The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 3. 1-2

Feast of the Queenship of Mary

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter, I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 3. On the three other figures, namely the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s Throne and the Cloud of Elias

First Figure : The Ark of the Covenant

 1   I have no trouble in persuading myself that the Ark of the covenant was a figure for the MOTHER OF GOD, at the very least as famous as any of the preceding figures. This is because all the Doctors hitherto cited make mention of it, and because of the great mysteries it contains and the 

excellent traits which interconnect with each other. Firstly, the ancient Ark was kept safe in the most secluded place in the Temple, which was called the Holy of Holies. It was in the same place that the Holy Virgin, figure of the true Ark, spent several years as I shall explain in chapter six.

As for the ancient Ark, says Peter Damian[1], it was built by Beseleel; the new Ark was built by Emmanuel. The former had for his companion Ooliab, which means my protection; the divine Word was accompanied by the Holy Ghost, first and chief Guardian of the glorious Virgin, His Spouse. Note that the whole Trinity was involved in this divine work:, consecrating this Temple, making ready this dwelling, preparing this nuptial couch to receive the Spouse who is the most handsome and pleasing of all the sons of men.

The Ark of the Old Testament was made of incorruptible wood in order to show, says the same Cardinal[2], that although the Virgin came from stock corrupted by sin, she had nevertheless been selected and preserved by the Holy Ghost in virtue of the office for which she had been chosen by God.

 2   The Ark of the Old Testament had its length, breadth and height measured using the human cubit, which is a perfect measure. The new Ark had her long-suffering patience, her wide-stretching charity and her aim fixed upwards to God; these were like the three dimensions of her soul, altogether perfect in their kind and surpassing anything found in other creatures.

The old Ark, says St Gregory Thaumaturgus[3], was covered within and without in purest gold; the new Ark was enriched with the treasure of perfect holiness. 

Indeed, if St Jerome[4] could say quite truthfully that the Spouse of God is an Ark of the Covenant gilded within and without, with all the more reason must I say this of Her who is the peerless Spouse beyond compare.

The old Ark, says St Ildephonsus[5], contained within itself or nearby all the most secret mysteries of the old Law; the new Ark had all the treasures of the knowledge and wisdom of God, and all the wonders of the new Law.

Mary carried in her womb the Law of God and the God of the Law; for a long period of time, she had close by her the King of glory and the sweet delight of the Saints, I mean by this her beloved Son. Or, if you wish, she bore deep in her heart the Law of God ; and close by her was the true bread of Angels that she gave to the world, and the flower of the children of men. Putting it another way, I will say that three items in the old Ark are symbols of three qualities that she alone possessed: 

    • wisdom, prefigured the Tables of the Law;

    • uprightness, by Aaron’s rod; and 

    • mercy, by the manna.

Finally, these items are the signs of three sorts of great Dignities: Excellence, Power and Goodness. These are to be the subject of my first three Treatises.

The old Ark was covered by the protecting wings of Cherubims; the new Ark was always accompanied and helped by blessed Spirits. The old Ark had over it a crown round about[6], the new Ark was crowned with a thousand triumphs over vices and the enemies of God (as will be seen in the first two Treatises); she is surrounded by her beloved children whom she cherishes like a crown of glory, as Isaiah says[7]. The old Ark is associated with the Glory of the Lord, as appears at various points in Scripture[8]; the effects may be seen in the new Ark, as may be seen elsewhere[9]. 

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Nativit. Virg.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Serm. 1 in Annuntiat.

[4] Ad Eustoch. de Virginitate.

[5] Lib. de Partu Virg.

[6] and over it thou shalt make a golden crown round about: / faciesque supra, coronam auream per circuitum : Exod. xxv. 11.

[7] And thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Isai. lxii. 3.

[8] Vid. e.g., Exod. xl., Lev. ix., & Num. xvi.

[9] Cap. 13..

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 2. 7-8

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter, I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 2. On three inanimate figures used to represent the MOTHER OF GOD, namely the burning bush of Moses, Aaron’s rod and Gedeon’s Fleece

Third Figure : Gedeon’s Fleece

 7   The third figure is Gedeon’s Fleece, which is applied to the Virgin Mother by St Ambrose[1], St Jerome[2], St Ephrem[3], St Methodius[4], St Ildephonsus[5], St Bernard[6], St Cassiodorus[7], St Bonaventure[8] and several others.  Holy Church,  the pillar and ground of the truth[9], does not leave this matter in any doubt, since she chants in express terms: When thou wast born ineffably of the Virgin, the Scriptures were fulfilled. As dew upon Gedeon’s Fleece, thou camest down to save mankind.[10] 

For a better understanding of the links and parallels between this miraculous Fleece and the Blessed Virgin, it is useful to recall what is written in the sixth chapter of Judges. There it says that God chose Gedeon while he was working after the harvest and called on him to defeat the Madianites. God had already worked a miracle that was sufficient to prove the truth of his promise: with just the touch of this valiant captain’s rod, the offerings of a sacrifice caught fire  and were consumed. Gedeon called together his troops but was not satisfied with the miracle that God had worked but asked for another: he asked specifically for the Fleece he had laid out on the ground to be bathed with dew on the first night, but for the ground to remain dry; but on the second night, for the fleece to remain dry and the ground to be bathed with dew. God agreed and it came to pass in the way Gedeon had requested.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 13 de Nativit. Domini.

[2] In Epitaphio S. Paulæ.

[3] Serm. de B. Virg.

[4] Orat. in Hipapante.

[5] Serm. 3 de Assumpt.

[6] Serm. in Signum magnum ; Serm. 2 in Salve ; Serm. 3 Nativit. B. Mariæ.

[7] In Psal. LXXI.

[8] In Laude B. Virg.

[9] 1 Tim. iii. 15.

[10] See 1st Vespers of the Purification, Antiphon. See also: Ps. LXXVI. 6

 8   The Holy Fathers recognize this Fleece as one of the most expressive figures of the MOTHER OF GOD, true image of sweetness and humanity, sacred repository[1] of meekness, of purity and innocence, destined to be dyed scarlet and serve as the Royal robe for the Saviour’s humanity.

It is most apt, says St Ambrose[2], for the Virgin to be compared with the Fleece, from which have been produced robes of salvation for all the nations of the earth; Fleece from whose womb has come forth the most pure Lamb clothed with wool, that is to say with His Mother’s flesh, serving as a covering to keep warm and to heal the wounds of everyone.    

The Fleece, says St Peter Chrysologus[3], although attached to the body, does not experience the passions and changes of the body. Similarly, although the Virgin had like us a mortal body subject to corruption, she was completely free of the vices which the body normally attracts to itself. This is why the heavenly dew came down to her virginal womb as though falling on a white and spotless Fleece; and why the whole divinity, received in our flesh and   one day fixed to the tree of the Cross, would rain down the waters of salvation on all the earth.[4] 

Gedeon’s Fleece was firstly impregnated with the heavenly dew, whilst the earth remained dry, in accordance with its name[5] [6]. Similarly, the whole world was suffering from a drought through lack of grace, but it was the Virgin who was first to receive it because she alone had drawn it down from heaven. Note how, after the Fleece had received the dew, on the next day the whole earth experienced this heavenly sweetness. St Bernard’s explanation is quite apposite[7]:

It was reasonable that the Holy Virgin should receive virtue raining down from heaven and the fulness of the divinity before we could ourselves be bathed in the waters; we, I say, who are but a dry and barren land.[8]     

We can appreciate a subtle reference here to the prophecy of King David when he said: He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.[9]  This corresponds to the divine Word which, like showers of rain freely given by God and placed in reserve for the benefit of His inheritance, drop down gently into the blessed womb of the glorious Virgin, without the sound of any human involvement.  Afterwards, however, this same rain was to spread through the mouths of preachers, not with this peaceful silence, but by being noised abroad in words and to the sound of miracles. This was like rainwater falling on rooftops and from there pouring down in streams through gutters and pipes. The preachers were like clouds carrying this sought after rain; it was opportune for them to remember the commandment they had received to declare in the presence of all that which had been spoken in the ear and to preached on the housetops what had been heard in the chambers.[10]

This is what they had the good fortune to achieve with such success that the whole of the earth resounded with their holy preaching. Gedeon did not stop at that but, through divine inspiration, he took his bedewed fleece and wringing it filled a vessel with the dew.[11] 

This was to teach us, says St Bernard[12], the admirable design of the wisdom and goodness of God. He filled the Fleece with dew before pouring a single drop on to the earth. In the same way, willing to redeem men, He firstly encloses within the sacred Virgin the whole price of our redemption.

You can see, therefore, that it was most fitting for this miracle Gedeon saw to be a sign that the people of God would be delivered from the oppression of the Madianites, just as the descent of the divine Word was an incontestable witness to the deliverance of the world from Satan’s tyranny.

Footnotes

[1] dépouille: 1. hide, skin. 2. mortal remains. 3. spoils of war. 4. fruits of the harvest. Dictionnaire de l’Académie française, 1re édition (1694)

[2] Serm. 13 de Nativit.

[3] Serm. 143.

[4] Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a saviour: and let justice spring up together: I the Lord have created him. Isai. xlv. 8.

[5] See, for example:  and let the dry land appear / et appareat arida. Gen. i. 9.

[6] Hieron. in Epitaphio S. Paulæ.

[7] Serm. 2 in Missus.

[8] For thee my soul hath thirsted; for thee my flesh, O how many ways! In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: Ps. LXII. 2-3.

[9] Ps. LXXI. 6.

[10] That which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers, shall be preached on the housetops. Luc. Xii. 3. 

[11] Judges vi. 38.

[12] Serm. in Nativit. Mariæ.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 2. 5-6

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter, I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 2. On three inanimate figures used to represent the MOTHER OF GOD, namely the burning bush of Moses, Aaron’s rod and Gedeon’s Fleece

[Aaron's rod continued]

 5   This ancient rod was a branch from an almond tree, as appears from its flower and the fruit. This tree is the sign of the Sun which draws close to us in the spring; it is the first of all trees to blossom and the last to lose its leaves. In the same way, the Holy Virgin confirmed the news of the coming of the Sun of Justice, bore the flowers of sanctity from the moment of her conception and her soul never lost the ardour and vitality of its actions .

Aaron’s rod, said the Angel to St Bridget[1], was filled first with pith and sap, then afterwards it put forth flowers and fruit miraculously. In the same way, the Holy Virgin was filled first with the Holy Spirit and then she immediately bore the beautiful flower of the garden and the fruit expected by the nations, namely the blessed Jesus.

Aaron’s rod, says St Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem[2], achieved in one night what other trees do over several years; and the Holy Virgin did in one instant what had never been done before and will never be done after her. The same St Cyril says the rod was miraculously rendered fertile for the figurative High Priest, and Mary for the Eternal Priest according to the order of Melchisedech.[3]

The rod spent only one night next to the Ark of the Covenant and received a new blessing. The Virgin spent twelve years near the figurative Ark (as I shall show elsewhere[4]),and many more years close to the true Ark that had been prefigured, and brought forth thousands of thousands.[5] In the case of the rod, three miracles previously unheard of occurred in one instant: a bare rod put forth buds, these buds immediately blossomed into flowers and these flowers were changed into fruit. In the case of Mary, three heavenly miracles occurred in one instant, but very different from those just described: a Virgin conceived, God was made man as a little baby, and this baby was given form and substance from less than nothing. With Aaron’s rod, Moses made water gush forth miraculously from the rock, as we read in chapter xxi. of Numbers.[6] Heaven was formerly harder than rock, but by means of the mysterious rod I have described, a fountain of wonders poured forth upon the whole of the earth.

 

Aaron’s rod, said the learned Bishop of Avila[7], was never stripped of the honour it received from God and never lost its fruit which was carefully kept to preserve for posterity the memory of this astonishing miracle. In a similar way, the Virgin will be ever showered with honour and glory for the fruit she produced which will never be taken away from her.

 6   The Hebrew Doctors[8] speak of certain wonders associated with Aaron’s rod but it is for them to provide proof. They recount that Adam, having still in his mind the memory of the paradise of pleasure from which he had been cast out, after several years of penance sent his son Seth to the gate of Paradise to ask God to pardon his sin. The guardian Angel of Eden gave him a branch from the tree of life to plant in the earth and told him that as soon as the tree growing from the branch started to bear fruit, the mercy of God would come down on the posterity of Adam; and that heaven, hitherto closed and unyielding to their requests, would open its gates and send its blessings upon the earth. They add that Seth planted this branch in the desert where later Moses was called by God to deliver his people. It became a great tree and it was from this tree that Moses, at God’s commandment, cut the branch which as a rod would work so many miracles in Egypt. This rod was known as God’s rod and is the same as Aaron’s rod, about which we have been speaking. They go on to say that this tree was the one where Moses placed the brazen serpent;[9] from it too he cut the wood that he threw into the bitter waters of Mara to make them sweet and drinkable[10]. Finally, they conclude that this tree will bear admirable fruit on the arrival of the Messiah, serving again to take away the bitterness of the salty waters and to cleanse not only the first man of his sin but also all those who had sinned up to that point and all those who will commit sins in the future, for as long as there are men on the earth.

There is no-one who would not see the beautiful reflections that could be drawn out of this story, but I realize this may be seen as basing the truths of our faith on rabbinical inventions as well as on other pieces of nonsense or profane curiosities which are accepted by well-meaning minds. In my opinion, however, the stories take nothing away from the greatness of the feelings we should have towards such holy and divine things.

Footnotes

[1] In Sermone Angelico, c. 11.

[2] Catechesi 12.

[3] Hebrews vi. 20.

[4] Cap. 6. 

[5] Rebecca as type for Mary: Thou art our sister, mayst thou increase to thousands of thousands, and may thy seed possess the gates of their enemies. Gen. xxiv. 60.

[6] Num. xx. 11.

[7] In c. 17 Num.

[8] Simeon apud Galatinum, lib. VI, c. ult.

[9] Num. xxi. 8-9.

[10] Exod. xv. 23-25.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 2. 3-4

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter, I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 2. On three inanimate figures used to represent the MOTHER OF GOD, namely the burning bush of Moses, Aaron’s rod and Gedeon’s Fleece

[The burning Bush continued]

 3   Going beyond this, you will see that Moses calls it a great sight[1] because in effect this was an unheard of prodigy – that a woman should have conceived, but not without benefit, by which I mean a growth in her virginity. Moses saw this wonder on the mountain in the desert, prefiguring that the MOTHER OF GOD is on the highest place in the desert of this world. As Scripture says, God was in the midst of the Bush when He spoke to Moses; and the divine Word was in the midst of virginal body. There in the Bush, God made His plans for the deliverance of His people, as is seen when He straightway called to Moses and sent him to Pharao.[2] In the same way, the Saviour set in motion our redemption from His little refuge [in the womb] and, as David says, He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.[3]  According to St Bernard,[4] this means in the immaculate womb of the most holy Virgin. It was God Himself who sanctified this spot, calling it holy ground and forbidding Moses to come not nigh except with all reverence.[5] We shall see later the honour He rendered unto the Holy Virgin and how high He lifted her up to shower her with glory and majesty.

Finally, as St Theodorus remarks, this fire caught hold in a bramble which he calls a lowly shrub. It normally grows close to the ground and, according to the great Naturalist,[6] when in flower it is a great deterrent to serpents, especially to those we call the Horseshoe snake[7] and the Dipsa.[8] The first of these, after biting someone, causes him to lose all his blood because the wound cannot be staunched. The other one sucks out all the body’s fluid causing an indescribable change to its parts. The excellent and rare humility of the MOTHER OF GOD is here seen symbolically in the lowliness of the shrub and in the unrivalled antipathy she has towards the infernal serpent and towards every sort of vice, especially original sin. All this is well symbolised by the two venomous snakes inasmuch as by sin’s poison we are no less paralysed than a person who loses all his blood; and we are changed so as to burn with bestial concupiscence. Among all the pure creatures, the Virgin alone has been spared these pernicious effects.

Footnotes

[1] Exod. iii. 3.

[2] Exod. iii. 10.

[3] Psal. LXXIV. 12.

[4] Serm. 1 Pentec.

[5] Exod. iii. 5.

[6] Plin. I, XXIV, c. 33.

[7] Possibly Hemorrhois hippocrepis (LINNAEUS, 1758)..

[8] See the Medieval Bestiary. https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast275.htm  

The Second Figure : Aaron’s Rod

 4   From Moses, we now move on to his brother Aaron, and from the burning Bush of Moses to Aaron’s Rod, which similarly is a figure of the MOTHER OF GOD. This has been recognised by the above-mentioned Doctors:[1] St Ephrem[2], St Ambrose[3], St Jerome[4], blessed Peter Damian[5], St Bernard[6], and others[7]. The story is recounted in Chapter xvii of the Book of Numbers which tells how God wished to halt the murmurings of the headstrong people. He also wanted to give an authentic testimony that He and no other had chosen Aaron and the tribe of Levi to offer Him sacrifices. Through His servant Moses, He ordered that the following day the Princes of the twelve tribes should each bring their rods, that Moses’ brother Aaron should do the same, that the name of each Prince should be engraved on the rods and that they should be placed in the Tabernacle. This being done, Moses goes to the Tabernacle on the following day, accompanied by the Princes of the people and his brother Aaron. He takes the rods that he had consigned into the hands of God and everyone sees the new buds on Aaron’s rod, which suddenly open in their presence and turn into leaves and flowers, along with fruit. 

That is the story and here is the interpretation given to it by the Holy Fathers. Aaron’s Rod is the MOTHER OF GOD, given this name by the Prophet Isaiah[8] when he said: a Virgin shall come forth, a rod out of the root of Jesse. She bears flowers and fruits which, according to St Ephrem[9] and St Jerome,[10] are none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, the true flower of the field and the fruit of life.

This rod, says the devout St Bernard[11], puts forth buds without being watered and planted in the earth to obtain moisture and goodness; in the same way, the flower of Nazareth was conceived without any sort of corruption or alteration.[12] The rod is filled with sap and is covered in buds, all the others remaining dry, because this rod alone receives grace in the midst of the common desolation and general dysphoria of the world.

 

The Rod is pure white, without bark or knot, says St Ambrose, representing the innocence and chaste integrity of the Holy Virgin; for in her is found neither the knot of original sin nor the bark of actual sin.

He has indeed good reason to compare original sin to a knot. It is through knots that trees put out their branches; just as the first sin brings forth other sins. Again, even if a branch is cut away, it leaves a hard and misshapen area on the trunk where the knot was; similarly, we cannot help feeling the pernicious effects of the sin we are born with, even though washed away in Baptism.

Peter Damien puts it well when he says that the rod of Jesse comes forth from the twisted root of the Patriarchs and Prophets, even though it is tall and straight like a reed but without the knot and offshoot of sin.

St Jerome cries out[13]  that the Church is the blessed earth from which Jesus Christ the King sprang, from the most noble race and the most illustrious stem of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men upright and noble by reason of their integrity and virtue. But much more noble and incomparably more free is the glorious Virgin. She comes forth from this trunk straight as a rod, having no buds about her but only at the crown the pleasing flower of the Canticles.

This rod has no germ or shoot, says St Bernard[14], not letting itself bear flowers. In the same way, Mary remains a virgin, not letting herself conceive. If the beauty of the former is not tarnished by the flower that emerges, then similarly the integrity of the latter is not affected by the fruit of live that she bears.

Footnotes

[1] § 2..

[2] Serm. de Beat. Mariæ laudib.

[3] Loco proxime citando.

[4] In c. 13 Osee.

[5] Serm. de Annuntiat.

[6] Homil. 2 in Missus.

[7] S. Bonavent. in Laude B. Mariæ Virg., etc.

[8] Cap. 11.

[9] Loco cit.

[10] Loco cit.

[11] Loco cit.

[12] Corruption: Il se dit aussi dans le Dogmatique, de l’Alteration qui arrive dans un Corps physique pour la generation & la production d’un autre. Les Philosophes disent que la corruption d’une chose est la generation d’une autre. l’espi ne se forme que par la corruption du grain.

[13] In c. 9 Eccles.

[14] Serm. 2 in Missus.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 2. 1-2

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter, I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 2. On three inanimate figures used to represent the MOTHER OF GOD, namely the burning bush of Moses, Aaron’s rod and Gedeon’s Fleece

 1   I shall cover other figures such as these in later chapters,[1] without counting those occurring from time time in various contexts. For the time being, I have chosen six examples.

First Figure : the burning Bush

The first is the burning Bush of Moses. Scripture says[2] that Moses, after leading his father-in-law’s flock to the inner parts of the desert, looked up and saw a bush on Mt Horeb. The bush was on fire with flames but it was not being burnt and Moses said to himself: I will go and see this great sight.  St Theodotus,[3] Bishop of Ancyra or Angora in Galatia; Chrysippus,[4] Priest of Jerusalem; St Gregory Thaumaturgus,[5] St Gregory of Nyssa,[6] Theodoret, Fr Rupert, St Bonaventure and several other Doctors, without mentioning the writers already cited above,[7] have all seen in this miraculous Bush a sketch or type for the MOTHER OF GOD. 

It is pleasing to read the account by St Gregory of Neocaesarea[8] describing a conversation between God and the Angel Gabriel where the divine Ambassador, having received his Master’s order concerning the good news that he was to announce to the world, expressed with due humility his reservations:

 

But how will it be possible for the Virgin to survive the fire of Divinity? Your Majesty’s Throne is all burning with fire and light; how will she be able to prevent herself from being burned?

God replies to this objection with these few words:

What!  Have you forgotten, Gabriel, the fire of the burning Bush in the desert? Know then that if the Bush had been damaged by that fire, then Mary too would be harmed by my presence. But this very fire, prefiguring the descent of my divine fire on earth, served rather to refresh the Bush rather than to reduce it to ashes. What then can you not expect from my divinity which will be for Mary a refreshing shower rather than a fire that burns and consumes?

This is the heart of the miracle, says St Gregory of Nyssa:[9]

The Bush feeds the fire but without being consumed, and the Virgin gives birth to fire and light but without suffering any harm whatsoever.

 2   The holy Bishop of Ancyra whom I quoted a little earlier was one of those who were so courageous at the Council of Ephesus [A.D. 431] in defending the honour of the MOTHER OF GOD. He writes on the same subject in a similar vein: 

Please tell me which of the two you prize more: the burning Bush of Moses or the sacred womb of Mary? I should like you to know that the former is actually a figure for the latter. What then is meant by saying that, although the flames swept over the Bush, the fire set aside its nature : it gave off light but it did not burn; it cleansed but did no damage? Are you still so slow that you do not grasp the mystery and do not see beneath the appearance of this figure the one who is herself fully Virgin and Mother? If God, dwelling in a Bush, was the cause of so much splendour and glory, preserving it in its entirety, then with what light and purity do you think he would have filled the glorious Virgin? How much effort do you think He would have made to preserve, or even to increase, the honour and integrity of her body and soul?

This holy Doctor is right in his judgement that the flame of the Saviour’s Divinity not only caused no harm but was actually altogether honourable and most beneficial to the Holy Virgin. We shall see this amply demonstrated in the discussions that follow.

Footnotes

[1] Cap. 9 et 15.

[2] Exod. iii..

[3] Homil. de Christi Nativit. ad Synodum Ephesinam.

[4] Serm. de Sanct. Deipara.

[5] Orat. 3 in Anuntiat.

[6] Orat. 1 de Nativit.

[7] Superiore §.

[8] Loco cit.

[9] Orat. de Christi Nativit.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 1. 4-6

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 1. That it pertains to the Greatness and Excellence of the MOTHER OF GOD that she was announced and prefigured a long time before her arrival in the world

 4   St Andrew of Crete and St Germain, Patriarch of Constantinople, give many more examples but cover them in less depth. Here is how St Andrew addresses the Blessed Virgin:

All the Interpreters of the Holy Spirit, i.e., the Prophets, have spoken of thee, Holy Lady! The first fine example is Moses who discovered the miraculous bush and called out, saying: I will go and see this great sight.[1] David was speaking of thee when he addressed the promised Messiah: Arise, O Lord, ... thou and the ark, which thou hast sanctified.[2] He had thee in mind when he said: All the glory of the king's daughter is hidden within; how lovely it is to see her in a rich robe of pure golden borders![3] We encounter thee in each line of the Canticle of Canticles when, for example, the Holy Angels watch in amazement as thou goest up by the desert like the smoke of precious perfume;[4] when the writer speaks of Solomon’s mystical bed, the seat of gold, the pillars of silver, the curtains of purple and the midst covered with charity;[5] when the daughters of Jerusalem are invited to visit King Solomon seated on his throne and wearing the diadem wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the joy of his heart.[6]

The Prophet Isaiah saw thee with eyes of the spirit when he cried out: Listen to the wonder I tell ye: Behold a virgin shall conceive,[7] and there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a beautiful flower shall rise up out of his root.[8] Ezechiel was thinking of thee when he spoke of the East gate as being shut to all except the God of Israel.[9] The holy Prophet Daniel, truly man of desires,[10] called thee the wondrous mountain whence came cut without hands hand the corner stone[11] of the Church, which overturned the statue of  Nabuchodonosor.[12] Thou art the true living book in which was written the divine Word by the pen of the Holy Ghost. Thou are mount Sion, a fruitful and fertile mountain, where the Lord hath made His dwelling. Thou art the land freed from the common curse and from thee was formed the second Adam. Thou art the jar of precious ointment, the oil of perfect joy, the flower that never fadeth, the robe of imperial purple, the throne of God. In a word, what thou art is beyond my ability to explain and beyond the understanding of the noblest minds.

That is how this Doctor speaks.

Footnotes

[1] And Moses said: I will go and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. Exod. iii. 3.

[2] Ps. CXXXI. 8.

[3] All the glory of the king's daughter is within in golden borders; Clothed round about with varieties. Ps. XLIV. 14-15.

[4]Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer? Cant. iii. 6.

[5] King Solomon hath made him a litter of the wood of Libanus:  The pillars thereof he made of silver, the seat of gold, the going up of purple: the midst he covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem. Cant. iii. 9-10.

[6] Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the joy of his heart. Cant. iii. 11.

[7] Isai. Vii. 14.

[8] And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. Isai. xi. 1..

[9] Ez. xliv.

[10] Dan. x. 11.

[11] Matt. xxi. 42.

[12] Dan. ii. 31-34.

 5   St Lawrence Justinian[1] gathers and collects from these Fathers the figures and ancient characters pointing to the MOTHER OF GOD. He calls her:

the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat of the Temple, the Throne of God, the Rod that flowered, the little Cloud like a foot,[2] the enclosed Garden, the sealed Fountain, the closed Gate,[3] the Dove without blemish, the fragrant Rose, the white Carnation,[4] the most delicate flower, the jar of aromatic perfumes, the fair Olive tree,[5] the fruitful Vine,[6] the tall Cyprus tree,[7] the Palm tree laden with fruit,[8] the Turpentine tree with stretched out branches,[9] the field covered with a rich harvest, the blessed Earth, the Dawning of the day,[10] the flaming Torch; he calls her more beautiful than the Moon and brighter than the Sun,[11] purer than refined gold, rarer than precious stones, more gentle than balm, more greatly prized than pearls, sweeter than honey,[12] more delightful than all music and every harmony.

 6   From what has been said so far, we are able to learn that the Holy Virgin is represented in Scripture by two sorts of figures: those that are dead, i.e., having neither soul nor reason, like the ones I have just mentioned; and those that have souls and reason. These are actual persons in whom God has traced various perfections and in whom He has made preliminary sketches of the unique qualities that would be brought together in Mary.  In this way He helps us to understand that in her He has brought together all the beauty, grace and excellence that He had previously scattered here and there. Reason requires us now to say something about these qualities, but because there are so  many, we shall make a selection of the most remarkable.

[1] Libro de Casto connubio Verbi et animæ, c. 9.

[2] 3 Kings xviii. 34.

[3] Ez. xliv.

[4] un œillet, plante utilisée pour soigner les yeux et appelée Oculus Christi au Moyen Âge. Elle est associée au salut donné par le Christ. Le détail. Le langage des fleurs. See also Elecampane (Inula helenium), sprung from Helen’s tears.

[5] Jer. xi. 16.

[6] Ps. CXXVII. 3.

[7] Eccus. xxiv. 17.

[8] Eccus. xxiv. 18. Cant. vii. 8.

[9] Eccus (Sirach) xxiv. 22

[10] Job xxxviii. 12

[11] Canticles (Solomon) vi. 9

[12] Ps. xviii. 11

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 1. 1-3

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 1. That it pertains to the Greatness and Excellence of the MOTHER OF GOD that she was announced and prefigured a long time before her arrival in the world

 1   I say once more that everything excellent needs time, study and testing. Things which do not really matter are produced in a hurry and on the first whim of the craftsman. The earth produces certain flowers that last only for one day, as though in a spirit of playfulness: they germinate, they shoot, they put forth buds and they open in one night. The great trees, on the contrary, that need to withstand wind and frost, proceed very slowly and thrust deep roots into the earth.

Imperfect animals may result from a single, chance encounter between different kinds; but the more perfect they are, the more they need time and application. That which is made as a fleeting fantasy comes from an impetuous spirit; but that which is made for eternity is frequently revised and subject to criticism before it receives a full and favourable reception. I fully understand that God needs neither time nor the use of trial and error, but it is important for our sake that He shows gentleness in governing our unruly spirits; in accommodating Himself to them, that He presents things to us a little bit at a time; that He shows us sketches before the works are completed, using physical matter perceptible to the senses; that He helps us to apprehend things spiritual and invisible. Much of this will depend on the excellence and rarity of things, and on their being promised a long time in advance before their accomplishment. Without God's help, we are so badly constituted that we would regard things unfavourably.

The majesty of the King of glory, says St Jerome[1], required that He be announced and foretold several centuries before His coming. The Prophetic Oracles, with all the authority of the Old Testament, owed Him this respect and this honour.

 2   Are you astonished, asks Sophronius[2], that so many minds apply themselves to making known the Dignities and Splendours of the MOTHER OF GOD? Remember that all the earth can do to honour her is less than the praise she receives in heaven, where no effort is spared in honouring her merits and making them more visible. Divine and angelic voices have been employed to this end, as well as the predictions of the Prophets and the mysterious figures of the Patriarchs. The Evangelists have made her known, blessed Spirits have greeted her, in fact the whole world has been involved.

The Holy Spirit made Predictions of her through the Prophets, says St Ildephonsus[3], revealed her through oracles, made her known through figures, promised her by what preceded her and fulfilled her by what followed. 

        In a Sermon for the Assumption[4], he affirms that all the predictions of the Prophets and the enigmas in scripture have their culmination in her. 

Do not imagine, says St Bernard[5], this Lady is a work resulting from mere chance, or that she was chosen fortuitously. She was chosen from eternity and prepared by God alone; since then, she was kept safe by Angels, pre-figured by the ancient Fathers and promised by the Prophets.

Elsewhere[6], he maintains that:

one of the principal favours God granted to His people was that the Holy Virgin was promised to them a long time before her birth and that her descent was from Him.

St Andrew of Crete[7] agrees with this great servant of the Virgin, calling her the Adornment of the Prophets and the infallible subject of God’s sacred Oracles. In the Revelations of St Bridget[8], the Angel calls Mary the joy and consolation of the Prophets, to whom God very frequently presented her as a desirable object to mitigate the distress and suffering of their spirits when faced with the continual evils menacing the people to whom they were preaching. George, Archbishop of Nicomedia, was a very precise and careful writer who said this about what he had learned of the MOTHER OF GOD[9]:

These three score valiant ones who guard the bed of Solomon[10] are none other than the Patriarchs, the Prophets and the rest of the great personages of antiquity. Through all time, they have their gaze fixed on the Holy Virgin, who is the true nuptial couch of the Word incarnate.

 3   For a third time, St Bernard considers carefully this valiant woman, whom Solomon sought so ardently. He remarks[11] that when this great and wise Prince asked where she might be found[12], he did not speak from despair of ever meeting her, for he had before his eyes. He spoke in this way to make people feel a sense of great expectancy for this Lady, and to make them understand that she must of necessity come from afar and from the uttermost ends of the earth. This means that she would have to be a premeditated work, prepared and expected over a long period of time.

Do you not see, says this great Saint, how Mary comes from afar, since Moses the great Lawgiver of the Hebrews, saw her such a long time before she came into the world? For he saw her in the burning bush[13] which was on fire but not burned to ashes. He understood how it was the duty of this Holy Virgin to be in the midst of the flames of Divinity without suffering offence or injury; and to conceive without burning with concupiscence. Notice nearby his brother Aaron whose rod puts forth buds and then soon after bears leaves, flowers and then fruits, with no preceding corruption. This is a true symbol of Her who, suffering no change to her chastity, bore the unique flower of the field and the true living fruit. Admire Gedeon’s fleece drenched with a miraculous dew and at the same time picture Him of whom David said He would come down with no noise like rain upon the fleece, and as showers falling gently upon the changing earth.[14] Consider the marvellous news which stunned the Prophet Jeremias as he contemplated a woman compassing a man,[15] because of the fulness of wisdom with which he was filled from then on.

This holy Doctor proceeds to cast much more light on these ideas; for my purposes, it is enough to have touched on them since I must shortly discuss the majority of them again.

Footnotes

[1] In c. 29 Isaiæ.

[2] Serm. de Assumpt.

[3] Lib. de Virginitate Mariæ.

[4] Serm. 1..

[5] Serm. 2 in Missus.

[6] Serm. in Signum magnum.

[7] Serm. de Annuntiat.

[8] In Serm. Angel., c. 9.

[9] Orat. de Oblatione Deiparæ in templo.

[10] Cant. iii. 7-8.

[11] Homil. 2 in Missus.

[12] Prov. 31.

[13] Exod. 3.

[14] Ps. LXXI. 6

[15] For the Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth: A WOMAN SHALL COMPASS A MAN. Jerem xxxi. 22.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024