Advent 8 – 8 December 2021
Good morning,
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when Catholics acknowledge their belief that Mary was conceived without sin. While some other Christians don’t follow that particular conviction about Mary, all Christians are united in recognising her unique place in the Christian faith, as the mother of Jesus, and the first to accept him as Saviour.
Our Advent Calendar will explore the place of Mary in the Christmas story over coming days, not least the Annunciation, the story of the angel Gabriel visiting Mary with significant news. But for today, let’s look at a close-up of the University’s Faculty of Arts Mace, purchased in 1416 from Paris for £5 diverted from a budget for books. Here is Mary crowned as Queen of Heaven, holding Jesus in her arm, which I snapped one graduation day when the maces are all in use.
And from the same century or shortly thereafter, a poem by William Dunbar, an early student in St Andrews, determinant in 1474 and Master of Arts in 1479. He was probably born in 1460, the same year as St Salvator’s Chapel was consecrated. It is likely that he was associated with the court of James IV. The Scots may not be easy to decipher but it is worth saying out loud. And then, suddenly, meaning pierces through the centuries, as in the final lines:
Thy birth has with his blude
Fra fall mortall originall
Us raunsound on the rude.
[Your birth has with his blood
From original mortal fall
Ransomed us on the rood/cross.]
Ane Ballat of our Lady
Hale, sterne superne, hale, in eterne
In Godis sicht to schyne,
Lucerne in derne for to discerne,
Be glory and grace devyne.
Hodiern, modern, sempitern,
Angelicall regyne,
Our tern inferne for to dispern,
Helpe, rialest rosyne.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
Haile, fresche flour femynyne,
Yerne, ws guberne, wirgin matern,
Of reuth baith rute and ryne.
Haile, yhyng benyng fresche flurising,
Haile, Alphais habitakle.
Thy dyng ofspring maid ws to syng
Befor his tabernakle.
All thing maling we dovne thring
Be sicht of his signakle,
Quhilk king ws bring vnto his ryng
Fro dethis dirk vmbrakle.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
Haile, moder and maide but makle,
Bricht syng, gladyng our languissing
Be micht of thi mirakle.
Haile, bricht be sicht in hevyn on hicht,
Haile, day sterne orientale,
Our licht most richt in clud of nycht,
Our dirknes for to scale.
Hale, wicht in ficht, puttar to flicht
Of fendis in battale,
Haile, plicht but sicht, hale, mekle of mycht,
Haile, glorius virgin, hale.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
Haile, gentill nychttingale,
Way stricht, cler dicht, to wilsome wicht
That irke bene in travale.
Hale, qwene serene, hale, most amene,
Haile, hevinlie hie emprys,
Haile, schene, vnseyne with carnale eyne,
Haile, ros of paradys,
Haile, clene bedene, ay till conteyne,
Haile, fair fresche flour delyce,
Haile, grene daseyne, hale fro the splene,
Of Ihesu genitrice.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
Thow bair the prince of prys,
Our teyne to meyne and ga betweyne,
As hvmile oratrice.
Hale, more decore than of before
And swetar be sic sevyne,
Our glore forlore for to restor
Sen thow art qwene of hevyn.
Memore of sore, stern in aurore,
Lovit with angellis stevyne,
Implore, adore, thow indeflore,
To mak our oddis evyne.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
With lovingis lowde ellevyn,
Quhill store and hore my youth devor,
Thy name I sall ay nevyne.
Empryce of prys, imperatrice,
Bricht polist precious stane,
Victrice of wyce, hie genitrice
Of Ihesu, lord souerayne,
Our wys pavys fro enemys,
Agane the feyndis trayne,
Oratrice, mediatrice, saluatrice,
To God gret suffragane.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
Haile, sterne meridiane,
Spyce, flour delice of paradys,
That bair the gloryus grayne.
Imperiall wall, place palestrall
Of peirles pulcritud,
Tryvmphale hall, hie trone regall
Of Godis celsitud,
Hospitall riall, the lord of all
Thy closet did include,
Bricht ball cristall, ros virginall,
Fulfillit of angell fude.
Ave, Maria, gracia plena.
Thy birth has with his blude
Fra fall mortall originall
Us raunsound on the rude.
Yours,
Donald.