St. Bonaventure: The Psalter of Our Lady

[Stone]

PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

PSALM I.

Blessed is the man that cherishes thy name, Virgin Mary, thy grace will strengthen his soul.

As a garden watered by springs of living water, thou wilt multiply in that soul the sweetest fruits of justice.

Thou art blessed among all women, because of the humble faith of thy holy heart.

For thou art exalted above all women by the beauty of thy person; thou surpassest the angels and the archangels by the excellence of thy sanctity.

Thy mercy and thy grace are celebrated every where ; God has blessed the works of thy hands.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and always, and from generation to generation. Amen.



PSALM II.

Why do our enemies rage, and why have they imagined vain things against us?

May thy right hand protect us, Mother of God, terrible as an army in the battle confound them and destroy them.

Come to her, ye who are in distress and in tribulation, and she will give rest unto your souls.

Have recourse to her in thy temptations, and the serenity of her countenance will strengthen thee.

Bless her with all thy heart, for the entire earth is full of her mercy.

Glory be to the Father, &c.



PSALM III.

0, Lady, how are they increased that trouble me; thou wilt reach them, and in thine own time disperse them.

Break the chains of our ungodliness, deliver us from the burden of our sins.

Have pity upon me, Lady, and heal my infirmities; take away the sorrow and agony of my heart.

Deliver me not into the hands of mine enemies, and to the day of my death strengthen my soul.

Conduct me to the door of salvation, and restrain my spirit to my Author and to my Creator.

Glory to the Father, &c.



PSALM IV.

When I called upon thee, thou hast heard me favourably, O Lady, and from the height of thy throne thou hast deigned to remember me.

From the rage of roaring lions ready to devour me, from the hands of those who persecute me, thy grace will deliver me.

Because that thy mercy and thy charity are compassionate towards all those who call upon thy holy name.

Be blessed, O Lady, through eternity, and let thy majesty remain glorified in all ages.

Nations glorify thee in all thy power, and you, people of the earth, exalt her magnificence.

Glory, &c.



PSALM V.

Give ear to my words, O Lady, and remove not from me the beauty of thy countenance.

Convert our sorrow into joy, and our tribulation into happiness.

That our enemies may fall beneath our feet, and that by thy virtue their heads may be broken.

That our tongue may bless thee, and that all flesh may confess thy holy name.

For thy spirit is sweeter than honey, and thy heritage surpasseth the honey and its comb.

Glory, &c.



PSALM VI.

O Lady, permit me not to be delivered over to the fury of God, that I be not judged in his anger.

For the honour of thy name, O Lady, let the fruit of thy glorious womb be propitious.

From the gates of hell and from the abyss, deliver us by thy holy prayers.

That the eternal gates may be opened to us, to the end that we may recount thy marvellous works to all eternity.

For it is not the dead, neither those who are in hell that shall praise thee, O Lady, but those who by thy grace obtain eternal glory.

Glory, &c.



PSALM VII.

0 Lady, I have hoped in thee : deliver my soul from mine enemies.

Shut the mouth of the lion and break his teeth, and close the lips of my persecutors.

Delay not for the honour of thy name, to have mercy upon us.

Let the glory of thy countenance shine upon us, that our conscience may become pure before the Most High.

If the enemy persecute my soul, O Lady, that I may be strengthened by thy power, let not thy sword shine against us.

Glory, &c.



PSALM VIII.

0 Lady ! it is by thee that our Lord became our brother and our Saviour.

As the fire in the bush was ardent, and as the dew upon the fleece, by thee is descended the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit has rendered thee fruitful, and the virtue of the Almighty has overshadowed thee.

Blessed be thy pure conception, blessed be thy virginal delivery !

Blessed be the purity of thy flesh ; blessed be the sweet mercy of thy heart.

Glory, &c.



PSALM IX.

1 will confess thee, 0 Lady, with all the power of my heart ; I will recount thy praise and thy glory in the midst of the people.

For to thee are due glory and thanksgiving, and words of praise.

May sinners find pardon before God, by thee, mediatrix of salvation.

That humbly penitent, they may hope in thine indulgence ; heal thou their broken hearts.

In the charm of peace, in the richness of repose, thou wilt reassure us after the labours of our pilgrimage.

Glory, &c.



PSALM X.

In our Lady I trust, because of the sweet mercy of her name.

Her eyes rest upon the poor, and her hands stretch towards the orphan and the widow.

Enquire after her from thy youth, and she will glorify thee before the face of all people.

That her mercy may put away the multitude of our sins, and that her power, agreeable to God, may confer upon us abundance of merit.

Extend towards us thine arm, Glorious Virgin; and turn not away from us thy glorious countenance.

Glory, &c.