Lesson iii for the Office of
St. Mary on the Sabbath
June
Lesson iii
Sermo sancti Bernárdi Abbátis The Lesson is taken from a Sermon by St. Bernard the Abbot
De Verbis Apocalypsis cap. 12
Signum magnum

Veheménter quidem nobis, dilectíssimi, vir unus et múlier una nocuére ; sed, grátias Deo, per unum nihilóminus virum et mulíerum unam ómnia restaurántur, nec sine magno fænore gratiárum.  Neque enim sicut diléctum, ita et donum ; sed excédit damni æstimatiónem benefícii magnitúdo.  Sic nimírum prudentíssimus et clementíssimus ártifex, quod quassátum fúerat, non confrégit, sed utílius omníno refécit, ut vidélicet nobis novum formáret Adam ex véteri, Hevam transfúnderet in Maríam.

Most certainly, dearly beloved, one man and one woman have brought us grievous hurt.  But thanks be to God, it was one Man and one Woman who restored all that we had lost ; and that same was done by giving us a great increase over and above what had been our first estate.  For in this case that saying is not true : As the offense was, so is the reparation : since the magnitude of the benefit exceedeth the measure of the injury.  Yea, our wise and merciful Creator did not cast away the broken fragments and put something better in their place.  Rather, he entirely re-made that which was broken, so that it was better than before, in that he formed the new Adam for us out of the old, and gave us Mother Mary in place of mother Eve.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

TE DEUM LAUDAMUS
 
TE DEUM