Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 15/33

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 84

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23        Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 53        Psalm 62        Psalm 86         

Psalm 92      Psalm 94        Psalm 95        Psalm 96         

Psalm 97      Psalm 99

👈 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 for consecration 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.

• Litany of the Holy Ghost
• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Ave Maris Stella

+       +        +

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 : Mercy and Truth, Justice and Peace

In the icon, as we contemplate the faces of the Holy Infant and His Blessed Mother, touching cheek to cheek, we notice their lips. How touching it is to contemplate the Mother's Immaculate Heart as she lavishes tender kisses on her baby Jesus and later receives His first kiss, the first of many.

This reflection recalls the words of today's Psalm:

Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed.

Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt sibi; justitia et pax osculatae sunt.[Psalm lxxxiv. 11]

On one level, in this verse we may ponder on Holy Mary's title as Mother of Mercy (Mater Misericordiæ) [1] and her divine Son's own words revealing Himself as the Truth: 

I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

Ego sum via, et veritas, et vita.[John xiv. 6]

Holy Mary is also known as the Queen of Peace (Regina Pacis) [2] whilst her Son is acclaimed as the Sun of Justice (Sol Justitiæ):

But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise;

Et orietur vobis timentibus nomen meum sol justitiæ.[Malachi iv. 2]

 [1] In the antiphon Salve regina.

 [2] In the Litany of Loreto.

Mary, the Mother of Mercy has met and embraced the very Truth; her Son, as the Sun of Justice enlightens His Mother, warming her heart with His love so that she becomes the Queen of Peace.

Psalm lxxxiv concludes with the following:

Truth is sprung out of the earth: and justice hath looked down from heaven. For the Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.   [Psalm lxxxiv. 12-13]

Truth is sprung out of the earth: that is, the Lord God has sprung out of a creature; earth is a fitting image for the Blessed Virgin, for did she not say herself: He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid? [Luke i. 48] And is not the word humility derived from a root meaning earth? 

our earth shall yield her fruit: Earth's fruit is the fruit of Mary's womb. The word fruit is echoed by Mary's kinswoman Elizabeth who declared: blessed is the fruit of thy womb [Luke i. 42], words echoed countless millions of times in the Ave Marias prayed by Catholics everywhere.

justice hath looked down from heaven. The Sun of Justice looked down from heaven, upon the humility of his handmaid, who was to become His Mother and our own gentle Queen and Mother.

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Fr Taunton explores further levels of meaning in his 1903 work: The Little Office of Our Lady: A Treatise Theoretical, Practical, and Exegetical.

    Man, says St. Bernard, lost Justice when Eve obeyed the serpent’s voice, and Adam the woman’s rather than the Divine One. He lost Mercy, in that Eve, to satisfy her desires, spared neither herself, her husband, nor posterity, but bound all alike under the curse : and Adam, in that he exposed the woman, for whom he had sinned, to the Divine Wrath, trying to shun the arrow, as it were, behind her back. Woman and Man lost Truth, the first by perverting the warning, thou shalt die the death.[3], into the milder, lest perhaps we die. [4] ; while Adam offered a vain and false excuse. And lastly, they lost Peace, for saith the Lord : There is no peace to the wicked [5] . 

    Hence, after the Fall there was, as it were, a serious conflict between the four virtues ; for Truth and Justice were for punishing the wretched sinner, while Peace and Mercy were for sparing him. How these four virtues, parted in the First Man, met again in the Second, we may readily learn. For Christ showed Mercy in healing the sick ; Truth in teaching and speaking ; Justice when He reproved sinners, and praised the godly ; and Peace in His meekness and gentleness. Further, the Divine Nature of Christ may be called Mercy, for it forgives sins ; and His Human Nature Truth, because no guile was found in Him.

    They have met each other, that is, they were united in the Hypostatic Union. Justice also is taken for the Divine

Nature ; for God alone is the righteous Judge. Peace, on the other hand, stands for the Human Nature, on account of our Lord’s noble and innate meekness. Again, Mercy and Truth met together in the Incarnation, because it was Mercy which drew the Lord down to His creatures, that the Truth of the promises might be fulfilled, that Justice might be satisfied by a Divine Victim, and that Peace might be re-established between God and Man. If we lay stress on the words met and kissed, they will denote that the union of persons coming from opposite directions is expressed ; we may therefore take the verses as signifying the reconciliation of God and Man.

    God’s Mercy encourages man to confess his sins, and so to meet Mercy with Truth. God’s Justice in fulfilling His promises gives the comfort of Peace to the conscience of His people.

[3] Gen. ii. 17

[4] Gen. iii. 3

[5] Is. xlviii. 22

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Prayer

Remembering the great blessings of marriage and children, let us offer to God through Mother Mary our most heartfelt thanks; let us pray in all fervour for the salvation of the souls of all those little innocents entrusted to us by our Heavenly Father; and let us beg forgiveness for our many and serious failings in honouring this trust, offering a contrite and humbled heart.  Miserere nobis.

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

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 : 14/33

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 53

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23         Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 62        Psalm 86         Psalm 92         

Psalm 94      Psalm 95        Psalm 96         Psalm 97   

Psalm 99

👈 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 for consecration 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.

• Litany of the Holy Ghost
• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Ave Maris Stella

+       +        +

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 : God the Son

In the icon, we contemplate our Lord and Saviour being cradled by His mother Mary, Daughter of the Father, Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Mother of the Son. St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) unravels the beautiful mysteries of the Blessed Trinity working in, through and with Mary (see his treatise True Devotion to Mary).

[TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863].

God the Father wishes to have children by Mary till the consummation of the world; and He has said to her these words, In Jacob inhabita—“Dwell in Jacob,” [1] —that is to say, Make your dwelling and residence in My predestinated children, figured by Jacob, and not in the reprobate children of the devil, figured by Esau.

 [1] See Ecclus. xxiv. 13; also featuring in the First Lesson of Matins in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

Just as, in the natural and corporal generation of children, there is a father and a mother, so in the supernatural and spiritual generation there is a Father, who is God, and a Mother, who is Mary. All the true children of God, the predestinate, have God for their Father, and Mary for their Mother. He who has not Mary for his Mother, has not God for his Father. This is the reason why the reprobate, such as heretics, schismatics, and others, who hate our Blessed Lady, or regard her with contempt and indifference, have not God for their Father, however much they boast of it, simply because they have not Mary for their Mother. For if they had her for their Mother, they would love and honour her as a true and good child naturally loves and honours the mother who has given him life.

God the Son wishes to form Himself, and, so to speak, to incarnate Himself, every day by His dear Mother in His members, and He has said to her, In Israel hæreditare—“Take Israel for your inheritance.” [2]  It is as if He had said, God the Father has given Me for an inheritance all the nations of the earth, all the men good and bad, predestinate and reprobate. The one I will lead with a rod of gold, and the others with a rod of iron. Of one I will be the Father and the Advocate, the Just Punisher of others, and the Judge of all. But as for you, My dear Mother—you shall have for your heritage and possession only the predestinate, figured by Israel; and, as their good Mother, you shall bring them forth and maintain them; and, as their sovereign, you shall conduct them, govern and defend them.

 [2] See Ecclus. xxiv. 13; also featuring in the First Lesson of Matins in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

God the Holy Ghost says “This man and that man is born in her,” —Homo et homo natus est in ea (Ps. lxxxvi. 5). According to the explanation of some of the Fathers, the first man that is born in Mary is the Man-God, Jesus Christ; the second is a mere man, the child of God and Mary by adoption. If Jesus Christ the Head of men is born in her, the predestinate who are the members of that Head ought also to be born in her by a necessary consequence. One and the same mother does not bring forth into the world the head without the members, nor the members without the head; for this would be a monster of nature. So in like manner, in the order of grace, the Head and the members are born of one and the same Mother; and if a member of the mystical Body of Jesus Christ—that is to say, one of the predestinate—was born of any other mother than Mary, who has produced the Head, he would not be one of the predestinate, nor a member of Jesus Christ, but simply a monster in the order of grace.

Besides this, Jesus being at present as much as ever the Fruit of Mary—as heaven and earth repeat thousands and thousands of times a day, “and Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,” [3] —it is certain that Jesus Christ is, for each man in particular who possesses Him, as truly the fruit of the work of Mary, as He is for the whole world in general; so that if anyone of the faithful has Jesus Christ formed in his heart, he can say boldly, All thanks be to Mary! what I possess is her effect and her fruit, and without her I should never have had it. We can apply to her more truly than St. Paul applied to himself those words, Quos iterum parturio donec formetur Christus in vobis—“I am in labour again with all the children of God, until Jesus Christ my Son be formed in them in the fulness of His age.” [4] 

 [3] See Luc. i. 42.

 [4] See Gal. iv. 19.

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Prayer

After that we must cry out with the Apostle, Nec oculus vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit—“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor man’s heart comprehended,” [4] the beauties, the grandeurs, the excellences, of Mary, the miracle of the miracles of grace, of nature, and of glory. If you wish to comprehend the Mother, says a Saint, comprehend the Son; for she is the worthy Mother of God. Hic taceat omnis lingua, “Here let every tongue be mute.” [TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863].

 [4] 1 Cor. ii. 9.

O MARY, blessed lady who found grace, mother of our life and our salvation, may we have access to thy Son through thee, so that He who was given to us through thee, may receive us through thee. May thy purity excuse the fault of our corruption. May thy humility, which is pleasing to God, implore pardon for our vanity. May thy abundant charity cover the multitude of our sins, and may thy glorious fruitfulness confer upon us an abundance of merits. Our Lady, our Mediatrix, our Advocate, reconcile us to thy Son, commend us to thy Son, and present us to thy Son. O blessed Lady, through the grace thou hast found, through the prerogatives thou hast merited, through the mercy thou didst give birth to, grant us that by thy intercession, He, who deigned to share in our infirmities and misery, will makes us sharers of His glory and blessedness, Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, who is above all blessed God forever. Amen.

[Written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Confessor, Abbot, and Doctor of the Church.

 

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

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 : 13/33

 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 62

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23         Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 86        Psalm 92         Psalm 94         

Psalm 95      Psalm 96        Psalm 97         Psalm 99

👈 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 for consecration 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.

• Litany of the Holy Ghost
• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Ave Maris Stella

+       +        +

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 : God the Son

The little boy pictured in the icon is Jesus of Nazareth cradled in the arms of His mother Mary; but He is also the Word made flesh, the Second Person of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father. [1] Below are excerpts from the treatise True Devotion to Mary

where St Louis-Marie de Montfort writes powerfully of the Most Holy Mother of God and her Divine Son.

 [1] The Nicene Creed, as approved in amplified form at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD).

God-made Man has found His liberty in seeing Himself imprisoned in her womb. He has made His Omnipotence shine forth in letting Himself be carried by that blessed Virgin. He has found His glory and His Father’s in hiding His splendours from all creatures here below, and revealing them to Mary only. He has glorified His Independence and His Majesty, in depending on that sweet Virgin, in His Conception, in His Birth, in His Presentation in the Temple, in His Hidden Life of thirty years, and even in His Death, where she was to be present, in order that He might make with her but one same sacrifice, and be immolated to the Eternal Father by her consent; just as Isaac of old was offered by Abraham’s consent to the Will of God. It is she who has suckled Him, nourished Him, supported Him, brought Him up, and then sacrificed Him for us.

Jesus Christ gave more glory to God the Father by submission to His Mother during those thirty years than He would have given Him in converting the whole world by the working of the most stupendous miracles. Oh, how highly we glorify God, when, to please Him, we submit ourselves to Mary, after the example of Jesus Christ, our Sole Exemplar!

If we examine narrowly the rest of our Blessed Lord’s Life, we shall see that it was His Will to begin His miracles by Mary. He sanctified St. John in the womb of St. Elizabeth his mother; but it was by Mary’s word. No sooner had she spoken than John was sanctified; and this was His first and greatest miracle of grace. [2] 

[2] And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. [Luke i. 43-44]

At the marriage at Cana He changed the water into wine; but it was at Mary’s humble prayer; [3]  and this was His first miracle of nature. He has begun and continued His miracles by Mary, and He will continue them to the end of ages by Mary also. [TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863].

 [3]   And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no wine .... His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye. [John iii. 2 & 5]

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Prayer

Behold all creation rejoices! May we revere and adore this union of God and man in the Son of Mary, and as we tremble at and pay honour to the indivisible Trinity, let us sing the praises of Mary ever Virgin, the holy temple of God, and of God Himself, her Son and spotless Bridegroom, for to Him be glory forever. Amen. [St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop (370-444 AD)]

After that we must surely say with the Saints, De Maria nunquam satis; we have not yet praised, exalted, honoured, loved, and served Mary as we ought to do. She has deserved still more praise, still more respect, still more love, and far more service. [TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863].

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

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 : 12/33

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 99

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23         Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 86        Psalm 92         Psalm 94         

Psalm 95      Psalm 96        Psalm 97

👈 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 for consecration 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 

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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 : The Holy Mother of God and the Blessed Trinity

In the icon, we contemplate our Lord and Saviour being cradled by His mother Mary, Daughter of the Father, Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Mother of the Son. St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) unravels the beautiful mysteries of the Blessed Trinity working in, through and with Mary (see his treatise True Devotion to Mary).

[TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863].

God the Father has not given His Only-begotten to the world except by Mary. Whatever sighs the patriarchs may have sent forth—whatever prayers the prophets and the saints of the ancient law may have offered up to obtain that treasure for full four thousand years—it was but Mary that merited it; it was but Mary who found grace before God by the force of her prayers and the eminence of her virtues. The world was unworthy, says St. Augustine, to receive the Son of God immediately from the Father’s hands. He has given Him to Mary in order that the world might receive Him through her.

The Son of God has made Himself Man; but it was in Mary and by Mary.

 

God the Holy Ghost has formed Jesus Christ in Mary; but it was only after having asked her consent by one of the first ministers of His court.

 

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God the Father has communicated to Mary His fruitfulness, as far as a mere creature was capable of it, in order that He might give her the power to produce His Son, and all the members of His mystical body.

God the Son has descended into her virginal womb, as the new Adam into the terrestrial paradise, to take His pleasure there, and to work in secret the marvels of His grace.

God the Holy Ghost being barren in God—that is to say, not producing another Divine Person—is become fruitful by Mary, whom He has espoused. It is with her, in her, and of her, that He has produced His Masterpiece, which is a God made Man, and whom He goes on producing in the persons of His members daily to the end of the world. The predestinate are the members of that Adorable Head. This is the reason why He, the Holy Ghost, the more He finds Mary, His dear and indissoluble Spouse, in any soul, becomes the more active and mighty in producing Jesus Christ in that soul, and that soul in Jesus Christ.

It is not that we may say that our Blessed Lady gives the Holy Ghost His fruitfulness, as if He had it not Himself. For inasmuch as He is God, He has the same fruitfulness or capacity of producing as the Father and the Son, only that He does not bring it into action, as He does not produce another Divine Person. But what we want to say is, that the Holy Ghost chose to make use of our Blessed Lady, though He had no absolute need of her, to bring His fruitfulness into action, by producing in her and by her Jesus Christ in His members; a mystery of grace unknown to even the wisest and most spiritual among Christians.

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God the Father made an assemblage of all the waters, and He named it the sea (mare). He has made an assemblage of all His graces, and He has called it Mary (Maria). This great God has a most rich treasury in which He has laid up all that He has of beauty, of splendour, of rarity, and of preciousness, even to His own Son; and this immense treasury is none other than Mary, whom the Saints have named the Treasure of the Lord, out of whose plenitude all men are made rich.

God the Son has communicated to His Mother all that He has acquired by His Life and by His Death, His infinite merits and His admirable virtues; and He has made her the treasuress of all that His Father has given Him for His inheritance. It is by her that He applies His merits to His members, and that He communicates His virtues, and distributes His graces. She is His mysterious canal; she is His aqueduct, through which He makes His mercies flow gently and abundantly.

God the Holy Ghost has communicated His unspeakable gifts To Mary, His faithful Spouse; and He has chosen her to be the dispensatrix of all He possesses, in such sort that she distributes to whom she wills, as much as she wills, as she wills, and when she wills, all His gifts and graces. The Holy Ghost gives no heavenly gift to men which He does not pass through her virginal hands. Such has been the Will of God, who has willed that we should have everything in Mary; so that she who impoverished, humbled, and hid herself even to the abyss of nothingness by her profound humility her whole life long, should now be enriched, and exalted by the Most High. Such are the sentiments of the Church and the Holy Fathers. 

[TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863]

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After that we must surely say with the Saints, De Maria nunquam satis; we have not yet praised, exalted, honoured, loved, and served Mary as we ought to do. She has deserved still more praise, still more respect, still more love, and far more service. 

[TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863]

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

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 : 11/33

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 92

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23         Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 86        Psalm 94         Psalm 95

Psalm 96      Psalm 97

👈 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 for consecration 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 

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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 : Mary as the grand and divine World of God

In the previous post, we noted the expressive silence communicated in the icon by Holy Mother of God and her Son, the Holy Infant |Jesus. 

St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), priest and Mariologist, echoed this observation in his treatise True Devotion to Mary [TD, English translation by Fr Faber, 1863]

God the Father consented that she should do no miracle, at least no public one, during her life, although He had given her the power. God the Son consented that she should hardly ever speak, though He had communicated His wisdom to her. God the Holy Ghost, though she was His faithful Spouse, consented that His Apostles and Evangelists should speak but very little of her, and no more than was necessary to make Jesus Christ known. [T.D., Intro.]

Most Holy Mary is intimately connected with the three Persons of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, being daughter of the Father, Spouse of the Holy Ghost and mother of the Son. St Louis-Marie de Montfort reveals numerous layers of meaning within this magnificent mystery.

Mary is the excellent masterpiece of the Most High, of which He has reserved to Himself both the knowledge and the possession. Mary is the admirable Mother of the Son, who took pleasure in humbling and concealing her during her life, in order to favour her humility, calling her by the name of woman (mulier)[1], as if she was a stranger, although in His heart He esteemed and loved her above all angels and all men. Mary is the sealed fountain [2] and the faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, to whom He alone has entrance. Mary is the sanctuary and the repose of the Holy Trinity, where God dwells more magnificently and more divinely than in any other place in the universe, without excepting His dwelling between the Cherubim and Seraphim. Neither is it allowed to any creature, no matter how pure, to enter into that sanctuary without a great and special privilege. [T.D., Intro.]

[1] Woman, behold thy son. Mulier, ecce filius tuus. [John xix. 26.]

[2] My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.[Cant. iv. 12]

I say with the Saints, The divine Mary is the terrestrial Paradise of the New Adam, where He is incarnate by the operation of the Holy Ghost, in order to work there incomprehensible marvels. She is the grand and divine World of God, where there are beauties and treasures unspeakable. She is the magnificence of the Most High, where He has hidden, as in her bosom, His only Son, and in Him all that is most excellent and most precious. Oh, what grand and hidden things that mighty God has wrought in this admirable creature! How has she herself been compelled to say it, in spite of her profound humility: Fecit mihi magna, qui potens est! [He that is mighty, hath done great things to me].  The world knows them not, because it is at once incapable and unworthy of such knowledge.

The Saints have said admirable things of this Holy City of God; and, as they themselves avow, they have never been more eloquent and more content than when they have spoken of her. Yet, after all they have said, they cry out that the height of her merits, which she has raised up to the throne of the Divinity, cannot be fully seen; that the breadth of her charity, which is broader than the earth, is in truth immeasurable; that the grandeur of her power, which she exercises even over God Himself, incomprehensible; and finally, that the depth of her humility, and of all her virtues and graces, is an abyss which never can be sounded. O height incomprehensible! O breadth unspeakable! O grandeur immeasurable! O abyss impenetrable! [T.D., Intro.] [3]

[3] You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth: ut possitis comprehendere cum omnibus sanctis, quae sit latitudo, et longitudo, et sublimitas, et profundum :

 

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As we note the golden trimming of Mary's maphorion and cuffs in the icon, let us following the call from St Louis-Marie de Montfort and say with the Holy Ghost:

Omnis gloria ejus filiæ regis ab intus, in fimbriis aureis.  

All the glory of the king's daughter is within in golden borders. [Psalm xliv. 14-15]

 

It is as if all the outward glory, which heaven and earth rival each other in laying at her feet, is nothing in comparison with that which she receives within from the Creator, and which is not known by creatures, who in their littleness are unable to penetrate the secret of the secrets of the King. [T.D., Intro.]

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

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 : 10/33

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 97

Previous Psalms

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23         Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 86        Psalm 94         Psalm 95

Psalm 96

👈 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 for consecration 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 : Mary kept all these words in her heart.

The icon is remarkable on numerous levels, but perhaps one of the most striking is found in the expressive silence  communicated by the image. 

The benefits of silence are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures, as in the following examples: 

 

In the multitude of words there shall not want sin: but he that refraineth his lips is most wise. [Proverbs x. 19]

 

He that keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from distress.[Proverbs xxi. 23]

 

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: and a door round about my lips. [Psalm cxli. 3]

Taking into account the central role of the Holy Theotokos in salvation history, it is noteworthy that there are only four incidents in the Gospel where her words are recorded:

‣    The Annunciation: And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? [Luke i. 34] And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. [Luke i. 38]

‣    The Magnificat [Luke i. 46-55]

‣    When Mary lost Jesus she found Him on the third day in the Temple and said to Him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. [Luke ii. 48]

‣    The marriage at Cana: Having told her Son that the wine had run out, she then tells the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.

Here are three examples where the evangelist records Mary's silence in response to words spoken to her.

⮚    Firstly, when Gabriel came to see her and uttered his greeting, using words which were to become part of the prayer uttered by Christians throughout the centuries:

 

And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. [Luke i. 28-9]

Mary did not at first respond but stayed silent; she felt troubled in her heart by his words and wondered what this greeting could mean.

⮚    The next occasion is Mary's reaction to the arrival of the shepherds, who following the announcement to them that this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David, came to look for an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. St Luke records simply :

But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. [Luke ii. 19]

⮚    Finally, when Mary (with Joseph) found her missing Son in the Temple and He said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business? — her reaction is recorded by St Luke:

And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. [Luke ii. 50-51]

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Let us ask our Heavenly Mother to help us learn from her example by keeping the words of Christ's teaching in our hearts, pondering them and translating them into action. Let us pray too for her Divine Son's grace to measure our words with prudence and, above all, charity, recalling the words of St Paul the Apostle:

If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. [1 Corinthians xiii. 1]

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

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.