St. Bernardine of Siena
Sermon II
Concerning the glorious name of Mary, which also is interpreted ‘the bitter sea’.
Sermon II
Concerning the glorious name of Mary, which also is interpreted ‘the bitter sea’.
The Virgin’s name was Mary; again Lk. 1:27, and in today’s Gospel. It is not within our power, most beloved brethren, as long as we human beings live in this mortal body, fully to attain to the praise of the glorious Virgin Mother of God, which both exceeds all human utterance and surpasses the understanding of all men. For what mortal man, unless illumined by a divine revelation, would presume to declare anything little or great about the unparalleled Mother of the God-man? Nay, rather would he not fear to mention this woman with defiled lips, whom the Father of mercies and God ordained before the world [cf. 2 Cor. 1:3; 1 Cor. 2:7] as a perpetual and most worthy Virgin, whom the Son chose beforehand as mother, and whom Holy Spirit prepared as the dwelling of a singular grace? With what sort of praises will the servitude of men exalt the Queen of angels? What praises can frail mortals proclaim, or what services can they render to her whom heavenly beings obey and serve? With what honors will the applause of men acclaim on earth the worthy woman, whom the hosts of blessed spirits perpetually venerate in heaven? But because we are not able to praise her as she deserves, at least let us take care to exalt her name.
We said in the preceding sermon that the name of Mary may be interpreted ‘star of the sea’; now, therefore, let us add why it is interpreted ‘the bitter sea.’ For the bitterness of the sea, literally, results from the fiery heat of the sun upon it, raising up and drawing out the finer parts, while burning the earthly parts left behind and consequently making them bitter. Hence in the bitterness of the sea three things can be noted: first, a separation of the sweet from the bitter; second, a burning of the parts left behind; third, a thorough mixing of the burned parts. Indeed the blessed Virgin was a bitter sea in the Passion of her Son, because on that occasion there was the removal of her sweetest Son, a burning of the part left behind, and an admixture of all kinds of bitterness.
ARTICLE I
That for four reasons the separation of her Son was a most bitter thing to the blessed Virgin at the time of the Passion.
In the first place, then, there is in the sea a separation of the sweet from the bitter. So also in the Passion of the Lord there was for the blessed Virgin a removal and separation of what is sweetest, because she experienced the taking away of her sweetest Son; and this was a most bitter thing to her for four reasons: first, by reason of status; second, by reason of knowledge; third, by reason of love; fourth, by reason of delight. These reasons are interconnected and follow one another by degrees.
Chapter I
How the separation of her Son was a bitter thing for the blessed Virgin at the time of the Passion, considering His status.
In the first place, certainly, in the Passion of the Lord the separation and removal of her sweetest Son was a bitter thing to the blessed Virgin; and this by reason of status, namely of her Son. No wonder she experienced the greatest bitterness, since her Son was all sweet and all lovely, as it says in the Canticle of Canticles 5:16. And again the Prophet says: The Lord is sweet and righteous [Ps. 24:8]. Furthermore on account of this removal the same Prophet says in the person of the Virgin: My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me and the light of my eyes itself is not with me [Ps. 37:11]. Or, according to another translation, she says more plainly: My heart has been restless, my strength has left me and even the very light of my eyes. Truly her Son was her power and strength in all adversities, the light of her eyes and the joy of her heart in every good fortune. Indeed such a sorrow was in her case the greatest in intensity, its extent and its manifestation.
For in the first place it was the greatest in intensity, because it penetrated all the way to her soul, as Simeon had predicted to her, Lk. 2:35: And thy own soul a sword shall pierce; which word, considered forwards and backwards, indicates an astonishing sharing and transformation of sorrow in those two souls, namely of Christ and of the Virgin, as if the prophecy said: “His sword will pierce your soul”, or “a sword will pierce your own soul”.
Secondly it was the greatest in extent, because it was protracted continuously over four days. For her sorrow began especially on Wednesday, because then the death of Christ was discussed and confirmed, while her sorrow continued on Thursday, because He was seized, buffeted and mocked that night; while it increased by Friday, because then her Son was crucified; indeed it was extended until Saturday, because then her Son was enclosed in the sepulcher.
Thirdly it was the greatest in its manifestation, because she showed and exhibited her sorrow by heart-rending sobs, by an abundance of tears, by loud cries of lamentation, by beating her breast and by striking her hands. Truly she experienced the greatest bitterness because through His ignominious death her Son was taken away from her.
Chapter II
That on account of knowledge the separation of her Son was a most bitter thing to the Virgin.
In the second place, the separation of her sweetest Son was a bitter thing to the blessed Virgin by reason of knowledge. Indeed three things bring about compassion on the part of the one having compassion toward the person with whom he is suffering: first, the vehemence of the suffering; second, the knowledge of that vehemence in the one having compassion; third, his love and friendship for the person suffering.
The first, I say, is the vehemence of the suffering. How great the bitterness of Christ’s Passion was, no angelic or human tongue can tell; for it surpasses the capacity of every pure creature, which the Lord teaches through Jeremiah in Lamentations 1:12, saying: O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to My sorrow!
Second, the devoted mother had the greatest knowledge of this suffering, because she stood by her dying Son, Whom she knew to be the Son of God. Accordingly Jn. 19:25 says: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother.
The third factor is the compassionate person’s love and friendship toward the one who is suffering, because the intensity of sorrow is proportionate to the intensity of love, as will be stated below. Therefore she suffered in the highest degree, because she loved Him in the highest degree. Indeed she would not have been so greatly afflicted to such a degree if she had not seen His torments, but because, as Anselm says, “she heard the sentence of her own death published, when, sighing, she saw Him carry on His shoulders to the place of suffering the cross with which He was bound to be suspended,” indeed when she now saw Him black and blue, scourged, wounded, bloodied, hanging on the cross, “is there, I ask, any one who could comprehend the condition of her heart?” Hence she was able to say: What, O my Beloved, what, O the Beloved of my womb, what, O the beloved of my vows [Prov. 31:2]? What, O my Beloved, do You not consider Your friend, Your daughter by You now, suffering from grief and about to sink to the ground? What, O the Beloved of my womb, do You not have regard for Your mother, weeping and sorrowing now and about to faint from anguish? What, O the Beloved of my [vows], do You not pay attention to Your handmaid, Your maidservant following You to the cross and bringing forth groans, sighs, and most bitter tears now and about to die of sadness, so that You allow Yourself thus to be dragged by most wicked hands, to be raised on the gibbet, with all Your limbs stretched and Your whole torso exposed, so that a sword may thus pierce my soul? Truly therefore was Mary a bitter sea, so that it can rightly be said about her: She is [i.e., was] oppressed with bitterness [Lamentations 1:4].
Chapter III
That the blessed Virgin loved Jesus especially on account of five things, because of which His separation was most bitter to her.
In the third place, truly the separation from her most beloved Son was a bitter thing to the Virgin by reason of love. For as was mentioned earlier, the intensity of sorrow is proportional to the intensity of love; hence, in Jn. 11:36, the Jews understood Christ’s love for Lazarus from His sorrow and weeping; wherefore they also said about Him: Behold how He loved Him! But Christ was loved by His mother in the highest degree; therefore His removal was the supreme bitterness to her. Likeness certainly is a cause of love. Therefore Ecclesiasticus 13:19, says: Every beast loveth its like, so also every man him that is nearest to himself. For Christ was most like the blessed Virgin, because He was born entirely from the substance of His mother. Therefore He was loved by her in the highest degree.
Certainly in Him were all the qualities on account of which a mother loves a son, and He had them in the highest degree. To be sure, the Lord Jesus Christ was mightier, wiser, nobler, more handsome and better far than all other men. These are the things on account of which mothers especially love their sons. – In the first place indeed He was mightier than others; 2 Macc. 15:4: There is one living Lord Himself in heaven, the mighty One. And the Prophet also says: The Lord… is strong and mighty. And in Josue 24:19 it is written: For he [the Lord] is a holy God, and mighty. – In the second place, moreover, He was wiser than others. Mystically He is the David… the wisest who sits on the chair, that is on the cross, as it is said in 2 Kgs. 23:8. – In the third place, He was nobler than others, for as it says in Is. 53:8: Who shall declare His generation? – In the fourth place, He was more handsome than others; because, as the Prophet says: He is beautiful above the sons of men. – In the fifth place, He was better than others, because, as it says in Wis. 7:14: For He [i.e., Divine Wisdom] is an infinite treasure to men.
On account of all these and similar things the love of the Blessed Mother for Christ was supreme, and consequently supreme bitterness of sorrow was hers. Wherefore Anselm, setting forth her love, says: “Therefore, let him who is able weigh carefully so great a love, with what sorrows, with what groans, with what sighs she was being tormented, when she saw Him torn away from her by the hands of cruel men, when she saw Him led off to be condemned, when she saw Him stand at the tribunal only to undergo death by the judgment of an unjust judge.
Chapter IV
That on account of the delight which the Virgin had in Christ, His separation was most bitter to her.
In the fourth place, furthermore, separation from her beloved Son was a bitter thing to the blessed Virgin by reason of delight. For the greater the joy from the presence of someone, the greater the sorrow from his absence; but it is undisputed that the presence of Christ caused His mother joy in the highest degree. For Anselm says, Concerning the birth of the Virgin: “Or who will grasp with what joy her soul was filled when she had Him, Whom she loved with her whole heart, Whom she knew to be the Creator and Ruler of all things, taking meals with her, teaching as He willed with pleasing discourse?” Therefore, His removal was extremely bitter and sorrowful, so that she is able to say what is written in the Book of Ruth [1:20]: Call me not Noemi (that is, beautiful), but call me Mara, (that is, bitter), for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.
Article II
Concerning the four emotions or passions, due to which the blessed Virgin suffered the utmost bitterness on account of the death of her Son.
In the second place, in the sea there is a burning of the remaining parts. Indeed the burning of the sun signifies the process by which the soul is perfected and tried, burning and seething, according to what the Prophet [i.e., Psalmist] says: The sun shall not burn thee by day.
In the blessed Virgin, however, besides that bitterness, which resulted from the removal of her Son, there was the greatest bitterness on account of the burning of her emotions or passions. For seeing her only Son and the only-begotten of God suffer undeservedly so much and so intensely, she was hit by a raging interior storm of tribulation, and consequently was considerably burned and thus immensely embittered. But that this may be grasped more plainly, let us consider the feelings of sorrow which are a result of the death of a friend. Indeed there are four emotions or passions which follow the death of a friend, according to what Augustine relates in Bk. IV of his Confessions, citing himself as an example: the first is the darkening of the heart; the second is the remembrance of the death; the third is the observation or consideration of the things that caused the affliction; the fourth is the wavering between death and life. And these four things are suitably applied to the blessed Virgin in the death and Passion of her Son.
Chapter I
That the heart of the Virgin was exceedingly darkened and consequently embittered upon the death of her Son.
The first emotion or passion in response to the death of a friend is a darkening of the heart, as Augustine says about his own comrade’s death: “My heart was darkened.” If, therefore, this was the case in a social love, how much more so in a love which was maternal, natural, disinterested and social? Indeed the blessed Virgin was united to her Son by a maternal love, was bound to Him by a natural love, was joined to Him in the highest degree by a disinterested love, and was allied to Him for thirty years by a social love. When therefore she saw Him suspended between thieves, His flesh torn and pierced by so many wounds and already near to death, was not her heart darkened? Wherefore rightly was she able to say that prophetic word: My heart is troubled, as it was said above in Chapter 1 of the present sermon. Accordingly, where there was so great a darkening of the heart, there was extreme bitterness, so that rightly she could say: My heart is turned within me, for I am full of bitterness (Lamentations 1:20).
Chapter II
That from the things which the blessed Virgin saw around the death of Christ, she experienced her own bitterness.
The second emotion or passion following from the death of a friend is the remembrance of death; for when someone is grieving over the death of a friend, whatever he sees related to the dying friend and the cause of his death, seems to him to be death, according to Augustine in Bk. IV of the Confessions. For he says: “Whatever I looked at was death.” If therefore between friends, where there is only a sharing of a close association, the impression of death is so great because of this, how much more so was it in the case of the blessed Virgin and her own beloved Son, between whom such an inseparable friendship demonstrably existed, with respect to His birth and rearing and service and most tender love? So that clearly His death left the utmost impression on her because of those things which she saw related to her dying Son, and consequently she experienced extreme bitterness of heart; so that truly the lament in Ecclesiasticus 41:1 especially befits her: O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee! And the one in 1 Kgs. 15:32: Doth bitter death separate in this manner?
Chapter III
That the sight, contemplation and remembrance of the things that afflicted Christ, caused extreme bitterness in the Virgin.
The third suffering is the discovery or consideration or remembrance of the things that afflicted the beloved; for whatever the grieving person remembers is a torment to him. Therefore Augustine, in the passage cited above, says: “And my native country was a punishment and my father’s home an extraordinary unhappiness; and whatever I had eaten with him, without him was turned into a torment.” But if this was the case in the love of a mere man, how much more so in the love of the God-man, and not only of a friend but of an only-begotten Son? For whatever presented itself to the sight of the glorious Virgin, was an affliction and torment, and especially when she saw that so devoted a Son died from such great cruelty. For if Rachel bewailing her children… would not be comforted, as it says in Matthew 2:18, how much the more did the Virgin Mary not wish to be consoled? Hence when Christ was lifted up on the Cross, someone could have said to her: Make thee mourning as for an only son, a bitter lamentation (Jeremiah 6:26).
Chapter IV
That the Virgin’s love for her Son was so great, that she would gladly have died an infinite number of deaths for Him.
The fourth passion is a wavering between life and death. For Augustine says, in the same Book IV of the Confessions: “I do not know whether I wanted to die for him, as it is related about Orestes and Pyladis, that they wanted to die either for one another or else together; because it was worse than death not to live together.” Indeed so it is with those who love one another: they want to die for each another. No doubt this was true of the blessed Virgin’s love, so that, if it had been possible, she would have handed herself over to death an infinite number times for her Son. For if David wished to do this for his son; how much more did she for her Son, so that the lament in 2 Kgs. 18:33 is more suited to her: Would to God that I might die for thee, my son! Indeed he loved him as his own soul (1 Kg. 18:1).
Question: Why, therefore, did the blessed Virgin not die, if she was filled with so great a sorrow? Since indeed we heard this about the wife of Phinees (1 Kg. 4:19-20), that she died of sorrow over the capture of the ark and the death of her husband. – To this Anselm replies that she would have died, if the Holy Spirit had not strengthened her. Hence he says: “Devoted Lady, I would not have believed that you could have endured for an instant the pangs of such great torment without losing your life, had not the Spirit of life Himself, the Spirit of consolation, the Spirit of sweetness of your Son, for Whom you were tormented so much as He was dying, strengthened you, consoled you, and inwardly taught you that what you, near death yourself, saw happening to Him in your presence was not death taking Him away, but rather a triumph subjecting all things to Him.” It is clear, therefore, what great the effects the death of her Son had on Mary, which filled her with so many bitter feelings. Hence she is prefigured by the Sunamitess (4 Kings 4:27), about whom, when her son died, Eliseus said: Let her alone, for her soul is in anguish.
Article III
Concerning four things which were mingled with one another, which caused extreme bitterness in the Virgin.
In the third place, in the sea there is a mixture of the burned parts with one another; so also in the passion of the Lord a mixture of the reasons for sorrow caused extreme bitterness in the blessed Virgin. A certain mixture, as it were, of four factors caused an immense bitterness in the blessed Virgin: first, those things which she saw in her Son; second, those things which she saw with respect to her Son in His fleeing friends, third, those things which she saw with respect to her Son in His persecutors; fourth, those things which she contemplated in the circumstances. As though in that bitterness were commingled aspects with regard to: 1) her Son; 2) a friend; 3) an enemy; and 4) herself.
Chapter I
The many wondrous things that she saw in her Son were the cause of the Virgin’s bitterness.
In the first place, indeed, those things which she saw in her Son were the cause of bitterness and sorrow in the Virgin. Indeed she saw in Him the price of the world’s redemption sold cheaply; the strength of the ages reduced to agony; the One beautiful above the sons of men, in a bloody sweat; the Lord of the world arrested as a thief; the Power of heaven bound tightly with chains; the One Who makes the pillars of heaven tremble, bound to a pillar; the Creator of the world, black and blue with blows; Him in Whose hand are life and death, slashed and torn with scourges; the Judge of the world, led into the presence of the impious that He might be judged; the One glorified and honored in heaven, despised by the most wicked; the King of heaven, mocked by criminals; the Head of all rulers and powers, struck with a reed and gory from the streams of blood, crowned with thorns and finally sentenced to death by an unjust judge. She saw the greatest height cast down by vileness; the greatest delight afflicted with punishment; the greatest wealth surrounded with poverty; the greatest light obscured by darkness; the greatest honor troubled by taunts; the One most worthy of love afflicted with reproaches. In addition she saw that His bared chest was glowing with heat, His bloodied side becoming red, that His wracked flesh was withering, that His beautiful eyes were growing dim, that His royal lips were becoming pale, that His extended arms were stiffening, that His marbly legs were drooping; that a stream of sacred blood washed His darkened feet. – Truly therefore did Mary’s soul experience bitterness in seeing and contemplating these things, so that she is able to say: He hath filled me with bitterness; He hath inebriated me with wormwood (Lamentations 3:15).
Chapter II
The things which she saw in the disciples and the friends of Christ during His Passion caused the blessed Virgin great bitterness.
Indeed, in the second place, those things which she saw around her Son in His fleeing friends were a cause of bitterness and sorrow for the Virgin, when the disciples, namely, Peter and the others chosen to be apostles, having been made privy to His secrets as His close associates in all things, instantly took flight when the hour of His Passion drew near, and abandoned Him, for Whom they had just pledged to die, leaving Him alone with only His mother. Hence Anselm presents her as speaking thus: “You are going as the Atonement to offer sacrifice for all. Peter, who said: I shall die for You, does not hasten to meet You; Thomas, who said: Let us all die with Him, has left; and not one of them is being led away except You alone, Who preserved me chaste, my Son and my God. – But, you will say, she had a great consolation because John took her into his care. But what consolation is this, when the eternal is exchanged for the temporal? O deplorable exchange! For the eternal and irreplaceable God – a mere corruptible man; in place of her natural and only Son, she receives someone else as a son. O Lady, what thoughts, I pray, went through your mind, when you heard that such an unspeakable exchange was being made for you by Him Whom you loved above all things? Truly a sword of such great sorrow pierced your soul!” Consider, therefore, how great was the bitterness in the heart of the blessed Virgin.
Chapter III
That the things which she saw being done by those who were persecuting Christ caused the blessed Virgin great bitterness.
Indeed, in the third place, those things which she saw around her Son in His persecutors were a cause of bitterness and sorrow for the Virgin. There was certainly a great bitterness in the Virgin, when she saw the impious Jews attacking her only Son with wicked threats, afflicting Him with the most unspeakable affronts, striking and buffeting Him on Whom the angels desire to look, spewing out their worst filth upon Him, binding and scourging Him, covering His blessed eyes and mocking Him in the most impious terms, crowning Him with a crown of thorns, crucifying Him, piercing His hands and feet, hanging Him between two thieves – and this on a solemn feast day, in the royal city, during a gathering of crowds of people and in the place of the condemned. She beheld what took place amid the wailing of the bystanders, amid the laments of His kinsfolk, amid the reproaches of those who rebuked Him, amid the insults of the envious, amid the mockeries of those who ridiculed Him, and amid the slanders of those who cursed Him.
Chapter IV
That the Blessed Virgin was tormented most of all because she was present at the Passion of her Son but was unable to help or assist Him in any way.
In the fourth place, furthermore, the Virgin’s reflections on her circumstances, that is, in the Passion, caused her bitterness and sorrow. – Certainly she reflected especially on three that increased her bitterness and sorrow: the first was her presence; the second, her helplessness; the third, her perplexity.
The first was her presence, specifically that she was present to see, because before her eyes she saw her own Son being crucified and torn to pieces. Indeed a mother suffers much when she hears that her son is dying a horrible death, but she is especially tormented when before her own eyes she sees her son being wounded and killed. With what great sorrow, then, was the blessed Virgin tormented when she saw her Son dead as a result of such great shame and torment, before her very eyes!
The second circumstance was her helplessness, since of course she was powerless to help. It is a great consolation to a mother when she assists her dying son and is able to come to his aid in anything; but the Blessed Virgin was in no way able to relieve Him. She heard that He was thirsty, but she was not able to offer Him a drink. She saw His Body wounded and lacerated, but she was not able to bandage His wounds or apply any remedy. She saw His Body bloodied, but she was not able to wipe Him with a linen cloth or provide one. She observed that He held His head up with difficulty, and she was not able to support it. She watched Him weeping on the Cross, and she could not wipe away His tears. She observed His Blood flowing onto the ground, and she was not able to collect it. She contemplated Him breathing forth His soul, and she was not able to kiss and embrace Him. Hence she was able to say what is written in 1 Kings 1:15: I am an exceedingly unhappy woman.
The third circumstance was her perplexity, because she certainly did not know whom to ask for aid or counsel. Indeed, all the disciples had fled and no one was present from whom she was could ask counsel or aid, and she and her Son found no helper in such great tribulation; whence, in the person of the Lord or of the Virgin, Ecclesiasticus 51:10 says: I looked for the succour of men, and there was none; and she had no one sharing in her sufferings, and concerning this also the Prophet says in the person of the Lord: And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none. And what is more extraordinary: she had no consoler; therefore the verse continues: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none. In addition, she had no one to accompany her; whence Job 19:14, in the person of the Lord, says: My kinsmen have forsaken me, and they that knew me have forgotten me. And again the Prophet, in the person of the bewildered Christ, says to the Father: Friend and neighbor Thou has put far from Me (that is: Thou, O Father hast permitted them to be removed), and my acquaintance(s), because of misery, that is, because of the onset of misery, My friend and neighbor have been put far from me.
Therefore, when the blessed Virgin observed all these things, and considered them all in her heart, did she not experience the utmost bitterness? Truly, therefore, Mary is a bitter sea, into which so many streams and most bitter rivers run. Indeed each circumstance of the Passion is like a separate river of sorrow and consequently of bitterness. Therefore it can rightly be said to her: For great as the sea is thy destruction (Lamentations 2:13). And this sea did not overflow through impatience, but absorbed all these rivers in itself through patient endurance, as it is mystically written in Ecclesiastes 1:7: All the rivers run into the sea, that is, into Mary, yet the sea doth not overflow, namely through impatience. Nevertheless, the sea of the divine abundance overflows or redounds upon us through her, since of her fullness we have all received, grace in the present and glory in the future. How mercifully does her sweetest and most beloved Son give bountifully to us, Who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit is the glory of all the blessed through endless ages of ages. Amen.
We said in the preceding sermon that the name of Mary may be interpreted ‘star of the sea’; now, therefore, let us add why it is interpreted ‘the bitter sea.’ For the bitterness of the sea, literally, results from the fiery heat of the sun upon it, raising up and drawing out the finer parts, while burning the earthly parts left behind and consequently making them bitter. Hence in the bitterness of the sea three things can be noted: first, a separation of the sweet from the bitter; second, a burning of the parts left behind; third, a thorough mixing of the burned parts. Indeed the blessed Virgin was a bitter sea in the Passion of her Son, because on that occasion there was the removal of her sweetest Son, a burning of the part left behind, and an admixture of all kinds of bitterness.
ARTICLE I
That for four reasons the separation of her Son was a most bitter thing to the blessed Virgin at the time of the Passion.
In the first place, then, there is in the sea a separation of the sweet from the bitter. So also in the Passion of the Lord there was for the blessed Virgin a removal and separation of what is sweetest, because she experienced the taking away of her sweetest Son; and this was a most bitter thing to her for four reasons: first, by reason of status; second, by reason of knowledge; third, by reason of love; fourth, by reason of delight. These reasons are interconnected and follow one another by degrees.
Chapter I
How the separation of her Son was a bitter thing for the blessed Virgin at the time of the Passion, considering His status.
In the first place, certainly, in the Passion of the Lord the separation and removal of her sweetest Son was a bitter thing to the blessed Virgin; and this by reason of status, namely of her Son. No wonder she experienced the greatest bitterness, since her Son was all sweet and all lovely, as it says in the Canticle of Canticles 5:16. And again the Prophet says: The Lord is sweet and righteous [Ps. 24:8]. Furthermore on account of this removal the same Prophet says in the person of the Virgin: My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me and the light of my eyes itself is not with me [Ps. 37:11]. Or, according to another translation, she says more plainly: My heart has been restless, my strength has left me and even the very light of my eyes. Truly her Son was her power and strength in all adversities, the light of her eyes and the joy of her heart in every good fortune. Indeed such a sorrow was in her case the greatest in intensity, its extent and its manifestation.
For in the first place it was the greatest in intensity, because it penetrated all the way to her soul, as Simeon had predicted to her, Lk. 2:35: And thy own soul a sword shall pierce; which word, considered forwards and backwards, indicates an astonishing sharing and transformation of sorrow in those two souls, namely of Christ and of the Virgin, as if the prophecy said: “His sword will pierce your soul”, or “a sword will pierce your own soul”.
Secondly it was the greatest in extent, because it was protracted continuously over four days. For her sorrow began especially on Wednesday, because then the death of Christ was discussed and confirmed, while her sorrow continued on Thursday, because He was seized, buffeted and mocked that night; while it increased by Friday, because then her Son was crucified; indeed it was extended until Saturday, because then her Son was enclosed in the sepulcher.
Thirdly it was the greatest in its manifestation, because she showed and exhibited her sorrow by heart-rending sobs, by an abundance of tears, by loud cries of lamentation, by beating her breast and by striking her hands. Truly she experienced the greatest bitterness because through His ignominious death her Son was taken away from her.
Chapter II
That on account of knowledge the separation of her Son was a most bitter thing to the Virgin.
In the second place, the separation of her sweetest Son was a bitter thing to the blessed Virgin by reason of knowledge. Indeed three things bring about compassion on the part of the one having compassion toward the person with whom he is suffering: first, the vehemence of the suffering; second, the knowledge of that vehemence in the one having compassion; third, his love and friendship for the person suffering.
The first, I say, is the vehemence of the suffering. How great the bitterness of Christ’s Passion was, no angelic or human tongue can tell; for it surpasses the capacity of every pure creature, which the Lord teaches through Jeremiah in Lamentations 1:12, saying: O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to My sorrow!
Second, the devoted mother had the greatest knowledge of this suffering, because she stood by her dying Son, Whom she knew to be the Son of God. Accordingly Jn. 19:25 says: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother.
The third factor is the compassionate person’s love and friendship toward the one who is suffering, because the intensity of sorrow is proportionate to the intensity of love, as will be stated below. Therefore she suffered in the highest degree, because she loved Him in the highest degree. Indeed she would not have been so greatly afflicted to such a degree if she had not seen His torments, but because, as Anselm says, “she heard the sentence of her own death published, when, sighing, she saw Him carry on His shoulders to the place of suffering the cross with which He was bound to be suspended,” indeed when she now saw Him black and blue, scourged, wounded, bloodied, hanging on the cross, “is there, I ask, any one who could comprehend the condition of her heart?” Hence she was able to say: What, O my Beloved, what, O the Beloved of my womb, what, O the beloved of my vows [Prov. 31:2]? What, O my Beloved, do You not consider Your friend, Your daughter by You now, suffering from grief and about to sink to the ground? What, O the Beloved of my womb, do You not have regard for Your mother, weeping and sorrowing now and about to faint from anguish? What, O the Beloved of my [vows], do You not pay attention to Your handmaid, Your maidservant following You to the cross and bringing forth groans, sighs, and most bitter tears now and about to die of sadness, so that You allow Yourself thus to be dragged by most wicked hands, to be raised on the gibbet, with all Your limbs stretched and Your whole torso exposed, so that a sword may thus pierce my soul? Truly therefore was Mary a bitter sea, so that it can rightly be said about her: She is [i.e., was] oppressed with bitterness [Lamentations 1:4].
Chapter III
That the blessed Virgin loved Jesus especially on account of five things, because of which His separation was most bitter to her.
In the third place, truly the separation from her most beloved Son was a bitter thing to the Virgin by reason of love. For as was mentioned earlier, the intensity of sorrow is proportional to the intensity of love; hence, in Jn. 11:36, the Jews understood Christ’s love for Lazarus from His sorrow and weeping; wherefore they also said about Him: Behold how He loved Him! But Christ was loved by His mother in the highest degree; therefore His removal was the supreme bitterness to her. Likeness certainly is a cause of love. Therefore Ecclesiasticus 13:19, says: Every beast loveth its like, so also every man him that is nearest to himself. For Christ was most like the blessed Virgin, because He was born entirely from the substance of His mother. Therefore He was loved by her in the highest degree.
Certainly in Him were all the qualities on account of which a mother loves a son, and He had them in the highest degree. To be sure, the Lord Jesus Christ was mightier, wiser, nobler, more handsome and better far than all other men. These are the things on account of which mothers especially love their sons. – In the first place indeed He was mightier than others; 2 Macc. 15:4: There is one living Lord Himself in heaven, the mighty One. And the Prophet also says: The Lord… is strong and mighty. And in Josue 24:19 it is written: For he [the Lord] is a holy God, and mighty. – In the second place, moreover, He was wiser than others. Mystically He is the David… the wisest who sits on the chair, that is on the cross, as it is said in 2 Kgs. 23:8. – In the third place, He was nobler than others, for as it says in Is. 53:8: Who shall declare His generation? – In the fourth place, He was more handsome than others; because, as the Prophet says: He is beautiful above the sons of men. – In the fifth place, He was better than others, because, as it says in Wis. 7:14: For He [i.e., Divine Wisdom] is an infinite treasure to men.
On account of all these and similar things the love of the Blessed Mother for Christ was supreme, and consequently supreme bitterness of sorrow was hers. Wherefore Anselm, setting forth her love, says: “Therefore, let him who is able weigh carefully so great a love, with what sorrows, with what groans, with what sighs she was being tormented, when she saw Him torn away from her by the hands of cruel men, when she saw Him led off to be condemned, when she saw Him stand at the tribunal only to undergo death by the judgment of an unjust judge.
Chapter IV
That on account of the delight which the Virgin had in Christ, His separation was most bitter to her.
In the fourth place, furthermore, separation from her beloved Son was a bitter thing to the blessed Virgin by reason of delight. For the greater the joy from the presence of someone, the greater the sorrow from his absence; but it is undisputed that the presence of Christ caused His mother joy in the highest degree. For Anselm says, Concerning the birth of the Virgin: “Or who will grasp with what joy her soul was filled when she had Him, Whom she loved with her whole heart, Whom she knew to be the Creator and Ruler of all things, taking meals with her, teaching as He willed with pleasing discourse?” Therefore, His removal was extremely bitter and sorrowful, so that she is able to say what is written in the Book of Ruth [1:20]: Call me not Noemi (that is, beautiful), but call me Mara, (that is, bitter), for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.
Article II
Concerning the four emotions or passions, due to which the blessed Virgin suffered the utmost bitterness on account of the death of her Son.
In the second place, in the sea there is a burning of the remaining parts. Indeed the burning of the sun signifies the process by which the soul is perfected and tried, burning and seething, according to what the Prophet [i.e., Psalmist] says: The sun shall not burn thee by day.
In the blessed Virgin, however, besides that bitterness, which resulted from the removal of her Son, there was the greatest bitterness on account of the burning of her emotions or passions. For seeing her only Son and the only-begotten of God suffer undeservedly so much and so intensely, she was hit by a raging interior storm of tribulation, and consequently was considerably burned and thus immensely embittered. But that this may be grasped more plainly, let us consider the feelings of sorrow which are a result of the death of a friend. Indeed there are four emotions or passions which follow the death of a friend, according to what Augustine relates in Bk. IV of his Confessions, citing himself as an example: the first is the darkening of the heart; the second is the remembrance of the death; the third is the observation or consideration of the things that caused the affliction; the fourth is the wavering between death and life. And these four things are suitably applied to the blessed Virgin in the death and Passion of her Son.
Chapter I
That the heart of the Virgin was exceedingly darkened and consequently embittered upon the death of her Son.
The first emotion or passion in response to the death of a friend is a darkening of the heart, as Augustine says about his own comrade’s death: “My heart was darkened.” If, therefore, this was the case in a social love, how much more so in a love which was maternal, natural, disinterested and social? Indeed the blessed Virgin was united to her Son by a maternal love, was bound to Him by a natural love, was joined to Him in the highest degree by a disinterested love, and was allied to Him for thirty years by a social love. When therefore she saw Him suspended between thieves, His flesh torn and pierced by so many wounds and already near to death, was not her heart darkened? Wherefore rightly was she able to say that prophetic word: My heart is troubled, as it was said above in Chapter 1 of the present sermon. Accordingly, where there was so great a darkening of the heart, there was extreme bitterness, so that rightly she could say: My heart is turned within me, for I am full of bitterness (Lamentations 1:20).
Chapter II
That from the things which the blessed Virgin saw around the death of Christ, she experienced her own bitterness.
The second emotion or passion following from the death of a friend is the remembrance of death; for when someone is grieving over the death of a friend, whatever he sees related to the dying friend and the cause of his death, seems to him to be death, according to Augustine in Bk. IV of the Confessions. For he says: “Whatever I looked at was death.” If therefore between friends, where there is only a sharing of a close association, the impression of death is so great because of this, how much more so was it in the case of the blessed Virgin and her own beloved Son, between whom such an inseparable friendship demonstrably existed, with respect to His birth and rearing and service and most tender love? So that clearly His death left the utmost impression on her because of those things which she saw related to her dying Son, and consequently she experienced extreme bitterness of heart; so that truly the lament in Ecclesiasticus 41:1 especially befits her: O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee! And the one in 1 Kgs. 15:32: Doth bitter death separate in this manner?
Chapter III
That the sight, contemplation and remembrance of the things that afflicted Christ, caused extreme bitterness in the Virgin.
The third suffering is the discovery or consideration or remembrance of the things that afflicted the beloved; for whatever the grieving person remembers is a torment to him. Therefore Augustine, in the passage cited above, says: “And my native country was a punishment and my father’s home an extraordinary unhappiness; and whatever I had eaten with him, without him was turned into a torment.” But if this was the case in the love of a mere man, how much more so in the love of the God-man, and not only of a friend but of an only-begotten Son? For whatever presented itself to the sight of the glorious Virgin, was an affliction and torment, and especially when she saw that so devoted a Son died from such great cruelty. For if Rachel bewailing her children… would not be comforted, as it says in Matthew 2:18, how much the more did the Virgin Mary not wish to be consoled? Hence when Christ was lifted up on the Cross, someone could have said to her: Make thee mourning as for an only son, a bitter lamentation (Jeremiah 6:26).
Chapter IV
That the Virgin’s love for her Son was so great, that she would gladly have died an infinite number of deaths for Him.
The fourth passion is a wavering between life and death. For Augustine says, in the same Book IV of the Confessions: “I do not know whether I wanted to die for him, as it is related about Orestes and Pyladis, that they wanted to die either for one another or else together; because it was worse than death not to live together.” Indeed so it is with those who love one another: they want to die for each another. No doubt this was true of the blessed Virgin’s love, so that, if it had been possible, she would have handed herself over to death an infinite number times for her Son. For if David wished to do this for his son; how much more did she for her Son, so that the lament in 2 Kgs. 18:33 is more suited to her: Would to God that I might die for thee, my son! Indeed he loved him as his own soul (1 Kg. 18:1).
Question: Why, therefore, did the blessed Virgin not die, if she was filled with so great a sorrow? Since indeed we heard this about the wife of Phinees (1 Kg. 4:19-20), that she died of sorrow over the capture of the ark and the death of her husband. – To this Anselm replies that she would have died, if the Holy Spirit had not strengthened her. Hence he says: “Devoted Lady, I would not have believed that you could have endured for an instant the pangs of such great torment without losing your life, had not the Spirit of life Himself, the Spirit of consolation, the Spirit of sweetness of your Son, for Whom you were tormented so much as He was dying, strengthened you, consoled you, and inwardly taught you that what you, near death yourself, saw happening to Him in your presence was not death taking Him away, but rather a triumph subjecting all things to Him.” It is clear, therefore, what great the effects the death of her Son had on Mary, which filled her with so many bitter feelings. Hence she is prefigured by the Sunamitess (4 Kings 4:27), about whom, when her son died, Eliseus said: Let her alone, for her soul is in anguish.
Article III
Concerning four things which were mingled with one another, which caused extreme bitterness in the Virgin.
In the third place, in the sea there is a mixture of the burned parts with one another; so also in the passion of the Lord a mixture of the reasons for sorrow caused extreme bitterness in the blessed Virgin. A certain mixture, as it were, of four factors caused an immense bitterness in the blessed Virgin: first, those things which she saw in her Son; second, those things which she saw with respect to her Son in His fleeing friends, third, those things which she saw with respect to her Son in His persecutors; fourth, those things which she contemplated in the circumstances. As though in that bitterness were commingled aspects with regard to: 1) her Son; 2) a friend; 3) an enemy; and 4) herself.
Chapter I
The many wondrous things that she saw in her Son were the cause of the Virgin’s bitterness.
In the first place, indeed, those things which she saw in her Son were the cause of bitterness and sorrow in the Virgin. Indeed she saw in Him the price of the world’s redemption sold cheaply; the strength of the ages reduced to agony; the One beautiful above the sons of men, in a bloody sweat; the Lord of the world arrested as a thief; the Power of heaven bound tightly with chains; the One Who makes the pillars of heaven tremble, bound to a pillar; the Creator of the world, black and blue with blows; Him in Whose hand are life and death, slashed and torn with scourges; the Judge of the world, led into the presence of the impious that He might be judged; the One glorified and honored in heaven, despised by the most wicked; the King of heaven, mocked by criminals; the Head of all rulers and powers, struck with a reed and gory from the streams of blood, crowned with thorns and finally sentenced to death by an unjust judge. She saw the greatest height cast down by vileness; the greatest delight afflicted with punishment; the greatest wealth surrounded with poverty; the greatest light obscured by darkness; the greatest honor troubled by taunts; the One most worthy of love afflicted with reproaches. In addition she saw that His bared chest was glowing with heat, His bloodied side becoming red, that His wracked flesh was withering, that His beautiful eyes were growing dim, that His royal lips were becoming pale, that His extended arms were stiffening, that His marbly legs were drooping; that a stream of sacred blood washed His darkened feet. – Truly therefore did Mary’s soul experience bitterness in seeing and contemplating these things, so that she is able to say: He hath filled me with bitterness; He hath inebriated me with wormwood (Lamentations 3:15).
Chapter II
The things which she saw in the disciples and the friends of Christ during His Passion caused the blessed Virgin great bitterness.
Indeed, in the second place, those things which she saw around her Son in His fleeing friends were a cause of bitterness and sorrow for the Virgin, when the disciples, namely, Peter and the others chosen to be apostles, having been made privy to His secrets as His close associates in all things, instantly took flight when the hour of His Passion drew near, and abandoned Him, for Whom they had just pledged to die, leaving Him alone with only His mother. Hence Anselm presents her as speaking thus: “You are going as the Atonement to offer sacrifice for all. Peter, who said: I shall die for You, does not hasten to meet You; Thomas, who said: Let us all die with Him, has left; and not one of them is being led away except You alone, Who preserved me chaste, my Son and my God. – But, you will say, she had a great consolation because John took her into his care. But what consolation is this, when the eternal is exchanged for the temporal? O deplorable exchange! For the eternal and irreplaceable God – a mere corruptible man; in place of her natural and only Son, she receives someone else as a son. O Lady, what thoughts, I pray, went through your mind, when you heard that such an unspeakable exchange was being made for you by Him Whom you loved above all things? Truly a sword of such great sorrow pierced your soul!” Consider, therefore, how great was the bitterness in the heart of the blessed Virgin.
Chapter III
That the things which she saw being done by those who were persecuting Christ caused the blessed Virgin great bitterness.
Indeed, in the third place, those things which she saw around her Son in His persecutors were a cause of bitterness and sorrow for the Virgin. There was certainly a great bitterness in the Virgin, when she saw the impious Jews attacking her only Son with wicked threats, afflicting Him with the most unspeakable affronts, striking and buffeting Him on Whom the angels desire to look, spewing out their worst filth upon Him, binding and scourging Him, covering His blessed eyes and mocking Him in the most impious terms, crowning Him with a crown of thorns, crucifying Him, piercing His hands and feet, hanging Him between two thieves – and this on a solemn feast day, in the royal city, during a gathering of crowds of people and in the place of the condemned. She beheld what took place amid the wailing of the bystanders, amid the laments of His kinsfolk, amid the reproaches of those who rebuked Him, amid the insults of the envious, amid the mockeries of those who ridiculed Him, and amid the slanders of those who cursed Him.
Chapter IV
That the Blessed Virgin was tormented most of all because she was present at the Passion of her Son but was unable to help or assist Him in any way.
In the fourth place, furthermore, the Virgin’s reflections on her circumstances, that is, in the Passion, caused her bitterness and sorrow. – Certainly she reflected especially on three that increased her bitterness and sorrow: the first was her presence; the second, her helplessness; the third, her perplexity.
The first was her presence, specifically that she was present to see, because before her eyes she saw her own Son being crucified and torn to pieces. Indeed a mother suffers much when she hears that her son is dying a horrible death, but she is especially tormented when before her own eyes she sees her son being wounded and killed. With what great sorrow, then, was the blessed Virgin tormented when she saw her Son dead as a result of such great shame and torment, before her very eyes!
The second circumstance was her helplessness, since of course she was powerless to help. It is a great consolation to a mother when she assists her dying son and is able to come to his aid in anything; but the Blessed Virgin was in no way able to relieve Him. She heard that He was thirsty, but she was not able to offer Him a drink. She saw His Body wounded and lacerated, but she was not able to bandage His wounds or apply any remedy. She saw His Body bloodied, but she was not able to wipe Him with a linen cloth or provide one. She observed that He held His head up with difficulty, and she was not able to support it. She watched Him weeping on the Cross, and she could not wipe away His tears. She observed His Blood flowing onto the ground, and she was not able to collect it. She contemplated Him breathing forth His soul, and she was not able to kiss and embrace Him. Hence she was able to say what is written in 1 Kings 1:15: I am an exceedingly unhappy woman.
The third circumstance was her perplexity, because she certainly did not know whom to ask for aid or counsel. Indeed, all the disciples had fled and no one was present from whom she was could ask counsel or aid, and she and her Son found no helper in such great tribulation; whence, in the person of the Lord or of the Virgin, Ecclesiasticus 51:10 says: I looked for the succour of men, and there was none; and she had no one sharing in her sufferings, and concerning this also the Prophet says in the person of the Lord: And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none. And what is more extraordinary: she had no consoler; therefore the verse continues: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none. In addition, she had no one to accompany her; whence Job 19:14, in the person of the Lord, says: My kinsmen have forsaken me, and they that knew me have forgotten me. And again the Prophet, in the person of the bewildered Christ, says to the Father: Friend and neighbor Thou has put far from Me (that is: Thou, O Father hast permitted them to be removed), and my acquaintance(s), because of misery, that is, because of the onset of misery, My friend and neighbor have been put far from me.
Therefore, when the blessed Virgin observed all these things, and considered them all in her heart, did she not experience the utmost bitterness? Truly, therefore, Mary is a bitter sea, into which so many streams and most bitter rivers run. Indeed each circumstance of the Passion is like a separate river of sorrow and consequently of bitterness. Therefore it can rightly be said to her: For great as the sea is thy destruction (Lamentations 2:13). And this sea did not overflow through impatience, but absorbed all these rivers in itself through patient endurance, as it is mystically written in Ecclesiastes 1:7: All the rivers run into the sea, that is, into Mary, yet the sea doth not overflow, namely through impatience. Nevertheless, the sea of the divine abundance overflows or redounds upon us through her, since of her fullness we have all received, grace in the present and glory in the future. How mercifully does her sweetest and most beloved Son give bountifully to us, Who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit is the glory of all the blessed through endless ages of ages. Amen.
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