Comments to Dante’s Paradiso, Cantos XXXI thru XXXIII, Part 2

St. Bernard’s prayer to Mary in the last canto is of such beauty it should be quoted in its entirety and have its own post. 

'Virgin Mother, daughter of your Son,

more humble and exalted than any other creature,

fixed goal of the eternal plan,

'you are the one who so ennobled human nature

that He, who made it first, did not disdain

to make Himself of its own making.

'Your womb relit the flame of love --

its heat has made this blossom seed

and flower in eternal peace.

'To us you are a noonday torch of charity,

while down below, among those still in flesh,

you are the living fountainhead of hope.

'Lady, you are so great and so prevail above,

should he who longs for grace not turn to you,

his longing would be doomed to wingless flight.

'Your loving kindness does not only aid

whoever seeks it, but many times

gives freely what has yet to be implored.

'In you clemency, in you compassion,

in you munificence, in you are joined

all virtues found in any creature.

'This man who, from within the deepest pit

the universe contains up to these heights

has seen the disembodied spirits, one by one,

'now begs you, by your grace, to grant such power

that, by lifting up his eyes,

he may rise higher toward his ultimate salvation.

'And I, who never burned for my own seeing

more than now I burn for his, offer all my prayers,

and pray that they may not fall short,

'so that your prayers disperse on his behalf

all clouds of his mortality and let

the highest beauty be displayed to him.

'This too, my Queen, I ask of you, who can achieve

            whatever you desire, that you help him preserve,

after such vision, the purity of his affections.

'Let your protection rule his mortal passions.

See Beatrice, with so many of the blessed,

palms pressed together, joining me in prayer.'  (XXXIII. 1-39)

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Two points can be made about St. Bernard’s prayer. 

(1) He captures the paradoxical mysteries on which Christianity rests:  Virgin/Mother, daughter/of your son, humble/exalted, fixed/eternal.  These paradoxes all lead to most paradoxical mystery of them all, of three yet one.

(2) The prayer follows the Salve Regina. 

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears! Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Bernard’s prayer is an appeal to her as “most gracious advocate” for her Son, just as we ask for advocacy in the Salve Regina.  Bernard in his prayer appeals for her to turn her eyes on this poor sinner (Dante), just as we appeal in the Salve, and, as we appeal in the prayer to be made worthy, Bernard appeals for her to pray to make Dante worthy of the blessed vision.