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| The Nursing Madonna by unknown master from Bruges, 16th century. Museu de Aveiro, Portugal. |
Christmas Canticle 3: Isaiah 66: 10-16
Vulgate
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Douay-Rheims
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1 Lætamini cum
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Rejoice with
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2 gaudete cum ea
gaudio, universi qui lugetis super eam: ut sugatis et repleamini ab
ubere consolationis ejus;
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rejoice for joy
with her, all you that mourn for her. That you may suck, and be filled
with the breasts of her consolations
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3 ut mulgeatis et
deliciis affluatis ab omnimoda gloria ejus.
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that you may
milk out, and flow with delights, from the abundance of her glory.
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4 Quia hæc dicit
Dominus: Ecce ego declinabo super eam quasi fluvium pacis,
et quasi torrentem inundantem gloriam gentium, |
For thus saith
the Lord: Behold I will bring upon her as it were a river of peace, and as an
overflowing torrent the glory of the Gentiles,
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5 quam sugetis: ad
ubera portabimini, et super genua blandientur vobis.
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which you shall
suck; you shall be carried at the breasts, and upon the knees they shall
caress you.
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6 Quomodo si cui
mater blandiatur, ita ego consolabor vos, et in
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As one whom the
mother caresseth, so will I comfort you, and you shall be comforted in
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7 Videbitis, et
gaudebit cor vestrum, et ossa vestra quasi herba germinabunt:
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You shall see
and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb,
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8 et cognoscetur
manus Domini servis ejus, et indignabitur inimicis suis.
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and the hand of
the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall be angry with his
enemies.
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9 Quia ecce
Dominus in igne veniet, et quasi turbo quadrigæ ejus reddere in indignatione
furorem suum et increpationem suam in flamma ignis:
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For behold the
Lord will come with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind, to render
his wrath in indignation, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
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10 quia in igne
Dominus dijudicabit, et in gladio suo ad omnem carnem; et multiplicabuntur
interfecti a Domino,
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For the Lord
shall judge by fire, and by his sword unto all flesh, and the slain of the
Lord shall be many.
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The verses of Isaiah immediately before this canticle have long been interpreted as presenting Our Lady as the new Eve, and the opening verses of the canticle can obviously be seen as an allusion to her role as the Mother of God also.
These verses make it clear though, that the image of Mary breastfeeding the child Jesus is also an example of typology, teaching us about God's loving care for us. The canticle opens with an invitation to feast, taking comfort from the food of the spirit, using the image of a mother sucking her child that can be interpreted as an image of God himself acting as our parent. The Douay-Rheims translation is perhaps a little over literal here, so here is the Knox version of the opening verses to aid understanding:
"Lovers of Jerusalem, rejoice with her, be glad for her sake; make holiday with her, you that mourned for her till now. So shall you be her foster-children, suckled plentifully with her consolations, drinking in, to your hearts’ content, the abundant glory that is hers. Thus says the Lord, Peace shall flow through her like a river, the wealth of the nations shall pour into her like a torrent in flood; this shall be the milk you drain, like children carried at the breast, fondled on a mother’s lap. I will console you then, like a mother caressing her son, and all your consolation shall be in Jerusalem; your eyes feasted with it, your hearts content, vigorous as the fresh grass your whole frame..."
The river of peace of the fourth verse (as the canticle is arranged for liturgical use) is interpreted by St Ambrose to be the Holy Ghost, 'that flowed from within Jesus', echoing the imagery of Psalm 1. And the flourishing bones of verse 7 are interpreted by St Augustine to be a reference to the resurrection of the body.
Indeed, the whole canticle (and chapter of Isaiah from which it comes) abounds with eschatological imagery, not least in the warning of the Second Coming and final judgment contained in the concluding verses (8-10).
