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Chapter 51Ansl.1.51

ORATIO LII [ol. LI]. AD SANCTAM VIRGINEM MARIAM. Cum meditatione et laude meritorum ejus.

Awakening the Soul to Praise Mary

The soul addresses Mary with exalted titles, confesses its unworthiness, and implores her intercession for inner cleansing and illumination.

Mary, you are that great Mary, the greatest of blessed Marys, the greatest of women. You, great lady — truly great — my heart wants to love you, my mouth longs to praise you, my mind desires to venerate you, my soul strives to beseech you, because my whole being entrusts itself to your protection. Strive, you inward parts of my soul — strive as much as you can. If you can do anything at all, all you inner places of mine, praise her merits, love her blessedness, admire her loftiness, and entreat her kindness, whose protection you daily need. In needing, you desire; in desiring, you implore; in imploring, you obtain. And if not according to your desire, nevertheless above, or certainly against, your merit. Queen of angels, lady of the world, mother of the one who cleanses the world, I confess that my heart is too unclean, so that it rightly blushes to direct itself toward so pure a one, and it cannot worthily attain so pure a one by directing itself toward her. You therefore, mother of my heart's illumination, you, nurse of my mind's salvation, you my whole heart's core entreats, as much as it can. Hear me, my lady. Be present in your kindness. Help, most powerful one, so that the filth of my mind may be cleansed, so that my darkness may be illuminated, so that my lukewarmness may be set ablaze, so that my torpor may be roused — so that, just as your blessed holiness is exalted above all things after the highest of all, your Son, through your omnipotent Son, on account of your glorious Son, by your blessed Son, so also above all things after the Lord and my God — and all, your Son — my heart may understand and venerate you, love and entreat you with that affection: not with which I imperfectly desire, but with which I ought to, made and saved, redeemed and raised up by your Son.

The Inadequacy of Speech Before Mary's Benefits

The soul marvels at Mary's role in its redemption yet laments its inability to render worthy thanks, having lost through sin even the graces once received.

O mother of my soul's life, nurse of the restorer of my flesh, one who nursed the Savior of my whole being! But what can I say? My tongue fails me, because my mind can't rise to it. My Lady, my Lady, all my inmost places are anxious to pay you thanks for such great benefits; yet they can't even think what is worthy, and I'm ashamed to bring forth what is unworthy. For how can I speak worthily to the mother of my Creator and Savior, through whose holiness my sins are cleansed, through whose integrity incorruption is granted me, through whose virginity my soul is beloved by her Lord and betrothed to her God? What, I say, can I render worthily to the mother of God and my Lord, through whose fruitfulness a captive is redeemed, through whose childbirth I'm freed from eternal death; through whose offspring, being lost, I'm restored, and from the exile of misery led back to the homeland of blessedness? Blessed are you among women: the blessed fruit of your womb has given me all these things in the rebirth of his baptism, some in hope, some in reality; though I myself, by sinning, have taken all these away, so that I no longer have even the thing itself, and scarcely hold on to the hope.✦ What indeed?

Gratitude, Grief, and the Hope of Recovery

The soul resolves to give thanks rather than add ingratitude to sin, grieves its losses, and prays for restoration through Mary's merits, who is hailed as gate of life and source of reconciliation.

If my fault has vanished, surely I won't be ungrateful to her through whom such great blessings have come to me freely? Far be it from me to add this iniquity upon iniquity.✦1 No — rather I give thanks, because I once had them; I grieve, because I no longer have them; I pray that I may have them again. For I am certain that just as through the grace of the Son I was able to receive those blessings, so through the merits of the Mother I can recover those same ones.2 Therefore, O Lady, gate of life, door of salvation, way of reconciliation, access to recovery — I beseech you through your saving fruitfulness: grant that both forgiveness of my sins and the grace of living well may be given to me, and that this servant of yours may be kept under your protection even to the end.3 By the snares and oppressions of demons, the world lay enveloped in darkness and subject to them; but once the sun rose from you, the world, now illumined, both avoids their snares and tramples their powers underfoot.4

Mary as Source of Universal Mercy and Restoration

Mary is praised as the one through whom the world received its Lord, Creator, restorer, and reconciler, and by whose fruitfulness the sinful world is justified, saved, and brought home.

You are the court of universal mercy, the source of all reconciliation, the vessel and temple of life and salvation for everyone. I can barely begin to reckon up your merits, and when I, a poor wretch, try one by one to count the gifts you have given — the very gifts that the world, in its love for you, rejoices over and proclaims as its own — I am overwhelmed.56 For truly, O Lady, admirable in your singular virginity, lovable in your saving fecundity, venerable in your inestimable holiness — you showed the world its Lord and its God, whom it did not know. You presented the world its Creator, visible, whom it had not seen before. You bore for the world a restorer, whom the lost one desperately needed. You brought forth for the world a reconciler, whom the guilty one had none to call upon.78 Through your fecundity, O Lady, the sinful world has been justified; the condemned, saved; the exile, brought home. Your offspring, O Lady, redeemed the captive world, healed the sick, raised the dead.910

Creation Restored Through the Blessed Fruit of Mary's Womb

All creation, once dead under idolatry, now rejoices in restored dignity and a new grace, having perceived God dwelling visibly through Mary's child.

Heaven, the stars, the earth, the rivers, day, night, and whatever else falls under human power or use — all of these, Lady, rejoice that their lost glory has been in some measure restored through you, and that they have been given a new and ineffable grace. For it was as though all things had died, since they had lost their native dignity — the dignity of favoring the dominion of God or serving the purposes of those who praise Him, for which they had been made; they were crushed under oppression and stained by the abuse of those who served idols, for whom they had not been made. Now indeed they rejoice as though raised back to life, since they are ruled by the dominion of those who confess God and are adorned by their rightful use. But with a new and inestimable grace they exulted, as though they had perceived God Himself — their very Creator — not only ruling them invisibly from above, but also dwelling visibly within them, sanctifying them as He made use of them. These great blessings came forth through the blessed fruit of the blessed womb of blessed Mary.

Mary's Grace Reaches Below the World and Above the Heavens

Mary's blessings extend to the netherworld and beyond the heavens, renewing all things, freeing the captives, restoring the angels, and overflowing upon every creature, yet she remains beyond the soul's reach.

But why do I speak only of the world being filled with your blessings, Lady? They reach into the netherworld; they rise above the heavens.11 For through the fullness of your grace, those things that were in the netherworld rejoice, now set free; and those things that are above the world are glad, now restored.12 Through that same glorious Son of your glorious virginity, all the righteous who died before his life-giving death exult in the breaking of their captivity, and the angels rejoice in the restoration of their half-ruined city.13 O woman wonderfully unique, and in your uniqueness wonderful — through whom the elements are renewed, the netherworld is healed, demons are trampled down, human beings are saved, and angels are restored! O woman full and overflowing with grace, from the abundance of whose fullness, when it has been poured out upon all, every creature greens anew!14 O Virgin blessed and supremely blessed, through whose blessing every nature is blessed — not only the creation by the Creator, but also the Creator by the creature!15 O most exalted one, whom the longing of my soul strives to follow — where do you flee, that the gaze of my mind cannot reach you?16

The Soul's Longing Pursues the Beautiful Mother

The soul, panting and fainting, begs Mary to wait for it and not to hide, confessing her surpassing beauty and its own weakness.

O beautiful to look upon, lovely to contemplate, delightful to love — how far do you surpass the reach of my heart? Wait for me, Lady, your weak soul following you — and do not hide yourself, Lady, from the one who sees so little, from the soul seeking you. Have mercy, Lady, on the soul that faints, panting after you.

Mary's Singular Exaltation and the Mystery of the Shared Son

Mary is exalted above all save God; the mystery is unfolded that God and Mary share one and the same Son, so that God is Father of all creation and Mary mother of all re-creation.

A wonderful thing — Mary, set on a height I can only gaze up at from far below. Nothing is equal to Mary; nothing is greater than Mary except God alone. God gave Mary his own Son — the only one he had begotten from his heart, equal to himself, whom he loved as he loved himself — and from Mary he made that same one also his own Son, not a different one but the very same, so that by nature there would be one and the same common Son of God and of Mary. All nature was created by God, and God was born from Mary. God created all things, and Mary bore God. God, who made all things, made himself from Mary — and so he remade all that he had made. He who could have made all things from nothing chose not to restore them, once they had been violated, without Mary. God, then, is the Father of all created things, and Mary is the mother of all recreated things.

God the Father of Creation, Mary the Mother of Restoration

Through parallel affirmations, God is shown as Father of all that is made and Mary as mother of all that is saved, so that all nature owes her everything.

God is the Father of the founding of all things, and Mary is the mother of their restoration. God brought forth the one through whom all things were made, and Mary bore the one through whom all things are saved.✦ God brought forth the one without whom nothing exists, and Mary bore the one without whom nothing goes well. O true Lord, with you — to whom the Lord gave so much that all nature itself ought to owe you everything.17

Petition for Mutual Love and Constant Intercession

The soul begs Mary that her love and mercy may always be with it, and that its need may always be before her, confessing her as mother of justification, reconciliation, and salvation.

Mary, I beg you by the grace through which the Lord is so with you, and willed you to be with him; grant, for the sake of that very grace, your mercy to be with me; grant that your love may always be with me, and my care always with you. Grant that the cry of my need, as long as it lasts, may be with you; and the gaze of your tender devotion, as long as I endure, may be with me; grant that the joy of your blessedness may always be with me, and compassion for my misery, as much as I need, may be with you.18 For just as, O most blessed one, everyone turned away from you and despised by you must perish, so everyone turned toward you and regarded by you cannot possibly perish; for just as, Lady, God begot him in whom all things live, so you, O flower of virginity, bore him through whom even the dead come back to life.19 And just as God preserved the blessed angels from sin through his Son, so you, O ornament of purity, will save wretched men from sin through your Son. For just as the Son of God is the blessedness of the just, so you, O salvation of all that bears fruit, — your Son is the reconciliation of sinners.20 For there is no reconciliation except what you, in chastity, conceived; there is no justification except what you, whole and untouched, cherished in your womb; there is no salvation except what you, a virgin, gave birth to.21 Therefore, O Lady, you are the mother of justification and of those who are justified, the mother of reconciliation and of those who are reconciled, the parent of salvation and of those who are saved. O blessed confidence!

Mary, Mother of the One Who Saves and Condemns

Mary is hailed as safe refuge and mother of the one in whom we alone hope and whom we alone fear, who alone saves and alone condemns.

O safe refuge! The Mother of God is our mother — the mother of the one in whom alone we hope and whom alone we fear is our mother, the mother, I say, of the one who alone saves, who alone condemns — is our mother.

Reverent Wonder at Spiritual Kinship Through Mary

The soul marvels that through Mary's motherhood of Christ, we become brothers of our Judge and our God becomes our brother, filling the heart with confidence and awe.

But—O blessed and exalted one—it's not for you alone, but for us as well, that I see such great and wonderful things coming to us through you. Seeing this, I rejoice; and yet, rejoicing, I hardly dare to speak of it. For if you are the mistress and mother of him whose brothers we are, are not the rest of your children also his brothers? But what brothers they are—and whose sons! Where should I even begin to speak, when my heart overflows with delight? Or should I stay silent, lest my mouth be accused of pride? But what I believe through loving, why shouldn't I confess through praising? So I will speak—not out of pride, but in giving thanks. For he who, through a mother's birth, made himself a sharer in our nature, and through the restoration of life made us children of his own mother—he himself invites us to confess that we are his brothers. Therefore our Judge is our brother; the Savior of the world is our brother; and in the end, through Mary, our God has become our brother. With what confidence, then, should we hope? With what comfort can we stand in awe—when both the salvation and the judgment of those whose fate hangs on the goodness of a brother and the devotion of a loving mother?

Entrusting Ourselves to Brother and Mother

The soul urges deep love and intimate trust in Christ and Mary, and prays that the good Brother forgive and the good Mother intercede, so that the Son may hear the Mother for the brothers.

With what deep affection, too, ought we to love this Brother and this Mother? With what intimacy do we entrust ourselves to them? With what confidence do we take refuge in them? With what sweetness shall we be received as we take refuge in them. Good Brother, then—may he forgive us what we have done wrong; may he himself turn away the punishment we have deserved as sinners; may he himself grant what we ask as repentant people. Good Mother, may she pray and intercede for us; may she herself ask and obtain what is profitable for us. May she herself ask the Son for the children, the Only-begotten for the adopted, the Lord for the servants. Good Son, may he hear the Mother for the brothers; the Only-begotten for those he adopted; the Lord for those he freed.

Owed Thanks and the Debt of Praise

The soul cries out in wonder at the debt owed to Mary for giving us so great a Brother, and asks what thanks and praise could ever repay her.

O Mary! How much we owe you, Lady and Mother, through whom we have so great a Brother! What thanks, what praise can we ever repay you!

Prayer for the Soul to Be Set Ablaze with Love

The soul asks Christ and Mary to teach it reverence and to inflame it with love, desiring that the inner parts of the soul burn so fiercely that the body's strength is consumed.

Great Lord, you our greater Brother, great Lady, you our better Mother, teach my heart with what reverence it ought to think of you. Good you, and good you; sweet you, and sweet you — tell and give to my soul with what affection it may be delighted by remembering you, made joyful by that delight, and enriched by that joy. Enrich it and set it ablaze with your love; with your constant love let my heart grow faint, let all my bones melt away, let my flesh waste away. Would that the inmost parts of my soul would so blaze up with the sweet fervor of your love that the inmost parts of my flesh would dry up! Would that the inmost depths of my spirit would be so enriched by the sweetness of your affection that the marrow of my body dried up!

The Bold Plea: Give What You Are Worthy Of

Though unworthy, the soul boldly asks Christ and Mary to give it the love they deserve, so that what is owed to them may not be withheld.

Lord, Son of my Lady, Lady and Mother of my Lord, if I'm not worthy to be blessed by your love in the way I ought, surely you are not unworthy to be loved in this way — indeed, you deserve to be loved all the more. Therefore, most loving ones, don't refuse me, who ask, the very thing by which I confess myself unworthy — lest what you surely cannot deny as your due be taken away from you. Give, therefore, most holy ones — give, I beg you, to my soul as it pleads before you — not because of any merit of mine, but because of your own merit; give it the love you are worthy of, in proportion to your worthiness. Give me, I say, that by which I am unworthy, so that what you are worthy of may be rendered back to you. For if you're not willing to give, so that I may have what I long for, at least don't refuse, so that I may give back to you what I owe.

Mercy So That We Do No Injustice

Calling himself dust and ashes, the soul argues that it is better for Mary to give freely than to withhold what is owed, and begs for grace so as not to be unjust by withholding love.

Perhaps I'm being bold in speaking, but it's your goodness that makes me bold. I'll speak, then, still further to my Lord and my Lady, since I am dust and ashes.✦22 Lady and Lady — isn't it far better when you freely give to one who asks for what he himself does not deserve, than when what is justly owed to you is withheld from you? The first proclaims mercy; the second cries out against unspeakable injustice.23 Pour out your grace on me, then, most devout ones, so that you may receive what is owed you; show me your mercy — which is good for me and fitting for you — so that I may not do you the injustice of my own, which benefits no one and is fitting for no one.24 Be merciful to me — I beg you — so that I may not be unjust to you, which I abhor.25 Give graciously, and give generously, so that you are not hard to entreat; give my soul the love of you, which she asks for not unjustly and which you justly require — so that she is not ungrateful for your gifts, since she rightly shudders at ingratitude, and you do not unjustly punish her.2627

Asking for the Love of Son and Mother Through Their Mutual Love

The soul asks Christ, through his love for Mary, to grant love of her, and asks Mary, through her love for Christ, to obtain love of him, so that the whole being may revere, love, cherish, and serve them forever.

Surely, Jesus, Son of God, and you, Mary, his mother — you both desire this, and it's only right that whatever you love, we should love too. Therefore, good Son, I ask you through the love with which you love your mother: just as you truly love her and wish her to be loved, so grant that I too may truly love her. Good mother, I ask you through the love with which you love your son: just as you truly love him and wish him to be loved, so obtain for me that I too may truly love him. Look, I'm asking for something that truly lies within your power to grant.28 Why then, because of my sins, should it not happen — since it also lies within your power? Lover and compassionate defender of humanity — you placed your guilty ones under your care and loved them even unto death — how then could you deny the love of yourself and your mother to one who asks?29 Mother of this Lover of ours, you who carried him in your womb and nursed him at your breast — surely you can, and surely you will, obtain for the one who asks the love of him and of yourself.30 So let my mind revere you, as you are worthy; let my heart love you, as is only right; let my soul cherish you, as is good for its own sake; let my body serve you, as it ought — and in this let my life be brought to completion, so that for eternity my whole being may sing your praise.31

Doxology: Blessed Be the Lord Forever

The prayer concludes with a brief doxology blessing the Lord forever.

Blessed be the Lord forever; so be it, so be it.✦

Read the original Latin

Maria, tu illa magna Maria, tu illa maxima beatarum Mariarum, tu illa maxima feminarum. Te, domina magna et valde magna, te vult cor meum amare, te cupit os meum laudare, te desiderat venerari mens mea, te affectat exorare anima mea, quia tuitioni tuae se commendat tota substantia mea. Enitimini viscera animae meae; enitimini quantum potestis, si quid potestis, omnia interiora mea, ut ejus merita laudetis, ut ejus beatitudinem ametis, ut ejus celsitudinem admiremini, ut ejus benignitatem deprecemini, cujus patrocinio quotidie indigetis, indigendo desideratis, desiderando imploratis, implorando impetratis. Et si non secundum desiderium vestrum, tamen supra vel certe contra meritum vestrum. Regina angelorum, domina mundi, mater ejus qui mundat mundum, confiteor quia cor meum nimis est immundum, ut merito erubescat in tam mundam intendere, nec digne possit tam mundam intendendo contingere. Te igitur, mater illuminationis cordis mei, te, nutrix salutis mentis meae, te obsecrant, quantum possunt, cuncta praecordia mea. Exaudi, domina mea, adesto propitia, adjuva potentissima, ut mundentur sordes mentis meae, ut illuminentur tenebrae meae, ut accendatur tepor meus, ut expergiscatur torpor meus, quatenus sicut beata tua sanctitas super omnia post summum omnium filium tuum, per omnipotentem filium tuum, ob gloriosum filium tuum, a benedicto filio tuo est exaltata: sic super omnia post Dominum et Deum meum et omnium filium tuum, te cor meum intelligat et veneretur, amet et deprecetur eo affectu, non quo desidero imperfectus, sed quo debeo a filio tuo factus et salvatus, redemptus et resuscitatus.

O genitrix vitae animae meae, altrix reparatoris carnis meae, lactatrix Salvatoris totius substantiae meae! Sed quid dicam? Lingua mihi deficit, quia mens non sufficit. Domina, domina mea, omnia intima mea sollicita sunt, ut tantorum beneficiorum tibi gratias exsolvant; sed nec cogitare possunt dignas, et pudet proferre indignas. Quid enim digne dicam matri Creatoris et Salvatoris mei, per cujus sanctitatem peccata mea purgantur, per cujus integritatem mihi incorruptibilitas donatur, per cujus virginitatem anima mea adamatur a Domino suo et desponsatur Deo suo? Quid, inquam, digne referam genitrici Dei et Domini mei, per cujus fecunditatem captivus sum redemptus, per cujus partum de morte aeterna sum exemptus; per cujus prolem perditus, sum restitutus, et de exsilio miseriae in patriam beatitudinis reductus? Benedicta in mulieribus: haec omnia mihi dedit benedictus fructus ventris tui in regeneratione baptismatis sui, alia in spe, alia in re; quanquam haec omnia ego ipse mihi peccando sic abstulerim, ut nec rem habeam, et spem vix teneam. Quid enim?

Si mea culpa evanuerunt; nunquid ingratus ero illi per quam mihi tanta bona gratis evenerunt? Absit, ne addam hanc iniquitatem super iniquitatem. Imo gratias ago, quia habui; doleo, quia non habeo, oro ut habeam: certus enim sum quia sicut per filii gratiam ea potui accipere; sic eadem per matris merita possum recipere. Ergo, o domina, porta vitae, janua salutis, via reconciliationis, aditus recuperationis, obsecro te per salvatricem tuam fecunditatem, fac ut et peccatorum meorum mihi venia et bene vivendi gratia concedatur, et usque in finem hic servus tuus sub tua protectione custodiatur. Insidiis et oppressionibus daemonum mundus tenebris obvolutus subjacebat; sed sole de te orto illuminatus eorum et laqueos devitat, et vires conculcat.

Tu aula universalis propitiationis, causa generalis reconciliationis, vas et templum vitae et salutis universorum, nimium contraho merita tua, cum in me homunculo vili singulariter recenseo beneficia tua, quae mundus amans gaudet, gaudens clamat esse sua. Tu namque domina admirabilis singulari virginitate, amabilis salutari fecunditate, venerabilis inaestimabili sanctitate, tu ostendisti mundo Dominum suum et Deum suum, quem nesciebat: tu visibilem exhibuisti mundo Creatorem suum, quem prius non videbat: tu genuisti mundo restauratorem, quo perditus indigebat: tu peperisti mundo reconciliatorem quem reus non habebat. Per fecunditatem tuam, domina, mundus peccator est justificatus; damnatus, salvatus; exsul reductus: partus tuus, domina, mundum captivum redemit, aegrum sanavit, mortuum resuscitavit.

Coelum, sidera, terra, flumina, dies, nox et quaecunque humanae potestati vel utilitati sunt obnoxia, in amissum decus sese gratulantur, domina, per te quodammodo resuscitata, et nova quadam ineffabili gratia donata. Quasi enim omnia mortua erant, cum amissa congenita dignitate favendi dominatui vel usibus Deum laudantium, ad quod facta erant; obruebantur oppressione, et decolorabantur abusu idolis servientium, propter quos facta non erant. Quasi vero eamdem resuscitata laetantur, cum jam Deum confitentium et dominatu reguntur, et usu decorantur. Nova autem et inaestimabili gratia quasi exsultaverunt, cum ipsum Deum, ipsum Creatorem suum, non solum invisibiliter supra se illa regentem senserunt, sed etiam visibiliter intra se eisdem utendo sanctificantem viderunt. Haec tanta bona per benedictum fructum benedicti ventris benedictae Mariae provenerunt.

Sed cur solum loquor, domina, beneficiis tuis plenum esse mundum? Inferna penetrant, coelos superant. Per plenitudinem enim gratiae tuae, et quae in inferno erant, se laetantur liberata; et quae supra mundum sunt, se gaudent restaurata. Per eumdem quippe gloriosum filium gloriosae virginitatis tuae, omnes justi qui obierunt ante vitalem ejus mortem, exsultant diruptione captivitatis suae, et angeli gratulantur restitutione semirutae civitatis suae. O femina mirabiliter singularis, et singula mirabilis, per quam elementa renovantur, inferna remediantur, daemones conculcantur, homines salvantur, angeli redintegrantur! O femina plena et superplena gratia, de cujus plenitudinis exundantia respersa sic revirescit omnis creatura! O Virgo benedicta et superbenedicta, per cujus benedictionem benedicitur omnis natura, non solum creata a Creatore, sed et Creator a creatura! O nimis exaltata, quam sequi conatur affectus animae meae, quo aufugis aciem mentis meae?

O pulchra ad intuendum, amabilis ad contemplandum, delectabilis ad amandum, quo evadis capacitatem cordis mei? Praestolare, Domina, infirmam animam te sequentem: nec abscondas te, domina, parum videnti, animae te quaerenti. Miserere, domina, animam post te anhelando languentem.

Mira res, in quam sublimi contemplor Mariam locatam. Nihil est aequale Mariae: nihil, nisi Deus, majus Maria. Deus Filium suum, quem solum de corde suo aequalem sibi genitum, tanquam seipsum diligebat, ipsum dedit Mariae: et ex Maria fecit sibi filium, non alium, sed eumdem; ut naturaliter esset unus idemque communis Filius Dei et Mariae. Omnis natura a Deo est creata, et Deus ex Maria est natus. Deus omnia creavit, et Maria Deum genuit. Deus qui omnia fecit, ipse se ex Maria fecit; et sic omnia quae fecerat, refecit. Qui potuit omnia de nihilo facere, noluit ea violata sine Maria reficere. Deus igitur est pater rerum creatarum, et Maria mater rerum recreatarum.

Deus est Pater constitutionis omnium, et Maria est mater restitutionis omnium. Deus enim genuit illum, per quem omnia sunt facta; et Maria peperit illum, per quem omnia sunt salvata. Deus genuit illum, sine quo penitus nihil est; et Maria peperit illum, sine quo omnino nihil bene est. O vere Dominus tecum, cui dedit Dominus, ut omnis natura tantum tibi deberet secum.

Maria, obsecro te per gratiam, qua sic Dominus esse tecum, et te voluit esse secum; fac propter ipsam secundum eamdem ipsam gratiam, misericordiam tuam mecum; fac ut amor tui semper sit mecum, et cura mei semper sit tecum. Fac ut clamor necessitatis meae, quandiu ipsa persistit, sit tecum; et respectus pietatis tuae, quandiu ego subsisto, sit mecum; fac ut congratulatio beatitudinis tuae semper sit mecum, et compassio miseriae meae, quantum mihi expedit, sit tecum. Sicut enim, o beatissima, omnis a te aversus et a te despectus necesse est ut intereat, ita omnis a te conversus et a te respectus impossibile est ut pereat; sicut enim, Domina, Deus genuit illum in quo omnia vivunt, sic o tu, flos virginitatis, genuisti eum per quem et mortui reviviscunt. Et sicut Deus per Filium suum beatos angelos a peccato servavit, ita o tu, decus puritatis, per Filium tuum miseros homines ex peccato salvabis. Quemadmodum enim Dei Filius est beatitudo justorum, sic, o tu salus fecunditatis, Filius tuus est reconciliatio peccatorum. Non enim est reconciliatio, nisi quam tu casta concepisti; non est justificatio, nisi quam tu integra in utero fovisti; non est salus, nisi quam, tu virgo, peperisti. Ergo, o domina, mater es justificationis et justificatorum, genitrix es reconciliationis et reconciliatorum, parens es salutis et salvatorum. O beata fiducia!

o tutum refugium! Mater Dei est mater nostra; mater ejus in quo solo speramus, et quem solum timemus, est mater nostra; mater, inquam, ejus qui solus salvat, solus damnat, est mater nostra.

Sed, o benedicta et exaltata non tibi soli, sed et nobis quidem quam magnum, quam amabile est quod video per te evenire nobis, quod videns gaudeo, quod gaudens dicere non audeo. Si enim tu domina es mater ejus, nonne et alii filii tui sunt fratres ejus? Sed qui fratres, et cujus ejus, loquar unde jucundatur cor meum; an silebo, ne de elatione arguatur os meum? Sed quod credo amando, cur non confitebor laudando? Dicam igitur non superbiendo, sed gratias agendo. Qui enim fecit ut ipse per maternam generationem particeps esset naturae nostrae, et nos per vitae restitutionem essemus filii matris ejus, ipse nos invitat, ut confiteamur nos fratres ejus. Ergo judex noster est frater noster; Salvator mundi est frater noster; denique Deus noster est factus per Mariam frater noster. Qua igitur certitudine debemus sperare, qua consolatione possumus timere, quorum sive salus, sive damnatio, de boni fratris, et de piae matris pendent arbitrio!

Quo etiam affectu hunc fratrem et hanc matrem amare debemus? Qua familiaritate nos illis committemus? Qua securitate ad illos confugiemus? Qua dulcedine confugientes suscipiemur. Bonus igitur frater nobis dimittat quod deliquimus; ipse avertat quod delinquentes meruimus, ipse donet quod poenitentes petimus. Bona mater oret et exoret pro nobis, ipsa postulet et impetret quod expedit nobis. Ipsa roget filium pro filiis, unigenitum pro adoptatis, dominum pro servis. Bonus Filius audiat matrem pro fratribus, Unigenitus pro his quos adoptavit, Dominus pro his quos liberavit.

O Maria! quantum tibi debemus, domina mater per quam talem fratrem habemus! Quid gratiarum, quid laudis tibi retribuemus!

Magne Domine, tu noster major frater, magna domina, tu nostra melior mater, docete cor meum qua reverentia vos debeat cogitare. Bone tu, et bona tu; dulcis tu, et dulcis tu dicite et date animae meae, quo affectu vos memorando de vobis delectetur, delectando jucundetur, jucundando impinguetur. Impinguate et succendite eam vestra dilectione; vestro continuo amore langueat cor meum, liquefiant omnia ossa mea, deficiat caro mea. Utinam sic viscera animae meae dulci fervore vestrae dilectionis exardescant, ut viscera carnis meae exarescant! Utinam sic intima spiritus mei dulcedine vestri affectus impinguetur, ut medullae corporis mei exsiccentur!

Domine Fili dominae meae, domina mater Domini mei, si ego non sum dignus qui sic debeam vestro amore beatificari, certe vos non estis indigni, qui sic, imo plus debeatis amari. Ergo, benignissimi, ne sic denegetis mihi petenti id quo me confiteor indignum, ut auferatur vobis id quo certe vos negare non potestis dignos. Date itaque, piissimi, date, obsecro, supplicanti animae meae, non propter meritum meum, sed propter meritum vestrum; date illi quanto digni estis, amorem vestrum. Date, inquam, mihi quo sum indignus, ut reddatur vobis quo estis digni. Si enim non vultis dare, ut habeam quod desidero, saltem nolite negare ut reddam vobis quod debeo.

Forsitan praesumendo loquar, sed utique bonitas vestra facit me audacem. Loquar ergo adhuc ad Dominum meum et dominam meam cum sim pulvis et cinis. Domina et domina, nonne multo melius est cum vos gratis donatis petenti quod ipse non meretur, quam cum vobis subtrahitur quod vobis juste debetur? Illud quippe praedicandae misericordiae est, istud est nefandae injustitiae. Impendite igitur, piissimi, gratiam, ut recipiatis debitum; facite vos mihi misericordiam vestram quae mihi expedit et vos decet, ne faciam ego vobis injustitiam meam quae nulli expedit et nullum decet. Estote vos mihi misericordes, quod obsecro vos, ne sim ego vobis injustus, quod exsecror. Date benigne et benigna, ne sitis exoratu difficiles, date animae meae amorem vestri, quem ipsa non injuste petit, et vos juste exigitis; ne ipsa bonis vestris sit ingrata; quod ipsa juste horret, et vos non injuste punitis.

Certe, Jesu fili Dei, et tu, Maria mater, et vos vultis, et aequum est ut quidquid vos diligitis diligatur a nobis. Ergo, bone Fili, rogo te per dilectionem, qua diligis matrem tuam, ut sicut tu vere diligis, et diligi vis eam, ita mihi des ut vere diligam eam. Bona mater, rogo te per dilectionem, qua diligis filium tuum, ut sicut tu vere diligis et diligi vis eum, ita mihi impetres, ut vere diligam eum. Ecce enim peto quod ut fiat vere est in vestra voluntate. Cur ergo propter peccata mea non fiet, cum sit et in vestra potestate? Amator et miserator hominum, tu posuisti reos tuos et usque ad mortem amare, et poteris te roganti amorem tui et matris tuae negare? Mater hujus amatoris nostri, quae illum in ventre portare, et in sinu meruisti lactare, an tu non poteris, aut non voles poscenti ejus amorem et tuum impetrare? Veneretur igitur vos, sicut digni estis, mens mea; amet vos, sicut aequum est, cor meum; diligat vos, sicut sibi expedit, anima mea; serviat vobis, sicut debet, caro mea, et in hoc consummetur vita mea, ut in aeternum psallat tota substantia mea.

Benedictus Dominus in aeternum; fiat, fiat.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Luke.1.42 — And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
  2. ↩Ps.31.4;Matt.6.13 — For you are my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake you will lead me and guide me. Matt.6.13 — And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
  3. ↩John.1.3 — All things came into being through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.
  4. ↩Gen.18.27 — Then Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have now ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes."
  5. ↩Ps.89.52 — Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Absit, ne… is a formulaic prohibitive optative: the speaker recoils from the very thought of ingratitude as a further sin.
  2. 2 ↩filii = 'of the Son' (Christ); matris = 'of the Mother' (Mary). The parallel structure sicut…sic is preserved to maintain the theological logic of mediation.
  3. 3 ↩salvatricem tuam fecunditatem — 'your saving fruitfulness' refers to Mary's fruitful motherhood of Christ as the source of salvation; salvatrix is a substantivized adjective applied to Mary.
  4. 4 ↩sole de te orto — 'the sun rose from you' is a Marian image: Christ (the Sun of Justice) born of Mary. The ablative absolute is rendered as a temporal clause.
  5. 5 ↩aula: literally 'hall' or 'court,' used metaphorically here as the dwelling or sphere of divine mercy. Rendered 'court' to preserve the regal metaphor.
  6. 6 ↩nimium contraho: 'I contract/summarize too much' — the speaker acknowledges the impossibility of adequately reckoning Mary's merits. Rendered as 'I can barely begin' to capture the sense of overwhelming abundance.
  7. 7 ↩namque: confirmatory/emphatic connective, rendered 'For indeed' to capture the emphatic force.
  8. 8 ↩quo (ablative of means/cause): 'by whom' or 'through whom' — rendered 'whom' with the sense of the lost one's need for a restorer.
  9. 9 ↩Asyndetic tricolon (damnatus/salvatus/reductus): the parallel participles are rendered with parallel English structure to preserve the rhetorical force without explicit connectives.
  10. 10 ↩partus tuus: 'your offspring/childbirth' — rendered 'Your offspring' to refer to Christ while preserving the Marian connection.
  11. 11 ↩The subject of penetrant and superant is grammatically inferna (neuter plural), but the sense is that Mary's benefits penetrate even the depths and surpass the heights.
  12. 12 ↩Quae in inferno erant likely refers to the righteous dead (the harrowing of Hell), not impersonal 'things.' Rendered to preserve the neuter plural while allowing the theological sense.
  13. 13 ↩Vitalem ejus mortem: 'his life-giving death' — a paradoxical phrase emphasizing that Christ's death is the source of life. Semirutae civitatis suae: 'their half-ruined city' likely refers to the heavenly Jerusalem or the angelic order diminished by the fall of rebellious angels.
  14. 14 ↩Respersa (having been sprinkled/sprayed) governs the ablative absolute construction; rendered as 'when it has been poured out' to convey the causal/temporal force naturally in English.
  15. 15 ↩Sed et Creator a creatura: a striking theological paradox — that the Creator receives blessing from the creature through Mary's fiat. The sense is that God, having become incarnate through her, is praised and blessed by creation through her instrumentality.
  16. 16 ↩Affectus animae meae: 'the longing/desire of my soul' — affectus here is a deep devotional inclination, not mere emotion.
  17. 17 ↩The ut-clause (ut omnis natura tantum tibi deberet secum) is ambiguous between purpose and result. The subjunctive deberet favors a result clause: the Lord gave to Mary such that all nature, along with the Lord himself, owes her a debt. Secum ('with himself / along with it') is rendered to convey that the debt is owed by all nature together with the Lord.
  18. 18 ↩respectus pietatis tuae: literally 'the regard/look of your piety/devotion' — rendered as 'the gaze of your tender devotion' to capture both the attentive, watchful sense of respectus and the warm devotional quality of pietas toward the petitioner.
  19. 19 ↩The sicut/ita correlative structure frames Mary's intercession as the spiritual counterpart to God's creative act — those who turn from her perish, those who turn to her are saved. The parallel with section 9 (Deus est Pater constitutionis / Maria mater restitutionis) is deliberate.
  20. 20 ↩salus fecunditatis: literally 'salvation of fruitfulness' or 'salvation of the fruitful one.' The address plays on Mary as both salvatrix and the fecund virgin — rendered here as 'O salvation of all that bears fruit' to preserve the double sense of her as source of salvation and of the Fruit (Christ).
  21. 21 ↩The triple anaphora (non est… nisi quam tu…) grounds each soteriological term — reconciliation, justification, salvation — in a distinct moment of Mary's virginal motherhood: conception, gestation, and birth. The adjectives casta, integra, virgo form a ascending tricolon.
  22. 22 ↩Dust and ashes echoes Genesis 18:27 (Abraham's self-description) and possibly Job 42:6; candidate allusion pending Moses resolution.
  23. 23 ↩nefandae carries the sense of 'unspeakable' or 'abominable'; rendered as 'unspeakable injustice' to capture the gravity of the Latin.
  24. 24 ↩The semicolon marks a major clause break in the Latin; the two purpose clauses (ut...recipiatis and ne faciam...) are kept distinct to preserve the logical structure.
  25. 25 ↩Both instances of quod are rendered as causal: the first as 'I beg you' (paraphrasing the force of quod obsecro vos), the second as 'which' introducing the thing detested.
  26. 26 ↩exoratu is a supine ablative of purpose; rendered as 'to entreat' to capture the sense of being difficult when approached with a request.
  27. 27 ↩The final quod is causal ('since'), explaining why the soul must not be ungrateful.
  28. 28 ↩The Latin construction 'peto quod ut fiat' is rendered as 'I ask for something that... to grant,' smoothing the double-ut structure into natural English while preserving the sense of petition and feasibility.
  29. 29 ↩'Amator et miserator hominum' is rendered with expanded force as 'Lover and compassionate defender of humanity' to capture the legal-adjacent sense of miserator as one who shows mercy on behalf of others.
  30. 30 ↩The double alternative 'an tu non poteris, aut non voles' is rendered as two parallel affirmations ('surely you can, and surely you will') to capture the rhetorical force of the question, which expects a positive answer.
  31. 31 ↩The fourfold structure — mens, cor, anima, caro — is preserved to reflect the medieval anthropology of the whole person in devotion. 'Substantia mea' at the end is rendered as 'my whole being' to capture the comprehensive sense.

Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy companion

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