise.)

The lips of Mother and Son form a central point in the icon. Lips are indeed central to human life: the new-born baby noises his first requests and complaints via his lips; he uses his lips to draw nourishment from his mother's breast; he begins to imitate sounds; after forty days or so, he uses his lips to smile; he learns how to use his lips to kiss his mother and those whom he loves; he finally manages to utter words and even to hum musically and to sing. One day, he will use his lips to pray.

It is fascinating to transpose the general actions in the paragraph above to Mary and the blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus. Occasional references are made in prayers and in art to Mary nursing her baby:

O glorious Virgin of Virgins,

enthron'd above the starry sky!

thou feedest with thy sacred breast

thy own Creator, Lord most high.

 

O gloriosa virginum

excelsa super sidera,

qui te creavit provide,

lactas sacrato ubere.

 

[Composed by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609). the Bishop of Poitiers.The hymn was a favorite of St. Anthony of Padua. Tradition has it that it was sung by St. Anthony's mother when he was an infant.]

 

Thou didst offer adoration to this son of King David

And didst suckle the mewling baby from thy virginal breast

 

Quem regis David genere: mox natum adorasti:

ac vagientem ubere virgineo lactasti.

 

[From an ancient form of the Rosary found in the Sarum Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the latter part of the Middle Ages]

 

Did the Holy Infant smile for the first time at His presentation in the Temple 40 days after His birth? What stories and prayers did Mary and Joseph teach their Infant Son? Most assuredly, He would have learned to chant the Psalms, such as:

O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise. [Psalms L.17]

My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee; [Psalm LXX. 23] 

  

Did Mary look upon Her Divine Son and murmur softly to herself:

Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee for ever. [Psalms xliv. 3]

The artist who wrote the Icon set the lips of Mother and the Son of David close together. Was he recalling the words of royal psalmist:

Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed. [Ps lxxxiv. 11]

+       +        +

As we present our petitions in our necessities to our gentle Queen and Mother, let us recall the traditional prayer before the Gospel at Mass:

 

“May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.”

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers always Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 2/33

The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By way of preparation for the great Feast of the Annunciation, I am re-posting a daily commentary on each of the Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The commentary was compiled by Father Ethelred L. Taunton and published in 1903. 

To read the commentary on today's Psalm, click on the following link: 👉   Psalm 8

Previous Psalms

Psalm 94

👈 This is an image of King David, author of the Psalms. By Willem Vrelant (early 1460s), Bruges, Belgium. 

Prayers 

The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of our family's consecration to Lord Jesus, Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Veni Creator Spiritus [To see a translation of this hymn to the Holy Spirit, click here:  👉 Veni Creator Spiritus ]

Ave Maris Stella

 

Magnificat

 

Gloria 

+       +        +

The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

I have for some time been closing my posts with a triple seal:

* the beautiful icon of the Holy Mother of God known to many as the Vladimirskaya Icon; 

* the Sub tuum præsidium, said to be the oldest prayer to Our Lady;     and

* a short prayer of consecration to the Immaculate heart of Mary.

Over the coming weeks, I shall include a short commentary on one or other of these prayers, (recalling that holy icons are traditionally said to be written like prayers rather than painted).

The Vladimirskaya Icon: Christ's embrace

The Holy Infant has placed his left arm around the neck of Mary and his right hand is stretched forward with his hand over her heart. His cheek is pressed tenderly against Mary's. There is a striking similarity between the way this embrace is portrayed and certain words in the Canticle of Canticles:

His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me

Læva ejus sub capite meo, et dextera illius amplexabitur me.  [Canticles (Solomon) ii. 6]

The Douay-Rheims heading introduces this text with the words: Christ caresses his spouse: he invites her to him. The words in Chapter ii are repeated in Chapter viii, following another heading which reads: The love of the church to Christ: his love to her.

This imagery of Mary as being in a sense the Bride of Christ and as such also representing the Church, is found in the writings of numerous Church Fathers. Notable among these is St Nephraem* who writes extensively of Marian typology.

*St Ephraem (b. Nisbis, d. 373). While he lived he was very influential among the Syrian Christians of Edessa, and his memory was revered by all, Orthodox, Monophysites, and Nestorians. They call him the "sun of the Syrians," the "column of the Church", the "harp of the Holy Spirit". More extraordinary still is the homage paid by the Greeks who rarely mention Syrian writers. Among the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa (P.G., XLVI, 819) is a sermon ... which is a real panegyric of St. Ephraem. Twenty years after the latter's death St. Jerome mentions him as follows in his catalogue of illustrious Christians: "Ephraem, deacon of the Church of Edessa, wrote many works [opuscula] in Syriac, and became so famous that his writings are publicly read in some churches after the Sacred Scriptures. I have read in Greek a volume of his on the Holy Spirit; though it was only a translation, I recognized therein the sublime genius of the man" (Illustrious Men 115). [Adapted from Catholic Encyclopedia]

St Ephrem evokes the reality that Mary has a double type. She is the antitype of the Faithful-Israel, God's bride (Ezek xvi. 8-14; Hos iii. 1-3; Isa lxii. 4-5; Jer xxxi. 31), and, at the same time, is a type of the redeemed Church, the bride of Christ (Eph v. 25-27) who, by giving His life for her, shows “the greatest possible demonstration of love.” [Adapted from Typology of Mary in the writings of East Syriac Fathers, Theology, Volume 5 (2017) by the Very Rev’d Archdeacon William Toma of Chicago, Illinois]

This demonstration of love through giving His life finds a typological pre-echoing in the image of Samson's death. One of the very few other references in Scripture to both words left and right (læva and dextera) is found in the account of Samson's death, which includes the verse:

And laying hold on both the pillars on which the house rested, and holding the one with his right hand, and the other with his left

Et apprehendens ambas columnas, quibus innitebatur domus, alteramque earum dextera, et alteram læva tenens,  [Judges xvi. 29]

Commonly interpreted as a type of Christ, (see, e.g., the instances at Samson the Christ-like Judge), Samson is shown in this verse with his arms stretched to the left and right between two pillars, just as Christ's arms were stretched out on the Cross between the two thieves. For his part too, and for all his weaknesses, Samson offered his life out of love for his people and in order to destroy evil.

+       +        +

Let us ask for a share in the fire of the love between Christ and Mary as we present our petitions to our gentle Queen and Mother:

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers always Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 1/33

The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By way of preparation for the great Feast of the Annunciation, I am re-posting a daily commentary on each of the Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The commentary was compiled by Father Ethelred L. Taunton and published in 1903. 

To read the commentary on today's Psalm, click on the following link: 👉   Psalm 94

👈 This is an image of King David, author of the Psalms. By Willem Vrelant (early 1460s), Bruges, Belgium. 

Prayers 

The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of our family's consecration to Lord Jesus, Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Veni Creator Spiritus [To see a translation of this hymn to the Holy Spirit, click here:  👉 Veni Creator Spiritus ]

Ave Maris Stella

 

Magnificat

 

Gloria 

+       +        +

The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

I have for some time been closing my posts with a triple seal:

* the beautiful icon of the Holy Mother of God known to many as the Vladimirskaya Icon; 

* the Sub tuum præsidium, said to be the oldest prayer to Our Lady;     and

* a short prayer of consecration to the Immaculate heart of Mary.

Over the coming weeks, I shall include a short commentary on one or other of these prayers, (recalling that holy icons are traditionally said to be written rather than painted).

The Vladimirskaya Icon : Five minutes' love

    One of the earliest and most precious memories I have from my infancy is of my dear mother inviting me into her arms to have "five minutes' love." She would cradle me on her lap, her head pressed against mine, whilst rocking me in her maternal embrace. No words were spoken.

    This early memory informs and inspires a reaction to the Icon, for here surely is the Holy Infant having "five minutes' love" in His dear Mother's arms. Mary is supporting and cradling her Son, her cheek pressed tenderly* against His. No words are spoken but their eyes and posture seem to communicate powerful thoughts and feelings: heartfelt love, certainly; but also serious thoughts and sorrow, for did not Simeon say to Mary in the Temple: thy own soul a sword shall pierce...? [Luke ii. 35]  And does she not hear the cries of her children everywhere and throughout history:  To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears ? [from the Salve Regina prayer]

*This style of icon is commonly styled an Eleusa icon, from Eleousa (Greek Ἐλεούσα) – tenderness.

    

Moved by such considerations, let us present to our Gentle Queen and Mother our personal petitions in our necessities :

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers always Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

From a decorative tile in Holy Cross Church,
Carshalton. Taken by author.

Today, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, is the anniversary of my first consecration in 2019 to Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ through His Mother Mary, the Glorious and Blessed Virgin of Virgins, and our own dearest Mother.

Laudetur Jesus Christi et Maria Immaculata!

Sainte Bernadette Soubirous

On Thursday, February 11, 1858, fourteen-year-old Bernadette was sent with her younger sister and a friend to gather firewood, when a very beautiful lady appeared to her above a rose bush in a grotto called Massabielle. From the 11th of February until the 16th of July, the lady appeared 18 times. She revealed her identity to Bernadette in the words: Que soy era immaculada councepciou. ('I am the Immaculate Conception'). She caused a spring to pour forth water in the grotto which was to become a world-famous place of pilgrimage for the sick in soul and body from the lifetime of Bernadette until today.

  

Her life

Marie-Bernadette Soubirous est née le 4 janvier 1844 dans le bourg de Lourdes.  Ayant survécu à une épidémie de choléra, elle demeure de santé très précaire. Pour apprendre à lire et à écrire, elle est accueillie, en janvier 1858, dans la classe des petites filles pauvres de l’Hospice de Lourdes dirigé par les Sœurs de la Charité de Nevers.

Marie-Bernadette Soubirous was born on the 4th of January 1844 in the town of Lourdes. She survived a cholera epidemic but her health remained fragile. In order to learn to read and write, she was accepted in January 1858 into a class for poor little girls in a Home run by the Sisters of Charity from Nevers.

Entre le 11 février et le 16 juillet 1858, sur la grotte de Massabielle, la Vierge Marie lui apparut 18 fois. Comme Bernadette lui demandait avec insistance son nom, elle répondit: « Je suis l’Immaculée Conception. » Le 18 février 1858, la Vierge Marie dit à Bernadette : « Je ne vous promets pas de vous rendre heureuse en ce monde mais dans l’autre. »

Between the 11th of February and the 16th of July 1858, in a grotto of Massabielle, the Virgin Mary appeared to her 18 times. Bernadette asked several times for the lady's name and she replied: "I am the Immaculate Conception." On the 18th of February 1858, the Virgin Mary said to Bernadette: "I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next." [Some say the dialect used is more accurately translated as : 'I do not promise you the happiness of this world, but of the next.']

Après avoir transmis aux prêtres l’affirmation solennelle d’identité et d’autres messages célestes, Bernadette, pour mieux échapper à la vue du monde, demanda son admission chez les Sœurs de la Charité et de l’Instruction chrétienne de Nevers. Elle arriva à Nevers en juillet 1866. Modèle de fidélité religieuse, supportant avec la plus grande patience toutes sortes de croix et des infirmités prolongées, elle se livrait fréquemment à l’oraison et à la méditation de la Parole du Seigneur. Elle avait un amour filial la Vierge Immaculée. Elle portait sur elle la Médaille Miraculeuse.  Dans l’infirmerie devenue aujourd’hui un oratoire, âgée de trente-cinq ans, elle rend le dernier soupir et s’endort dans le Seigneur à 3 heures de l'après-midi, le 16 avril 1879.

Having passed on to the priests this solemn affirmation of identity  and other heavenly messages, Bernadette, in order to flee from the prying eyes of the world, asked to be admitted into the Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction in Nevers. She arrived in Nevers in July 1866. A model of religious fidelity, enduring with the greatest patience all sorts of crosses and extended periods of illness, she gave herself over to frequent prayer  and meditation on the Word of the Lord. She had a daughter's love for the Immaculate Virgin. She wore the Miraculous Medal. Within the infirmary (which is today a place of prayer), aged 35 years, she breathed her last and fell asleep in the Lord at 3.00 pm on the 16th of April 1879.

 

Ste Bernadette in death. [Public Domain]

Elle se tint, des années durant, silencieuse près de Marie au pied de la Croix, jusqu’au dernier moment, où elle, en murmurant: 

Sainte Marie Mère de Dieu, priez pour moi, pauvre pécheresse

Year after year she stood silently next to Mary at the foot of the Cross, right up to her last moment, saying softly:

 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me a poor sinner.

Jean Delannoy's films about Saint Bernadette are very moving and powerful: 

La vie de Sainte Bernadette Soubirous (1988, French)

Bernadette Soubirous (1988, English)

La Passion de Bernadette (1990, French)

The Passion of Bernadette (1990, English)

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per te, Maria. 

Candlemas 2024

The presentation in the Temple. 
J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

Today, we commemorate the feasts of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

On the occasion of these two feasts, I am renewing the installation first carried out at Candlemas in 2021 which enthroned the Holy Infant Jesus in cubiculo meo. This was supplemented at Candlemas 2022 by including prayers from Papa Stronsay to the Holy Chaplet and renewed at Candlemas 2023

The expanded, illustrated version of the Devotion can be viewed as a PDF by clicking on the link below:

👇

The Holy Infant Jesus - A Devotion in Words and Images.

(The prayers now include the Sub tuum Præsidium - said to the the oldest known prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God.)

Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Immaculata!

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.