Mater Dei laudando se de sollicitudine, quam habuit, placendi Deo dicit, quod non se laudat, vt propriam laudem querat sed vt Deus ex hoc laudetur et honoretur. Et petit a Filio pro sponsa vestes celestes virtutum et cibum sacrum corporis sui et spiritum feruenciorem. Que Filius concedit, si primo habeat sponsa humilitatem et timorem et graciarum accionem.
The Mother's Intercession
Mary explains her desire to honor her Son and begins her intercessory prayer on behalf of the bride.
The Mother of God says: "From my youth, I have always thought about the honor of my Son, and I have always been concerned with how I might please Him." Although any honor is less honorable when it comes from one's own mouth, I'm not speaking this way like those who seek their own praise, but for the honor of my Son, my God and my Lord. He who miraculously fixed the sun in the dust, enclosed a fire in the dry wood that didn't consume but rather inflamed it, and brought forth a most worthy and sweet fruit without any moisture.✦✦ Then, turning to the Son, she said, "Blessed are you, my Son!" I am like that woman who, having been heard by the Lord, begged for mercy on behalf of the guilty and the less powerful. So I ask you on behalf of my daughter, because she is shy—that is, on behalf of your bride, whose soul you redeemed with your blood, illuminated with your love, stirred with your goodness, and betrothed to yourself through your mercy.
Three Gifts for the Bride
Mary petitions her Son to grant the bride heavenly garments, the sacred food of the Eucharist, and a fervent spirit.
I ask you, Son, to give her three things. First, more precious garments, because she is the daughter and bride of the King of kings. For if the King's bride lacks royal attire, she is completely despised. And if she is found to be less than honorable, she is rebuked with shame. So give her garments not from the earth, but from heaven—not those that shine outwardly with bronze, but those that glow inwardly with charity and chastity. Give her the habit of the virtues, so she doesn't have to beg for what's external, but instead has an abundance within, and can shine in that habit even more than others. Second, give her more delicate food. Your bride has been used to coarser fare, but now she must get used to your food. For this is the food that is touched but not seen, held but not felt; it nourishes, yet remains unknown to the senses; it enters in, and is everywhere. This is your most worthy Body, which the roasted lamb prefigured. Your humanity, which you took from me, accomplished this in a wonderful way, and your divinity, together with your humanity, shows this accomplishment daily in a blessed manner. Give this food, my Son, to your bride, for without it she withers like a child without milk; without it she fails entirely, but with it and through it, she is renewed for every good thing, just as a sick person is restored by food. Third, my son, give her a more fervent spirit. For it is a fire that is never kindled and never extinguished, which makes visible delights seem worthless and makes one hope for what is to come.1 Give this spirit to her, my son!
The Conditions of Grace
The Son responds by accepting the request, provided the bride practices humility, gratitude, and holy fear to preserve the gifts.
Then the Son answered, "Dearest Mother, your words are sweet." But as you know, anyone who seeks the heights must first do the hard things and practice the humble ones. Therefore, three things are necessary for her. First, that she possess humility. For through this, true greatness is attained, so that she may know that the good things she has, she has by grace and not by her own merits. Second, the debt of service that she must pay back to the Giver of graces. Third, fear, so that she doesn't lose the grace she has been granted. So, to obtain and hold onto the first three things you asked for, she must not neglect the three that follow. For it is of no use to have obtained them if one does not know how to hold onto what has been received; and it is far more agonizing to the soul to lose what was once held than if it had never been given or possessed at all."
Read the original Latin
Mater Dei loquitur: "Ego a iuuentute mea semper cogitaui de honore filii mei et semper sollicita fui, quomodo ei placerem.
Quamuis autem omnis honor minus honorabilis est in ore proprio, tamen ego non loquor istud more eorum, qui propriam laudem querunt, sed ad honorem filii mei, Dei et Domini mei.
Qui mirabiliter solem fixit in puluere, ignem eciam non consumentem sed inflammantem conclusit in arido et fructum dignissimum et suauissimum protulit absque humore."
Deinde vertens se ad Filium ait: "Benedictus sis tu, fili mi! Ego sum quasi illa mulier, que apud dominum exaudita pro reis et minus potentibus petebat misericordiam.
Sic ego rogo te pro filia mea, quia verecunda est, idest pro sponsa tua, cuius animam sanguine tuo redemisti, caritate tua illuminasti, bonitate tua excitasti et per misericordiam tibi desponsasti.
Rogo te, fili, da ei tria. Primo vestes preciosiores, quia filia et sponsa regis est regum. Si enim sponsa regis caret habitu regali, omnino contempnitur. Si vero minus honesta deprehenditur, obprobrio redarguitur.
Ergo da ei vestes non de terra sed de celo, non que fulgent ere exterius sed que micant caritate et castitate interius. Da ei virtutum habitum, ne exteriora mendicet sed vt habeat intus habundanciam et vt possit eciam pre aliis in habitu lucere.
Secundo da ei cibum delicaciorem. Grossioribus enim assueta est sponsa tua cibariis, nunc autem assuescat cibo tuo. Hic enim est cibus, qui tangitur et non videtur, tenetur et non sentitur, cibat et a sensu nescitur, ingreditur et vbique est.
Hoc est dignissimum corpus tuum, quod prefigurabat agnus assatus. Hoc enim humanitas tua de me sumpta mirabiliter compleuit, deitas tua cum humanitate feliciter illud completum cottidie ostendit.
Hunc cibum, fili mi, da sponse tue, quia sine eo sicut puer sine lacte arescit, sine eo omnino deficit, et cum eo et per eum ad omne bonum quasi eger de cibo renouatur.
Tercio da ei, fili mi, spiritum feruenciorem. Ipse enim est ignis, qui numquam succensus numquam extinctus est, qui facit delectabilia visa vilescere et futura sperare. Hunc spiritum, fili mi, da sibi!"
Tunc Filius respondit dicens: "Mater carissima, verba tua dulcia sunt. Sed sicut scis, qui querit sublimia, necesse est, vt primo agat forcia et exerceat humilia. Ideo tria sunt ei necessaria.
Primo, quod habeat humilitatem. Per hanc enim sublimitas optinetur, vt scilicet sciat se habere bona, que habet, ex gracia et non ex meritis suis. Secundo debitum seruicium, quod rependat datori graciarum. Tercio timorem, ne amittat concessam graciam.
Ergo, vt tria prima, que petisti, optineat et possideat, non negligat tria supradicta sequencia. Nichil enim prodest optinuisse, nisi sciat optenta possidere, et intollerabilius cruciant mentem optenta amissa, quam si numquam collata fuissent et possessa."
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'numquam succensus numquam extinctus' presents a paradox of a fire that is eternal and self-sustaining, rather than one that requires external ignition or is subject to being put out.
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