Chapter 12 : The Eleventh 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).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world
§ 7. How she was recognised and honoured in the Regular Orders
The Order of St Francis
12 St Francis follows on closely after St Dominic, no less in his devotion to the MOTHER OF GOD than in the foundation of his Order. St Bonaventure writes that Francis, next to Our Lord, placed his main trust in her, choosing her as special Advocate for himself and for all his Friars, instituting for this reason a fast from the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul to the Assumption[1]. His love for the Holy Virgin prompted him to repair and restore the Portiuncula Church, known as Our Lady of the Angels, because it was falling into ruin. This was the dwelling place chosen by the humble servant of God and His Holy Mother, a place he loved above all others in the world, as I have explained earlier[2].
I should not omit to mention what St Bonaventure said about this[3]: a devout Religious of this Holy Order had a vision before his entry of a group of blind people kneeling in front of this Church, their faces and hands raised towards Heaven and with tears and sobs calling out for mercy; they received their sight when a celestial light bathed all those present in radiance. This was a sign foretelling the Order that St Francis was to institute in that same place and the grace of a religious vocation, the first rays of which would lead a number of people to open their eyes and consecrate themselves to His Divine Majesty. As the Order had been in a sense conceived in the womb of the MOTHER OF GOD, it always retained a great tenderness towards her and showed in hundreds of ways its zeal for her honour, especially for defending the privilege of her Immaculate Conception. There will be opportunities later in the pages of this work to present some of the signs of the Holy Virgin’s favour towards the children of this Order, as well as evidence of the extraordinary devotion they have shown in her service. For now, let me share a few words of the remarkable vision granted in the year 1230 to Blessed Leo, one of the first companions of St Francis.
He seemed to see a sizeable plain with two ladders stretching from earth up to Heaven: one was red in colour and the Saviour was leaning on it; the other one was white and at the top was the glorious Virgin. The plain was covered with Religious of his Order and Saint Francis was busy at the foot of the ladders, getting them to climb up to Heaven. He had already managed to get a goodly number onto the red ladder when disaster suddenly struck, causing him great affliction. They all started to fall backwards, some from the highest rungs, others from the middle, and some from the lowest rungs. The Saint did not know what to think about this catastrophic accident but while he was reflecting upon it, he cast his glance upwards and saw the Mother of Mercy who told him that they should have the courage to come to her and she would be sure to take care of his Friars. Saint Francis instructed them to do just that and they all hurried over to the white ladder. They started to climb up and were received most favourably by our bountiful Mother who presented them to Our Lord who, out of consideration for His Mother, gave them a very warm welcome. Saint Francis understood very well the meaning of this vision : that he should encourage his Friars in greater devotion towards the Holy Virgin, their dear Advocate and Mediatrix.
I will speak in the last Part of this work about the Crown of the glorious Virgin (which is a discovery made by the children of Saint Francis) and the fruits produced in the Church of God.
Footnotes
[1] Ab Innocentio III approbatur, an. 1216 ; Bzovius, in Supplemento Annal. Baron., eo anno Vitæ S. Francisci, c. 9.
[2] § 5.
[3] Vitæ S. Francisci, c. 2.
The Order of the Hermits of St Augustine
13 At about the same time, the Order of the Hermits of Saint Augustine[1] received approval, although there are some who say that that it is older. The Blessed founder of the order was a man known as John the Good[2], named after his father who was called John and his mother whose surname was Good. He restored the discipline of living as a hermit, or more accurately, he instituted the life in common which the Hermits of Saint Augustine have led since his day. Previously, the members had lived scattered here and there, living in solitude. We would be wrong to think that the Holy Virgin did not recognise in their calling the faithful services rendered to her by the great, Patriarch Saint Augustine, and that they for their part, in imitation of such a remarkable servant of the MOTHER OF GOD, were not wholly dedicated to honour her and to serve her. I have not, however discovered any memoirs or histories of the Order and so I am unable to give any particulars.
Footnotes
[1] Genebr., in Chronol. Philippus Bergomens. in Supplemento, lib. XII, ad an. 1199.
[2] Chronicum Ordinis Eremit. S. Aug. ; Beigomens, loc. cit. ; Jordanus de Saxonia, lib. I de Vita fratrum.
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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.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2024
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