Laus sponse ad Virginem continens templi Salomonis similitudinem et deitatis unitatis cum humanitate veritatem inexplicabilem, et qualiter sacerdotum templa sunt vanitate depicta.
The Temple of the Virgin
The Virgin Mary is described as the living temple of the true Solomon, where the Godhead dwelt in human form.
Blessed are you, Mary, Mother of God, temple of Solomon, whose walls were gilded, whose roof shone brightly, whose floor was paved with the most precious stones, whose entire structure radiated light, and whose inner depths were all fragrant and delightful to behold. In every way, you are like Solomon’s temple, where the true Solomon walked and sat, and into which He brought the ark of glory and the lampstand to provide light. In this way, you, blessed Virgin, are the temple of that true Solomon who made peace between God and man, who reconciled the guilty, who gave life to the dead, and who freed the poor from their oppressor. Your body and soul were made into a temple of the Godhead, within which was the shelter of divine love, under which the Son of God, having come forth from the Father, joyfully dwelt with you. The floor of the temple was your composed life and your constant practice of the virtues. For you lacked no integrity, because everything in you was stable, everything humble, everything devout, and everything perfect. The walls of the temple were square because you weren't disturbed by any insult, didn't grow proud over any honor, weren't unsettled by any impatience, and desired nothing but the honor and love of God. The very design of your temple was the constant fire of the Holy Spirit, by which your soul was so lifted up that there was no virtue that wasn't greater and more perfect in you than in any other creature. God walked in this temple when He poured the sweetness of His visitation into your members. He truly rested there when the Godhead was joined to humanity. Blessed, therefore, are you, most blessed Virgin, in whom the great God became a little child, the most ancient Lord became a tiny son, and the eternal God and invisible Creator became a visible creature.
A Plea for Mercy
The visionary asks for Mary's intercession, contrasting her holy temple with the corruption of his own soul.
Because you are a most loving and powerful Lady, I ask you to look upon me and have mercy on me. For you are the Mother of Solomon—not the one who was the son of David, but of Him who is the Father of David and the Lord of Solomon, who built that wondrous temple which truly prefigured you. For the Son will listen to his mother, and to such a great and wonderful mother as you. So please obtain this for me: that the boy Solomon, who was like one sleeping within you, may be awake with me, so that the pleasure of no sin may sting me, but that contrition for my faults may be steady, the love of the world may be dead to me, and that I may have patient endurance and fruitful penance. I have no virtue of my own, nothing but this one word: 'Have mercy, Mary,' because my temple is entirely the opposite of yours. It's darkened by vices, muddied by lust, corrupted by the worms of greed, unstable from pride, and slipping away through the vanity of worldly things.
The Mother's Lament
Mary responds by identifying herself as the mother of the eternal Priest and King, while lamenting the vanity and corruption of modern clergy and rulers.
The Mother answered: "Blessed be God, who inspired your heart to offer this greeting, so that you might understand how great is the goodness and how great the sweetness in God." But why do you compare me to Solomon and Solomon's temple, when I am the mother of Him whose generation has no beginning or end, and of Him who is described as having had neither father nor mother—that is, Melchizedek?✦ He is described as having been a priest, and God's temple belongs to priests; therefore, I am the mother of the high priest and a virgin. I tell you truly that I am a mother in both senses: mother of King Solomon and mother of the peace-making priest. For the Son of God, who is also my son, is both priest and King of kings. Finally, in my temple, he spiritually clothed himself in priestly vestments, in which he offered a sacrifice for the world. In the royal city, however, he was crowned with a royal, yet harsh, crown. Outside, however, he held the field and the fight like a most valiant champion. Now, however, I can complain that this same Son of mine is forgotten and neglected by priests and kings. Kings, for their part, take pride in their palaces, their armies, and the pomp and honor of the world. Priests, however, grow arrogant over temporal goods and the possessions of souls. Just as you said the temple was decorated with gold, so the temples of the priests are decorated with vanity and worldly curiosity. Simony reigns at the top. The Ark of the Covenant has been taken away, the lamps of the virtues have been extinguished, and the table of devotion lies desolate.
The Efficacy of Prayer
Mary explains the conditions for effective intercession, emphasizing the necessity of turning away from sin and pursuing goodness.
The bride replied, "O Mother of mercy, have mercy on them and pray for them." The Mother said to her, "From the beginning, God has loved His own in such a way that they aren't just heard in their own prayers for themselves, but others also experience the effect of their petitions because of them." For prayers to be heard on behalf of others, two things are necessary: a will to abandon sin and a will to grow in goodness. For anyone who has these two things, my prayers will be effective for them.
Read the original Latin
Benedicta sis tu, Maria, mater Dei, templum Salomonis, cuius parietes fuerunt deaurati, cuius tectum prefulgens, cuius pauimentum preciosissimis stratum lapidibus, cuius compositio tota effulgens, cuius interiora omnia redolentia et delectabilia ad intuendum.
Denique per omnem modum similaris tu templo Salomonis, in quo verus Salomon spaciabatur et sedit, in quod induxit arcam glorie et candelabrum ad lucendum.
Sic tu, benedicta Virgo, templum es Salomonis illius, qui fecit inter Deum et hominem pacem, qui reconsiliauit reos, qui vitam dedit mortuis et pauperes ab exactore liberauit.
Corpus quippe tuum et anima facta sunt deitatis templum, in quibus erat tectum diuine caritatis, sub quo filius Dei egressus a patre ad te gaudenter habitauit tecum.
Pauimentum vero templi fuit composita tua vita et exercitatio virtutum assidua. Nulla enim tibi defuit honestas, quia totum in te fuit stabile, totum humile, totum deuotum, totumque perfectum.
Parietes vero templi fuerunt quadranguli, quia nullo perturbaris obprobrio, de nullo superbiebas honore, nulla inquietabaris impatientia, nichilque nisi honorem et amorem Dei affectabas.
Picture vero templi tui fuerunt inflammatio continua spiritussancti, qua in tantum eleuabatur anima tua, ut nulla esset virtus, que non amplior et perfectior esset in te quam in aliqua alia creatura.
Itaque in hoc templo tunc spaciabatur Deus, quando membris tuis infudit sue visitationis dulcedinem. Requieuit vero, quando deitas sociabatur humanitati. Benedicta igitur sis tu, beatissima Virgo, in qua Deus magnus factus est puer paruus, antiquissimus dominus factus est pusillus filius, sempiternus Deus et creator inuisibilis factus est visibilis creatura.
Ideo, quia pijssima et potentissima es domina, rogo te respice in me et miserere mei. Mater enim Salomonis es non illius, qui fuit filius David, sed eius, qui pater est David et dominus Salomonis, qui edificabat templum illud mirificum, quod te veraciter prefigurabat.
Filius enim exaudiet matrem et talem ac tantam matrem. Impetra ergo, ut puer Salomon, qui fuit quasi dormiens in te, sit vigilans mecum, ut nullius peccati delectatio me pungat, sed contritio commissorum sit stabilis, amor mundi sit michi mortuus, patientia perseuerans, penitencia fructuosa.
Non enim habeo aliquid virtutis pro me nisi verbum unum; hoc est 'miserere Maria', quia templum meum contrarium omnino tuo est. Est enim tenebrosum vicijs lutosum ex luxuria, corruptum ex cupiditatis vermibus, instabile ex superbia, labile ex vanitate mundanorum.
Respondit mater: "Benedictus sit Deus, qui cordi tuo hanc inspirauit proferre salutationem, ut intelligeres quanta in Deo sit bonitas, quantaque dulcedo. Sed cur comparas me Salomoni et templo Salomonis, cum mater sim illius, cuius generatio non habet principium nec finem, et illius, qui legitur nec habuisse patrem nec matrem, hoc est Melchisedech?
Ipse enim describitur fuisse sacerdos et ad sacerdotes pertinet templum Dei et ideo ego sum mater sacerdotis summi atque virgo. Vere dico tibi, quod utrumque sum mater, scilicet regis Salomonis et mater pacificantis sacerdotis. Nam filius Dei, qui est et filius meus utrumque est sacerdos et rex regum.
Denique in templo meo induit se vestibus sacerdotalibus spiritualiter, in quibus obtulit sacrificium pro mundo. In ciuitate vero regali coronabatur corona regali sed aspera. Extra vero tamquam pugil fortissimus campum et pugnam detinebat.
Nunc autem conqueri possum, quod oblitus et neglectus est idem filius meus a sacerdotibus et regibus. Reges quippe gloriantur de palacijs suis, de exercitu suo et de processu et honore mundi. Sacerdotes vero superbiunt de bonis et possessionibus temporalibus animarum.
Nam sicut dixisti templum depictum auro, sic templa sacerdotum depicta sunt vanitate et curiositate mundi. Regnat enim symonia in capite. Arca testamenti sublata est, lucerne virtutum extincte, mensa deuotionis desolata."
Respondit sponsa: "O mater misericordie, miserere eis et roga pro illis." Cui mater: "Ab initio sic Deus dilexit suos, ut non solum in precibus suis exaudiantur ipsi pro se sed et alij propter eos sentiant petitionis effectum.
Propterea, ut preces exaudiantur pro alijs, duo sunt necessaria, voluntas scilicet deserendi peccatum et voluntas proficiendi in bono. Omnis enim, qui hec duo habuerit, illi proficient preces mee."
Scripture echoes
- ↩Heb.7.3 — Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
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