The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 11 : § 1.10-13

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

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

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

Mary is the Miracle of Glory

§ 1. The great privileges of the death of the MOTHER OF GOD

The fifth privilege of her blessed death

 10   But take heart, for here comes the Saviour Himself, whom the learned Bishop of Marseille calls the powerful Magnet from Heaven who will reconcile the discordant groups. This is the fifth privilege of her blessed decease, for which we have the authority of St John Damascene[1], venerable tradition[2], and arguments based solidly on reason.

As soon as this chaste and innocent dove saw Him come to receive her soul into His own hands, her love strengthened her so as to make one last effort and she spoke to Him as follows:

It is into Thy hands, my most venerable Son, that in truth I must surrender my soul; accordingly, please receive it, since through Thy mercy it was preserved from all sin. It is also to Thee and not to the earth that I entrust the token that was my body which Thou didst condescend to make Thy Sanctuary. Take me with Thee, I implore Thee, for I can no longer live without Thee, the fruit of my womb and the only life of my heart. Do Thou take care of these poor orphans and be for them a father and a mother. Strengthen them in the spirit so that they may accept at Thy hand my departure. In consideration of me, do Thou pour floods of blessings upon them and all the new fruits of Thy Church.

When she had said these words, she stretched out her sacred hands and gave her blessing[3] to everyone. Then she turned her face sweetly towards her beloved Son and surrendered to Him the spirit she had received from Him. For those in the nascent Church, this was a blow which made them feel like dying of grief. It was heart-breaking to hear the lamentations of those who thought that with her loss they would lose everything;  for she was their unique relief in the midst of the evils surrounding them, and a consolation in their afflictions. So, on one side there was mourning; and the deep sadness which this death had brought showed in their weeping and in their wailing. Amongst the others, however, there were hymns of joy. The blessed companies of Heaven called out, saying: Come, most holy Lady, to thine abode of eternal happiness, where they have been waiting for thee since the beginning of the world. Come, thou who art the joy of Heaven, for winter is now past, the rain is over and gone, frosts and snow have melted away and the season of bliss and triumph hath come. Come, for thou art all fair and there is no spot in thee; the sweet scent of thy fragrance surpasses all the perfumes of the world.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormitione B. Virg.

[2] Sophron., Serm. de Assumpt. ; Gregor. Turon., lib. II de Gloria mart., c. 4; Ildefons., Serm. 3 de Assumpt. ; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. B. Virg. ; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

[3] Damasc., Orat. 2 de Dormit. Virg.; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. Virg.; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

The sixth privilege of her blessed death

 11   It is with some regret that I leave these rapturous acclamations, but as we are discussing the privileges of the happy death experienced by the most sacred Virgin, we must now move on to the sixth, which is indescribable gentleness of her passing on[1]. Now, there can be no doubt that to die in God and with God is the beginning of a bliss which is unquantifiable. To die with the death of the MOTHER OF GOD, however, is the realization of the highest hopes in all the world. St John Damascene[2], whom I have quoted so many times, adds:

It is entirely in accord with reason that she who conceived without sensual pleasure and who gave birth without labour pains, should experience death in a corresponding manner, putting the seal on all the previous graces she had received from God.

Let us, dear friends, stay for a while this spirit which has just left her body so that we may present her with our prayers and wishes, and offer her the eloquent words of the pious Andrew of Jerusalem[3]:

Do thou depart, therefore in peace, since God hath so ordained it, leaving the earth with a valiant heart to take up thine abode in Heaven. Do thou rise higher than Elias and Enoch into the Kingdom of life, where thou wilt rejoice throughout eternity with the Angels. Feast thine eyes on the beauty of Him whom thou didst bear within thee; take thy fill of the happiness which hath no end; take time to savour the flowing torrents of heavenly delight and press thy sacred lips against the source of life, the Lord God Himself. Take possession of that for which thou didst once wait in hope. Gaze upon that which thou didst believe, and receive that which thou hast merited. Enter into the joy of Paradise where the Father is adored, the Son is glorified and the Holy Spirit praised and honoured. 

And ye Holy Angels, transfer the City of the great King into the Kingdom of happiness, and carry the true ark of the covenant into the Sanctuary of the heavenly Jerusalem; make ye a dwelling in Heaven for the gate of Heaven and do ye set the Mother by the side of her Son.

Footnotes

[1] Ildefons., Serm. 9 de Assumpt. ; Metapbrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. B. Virg. ; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

[2] S. Joann. Damas., loc. cit.

[3] Orat. 2 de Dormitionc S. Mariæ Deiparæ.

The seventh privilege of her blessed death

 12   Let us conclude our discussion of these privileges by considering where Mary is said to have died. According to St John Damascene[1] as well as several serious-minded Doctors[2], it was in Holy Sion, in the noble chamber where the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world was Himself immolated and roasted on the fire of love so as to provide food for His dear children; where He gave the law of love and charity, where He gave an example of incomparable humility, where He met with His own after His Resurrection, where He allowed Himself to be touched by St Thomas to strengthen his faith with His glorious life; in short, it was in the mother Church, the first in the world where the Saviour had Himself taught and sacrificed, where the Holy Ghost had come down on the Teachers and Doctors of the world, where the Holy Apostles had offered so many and so fervent prayers; and where the beloved Disciple had served the Queen of Angels, in accordance with the commission he had received from his master.

 13   It is only right that St John Damascene should close this discussion since he has supplied most of the important points and I am happy to join my voice to his when he says:

Who will grant me the favour of entering this Royal chamber, nobler and more magnificent than all the chambers of the great, so that I may be free to prostrate myself on the floor whereon did walk the Word Incarnate, His most holy Mother and all those greatest in Heaven; so that I might hold in my embrace this holy couch which served the Queen of Angels as a walkway to immortality! If only I might have the good fortune to slip unnoticed in between those mourning and those rejoicing, so as to kiss the feet of my gentle Mother and bathe them with my tears – what blessings I might draw from the living fount of grace! Try to picture someone who might have found himself in that holy gathering, his heart on fire with love for the things of eternity and stripped completely of everything low and mean!

Well, that will have to be enough for now concerning her body, but we shall return later to pay our last respects to this sacred repository. Let us now make ready to follow her blessed soul as she is going to make her entry into Heaven.

Footnotes

[1] ibid.

[2] Andr. Cretens., Orat. 1 de Dormit. B. Virg. ; Beda, Lib. de Locis sanctis, c. 3 ; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. Deiparæ ; Niceph., lib. II Hist., c. 23 ; Nazianz. seu Apollinaris, Tragoed. de Christo patiente, etc.

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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