What you're about to read is from
The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, written by Saint Bonaventure, a 13th century bishop and leading theologian of his time. This is a collection of psalms where Bonaventure took the Psalms of the Old Testament, and
inserted Mary, even replacing God/Jesus in certain passages. Just right off the bat, if you can't see the blatant sin of heresy and idolatry in that, then you have absolutely no discernment whatsoever. If this itself doesn't raise all kinds of red flags, then there is something very, very wrong with your claim to being a "Christian". But, to continue:
Here is the first psalm:
Quote:
"Blessed is the man that cherishes thy name, Virgin Mary, thy grace will strengthen his soul.
As a garden watered by springs of living water, thou wilt multiply in that soul the sweetest fruits of justice.
Thou art blessed among all women, because of the humble faith of thy holy heart.
For thou art exalted above all women by the beauty of thy person; thou surpassest the angels and the archangels by the excellence of thy sanctity.
Thy mercy and thy grace are celebrated everywhere; God has blessed the works of thy hands.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and always, and from generation to generation. Amen."
Compare this first psalm to Psalm 1 of the Bible, which starts "Blessed is the man, who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked...."
These psalms by Bonaventure are a clear indicator of the Roman Catholic Church's excessive exaltation of Mary, even raising her to the level of the divine. Her "grace" can strengthen souls?? She can "multiply the fruits of justice" in souls? Her "mercy"? What position is she in, that grace and mercy is hers to give? Who gives them but God? What are the "works of her hands"? The Bible celebrates the works of GOD'S hands, not hers. If you can't see that this is excessive to the point of idolatry, then you simply have ZERO discernment. Or, you really aren't a Christian. It's just that simple and obvious.
Note that Bonaventure was canonized as a saint by Pope Sixtus IV in 1482, and was declared a "doctor" of the Roman Catholic Church, one of their highest honors, in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. These psalms were declared to be "
Imprimatur" and "
Nihil Obstat", which is a declaration that the writing is fully sanctioned and promoted by the Roman Catholic Church, being completely free from any error with regard to Catholic teaching, faith, and morals. Clearly, these psalms aren't just a one-off of Roman Catholicism or a set of obscure beliefs by some unknown author that nobody pays attention to. They are a clear representation of central Catholic beliefs.
