Visita V
The Dwelling of Love
The soul contemplates Christ's humble presence on the altar and responds with a total offering of self.
The sparrow has found a home for herself, and the turtledove a nest where she may lay her young: your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.✦ Psalm 83:1.1 David says the sparrow finds its home among the houses, and the turtledove among the nests; but you, my King and my God, have made your nest and found your dwelling on earth upon the altars, so that you may be found there and stay with us. Lord, it has to be said that you are too passionately devoted to human beings; you no longer know what else to do to make them love you. But you also, my most lovable Jesus, make us passionately devoted to you as well; it isn't right that we should love coldly a God who loves us with such affection. Draw us with the sweet attractions of your love; make us know the beautiful reasons you have for being loved.2 O infinite majesty and infinite goodness, you love human beings so much: you have done so much to be loved by them; and how is it, then, that among them so few love you? I don't want to remain among the unhappy number of the ungrateful: I am resolved to love you as much as I can and to love nothing but you. You deserve it, you command it of me with such urgency—I want to please you. You yourself, God of my soul, make me please you fully. I beg this of you through the merits of your Passion, and I hope for it. Give the goods of the earth to those who desire them; I desire and seek only the great treasure of your love.3 I love you, my Jesus; I love you, infinite goodness. You are all my wealth, all my contentment, all my love. — Giac.4 My Jesus, you've given yourself completely to me; I give myself completely to you. Spiritual Communion.
The Captor of Hearts
A prayer to Mary, asking her to capture the soul's will and offer it to God.
To Mary. My Lady, St. Bernard calls you the captor of hearts.5 He says that you go about stealing hearts with your beauty and goodness; steal this heart of mine too, I beg you—my will: I give it all to you; offer it to God, united with your own. — Giac.6 Loving Mother, pray for me.7
Refuge of Sinners
A prayer of St. Bernard seeking Mary's intercession for reconciliation with the Judge.
A prayer of St. Bernard. Let us lift our eyes to you, O Queen of the world. We must appear before our Judge after so many sins—who will appease him? There is no one who can do it better than you, O holy Lady, who loved him so much and were so tenderly loved by him. So open, O Mother of mercy, the ear of your heart to our sighs and to our prayers. We flee under your protection; calm your Son's anger, and restore us to his grace. You don't abhor the sinner, however foul he may be.8 You don't despise him if he sighs to you and, repentant, asks for your intercession. With your merciful hand you free him from despair; you stir him to hope, and you comfort him, and you do not abandon him until you have reconciled him with his Judge. Ejaculatory prayer.9 Most lovable Mother, pray for me.
Read the original Latin
Passer invenit sibi domum, turtur sibi nidum ubi ponat pullos suos: altaria tua, Domine virtutum: rex meus, et Deus meus. Ps. LXXXIII, 1. Il passerello, dice Davide, si trova l'abitazione dentro le case, la tortorella dentro i nidi: ma voi, Re mio e Dio mio, vi avete fatto il nido e trovata la stanza in terra dentro gli altari per farvi trovare e per istarvene insieme con noi. Signore, bisogna dire che siete troppo appassionato per gli uomini, non sapete più che fare per farvi da essi amare. Ma fate ancora voi, amabilissimo mio Gesù, che noi ancora siamo appassionati per voi; non è ragione che amiamo con freddezza un Dio che ci ama con tanta affezione. Tirateci colle dolci attrattive del vostro amore; fateci conoscere le belle parti che avete d'essere amato.
O maestà infinita e bontà infinita, voi tanto amate gli uomini: voi avete fatto tanto per essere amato dagli uomini; e come va poi che fra gli uomini sono tanto pochi quelli che v'amano? Io non voglio essere più come sono stato fra il numero infelice di quest'ingrati: io son risoluto d'amarvi quanto posso e di non amar altro che voi; voi lo meritate, voi me lo comandate con tanta premura, voglio contentarvi. Fate voi, Dio dell'anima mia, ch'io vi contenti appieno. Io ve lo priego per gli meriti della vostra Passione, e lo spero. I beni della terra dateli a chi li desidera: io solo desidero e ricerco il gran tesoro del vostro amore. V'amo, Gesù mio, v'amo bontà infinita. Voi siete tutta la mia ricchezza, tutto il contento, tutto l'amore mio. - Giac.
Gesù mio, voi vi siete dato tutto a me, io mi dono tutto a voi. La comunione spirituale.
A Maria. Signora mia, S. Bernardo vi chiama Raptrix cordium. Dice che voi andate rubando i cuori colla vostra bellezza e bontà; rubatemi, vi prego, anche questo cuor mio, la mia volontà: io tutta a voi la dono; offeritela a Dio unita colla vostra. - Giac. Mater amabilis, ora pro me.
Orazione di S. Bernardo. Alziamo i nostri occhi a Voi, o regina del mondo. Noi dobbiamo comparire innanzi al nostro Giudice dopo tanti peccati, chi lo placherà? Non v'è chi possa farlo meglio di Voi, o santa Signora, che tanto l'amaste e ne siete stata così teneramente amata. Aprite dunque, o Madre di misericordia, l'orecchio del vostro cuore ai sospiri ed alle nostre preghiere. Noi fuggiamo sotto la vostra protezione; placate lo sdegno del vostro Figlio, e rimetteteci nella sua grazia. Voi non abhorrite il peccatore, per quanto puzzolento ei sia. Voi non lo disprezzate, se a Voi sospira e domanda pentito la vostra intercessione.
Voi colla vostra pietosa mano lo liberate dalla disperazione; Voi l'animate a sperare, e lo confortate, e non l'abbandonate, finché non l'abbiate riconciliato con suo giudice. Giac. Mater amabilis, ora pro me.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.83.4;Ps.85.3 — Against your people they plot secretly, and they conspire against those you hold dear. Ps.85.3 — You have taken away the iniquity of your people; you have covered all their sin. Selah.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source prints LXXXIII, 1 (Vulgate Psalm numbering). The quoted Latin in s1 is the sparrow/turtledove verse, ordinarily Ps 83:4 Vulgate.
- 2 ↩Italian le belle parti che avete d'essere amato can mean beautiful qualities, claims, or grounds for being loved; rendered as 'beautiful reasons... for being loved.'
- 3 ↩Italian io solo can mean either 'I alone' or 'I only'; the contrast with those who desire earthly goods favors 'I ... only' as the exclusive object of desire.
- 4 ↩Abbreviated citation or label preserved as printed; expansion uncertain without surrounding apparatus (possibly an author tag or giaculatoria heading).
- 5 ↩Source keeps the Latin epithet Raptrix cordium (literally 'she who seizes hearts'). Rendered in sense to match the next sentence's 'stealing hearts'; the Latin title may be restored if a fixed epithet is preferred.
- 6 ↩Abbreviated attribution in the source; expansion is uncertain, so the form is preserved.
- 7 ↩Source is the Latin litany title Mater amabilis, ora pro me (cf. Litany of Loreto 'Mother most amiable'). Rendered in plain modern English; traditional litany cadence may be preferred.
- 8 ↩Italian 'puzzolento' is bluntly olfactory ('stinking'); rendered as 'foul' to keep the visceral force without slang.
- 9 ↩Source is the bare abbreviation "Giac."; rendered as the common Italian heading Giaculatoria (a short aspiration). If this is instead a truncated citation or fragment, revise.
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