Works › The Mariale: Questions on “Missus est”
Volume 37 · pp. 269–271
Question 183. How does the Blessed Virgin comprehend in herself the blessings with which Moses blessed Israel keeping the commandments?
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QUAESTIO CLXXXIII. Qualiter B. Virgo comprehendat in se benedictiones quibus Moyses benedixit Israel praecepta servanti?
Sequitur videre de benedictionibus quibus benedixit Moyses Israel praecepta Domini servanti, dicens, Deuteron. XXVIII, 3 et seq.: Benedictus tu in civitate, et benedictus in agro. Benedictus fructus ventris tui, et fructus terrae tuae, fructusque jumentorum tuorum, greges armentorum tuorum, et caulae ovium tuarum. Benedicta horrea tua, et benedictae reliquiae tuae. Benedictus eris tu ingrediens et egrediens. Dabit Dominus inimicos tuos, qui consurgunt adversum te, corruentes in conspectu tuo: per unam viam venient contra te, et per septem fugient a facie tua. Emittet Dominus benedictionem super cellaria tua, et super omnia opera manuum tuarum: benedicetque tibi in terra, quam acceperis. Suscitabit te Dominus sibi in populum sanctum, sicut juravit tibi: si custodieris mandata Domini Dei tui, et ambulaveris in viis ejus. Videbuntque omnes terrarum populi, quod nomen Domini invocatum sit super te, et timebunt te. Abundare te faciet Dominus omnibus bonis, fructu uteri tui, et fructu jumentorum tuorum, fructu terrae tuae quam juravit Dominus patribus tuis ut daret tibi. Aperiet Dominus thesaurum suum optimum, caelum, ut tribuat pluviam terrae tuae, in tempore suo: benedicetque cunctis operibus manuum tuarum. Et foenerabis gentibus multis, et ipse a nullo foenus accipies. Constituet te Dominus Deus tuus in caput, et non in caudam: et eris semper supra, et non subter.
Et ponuntur hic decem et novem benedictiones. Prima est gratia contemplationis, et hoc est: Benedictus tu in civitate. Secunda est gratia actionis, et hoc est: Benedictus in agro. Unde Glossa: « Benedictionem contemplativae et activae. » Tertia est puritas contemplationis, et hoc est: Benedictus fructus ventris tui. Quarta est utilis operatio, et hoc est: Fructus terrae tuae. Quinta est in aliis fructificatio, et haec est triplex, in laicis, in clericis, et religiosis. Prima per jumenta. Secunda per armenta. Tertia per caulas ovium. Sexta est virtutum frugalitas, et hoc dupliciter, vel quantum ad actum, et hoc est: Benedicta horrea tua. Glossa: « Virtutum custodia. » Vel, quantum ad habitum, et hoc est: Benedictae reliquiae tuae: unde Glossa: « Bona voluntas quae remanet post opera. » Septima est felix consummatio, et haec est duplex, quantum ad operationem boni, et hoc est: Benedictus ingrediens: vel quantum ad evasionem mali, et hoc est: Benedictus egrediens. Glossa: « Ingrediens in perceptione praemii, egrediens ab hac vita ad aeternam. » Octava est victoria tentationum, et hoc est: Dabit Dominus inimicos tuos. Nona est cum tentatione proventus, et hoc est: Per unam viam venient ad te. Decima est spiritualis refectio, et hoc est: Emittet Dominus benedictionem super cellaria. Et haec est duplex, de gratia contritionis, et haec est: Benedictio super cellaria: et de labore satisfactionis, et hoc est: Super opera manuum tuarum. Undecima est caelestium donorum multiplicatio, et hoc est: Benedicetque tibi in terra quam acceperis, unde Glossa: « Caelestium multiplicatio donorum. » Duodecima est sanctorum associatio, et hoc est: Suscitabit te Dominus sibi in populum sanctum. Decima tertia est hostilis timoris incussio, et hoc est: Videbunt omnes terrarum populi, quod nomen Domini invocatum sit super te, et timebunt te. Decima quarta est temporalium et spiritualium successio, et hoc est: Abundare te faciet Dominus omnibus bonis. Decima quinta est in subditis prosperatio, et haec triplex, contemplativi, et hoc est: Benedictus fructus ventris tui: spirituales filii clerici, et hoc est: Fructus jumentorum: laici, et hoc est: Fructus terrae. Decima sexta est abundantia sapientiae divinae, et hoc est: Aperiet Dominus thesaurum suum optimum. Decima septima est doctrinae praeeminentia, et hoc est: Caelum et pluviam terrae, etc. Decima octava bonorum operum frequentia, et hoc est: Benedicetque cunctis operibus manuum tuarum. Decima nona est dignitatis excellentia, haec et est triplex, et in dando et non accipiendo, et hoc est: Tu foenerabis gentibus multis: in dominando et non serviendo, et hoc est: Constituet te in caput, et non in caudam: in regendo et non subessendo, et hoc est: Supra, et non subter.
QUESTION 183. How does the Blessed Virgin comprehend in herself the blessings with which Moses blessed Israel keeping the commandments?
It follows to see concerning the blessings with which Moses blessed Israel when keeping the commandments of the Lord, saying in Deuteronomy 28:3 and following: Blessed are you in the city, and blessed in the field. Blessed is the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your land, and the fruit of your beasts, the herds of your cattle, and the folds of your sheep. Blessed are your barns, and blessed are your remnants. You will be blessed entering and going out. The Lord will give your enemies who rise against you falling in your sight: by one way they will come against you, and by seven they will flee from your face. The Lord will send blessing upon your cellars and upon all the works of your hands, and he will bless you in the land which you receive. The Lord will raise you up for himself as a holy people, as he swore to you, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. And all the peoples of the lands will see that the name of the Lord has been invoked over you, and they will fear you. The Lord will make you abound with all goods, with the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your beasts, with the fruit of your land, which the Lord swore to your fathers that he would give to you. The Lord will open his best treasure, heaven, so that he may give rain to your land in its time, and he will bless all the works of your hands. And you will lend to many nations, and you yourself will receive a loan from none. The Lord your God will establish you as head, and not as tail; and you will always be above, and not below.
And nineteen blessings are posited here. The first is the grace of contemplation, and this is: Blessed are you in the city. The second is the grace of action, and this is: Blessed in the field. Whence the Gloss: “The blessing of the contemplative and active life.” The third is purity of contemplation, and this is: Blessed is the fruit of your womb. The fourth is useful operation, and this is: The fruit of your land. The fifth is fruit-bearing in others, and this is threefold, in laypeople, in clerics, and in religious. The first through beasts. The second through cattle. The third through sheepfolds. The sixth is frugality of virtues, and this in two ways: either as regards act, and this is: Blessed are your barns. The Gloss says: “The custody of virtues.” Or as regards habit, and this is: Blessed are your remnants; whence the Gloss says: “The good will which remains after works.” The seventh is happy consummation, and this is twofold: as regards the operation of good, and this is: Blessed entering; or as regards escape from evil, and this is: Blessed going out. The Gloss says: “Entering into the reception of reward, going out from this life to the eternal.” The eighth is victory over temptations, and this is: The Lord will give your enemies. The ninth is advance with temptation, and this is: By one way they will come to you. The tenth is spiritual refreshment, and this is: The Lord will send blessing upon the cellars. And this is twofold: from the grace of contrition, and this is: Blessing upon the cellars; and from the labor of satisfaction, and this is: Upon the works of your hands. The eleventh is multiplication of heavenly gifts, and this is: And he will bless you in the land which you receive; whence the Gloss says: “Multiplication of heavenly gifts.” The twelfth is association with the saints, and this is: The Lord will raise you up for himself as a holy people. The thirteenth is the striking of fear into enemies, and this is: All the peoples of the lands will see that the name of the Lord has been invoked over you, and they will fear you. The fourteenth is succession of temporal and spiritual things, and this is: The Lord will make you abound with all goods. The fifteenth is prospering in subjects, and this is threefold: contemplatives, and this is: Blessed is the fruit of your womb; spiritual sons, clerics, and this is: The fruit of beasts; laypeople, and this is: The fruit of the land. The sixteenth is abundance of divine wisdom, and this is: The Lord will open his best treasure. The seventeenth is preeminence of teaching, and this is: Heaven and rain for the land, etc. The eighteenth is frequency of good works, and this is: And he will bless all the works of your hands. The nineteenth is excellence of dignity, and this too is threefold: in giving and not receiving, and this is: You will lend to many nations; in ruling and not serving, and this is: He will establish you as head, and not as tail; in governing and not being subject, and this is: Above, and not below.
Hujus benedictionis sufficientia sumitur in hunc modum: Benedictio Ecclesiae est, vel quantum ad contemplationem, vel quantum ad actionem. Si ad actionem, vel est ordinata in bonum, vel contra malum. Si in bonum, vel est in bonum meriti, vel in bonum praemii. Si in bonum meriti, hoc est vel in operibus, vel in virtutibus. Si in operibus, vel in genere, vel in specie. Si in genere, vel est contemplatio, et hoc est: Benedictus tu in civitate: vel est actio, et hoc est: Benedictus in agro. Si in specie, vel est in se, vel in subditis. Si in se, vel est interius, vel est exterius. Si interius, sic est: Benedictus fructus ventris tui. Si exterius, sic est: Fructus terrae. Si autem est opus in subditis, vel est in laicis, et sic sunt jumenta: vel in clericis, et sic sunt armenta: vel in religiosis, et sic sunt caulae ovium. Si autem est bonum meriti in virtutibus, vel in actu, et hoc est: Horrea: vel in habitu, et hae sunt reliquiae. Si autem est bonum praemii, vel est in bono, vel in malo. Si in bono, hoc est ingrediens: si in malo, sic est egrediens: unde Glossa: « De praesenti vita ad aeternam. » Si autem est activa contra malum, sic est cum tentatione proventus, et hoc est: Dabit Dominus inimicos tuos. Si autem est benedictio pertinens ad contemplationem, vel hoc est quantum ad vitam, vel quantum ad doctrinam. Si quantum ad vitam, vel in se, vel respectu aliorum. Si in se, vel est delectabile ut spirituale gaudium, et hoc est, vel in habendo, vel in recipiendo, et hoc est: Cellaria tua: vel in agendo, et hoc est: In operibus manuum tuarum. Vel, est utile ut multiplicatio bonorum, et hoc est: Benedicta terra tua. Vel, est honestum ut consortium bonorum, et hoc est: Suscitabit te Dominus in populum sanctum. Si autem est respectu aliorum, hoc est vel respectu inimicorum, vel amicorum. Si respectu inimicorum, tunc est quod dicit: Videbuntque omnes. Si respectu amicorum, vel in se, vel in subditis. Si in se, hoc est: Abundare te faciet Dominus. Si in subditis, vel hoc est in religiosis, et hoc est: Fructus ventris tui: vel in clericis, et hoc est: Fructus jumentorum tuorum: vel in laicis, et hoc est: Fructus terrae. Si autem est pertinens ad doctrinam, vel est in cognoscendo, et sic est: Aperiet Dominus thesaurum suum: vel est in docendo, et hoc est: Pluviam tribuat tibi. Vel est in agendo, et hoc est tripliciter, in se, et hoc est: Benedicet operibus manuum tuarum: vel respectu aliorum, et tunc est, vel respectu dominorum, vel doctorum, vel praelatorum. De primo: Foenerabis gentibus multis: de secundo: In caput, et non in caudam: de tertio: Supra, et non subter. Quasi diceret: Erit magister et non discipulus, dominus et non servus, praelatus et non subditus.
The sufficiency of this blessing is taken in this way. The blessing of the Church is either as regards contemplation or as regards action. If as regards action, it is either ordered toward good or against evil. If toward good, it is either toward the good of merit or toward the good of reward. If toward the good of merit, this is either in works or in virtues. If in works, either in general or in species. If in general, either it is contemplation, and this is: Blessed are you in the city; or it is action, and this is: Blessed in the field. If in species, either it is in oneself or in subjects. If in oneself, either it is inward or outward. If inward, thus it is: Blessed is the fruit of your womb. If outward, thus it is: The fruit of the land. But if it is work in subjects, either it is in laypeople, and thus there are beasts; or in clerics, and thus there are cattle; or in religious, and thus there are sheepfolds. But if the good of merit is in virtues, either in act, and this is barns; or in habit, and these are the remnants. But if it is the good of reward, it is either in good or in evil. If in good, this is entering; if in evil, thus it is going out; whence the Gloss says: “From the present life to the eternal.” But if it is active against evil, thus it is advance with temptation, and this is: The Lord will give your enemies. But if it is a blessing pertaining to contemplation, this is either as regards life or as regards teaching. If as regards life, either in itself or with respect to others. If in itself, either it is delightful as spiritual joy, and this either in having or in receiving, and this is: Your cellars; or in acting, and this is: In the works of your hands. Or it is useful as multiplication of goods, and this is: Blessed is your land. Or it is honorable as fellowship of the good, and this is: The Lord will raise you up as a holy people. But if it is with respect to others, this is either with respect to enemies or friends. If with respect to enemies, then it is what he says: And all will see. If with respect to friends, either in itself or in subjects. If in itself, this is: The Lord will make you abound. If in subjects, then either this is in religious, and this is: The fruit of your womb; or in clerics, and this is: The fruit of your beasts; or in laypeople, and this is: The fruit of the land. But if it pertains to teaching, either it is in knowing, and thus it is: The Lord will open his treasure; or it is in teaching, and this is: May he give rain to you. Or it is in acting, and this is threefold: in oneself, and this is: He will bless the works of your hands; or with respect to others, and then it is either with respect to lords, or teachers, or prelates. Of the first: You will lend to many nations; of the second: As head and not as tail; of the third: Above and not below. As if he were saying: He will be master and not disciple, lord and not servant, prelate and not subject.
Qualiter autem istae benedictiones conveniant beatissimae Virgini, facile est videre. Gratiam enim contemplationis habuit in summo, quae perfecte divinitatis et humanitatis sacramenta cognovit in via. In actione perfecta fuit: quia omnibus operibus meruit. Benedictum fructum ventris habuit: quia pura in summo mater corporaliter et spiritualiter fuit. Fructificationem in aliis prae omnibus aliis habuit: quia mater virginum omnium et omnium clericorum et omnium religiosorum per continentiam exstitit, imo quia omnium bonorum mater fuit. Item, frugalitatem virtutum in summo habuit: quia omnes virtutes viae per modum patriae habuit. Item, benedicta fuit ingrediens et egrediens: quia de hac vita sine dolore mortis migravit, et statim corpore et anima caelum introivit. Item, tentationum victoriam in summo habuit: quia numquam in aliqua tentatione vel semel venialiter cecidit, ubi tamen justus non solum semel in die, sed septies cadit 1. Item, tentationum habuit proventum, non quod humilior vel cautior surrexerit, sed quia adeo fortiter stetit, quod nec alicui tentationi in puncto minimo cessit. Item, summam refectionem habuit spiritualem, ut supra in materia de beatitudinibus et fructibus manifestum fuit. Item, caelestium donorum multiplicationem in summo habuit: quia gratia plena fuit: unde Angelus: Ave, gratia plena. Item, sanctorum societatem in summo habuit: quia virginibus, viduis, conjugatis, activis, contemplativis, conformis fuit, et simul etiam omnium illorum proprietates in summo habuit, quae angelicam et humanam vitam in summo habuit: unde, In plenitudine sanctorum detentio mea 2. Item, in hostibus incussio in ipsa in summo fuit: quia terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata fuit omnibus: nimirum quia caput antiqui serpentis contrivit, et nos de maxilla ejus extraxit. Item, temporalium et spiritualium successio in ipsa in summo fuit, quae confidenter de se dicit: In me gratia omnis viae et veritatis: in me omnis spes vitae et virtutis 3. Item, in filiis prosperatio in ipsa in summo fuit: quia Deum genuit et hominem, et omnem rationalem vel recreabilem creaturam recreavit. Item, abundantiam divinae sapientiae in summo habuit: quia nihil ignoravit. Item, doctrinae praeeminentiam in summo habuit: quia summae doctrinae doctrix fuit, scilicet disciplinae Dei, et omnia nobis per Verbum increatum praedicavit. Item, bonorum operum frequentiam habuit: quia quolibet opere meruit. Item, dignitatis excellentiam habuit in summo: quia mater Dei, regina caeli, et regina misericordiae exstitit.
Et sic patet qualiter omnes istae benedictiones in benedictione beatissimae Virginis sunt comprehensae.
But how these blessings belong to the most blessed Virgin is easy to see. For she had the grace of contemplation in the highest degree, since she perfectly knew on the way the sacraments of divinity and humanity. She was perfect in action, because by all her works she merited. She had the blessed fruit of the womb, because she was a mother most pure in the highest degree, bodily and spiritually. She had fruit-bearing in others above all others, because she existed as mother of all virgins and of all clerics and of all religious through continence; indeed because she was the mother of all good persons. Likewise, she had frugality of virtues in the highest degree, because she had all the virtues of the way after the manner of the homeland. Likewise, she was blessed entering and going out, because she passed from this life without the pain of death and immediately entered heaven in body and soul. Likewise, she had victory over temptations in the highest degree, because she never fell venially, even once, in any temptation, whereas nevertheless the just person falls not only once in a day but seven times 1. Likewise, she had advance from temptations, not because she rose up more humble or more cautious, but because she stood so strongly that she did not yield to any temptation in the least point. Likewise, she had the highest spiritual refreshment, as was clear above in the matter concerning the beatitudes and fruits. Likewise, she had multiplication of heavenly gifts in the highest degree, because she was full of grace; whence the Angel says: Hail, full of grace. Likewise, she had society with the saints in the highest degree, because she was conformed to virgins, widows, married persons, active persons, and contemplative persons, and at the same time she had in the highest degree the properties of all those, she who had the angelic and human life in the highest degree; whence, In the fullness of the saints is my detention 2. Likewise, the striking of fear into enemies was in her in the highest degree, because she was terrible to all as an ordered battle-line of camps; surely because she crushed the head of the ancient serpent and drew us out from his jaw. Likewise, the succession of temporal and spiritual things was in her in the highest degree, she who confidently says of herself: In me is every grace of the way and of truth; in me is every hope of life and of virtue 3. Likewise, prospering in sons was in her in the highest degree, because she gave birth to God and man and recreated every rational or recreable creature. Likewise, she had abundance of divine wisdom in the highest degree, because she knew nothing not. Likewise, she had preeminence of teaching in the highest degree, because she was the teacher of the highest teaching, namely of the discipline of God, and preached all things to us through the uncreated Word. Likewise, she had frequency of good works, because by any work she merited. Likewise, she had excellence of dignity in the highest degree, because she existed as Mother of God, queen of heaven, and queen of mercy.
And thus it is clear how all these blessings are comprehended in the blessing of the most blessed Virgin.
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