15ème Rose — L'excellence du saint rosaire dans les prières dont il est composé
The Sublime Origin of the Angelic Salutation
The Angelic Salutation is a divinely inspired prayer whose structure and history reflect the Church's profound devotion to Mary as the Mother of God.
44. The Angelic Salutation is so sublime and exalted that blessed Alain de la Roche believed no creature can understand it, and that only Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, can explain it. It derives its excellence primarily from the most holy Virgin to whom it was addressed, from the purpose of the Incarnation of the Word for which it was brought down from heaven, and from the archangel Gabriel who first spoke it. The Angelic Salutation summarizes, in the most concise way, the entirety of Christian theology regarding the Blessed Virgin. In it, you find both praise and an invocation. The praise contains everything that constitutes Mary's true greatness; the invocation contains everything we should ask of her, and everything we can hope for from her goodness toward us. The most holy Trinity revealed the first part of it; Saint Elizabeth, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, added the second; and the Church, at the first Council of Ephesus in 430, provided the conclusion after condemning the error of Nestorius and defining that the Blessed Virgin is truly the Mother of God. The council ordered that the Blessed Virgin be invoked under this glorious title with these words: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us poor sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
The Infinite Power of the Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation serves as a powerful instrument of grace, bridging heaven and earth through the mystery of the Incarnation.
45. The holy Virgin Mary was the one to whom this divine greeting was delivered to settle the greatest and most important matter in the world: the Incarnation of the eternal Word, peace between God and humanity, and the redemption of the human race. The ambassador of this good news was the archangel Gabriel, one of the leading princes of the heavenly court. The Angelic Salutation holds the faith and hope of the patriarchs, the prophets, and the apostles. It is the steadfastness and strength of the martyrs, the learning of the doctors, the perseverance of the confessors, and the life of those in religious life. It is the new song of the law of grace, the joy of angels and of human beings, and the terror and confusion of the demons.✦ Through the Angelic Salutation, God became man, a Virgin became the Mother of God, the souls of the just were delivered from limbo, heaven's ruins were repaired and the empty thrones were filled, sin was forgiven, grace was given to us, the sick were healed, the dead were raised, the exiles were called home, the most holy Trinity was appeased, and human beings obtained eternal life.1 Finally, the Angelic Salutation is the rainbow, the sign of the clemency and grace that God has shown the world.✦
Read the original Latin
44. La Salutation angélique est si sublime, si relevée, que le bienheureux Alain de la Roche a cru qu'aucune créature ne peut la comprendre et qu'il n'y a que Jésus-Christ, né de la Vierge Marie, qui puisse l'expliquer. Elle tire principalement son excellence de la très sainte Vierge à qui elle fut adressée, de la fin de l'Incarnation du Verbe pour laquelle elle fut apportée du ciel, et de l'archange Gabriel qui la prononça le premier. La Salutation angélique résume dans l'abrégé le plus concis toute la théologie chrétienne sur la Sainte Vierge. On y trouve une louange et une invocation. La louange renferme tout ce qui fait la véritable grandeur de Marie; l'invocation renferme tout ce que nous devons lui demander, et ce que nous pouvons attendre de sa bonté pour nous. La très sainte Trinité en a révélé la première partie; sainte Élisabeth, éclairée du Saint-Esprit, y a ajouté la seconde; et l'Église, dans le premier concile d'Éphèse, tenu l'an 430, y a mis la conclusion, après avoir condamné l'erreur de Nestorius et défini que la Sainte Vierge est véritablement Mère de Dieu. Le concile ordonna qu'on invoquerait la Sainte Vierge sous cette glorieuse qualité par ces paroles: Sainte Marie, Mère de Dieu, priez pour nous, pauvres pécheurs, maintenant et à l'heure de notre mort.
45. La sainte Vierge Marie a été celle à qui cette divine Salutation a été présentée pour terminer l'affaire la plus grande et la plus importante du monde, l'Incarnation du Verbe éternel, la paix entre Dieu et les hommes et la rédemption du genre humain. L'ambassadeur de cette heureuse nouvelle fut l'archange Gabriel, un des premiers princes de la cour céleste. La Salutation angélique contient la foi et l'espérance des patriarches, des prophètes et des apôtres. Elle est la constance et la force des martyrs, la science des docteurs, la persévérance des confesseurs et la vie des religieux. Elle est le cantique nouveau de la loi de grâce, la joie des anges et des hommes, la terreur et la confusion des démons. Par la Salutation angélique, Dieu s'est fait homme, une Vierge est devenue Mère de Dieu, les âmes des justes ont été délivrées des limbes, les ruines du ciel ont été réparées et les trônes vides ont été remplis, le péché a été pardonné, la grâce nous a été donnée, les malades ont été guéris, les morts ressuscités, les exilés rappelés, la très sainte Trinité a été apaisée, et les hommes ont obtenu la vie éternelle. Enfin, la Salutation angélique est l'arc-en-ciel, le signe de la clémence et de la grâce que Dieu a faites au monde.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.144.9;Ps.34.3 — I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play for you. Ps.34.3 — Let my soul boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and rejoice.
- ↩Gen.9.12-Gen.9.17 — And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I am establishing between me and you and between every living creature that is with you, for all future generations." Gen.9.13 — I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Gen.9.14 — When I bring clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds. Gen.9.15 — And I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature, all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. Gen.9.16 — When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature, all flesh that is on the earth. Gen.9.17 — And God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.'
Notes
- 1 ↩«limbes» rendered as limbo (the limbus of the just / fathers awaiting Christ), not as a modern figurative limbo.
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