A Sermon by St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I share the following from the former readings for the Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I made a relatively free translation so as not to lose any of the force of the original, which is really quite beautiful.


Sermo 4 de Assumptione B.M.V circa medium
There is nothing that pleases me more, and nothing that terrifies me more than to preach on the glory of the Virgin Mary. For, see, if I praise her virginity, I see that there are many who have offered themselves as virgins after her. If I preach on her humility, we will find, perhaps, even a few who, taught by her Son, have become meek and humble of heart. If I want to proclaim the greatness of her mercy, there are some also some very merciful men and women. There is, however, one thing in which she does not have someone like her, before or after, and that is her joining the joy of motherhood with the honor of virginity. This is Mary's privilege, and it is not given to another: it is unique, and it is also something that words cannot perfectly describe.

Nevertheless, if you pay attention closely, you will find not only this one virtue, but even other singular virtues in Mary, which she only seems to share with others. For can one even compare the purity of the angels to that spotless virginity which was found worthy to become the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit and dwelling place of the Son of God? How great and how precious was her humility, together with such perfect innocence, such wisdom without fault, and such a fullness of grace? How did you obtain such meekness, O Blessed Woman, such great humility? You are indeed worthy, whom the Lord considered carefully, whose beauty the King desired, on whose lap with its sweetest fragrance the eternal Father was brought to rest.

Behold, with these acts of devotion we have meditated on your ascension to your Son, and we have followed you as though from a distance, O Blessed Virgin. Let the grace of your mercy, the favor that you found with God, be made known to the world: may your prayers obtain mercy for the condemned, remedy for the sick, strength of heart for the lowly, consolation for the afflicted, aid for those in peril, and freedom for your holy ones. And on this day of celebration and gladness, may Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, through thee, O merciful Queen, pour out the gifts of His grace upon all those who invoke the sweetest name of Mary with praise, for He is the God of all things. blessed unto all ages. Amen.

Father's Day: A Mealtime Prayer- Prayer/Poem of the Week

This is the mealtime prayer that my Grandfather has recited for as long as I can remember. A while back I translated it into very simple Church Latin, which I think is fairly accurate.

Latin: Pater de caelis, gratias tibi agimus pro his et universis beneficiis tuis. Benedic hunc cibum ad usum corporum nostrorum et corpora nostra ad servitium tuum. Parce nobis, quaesumus, et ignosce in nomine Christi. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we give Thee thanks for these and all Thy tender mercies. Bless this food to the use of our bodies and our bodies to Thy service. Forgive us and save us, we ask in Christ's name. Amen.

Prayer/Poem of the Week- Splendid Star (Stella Splendens)

This coming Saturday, April 27, is in some places the feast of Our Lady of Montserrat, which is a shrine in Spain. It has been an ancient place of pilgrimage for many centuries. Among the various manuscripts which have come down to us in relation to the pilgrimage through the centuries, one of the most fascinating is a book called the Llibre Vermell, a collection of songs, chants, and even dances which were sung during the ascent to the mountain-top shrine.

Probably the most famous of these texts is the dance, "Stella Splendens". My church choir has performed it several times over the years and it has always been one of my favorites to hear and sing.

In any case, I decided a year or so ago that I wanted to be able to sing it with the children I teach at St. John Bosco Academy. The thing is, although I knew that they would like the tune well enough, I wanted them to enjoy it in the same way as I enjoyed it, as an exuberant tune matched with an equally exuberant set of lyrics. My students study Latin, of course, but they aren't quite good enough at it to be able to express themselves with it in rhythmic music.

So, I made a rough paraphrase of the lyrics, condensing them into three verses, which they could sing.

Refrain:
Splendid Star of Montserrat,
Shining like summer's golden ray,
Full of miracles and light,
Hear us, thy people, as we pray.

Verse 1:
We join the joyful chorus
Which passes on this way,
To look and see the wonders
Which crown the Queen of May.
Join us all be rich or poor,
Children, or those of higher state;
Come with us and then return,
Freed from your sins and full of grace.

Verse 2:
The rulers of the nations,
Though proud in pow'r and name,
Will here at Mary's altar
Kneel down and bow for shame.
Crying out they strike their hearts,
Sighing they will confess their sin.
Then with voices full of joy,
Rising, they go, made free again.

Verse 3:
All people now entreat her,
The Queen of every race,
That on this holy mountain,
We all might see her face.
Let us now with song and dance
Climb to the heights and see her shrine,
Begging her, our Mother blest,
Favor with Christ, her Child Divine.

Here's the tune:

Translations from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Here are some translations which I made last night from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are not literal, but translated freely into a sort of alliterative verse, which I think is a very freeing form of liturgical translation, as well as one that speaks from the heart of the English language. I could not quite get them into pure Anglo-Saxon verse, but I think this is a good modern equivalent.

1. Memento rerum Conditor

Keep in mind, Creator of all,
     How from the Virgin's holy womb,
You were born, taking our bodily form.
     O Mary, Mother of grace and mercy,
May you defend us from every foe,
     And be our help at our final hour.
All glory and laud let us give to Our Lord,
     The Son of the Virgin's Sacred Womb,
And equal praise to the Paraclete,
     With the Father eternal in every age.

2. Quem terra pontus sidera

The King who rules over all creation
     Whom the earth, the sea, and the skies proclaim,
Was hidden once in the womb of Mary.
     And He who is Master of sun and moon,
Was by a gift of heavenly grace,
     Borne in the sacred bowels of a maiden.
And he who can hold the stars in his hand,
     Is in your cloister, O Mother, enclosed:
Ark which contains the architect!
     Blessed one, to whom the heavenly message
Announced she would bear the Desire of Nations;
     By faith she was, in the Spirit, made fruitful.
All glory and laud let us give to our Lord,
     The Son of the Virgin's Sacred Womb,
And equal praise to the Paraclete
     With the Father eternal in every age.

Translation of a Lovely Hymn

I love my Angelus Press missal. I love it for its completeness, its handiness, its piety. Its translations, however, generally leave something to be desired.

These generally fall into one of two categories: obsessively pious and archaic or so literal as to be nearly incomprehensible. The translation for "Pange, lingua, gloriosi (lauream certaminis)" falls into the former category.

Now, since I am a Latin teacher and a classicist by trade, I rarely use the translations, but for the rest of the world, I am not content to sit by and watch a perfectly beautiful hymn, talking about blood and noble triumphs and so forth be turned into a Cranmerian disaster. We have enough Cranmerian disasters in the modern Church--I refer to the picnic tables often placed in front of high altars--and I do not like seeing many others.

So, I present you my translation of "Pange, Lingua, Gloriosi." The real one, not the one by St. Thomas.


1. Proclaim, O tongue, the victor of the glorious battle, and declare a noble triumph over the trophy of the Cross, for the Redeemer of the world has conquered by being slain!

2. The Creator, grieving over the fault of our first parent, who rushed into death by a bite of that poisoned fruit, then designed that a tree should take away the penalty of a tree.

3. Order had demanded that this work of our salvation be accomplished by the skill of a traitor, to defeat a traitor's cunning, and that a cure should come from where an enemy had wounded.

4. Therefore, when the appointed time came, the Creator of the world was sent down from the citadel of the Father, born, and proceeded forth, clothed in flesh, from a Virgin's womb.

5. The infant cries, set down in his constructed crib; the Virgin Mother ties up his limbs, wrapping them in swaddling clothes, and binding the hands and feet of God with a tight cord.

6. When he has passed thirty years, fulfilling the time of the body, the Redeemer freely hands himself over to suffering and is lifted up as a sacrificial Lamb on the wood of the Cross.

7. Drinking bitterness, see how he languishes! The thorns, the nails, and the spear pierced his humble body. Water flows out and blood, by which the whole world, earth, sea, and sky are cleansed.

8. Bend your branches, O exalted Tree! Relax your hard fibers and let your natural toughness grow soft! Receive on a soft trunk the limbs of your heavenly King!

9. You alone were worthy to bear the world's Victim, and to prepare a haven, like the Ark, for a shipwrecked race. You were annointed with Holy Blood, which was poured out from the body of the Lamb.

10. Everlasting glory be to the Holy Trinity; like honor to the Father, Son, and Paraclete. Let the universe praise the Name of the One and Three! Amen.

Refrain: Faithful Cross, only worthy tree among all others* which bears sweet wood, sweet nails, and a sweet burden!