Ad Iesum quando ad pedes eius Maria flebat

The Example of the Penitent

The speaker invokes Jesus to grant the same grace of repentance and love that transformed Mary Magdalene.

Jesus, splendor of heaven and living light, happy and holy love, fountain and broad river of every tender tear and of every grace: set my heart so on fire that I may weep at your holy feet with Mary, and always remain suspended and fixed in you. Your merciful, sweet, and beautiful hand—bright and pure light that leads Mary to weep for the time spent in vain—shines with a great radiance and strongly warms the tearful breast with your kind, gracious, and holy countenance.^✦¹ O living gaze, O piercing Word, who make Mary languish, rise from the earth, and turn bitter weeping into joy: make me die of love, and set me in such oblivion of the world that, dead, You may live in me, merciful Jesus.²³ Open, Lord, your heavenly fountain—that sweet stream of yours that drew Mary Magdalene from a low place up to the high mountain, with a serene soul full of rays and of divine splendor.^✦^✦⁴

A Prayer for a Hardened Heart

The speaker confesses their own spiritual instability and hardness, begging for the removal of the veil that obscures the vision of the Crucified.

Have mercy, Lord, on this pilgrim!^✦ I want to love, and I go looking for love, but I can't keep myself upright. Jesus, then I beg you: enlighten this darkened heart, darkened by its sins—I do not deny it.^✦ Mary invites me, as does your great sweetness; Lord, I beg you, break every hardness.^✦⁵ What pitiless heart would not fall in love with you, if it pierced the heavens?⁶ Ah! Take away the veil that makes me sluggish and holds me back at every hour.^✦ Jesus, you are truly the one who hangs on the cross to save the world; Mary bears witness to this.

The Mercy of the Spouse

The speaker rests in the hope that Christ's mercy, which claimed Mary Magdalene, will also extend to them through her intercession.

And so, Lord, I humbly ask for your mercy for my many offenses, hoping to be blessed if I feel flames kindled by your light: your great mercy, which made loving Mary your sweet and holy spouse, is greater than my sin. Little song, I hope that Magdalene will present you to Christ, if paradise hears your laments.

Read the original Latin

Iesù, splendor del cielo e vivo lume, Amor felice e santo, D’ogni suave pianto E d’ogni grazia fonte e largo fiume, Infiamma il mio cuor tanto, Ch’io pianga ai santi pedi cum Maria, E sempre in te sospeso e fisso stia.

La tua clemente, dolce e bella mano, Candida e pura luce, La qual Maria conduce A lacrimar il tempo speso in vano, Con gran fulgor riluce, E forte scalda il lacrimoso petto Del tuo benigno, grato e santo aspetto.

O vivo sguardo, o penetrabel verbo, Che fai Maria languire, E da terra salire, E rivoltare in gaudio il pianto acerbo; Fami d’amor morire, E por me stesso al mondo in tanto oblio, Che, morto, in me tu viva, Iesù pio.

Apri, Signor, il tuo celeste fonte, Quella tua dolce vena, Che Maria Magdalena Di basso loco trasse a l’alto monte, Con l’anima serena Piena di razi e di splendor divino. Pietà, Signor, di questo peregrino!

Amar vorei; e vo cercando amore: Ma ritto non mi rego. Iesù, donque ti prego, Illustra questo ottenebrato cuore Per sue colpe: io nol nego. Maria me invita, e la tua gran dolceza: Rompi, Segnor, ti prego, ogni dureza.

Qual cor spiatato in te non se inamora, Se penetrasse il cielo? De! levami quel velo, Che mi fa lento e mi ritarda ogni ora. Tu sei, Iesù, pur quelo Che per salvar il mondo in croce pende: Maria di questo testimonio rende.

Donque, Signor, piatà di tante offese Ti chiego umiliato, Sperando esser beato, Se d’il tuo lume io sento fiamme accese: Magior del mio peccato È la tua gran pietà, che l’amorosa Maria tua dolce fece e santa sposa.

Canzonetta, ho speranza Che Magdalena a Cristo ti presenti, S’el paradiso intende i tuoi lamenti.

Scripture echoes

↩Luke.7.37-Luke.7.38;John.12.3 — And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, having learned that he was reclining in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of ointment Luke.7.38 — and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. John.12.3 — Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
↩John.12.1-John.12.8 — Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John.12.2 — So they made a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. John.12.3 — Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John.12.4 — But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, the one who was about to betray him, said, John.12.5 — Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? John.12.6 — He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he held the money bag and used to steal what was put into it. John.12.7 — Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial." John.12.8 — The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.
↩John.4.14;Zech.13.1 — but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst forever; rather, the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life Zech.13.1 — On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
↩Ps.39.12;Heb.11.13 — With rebukes for iniquity you discipline a person, and you make what is precious to him melt away like a moth; surely every mortal is only a breath. Selah. Heb.11.13 — By faith these all died, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and having greeted them, and having confessed that they are strangers and exiles on the earth.
↩Rom.1.21;Eph.4.18 — For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Eph.4.18 — Their minds darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts.
↩Luke.7.36-Luke.7.50;John.12.3 — Now one of the Pharisees kept asking him to eat with him, and when Jesus entered the Pharisee's house, he reclined at table. Luke.7.37 — And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, having learned that he was reclining in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of ointment Luke.7.38 — and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Luke.7.39 — Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is: that she is a sinner.' Luke.7.40 — And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he said, "Teacher, speak." Luke.7.41 — There were two debtors to a certain lender; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Luke.7.42 — Since neither of them had the means to repay him, he graciously canceled the debt for both. Which of them, therefore, will love him more? Luke.7.43 — Simon answered and said, 'I suppose the one to whom the more was forgiven.' And he said to him, 'You have judged correctly.' Luke.7.44 — Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Luke.7.45 — You gave me no kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I arrived. Luke.7.46 — You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Luke.7.47 — Therefore I tell you, her many sins are forgiven, as her great love shows. But the one who is forgiven little loves little. Luke.7.48 — And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Luke.7.49 — And those who were reclining with him began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' Luke.7.50 — But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." John.12.3 — Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
↩2Cor.3.14-2Cor.3.16 — But their minds were hardened. For to this day the same veil remains over the reading of the old covenant, not being lifted, because it is in Christ that it is set aside. 2Cor.3.15 — But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. 2Cor.3.16 — But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Notes

1 ↩Del tuo … aspetto is taken as instrumental with scalda (warms by/with your countenance). A tighter genitive reading (the tearful breast of your countenance) is less natural in English and was set aside.
2 ↩Italian «verbo» is rendered as capitalized «Word» (the divine Logos), not ordinary speech; «penetrabel» is the older form of «penetrabile», “piercing / able to penetrate.”
3 ↩«por me stesso al mondo in tanto oblio» is taken as self-oblivion toward the world (dying to the world), not merely being forgotten by others; «Iesù pio» as merciful/tender Jesus.
4 ↩Italian «vena» here is the spring/stream that flows from the «fonte»; rendered as “stream” to keep the water imagery without sounding medical.
5 ↩Maria is Mary Magdalene in this lauda (chapter title: weeping at Jesus' feet), the model of penitent love inviting the speaker.
6 ↩spiatato read as spietato (pitiless/hard-hearted); common early-Italian spelling variant.

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