# Verified against Divinum Officium (Monastic Tridentinum 1617), live
# prayMatutinum query (2025-08-21). Matins reading for day 7 of the
# Assumption's own octave -- collapsed into one continuous reading per project
# convention. The source's own English translation is used as-is, including
# gaps in its own punctuation (some older "oct"/"bmv"-suffixed variant files
# drop question marks entirely in places) -- not corrected here, since
# guessing where they belong isn't the same class of fix as an isolated
# single-character typo.
id: assumption-octave-day-7
source:
  la: "Sermo sancti Bernárdi Abbátis"
  en: "Sermon of St. Bernard, Abbot"
text:
  la: |
    Sermo sancti Bernárdi Abbátis Sermo 4 de Assumpionis n. 1 Tempus loquéndi est omni carni, cum assúmitur incarnáti Verbi Mater in cælum, nec cessáre debet a láudibus humána mortálitas, cum hóminis sola natúra supra immortáles spíritus exaltátur in Vírgine. Sed de ejus glória nec silére devótio pátitur, nec dignum áliquid stérilis concípere cogitátio, aut inerrudíta potest locútio parturíre. Hinc est, quod et ipsi cæléstis cúriæ príncipes in consideratióne tantæ novitátis clamant non sine admiratióne: Quæ est ista, quæ ascéndit de desérto delíciis áffluens?

    Ac si manifestius dicant: Quanta est hæc, aut, unde ei ascendenti utique de deserto affluentia tanta deliciarum? Nec enim pares inveniuntur deliciae vel in nobis, quos in civitate Dómini laetificat fluminis impetus, qui a vultu gloriae, voluptatis torrente potamur. Quae est ista, quae de sub sole, ubi nihil est nisi labor et dolor et afflictio spiritus, ascendit deliciis spiritualibus affluens? Quidni delícias díxerim, virginitátis decus cum múnere fecunditátis, humilitátis insígne distillántem caritátis favum, misericórdiæ víscera, plentitúdinem grátiæ, prærogatívam glóriæ singuláris?

    Ascéndens ígitur de desérto Regína mundi, étiam Angelis sanctis, ut canit Ecclésia, speciósa facta est, et suávis in delíciis suis. Désinant tamen desérti hujus mirári delícias, quia Dóminus dedit benignitátem, et terra nostra dedit fructum suum. Quid mirántur, de terra desérta Maríam ascéndere delíciis affluéntem? Miréntur pótius páuperem Christum de cæléstis regni plenditúdine descendéntem; longe enim amplióri miráculo dignum vidétur, Dei Fílium paulo minus ab Angelis minorári, quam Dei Matrem super Angelos exaltári. Illíus síquidem exinanítio, facta est replétio nostra: illíus misériæ, mundi delíciæ sunt. Dénique, cum dives esset, propter nos pauper factus est, ut nos ejus inópia ditarémur.
  en: |
    Sermon of St Bernard, abbot Sermon 4 on the Assumption, n1 It is the time for all flesh to speak when the Mother of the Incarnate Word is taken up into heaven, nor ought human mortality cease to give praise when the nature of man is in the Virgin exalted above the immortal spirits. But neither does our devotion allow us to be silent, nor can our sterile thought conceive, nor our unlearned speech give forth, anything worthy concerning her glory. Hence it is that those princes of the heavenly court in the consideration of such an unheard thing cry out with admiration: “Who is she who ascends from the desert abounding with delights?” Why should I not call delights the glory of virginity with the gift of fecundity, the ensign of humility distilling the honeycomb of charity, the bowels of mercy, the plenitude of grace, the prerogative of singular glory?

    Ac si manifestius dicant: Quanta est hæc, aut, unde ei ascendenti utique de deserto affluentia tanta deliciarum? Nec enim pares inveniuntur deliciae vel in nobis, quos in civitate Dómini laetificat fluminis impetus, qui a vultu gloriae, voluptatis torrente potamur. Quae est ista, quae de sub sole, ubi nihil est nisi labor et dolor et afflictio spiritus, ascendit deliciis spiritualibus affluens? Sermon of St Bernard, abbot Sermon 4 on the Assumption, n1 It is the time for all flesh to speak when the Mother of the Incarnate Word is taken up into heaven, nor ought human mortality cease to give praise when the nature of man is in the Virgin exalted above the immortal spirits. But neither does our devotion allow us to be silent, nor can our sterile thought conceive, nor our unlearned speech give forth, anything worthy concerning her glory. Hence it is that those princes of the heavenly court in the consideration of such an unheard thing cry out with admiration: “Who is she who ascends from the desert abounding with delights?” Why should I not call delights the glory of virginity with the gift of fecundity, the ensign of humility distilling the honeycomb of charity, the bowels of mercy, the plenitude of grace, the prerogative of singular glory?

    Ascending, ígitur therefore, from the desert, the Queen of the world, as the Church sings, was made beautiful even to the holy angels and sweet in her delights. But let them cease to wonder at the delights of the desert, for the Lord has given goodness and our earth has yielded its fruit. Why do they wonder that Mary ascends from the desert of the earth abounding with delights; let them wonder rather at Christ, being poor, descending from the plentitude of the heavenly Kingdom, for it seems by far a greater miracle that the Son of God deigned to be made a little less than the angels than that the Mother of God should be exalted above the angels. Indeed, his humiliation has been made our exaltation; his miseries are the delights of the world.  Finally, being rich, he was made poor on account of us, that he might enrich us by his poverty.
responsory:
  la: |
    ℟. Vidi speciósam sicut colúmbam, ascendéntem désuper rivos aquárum, cujus inæstimábilis odor erat nimis in vestiméntis ejus; * Et sicut dies verni circúmdabant eam flores rosárum et lília convállium. ℣. Quæ est ista quæ ascéndit per desértum sicut vírgula fumi ex aromátibus myrrhæ et thuris? ℟. Et sicut dies verni circúmdabant eam flores rosárum et lília convállium.
  en: |
    ℟. I saw her, when, fair like a dove, she winged her flight above the rivers of waters. The priceless savour of her perfumes hung heavy in her garments. * And about her it was as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, and lilies of the valleys. ℣. Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like a pillar of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense? ℟. And about her it was as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, and lilies of the valleys.
status:
  la: verified
  en: verified
