ORATIO LIV [ol. LIII]. AD SANCTAM VIRGINEM MARIAM.
The Sweetness and Universality of Mary
The soul extols Mary’s surpassing readiness, sweetness, and magnificence, using rich scriptural imagery to praise her as moon, lamp, tree of life, and bridegroom’s beloved.
O holy one, O blessed one, deign to be present in our needs, to counsel and help us, for you are to everyone more ready, more powerful, more effective, more loving, more gracious, and sweeter. You are sweet in the mouth of those who praise you, in the heart of those who love you, in the memory of those who call upon you. You are magnificent in every sex, in every age, in every condition, among tribes, peoples, and languages.✦ You are the moon in the midst of the firmament, a lamp in the midst of the world, the tree of life in the midst of paradise; you are chosen myrrh, a pool in Heshbon, a rod of fragrant smoke from spices, a bundle of myrrh and frankincense between the breasts of the bridegroom, a terebinth spreading its branches of grace and salvation; among the blessed you are most blessed, most chosen, most beautiful, most gracious, most glorious, the mother of him who provides grace and glory and honor and eternity.✦✦✦✦12
Rise Up and Intercede for Us
The prayer urgently calls upon Mary to rise, intercede, and mediate—leading sinners through her Son from misery to glory, from corruption to pardon, from need to aid.
Rise up, most blessed Virgin, and pray for us with mercy; rise up and embrace the mercy of the Redeemer, and keep offering prayers on behalf of us, whom you see so grievously offended before the eyes of the Creator. Through you, glorious lady, may we deserve to ascend to Jesus your Son, who through you deigned to descend to us. Through you, blessed Virgin, may we be able to enter into his glory, who through you entered into our misery. Through you may we have access to your Son, who through you redeemed the world. O blessed finder of grace, mother of life, mother of salvation, may he receive us through you, who through you was given to us.3 May your integrity, most pious Lady Virgin Mary, before your most pious Son, excuse the guilt of our corruption, and may your humility, pleasing to God, win for us the pardon of our vanity. May your abundant love pour out on us a glorious harvest of merits.4 And in general, glorious Virgin Mary, hear all who call upon you; be present to all, come to the aid of all, so that all in their distress and need may experience you as their helper, whoever believe you to be the mother of God.
Commendation and Final Petition
The prayer concludes by asking Mary to defend her devoted servants, commend all to her Son, and obtain for them a share in his eternal glory through her unique grace and mediation.
In particular, may your daily and constant prayer defend those whose frequent devotion serves you, and may you be mindful of all who remember you on earth before your most pious Son, our Lord, in heaven. Our Lady, our Mediatrix, commend us to your Son, reconcile us to your Son, present us to your Son.5 Grant, O blessed one, through the grace you found, through the prerogative you merited, through the mercy you brought forth, that he who deigned, with you mediating, to become a partaker of our misery and infirmity, may also, with you interceding, make us partakers of his glory and eternal beatitude.67
Read the original Latin
O sancta, o benedicta, in necessitatibus nostris adesse digneris nostrum consilium et auxilium, quae omnibus es promptior, potentior, efficacior, amabilior, gratiosior et dulcior. Dulcis es in ore te laudantium, in corde te diligentium, in memoria te deprecantium. Magnifica es in omni sexu, in omni aetate, in omni conditione, in tribubus, populis et linguis. Tu es luna in medio firmamenti, candelabrum in medio mundi, lignum vitae in medio paradisi; tu es myrrha electa, piscina in Esebon, virgula fumi ex aromatibus, fasciculus myrrhae et thuris inter ubera sponsi, terebinthus extendens ramos gratiae et salutis, inter benedictas superbenedicta es, superelecta es, superspeciosa, supergratiosa, supergloriosa, mater illius qui gratiam, et gloriam et honorem, et aeternitatem praestat.
Surge, beatissima Virgo, misericorditer ora pro nobis; surge, et amplectere misericordiam Redemptoris; et da preces jugiter pro nobis, quos cernis tam graviter offensos ante oculos conditoris. Per te, domina gloriosa, ad Jesum filium tuum mereamur ascendere, qui per te ad nos dignatus est descendere. Per te, beata Virgo, venire valeamus in ipsius gloriam, qui per te in nostram venit miseriam. Per te accessum habeamus ad Filium tuum, qui per te redemit mundum. O benedicta inventrix gratiae, genitrix vitae, mater salutis, per te suscipiat nos, qui per te datus est nobis. Excuset, piissima domina virgo Maria, apud piissimum filium tuum integritas tua culpam nostrae corruptionis, et humilitas tua Deo grata nostrae veniam impetret vanitatis. Copiosa charitas tua gloriosam fecunditatem nobis conferat meritorum. Generaliter omnes te, gloriosa virgo Maria, invocantes exaudi, omnibus adesto, omnibus subveni, omnes in angustiis et necessitatibus te sentiant adjutricem quicunque te credunt esse Dei genitricem.
Specialiter vero illos tua quotidiana et assidua defendat oratio, quorum frequens tibi famulatur devotio, et quicunque sunt memores tui in terris, memor sis illorum ante piissimum filium tuum Dominum nostrum in coelis. Domina nostra, mediatrix nostra, tuo filio nos commenda, reconcilia nos filio tuo, tuo filio nos repraesenta. Fac, o benedicta, per gratiam quam invenisti, per praerogativam quam meruisti, per misericordiam quam peperisti, ut qui te mediante fieri dignatus est particeps miseriae et infirmitatis nostrae, te quoque intercedente particeps nos faciat suae gloriae atque beatitudinis aeternae.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rev.7.9 — After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
- ↩Song.6.10 — Who is this who looks forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as those with banners?
- ↩Gen.2.9;Rev.22.2 — And the LORD God made to grow from the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Rev.22.2 — In the middle of the city's street, and on both sides of the river, stood the tree of life, producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
- ↩Song.3.6 — Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
- ↩Song.7.4 — Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.
Notes
- 1 ↩Virgula fumi ('rod of smoke/fragrant smoke') is a dense image; rendered as 'rod of fragrant smoke from spices' to preserve the aromatic and incense associations of fumus and aromatibus.
- 2 ↩Multiple scriptural images are layered here: moon (Song of Songs 6:10?), tree of life (Genesis 2:9, Revelation 22:2), myrrh and frankincense (Song of Songs 3:6, 4:6), terebinth (Genesis 35:4?), pool in Heshbon (Song of Songs 7:4). These remain candidates pending Moses resolution.
- 3 ↩inventrix rendered 'finder' per gloss; the neologism is unusual and could also suggest 'source' or 'author' of grace.
- 4 ↩fecunditas rendered 'harvest' to avoid biological connotation; the sense is a rich outpouring of merits.
- 5 ↩The triple repetition of 'your Son' (tuo/filio tuo) with three distinct verbs (commend, reconcile, present) is rhetorically deliberate, underscoring Mary's mediatorial role through varied acts of intercession. The repetition is preserved rather than smoothed over.
- 6 ↩The three 'per' phrases (grace, prerogative, mercy) correspond to three distinct Marian privileges: grace as found (Luke 1:28, 'full of grace'), prerogative as merited (singular dignity of the Virgin), and mercy as brought forth (the Incarnation). The theological density is preserved.
- 7 ↩'particeps miseriae et infirmitatis nostrae' — Christ is the one who became a partaker of our condition through Mary's mediation; 'particeps nos faciat suae gloriae' — the prayer asks that we in turn be made partakers of his glory. The symmetry is theologically significant and is preserved.
Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy companion
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