Volume 37 · pp. 390–391
Book of Job, page 390
LIBER JOB.
Vir erat in terra Hus, nomine Job 1.
1. Regina mundi, Virgo Maria dicitur aurora surgens. Job, III, 9: Exspectet lucem, et non videat, qui prava agit, vel etiam bona non recto corde, nec ortum surgentis aurorae, id est, Mariae, quae in nativitate sua orta est tenebrosis peccatoribus. Glossa: "Aurora surgens Ecclesia, quae priores tenebras deserit, et in lucem justitiae venit." Adventus etiam ejus operatus est multipliciter in mundum. Job, XIV, 8: Recede paululum ab eo. Glossa: quia recessus non dat quiescere: donec optata veniat: optata a Patriarchis, et Prophetis, et ab omni genere humano: sed quo veniat? Veniat, inquam, Deo meo in adjutorium. Unde in Genesi, II, 18: Faciamus ei adjutorium simile sibi. Justis in gratiam, peccatoribus in veniam, Angelis in laetitiam, diabolo in maestitiam.
2. Item, Ipsa est misericordiae solium, ad quod veniens peccator, absolvitur. Job, XXIII, 3 et 4: Quis mihi tribuat, ... ut veniam usque ad solium ejus? id est, usque ad Mariam, quae solium est misericordiae, et tunc ponam coram eo judicium, et os meum replebo increpationibus, ut sua verba misericordiae mihi respondeant.
3. Item, Ipsa est aurora terrens daemones. Job, XXIV, 17: Si subito apparuerit aurora, id est, Maria, vel in lucem mundo nascendo prodiens, vel in caelum ascendens, ut peccatoribus gratiam auctoritate Dei infunderet, arbitrantur ipsi daemones umbram mortis. Glossa: qui de hoc dolent. Ipsa etiam, quantum in se est, nulli denegat lumen gratiae et misericordiae. Sic Baldad ad Job, XXV, 3: Super quem non surget lumen illius? scilicet Mariae, super quem Angelorum, vel electorum, vel justorum, vel peccatorum, non consurgit lumen illius in praemium, vel in adjutorium.
4. Item, Ipsa est locus unionis divinitatis et humanae naturae. Job, XXVIII, 1: Auro locus est, id est, Filio Dei Virgo Maria, in quo conflatur, id est, unitur divinitas humanitati, majestas infirmitati, aeternitas mirabilitati. Si ergo tu volueris Deo uniri, accede ad Mariam ut efficiaris unus spiritus cum Deo.
5. Item, Ipsa est lucerna splendens, et petra fundens oleum. Job, XXIX, 1 et seq.: Quis mihi tribuat ut sim juxta menses pristinos, etc., quando splendebat lucerna ejus, id est, Maria, super caput meum, et ad lumen ejus ambulabam in tenebris: quando petra, id est, Maria, fundebat mihi rivos olei, largiter, et libenter? Glossa: id est, dona Spiritus sancti.
6. Item, Ipsa etiam bene comparatur Job, quia omnes virtutes, quae in eo commendantur, ipsa in summo habuit. Ostendit sibi Maria in persona beati Job,
THE BOOK OF JOB.
There was a man in the land of Uz, named Job 1.
1. The Queen of the world, the Virgin Mary, is called the rising dawn. Job III, 9: Let him expect light and not see it, who does evil things, or even good things not with a right heart, nor the rising of the dawning dawn, that is, of Mary, who in her nativity rose for shadowed sinners. The Gloss: "The rising dawn is the Church, which leaves the former shadows and comes into the light of justice." Her coming also worked in manifold fashion into the world. Job XIV, 8: Withdraw a little from him. The Gloss: because withdrawal does not grant rest until the desired one comes: desired by the Patriarchs and Prophets and by the whole human race. But to what end should she come? Let her come, I say, as a help to my God. Hence in Genesis II, 18: Let us make for him a help like himself. To the just she comes unto grace, to sinners unto pardon, to Angels unto gladness, to the devil unto grief.
2. Likewise, she is the throne of mercy; when the sinner comes to it, he is absolved. Job XXIII, 3 and 4: Who will grant me ... that I may come even to his throne? that is, even to Mary, who is the throne of mercy; and then I shall set judgment before him, and I shall fill my mouth with rebukes, so that his words of mercy may answer me.
3. Likewise, she is the dawn terrifying demons. Job XXIV, 17: If dawn suddenly appears, that is, Mary, either coming forth into light by being born to the world, or ascending into heaven, so that she might pour grace into sinners by God's authority, the demons themselves think it the shadow of death. The Gloss: those who grieve over this. She also, so far as lies in her, denies the light of grace and mercy to no one. Thus Baldad to Job, XXV, 3: Over whom will his light not rise? namely the light of Mary: over what Angel, or elect person, or just person, or sinner, does her light not rise for reward or for help?
4. Likewise, she is the place of the union of divinity and human nature. Job XXVIII, 1: There is a place for gold, that is, for the Son of God there is the Virgin Mary, in whom divinity is smelted, that is, united to humanity, majesty to weakness, eternity to wondrousness. Therefore if you wish to be united to God, approach Mary so that you may become one spirit with God.
5. Likewise, she is the shining lamp and the rock pouring out oil. Job XXIX, 1 and following: Who will grant me that I may be beside the former months, etc., when his lamp, that is, Mary, was shining over my head, and by her light I was walking in darkness; when the rock, that is, Mary, was pouring streams of oil for me, generously and gladly? The Gloss: that is, the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
6. Likewise, she is also well compared to Job, because all the virtues that are commended in him she had in the highest degree. Mary showed concerning herself in the person of blessed Job
Dei in se secretam habitationem. Job, XXIX, 4: Deus secreto erat mecum in tabernaculo meo, quod est contra hypocritas, qui ostendunt eum in via, de facto cum eis esse, quod tamen non est.
7. Ostendit etiam se liberatricem vociferantium peccatorum. Job, XXIX, 11: Auris audiens beatificabat me, dicens, Luc. I, 28: Benedicta tu in mulieribus, etc. Ibidem, vv. 11 et 12: Oculus videns fidelitatem meam, testimonium reddebat mihi, eo quod liberassem misericorditer, et potenter, pauperem vociferantem, id est, peccatorem, quem diabolus suffocabat, infernus absorbere volebat, et contra quem omnis creatura insurgere disponebat. Et pupillum cui non esset adjutor, nec inter Angelos, nec inter homines.
8. Ostendit etiam se esse revelatricem cadentium. Job, XXIX, 13: Benedictio perituri in anima, et corpore: perituri coram Deo et omni creatura, super me veniebat. Glossa: "Benedictio perituri evenit, cum peccatoris interitum praevenit, et a culpae fovea reducit." Et cor viduae consolatus sum, id est, animae Deo viduatae.
9. Ostendit etiam se et peccatorum caecorum ductricem, et claudorum sustentatricem. Job, XXIX, 15: Oculus fui caeco, id est, peccatori, ipsum ducens, ipsi viam monstrans, ipsum a fovea inferni defendens. Et pes claudo, id est, peccatori.
10. Ostendit etiam se esse diaboli, et peccati, et inferni spoliatricem, peccatorum ereptricem. Job, XXIX, 17: Conterebam molas iniqui, id est, diaboli, insidias ejus nudando, et de dentibus illius auferebam praedam, eruendo peccatorem, quem jam comedebat, et deglutire volebat miserabiliter. Auferebam. Glossa: "convertendo." Item, auferebam etiam violenter, sapienter, totaliter, et finaliter, praedam, id est, miserum peccatorem.
11. Ostendit etiam se esse aridissimi mundi copiosissimam irrigatricem. Job, XXIX, 23: Exspectabant me, id est, meum adventum per nativitatem in mundum, hi qui in terra, et in purgatorio erant, sicut pluviam salutiferam, mundam, et generalem. Et os suum aperiebant quasi ad imbrem serotinum.
12. Ostendit etiam se more Filii esse largissimam gratiarum datricem. Job, XXXI, 16: Si negavi quod volebant, pauperibus. Glossa: id est, humilibus. Et oculos viduae exspectare feci, id est, distuli dare exspectantibus. Glossa: "Lumen dationis tarditas non offuscat." Incunctanter dandum est, quod cum vera humilitate quaeritur, id est, quod nec ex desiderio, sed ex necessitate poscitur, ut non solum ex munere, sed etiam celeritate muneris bonorum operum merita augeantur.
13. Ostendit etiam se esse famelicarum animarum cibatricem. Job, XXXI, 17: Si comedi buccellam meam solus, id est, mihi data a Deo non communicavi aliis: imo, quod plus est, buccellam, id est, corpus Filii mei non communicavi aliis. Et non comedit abundanter, et fiducialiter, et regaliter, juxta illud Psalmi LXXVII, 25: Panem Angelorum manducavit homo: pupillus ex ea, cujus mater ego sum per miserationem, et cibatrix per largitatem. Glossa: "Solent enim nonnulli multa largiri: sed habere pauperes socios in domestica conversatione refugiunt, gratiam communis vitae non habentes: sed iste praejudicium pietati se facere existimaret, si solus comederet, quod Dominus omnium communiter creasset."
14. Ostendit etiam se misericordiam continere non posse, praecipue quando invocatur. Job, XXXI, 18: Ab infantia mea
the secret habitation of God in herself. Job XXIX, 4: God was secretly with me in my tabernacle, which is against hypocrites, who show him to be in the way, to be in fact with them, which nevertheless is not so.
7. She also showed herself the liberator of crying sinners. Job XXIX, 11: The hearing ear was blessing me, saying, Luke I, 28: Blessed are you among women, etc. In the same place, verses 11 and 12: The seeing eye gave testimony to my fidelity, because I had mercifully and powerfully freed the poor person crying out, that is, the sinner, whom the devil was choking, hell wished to swallow, and against whom every creature was preparing to rise up. And the orphan for whom there was no helper, neither among Angels nor among men.
8. She also showed herself to be the raiser of those falling. Job XXIX, 13: The blessing of one perishing in soul and body, perishing before God and every creature, came upon me. The Gloss: "The blessing of the one perishing happens when she forestalls the sinner's destruction and brings him back from the pit of fault." And I consoled the heart of the widow, that is, of the soul widowed of God.
9. She also showed herself both the guide of blind sinners and the support of the lame. Job XXIX, 15: I was an eye to the blind, that is, to the sinner, leading him, showing him the way, defending him from the pit of hell. And a foot to the lame, that is, to the sinner.
10. She also showed herself to be the plunderer of the devil and sin and hell, the rescuer of sinners. Job XXIX, 17: I was breaking the jaw-teeth of the unjust one, that is, of the devil, by laying bare his snares, and from his teeth I was taking away the prey, by snatching out the sinner whom he was already eating and wished miserably to swallow. I was taking away. The Gloss: "by converting." Likewise, I was also taking away violently, wisely, totally, and finally, the prey, that is, the miserable sinner.
11. She also showed herself to be the most abundant irrigator of the driest world. Job XXIX, 23: They were waiting for me, that is, for my coming through the nativity into the world, those who were on earth and in purgatory, like saving, pure, and general rain. And they were opening their mouth as to the late shower.
12. She also showed herself, in the manner of the Son, to be the most generous giver of graces. Job XXXI, 16: If I denied what they wanted to the poor. The Gloss: that is, to the humble. And if I made the eyes of the widow wait, that is, if I delayed giving to those waiting. The Gloss: "Delay does not darken the light of giving." What is sought with true humility must be given without delay, that is, what is asked not from desire but from necessity, so that the merits of good works may be increased not only by the gift, but also by the swiftness of the gift.
13. She also showed herself to be the feeder of hungry souls. Job XXXI, 17: If I ate my morsel alone, that is, if I did not communicate to others what was given to me by God; indeed, what is more, if I did not communicate the morsel, that is, the body of my Son, to others. And the orphan from her did not eat abundantly and confidently and royally, according to that word of Psalm LXXVII, 25: Man ate the bread of Angels; the orphan from her, whose mother I am by compassion and whose feeder I am by generosity. The Gloss: "For some are accustomed to give many things generously, but they shrink from having the poor as companions in domestic life, not having the grace of common life; but this one would think that he was doing prejudice to piety if he alone ate what the Lord of all had created for common use."
14. She also showed herself unable to contain mercy, especially when she is invoked. Job XXXI, 18: From my infancy
Notes
- Job I, 1. ↩
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