Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 4 : § 2.1-3

Chapter 4 : Love – a third feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 2. The second sign of love: frequent interactions with her and always remembering her 

 1   Love does not know the meaning of pause and rest since it remains tirelessly on watch and is always fixed on its object. We should not think that hearts are won over any less powerfully by Heavenly and supernatural love than they are by that which is human and sensual – on the contrary, the more noble its origin, the more ardently it pursues the object of its love. This is why those with a fervent love for the Mother of God are keen to put foolish loves behind them. 

 2   The first proof they give of this link between love and memory is always to have on themselves some sign that recalls for them the memory of the Mother of Love. The Indian Brahmans or Gymnosophists[1] used to wear three cords around their neck in memory of the three children of Parabrahma whom they said was the most ancient of their gods[2]. We learn from St John Chrysostom[3], St Augustine[4], Clement of Alexandria[5] and several other writers that the ancients used to wear images of their Gods engraved on rings and earrings, while some wore a necklace with an image hanging over their heart. There are learned interpreters who judge this is what the Holy Spirit calls writing on the tables of the heart[6]. The Epicurean philosophers sought always to have the image of their master before their eyes and accordingly made sure that it was engraved on the goblets they used at table and on their other vessels. Does not the Spouse in the Canticles ask his chaste Bride always to wear his portrait on her heart and on her arm so that he is never far from her thoughts[7]?  Now if the foolish passion of love can make people wear all manner of things and come up with all sorts of novel ideas, will the love felt by Servants of the Virgin be any less resourceful when it comes to wearing their Lady’s favours? This is why, for example, some wear rings engraved with her image whilst others ensure her image is always kept close to their hearts. Others find pleasure in wearing her colour, or at least a girdle or some other emblem. It seems to me, however, that it is a mistake trying to teach such things since it would be easier to find a fire without heat than love without ideas for expressing itself. 

Footnotes

[1] Gymnosophist : one of a sect of  ancient Hindu philosophers of ascetic habits (known to the Greeks through the reports of the companions of Alexander), who wore little or no clothing.

[2] Maffeus, lib. I Hist. Indicæ.

[3] Homil. 35 in Gen.

[4] Quæst. CXII in Gen.

[5] Lib. III Pædag., c. 11.

[6] Prov. iii. 3., vii. 3; 2 Cor. iii. 3.

[7] Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm: Cant. viii. 6.

 3   Another proof of this loving memory is the importance of conversing with the Queen of Heaven, the pleasure derived from such colloquies and the benefits that come from dedicating as much time to them as possible. Our Blessed Stanislaus seized every occasion he could to open his heart to her and he did this with such incredible tenderness as only ever to call her his good Mother –  just like Cardinal Pierre de Luxembourg and several others. Thomas de Cantimpré, suffragan to the Archbishop of Cambrai, was one of the most learned men in his day and here is a story he told in this connection[1]. 

A rich Jew in Cologne, he said, had a little girl five years old called Rachel. She was strongly drawn to the Christian religion and she loved nothing more than hearing people talk about the MOTHER OF GOD. She would take anything she could find in her house and give it to the poor in her name. Her father had an occasion to visit Louvain and he took his daughter with him. Quite unintentionally, he afforded her in this way the means of receiving instruction from a priest of outstanding virtue called Reinier. 

She had not yet reached the age of seven when her father, aware from her behaviour that she felt drawn to become a Christian, promised her hand in marriage to a young man of his own faith and formed a plan with him to send her over the Rhine. Little Rachel, however, was awakened in the morning by the Queen of Angels who had come to explain the situation. Rachel went to see the priest who had been giving her instruction and explained the problem she faced. It was a simple matter for her to obtain holy Baptism and she received the name of Catherine in the Church of the Bernardine Cistercians in Louvain. She also received the habit of this Order and would remain with these Daughters consecrated to the service of God.  

Her father, however, found out what had happened and left no stone unturned in his efforts to obtain her return. He made use of the most powerful men in the city to deal with the Bishop, even writing to Pope Honorius III to ask for her release so that he could have her with him until she had reached the age of twelve. Catherine was firmly opposed to this diabolical plan and actually pleaded her case in person before the bishop of Liège, showing such courage and articulating her reasons so eloquently that those who heard her thought it was the Holy Spirit speaking through her lips, judging that right was most certainly on her side. What is perhaps particularly relevant to the point I am making is that, once judgement was given in her favour, she remained for the rest of her life so grateful to the MOTHER OF GOD for this favour that when the other nuns were occasionally summoned to the parlour for a meeting with their family, she (who had no one in this world to interrupt the course of her devotions in this way), would go instead to prostrate herself before an image of the Virgin, and say to her: 

“Holy Virgin, I prithee turn not aside a poor orphan girl who cometh to thee as to her Queen, her Mother, her aunt, her sister and her cousin; in short, as an orphan girl who hath no relatives apart from thee.”

Whilst uttering these words, gentle tears flowed down her cheeks and, forgetting everything around her, she entered into colloquies with the Virgin beyond the power of words to penetrate. The same Thomas de Cantimpré revealed that he had several conversations with Rachel and learned from her own lips much of what he was later to put down in writing. 

Footnotes

[1] Lib. II Apum, c. 14, part. XIV.

 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 4 : § 1.14-16

Chapter 4 : Love – a third feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 1. The first sign of love: offering oneself to the Holy Virgin through a solemn and irrevocable act of consecration

 14   Here I will cry out in one mind with the Prophet Jeremiah: It is good for a man when from his youth he hath borne the yoke[1] of the MOTHER OF GOD! How blessed is such a one in the happiness he enjoys! With what satisfaction he will withdraw into himself and then raise himself up so as to thank God a hundred times every day for His prevenient blessings and to consecrate every moment of his life to pleasing the Queen of Angels! How highly will he esteem a favour so exceptional and so worthy and so precious as this! How proud he will be to claim this privilege and how he will make use of it to progress still further in the good graces of the Princess of Heaven, to whom he has consecrated his life and service!   

Footnotes

[1] Lam. iii. 27.

 15   There are always certain beautiful souls for whom Heaven has reserved special affection and one of the greatest advantages they might have for making great progress in the favour they receive is to have been presented by the hands of a good person. This was the happiness experienced by St Mechtilde[1] for she received the grace from our Lord Jesus Christ of being presented personally by Him to His Mother.

One day the Saint was reading the passage from the Gospel where the Saviour says to his most holy Mother, speaking of St John: Woman, behold thy son. Mechtilde felt inspired to ask her Spouse if He would offer her to His holy Mother, saying the words: My Mother, behold thy daughter. At that same moment she heard him speaking as follows:

“My dearest Mother, I commend this spouse of mine to thee and charge thee to take exactly the same care of her as you would of me if you were to see me in front of thee covered with wounds and gashes. I invite thee to remember the importance I attached to her when the love I bore for her made me shed all my blood for her salvation. Accordingly, I commend her to thee as my heart’s beloved.”

Could the human mind have ever conceived a recommendation more effective than this or indeed a greater happiness? Although this may indeed be one of the rarest favours that can be hoped for here below, it should not be thought beyond our ability to attain provided we demonstrate the love and devotion of the great Saints.

In fact St Mechtilde gained new confidence from this blessing that she had received and she made so bold as to ask whether He was prepared to grant the same grace to others who might ask for it.  To this the Saviour replied by gently nodding his head and making it clear that when it comes to the sharing of His graces there is no respect of persons.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. V Vitæ ipsius, c. 20.

 16   Come forward, ye beautiful souls, to Jesus; let us come to Jesus if we wish to be received favourably by his Mother. For just as I have shown in Part III of this work that the Mother’s task is to lead souls to her Son, in the same way it may be taken as certain that one of the most agreeable offices the Son discharges in Heaven is to draw souls to a love and devotion for his Mother and to recommend them to her with the warmest feelings in His heart.  

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 4 : § 1.9-13

Chapter 4 : Love – a third feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 1. The first sign of love: offering oneself to the Holy Virgin through a solemn and irrevocable act of consecration

 9   This is the form of consecrating oneself to the holy Virgin as her dependent and servant which is described by the celebrated Cardinal de Bérulle at the end of his book entitled Discourses on the State and Grandeurs of Jesus. These are the types of personal consecrations made today in many holy Confraternities or Congregations and amongst them is the solemn offering made throughout the whole of Christendom by members of those Congregations established in the houses of the Society of Jesus where, in the presence of Heaven and Earth, they choose her for their Queen and Lady, swearing an inviolable oath never to abandon her, never to say or undertake anything contrary to her honour, and never to allow those under their power any words or actions which do not promote her honour. 

 10   For those reading about this who feels a desire to consecrate themselves solemnly to the Holy Virgin but without enrolling in one of these groups, and to spare them the effort of looking for suitable words to use, I have drafted a form of consecration which can be used if none others can be found. My advice would be for people to repeat the consecration every morning as this will represent a continual renewal of the service they have promised to this Princess, but whatever they do they should not allow their good intentions to fall into abeyance. Here are the words: 

Most holy and most immaculate MOTHER OF GOD, safe refuge for all who hope in thee: 

This day, in the presence of the most adorable Trinity, of thy beloved Son our Saviour, of St Gabriel, my Guardian Angel, St Peter, St Paul, St Joachim, St Anne, St John the Baptist, St John the Evangelist, St N. (my Patron St), Sts NN. and the whole of the Heavenly Court,

I N., choose thee to be my most special Mother, Lady and Protectress; from this moment onwards I offer myself to thee as thy servant with a promise to serve thee for the rest of my days as faithfully as I can; and I offer thee in homage all the moments of my life, all the movements of my heart, along with all my plans, words and actions.

Through the merits of thy most beloved Son, I implore thee to receive me into thy personal service, to take my life under thy care and to help keep my soul safe at the hour of my death. 

Amen.  

 11   I should only add here that, among those who consecrate themselves in this way to serving the glorious Virgin, the ones most fortunate and who often advance most highly in her favour are those who are consecrated while young so that they can offer the first fruits of their life to her. Truth to tell, these beautiful, freshly-picked flowers deserve to be offered to the Queen of men and Angels, and it is not surprising that she would make such a fuss of the first ones. As for the other flowers which have faded after passing through so many hands, withering in the midst of the world and the flesh, they may well have lost the sweet fragrance of innocence along with their fresh colouring and springtime beauty but she does not reject them.

If even amongst ourselves, says Saint John Chrysostom[1], we would all prefer a servant who is young, fresh and energetic rather than someone worn out with work and old age; would not Heaven also esteem more highly services provided by the young and innocent rather than by someone too elderly and incapable?

If this were the only reason, it would still be very persuasive since those who enter whilst young into the service of the Queen of Heaven have much more in common with her of whom St John Damascene has written that[2]: 

She was like a slender sapling, transplanted whilst young from her father’s house as though from a nursery of holiness into the orchard of her heavenly Spouse, watered in the Temple of God by special graces from Heaven and the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit. 

This describes how in the Canticles she prays so earnestly to be drawn to her divine Spouse so that she may give encouragement to the young who are burning with desire to follow her. 

Footnotes

[1] Psal. XIV. 1-5, answering: Domine, quis habitabit. What kind of men shall dwell in the heavenly Sion?

[2] Lib. IV de Fide, c. 4.

 12   This is the very thing that convinces me there is nothing more desirable than the happiness of those upon whom Heaven looks with such a favourable eye that they are called to the service of this great Princess right from their cradle, or even from their mother’s womb. You will have noticed a number of examples in Parts I-III but for the moment I shall only make mention of two. 

The first relates to the celebrated Cardinal Baronius, the glory and wonder of the past century, who seems to have experienced special feelings, or at least certain instincts, concerning this devotion even in the womb of his mother, one of the most virtuous ladies of her day.

This woman (according to what was recorded by Henri Spondanus in his eulogy of Cesare Baronius), testified several times that she had felt on numerous occasions her little child moving within her womb whenever she approached some Church dedicated to the glorious Virgin, just as if he wanted to adopt a position of adoration so that he might consecrate himself to her. Shortly after giving birth to him on the last day of October in a year 1538, the good Lady was moved for this reason to offer him to the Queen of Heaven, consecrating him to her for ever. Not long was to pass before she received unmistakable signs of the pleasure given to their loving Mother through the offering which had been made of this little servant. 

Two years later, the child was was struck by a dangerous illness and his family feared that he would die. His mother took him in his cradle to the Church of Our Lady not far from Sora, in Italy, the site of the ancient house of the noble Baronius family. After spending three days in prayer and just when he seemed on the point of passing away, she heard a voice speaking to her clearly: 

“Take heart and rejoice : for thy son is not going to die on this occasion.”

Events would prove the truth of her words for from that point onwards he began to get better and shortly afterwards they could see he had healed completely. Several months later, a pilgrim came to their house and made his way to the cradle of little Cesare. After making a Sign of the Cross on the boy’s forehead, he declared with extraordinary confidence to the mother and the nurse who were present:

“Take care to raise this child well for he is destined for greatness and he will be a luminary of the Church.”

The good lady was greatly consoled by this news and, as she was a great alms-giver, she reached for her purse in order to make him a charitable gift, but at that moment he vanished from their eyes and nobody was able to workout what had become of him. There were strong reasons to believe this was an Angel from Heaven, possibly sent by the Queen of Angels herself to recommend the education suitable for this for this little vassal who was destined one day to be one of her great servants and one of those most successfully employed in furthering the glory of her Son.

 13   The second example relates to St Bernardine of Siena who, whilst preaching one day with great fervour about devotion to the MOTHER OF GOD and her Greatness, declared publicly that he personally belonged to the Holy Virgin and since his infancy He had been obliged to her for hundreds of graces and favours. 

The very first favour that I received through her mediation, he said, was to come into the world on the very day of her Nativity. That same day I was born again of the waters of Holy Baptism. Several years later but still on the same day I took the habit of St Francis;  once a year had gone past, I made my solemn profession on this same day; finally, it was on this day that I celebrated my first Mass.

Were everything else that he did to have counted for nothing, would not this encounter alone suffice for him to be drawn up from the cradle to the Queen of Heaven? 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 4 : § 1.5-8

Chapter 4 : Love – a third feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 1. The first sign of love: offering oneself to the Holy Virgin through a solemn and irrevocable act of consecration

 5   This was undoubtedly the heroic action taken by St Stephen, King of Hungary, 

who before surrendering dominion over all his lands to the MOTHER OF GOD (as was said in the previous chapter) had made himself and his son Emeric vassals[1] of the same Virgin by a solemn conveyance he had made of his freedom accompanied by a promise to renew his offering every year.

I should mention here in passing that this holy King could not fail to have a deep affection towards the Queen of Heaven for he been almost since his mother’s breast a spiritual son of St Adalbert[2], who had himself been offered to the Holy Virgin while still in his cradle.

This great servant of God was later Bishop of Prague and, through an express commission he received from God, he preached the Gospel to the people of Hungary and Poland before finally receiving the glorious crown of martyrdom. Whilst he was a little child, he was struck by a raging fever which greatly alarmed his parents who loved him tenderly. They begged the holy Virgin to preserve his life on the condition that he would dedicate it to her service and be grateful to her for the rest of his days. Once they had completed this prayer, they carried him to the altar of the Virgin and there he was miraculously restored to health. For the rest of his life he always remained the Queen of Heaven’s subject and faithful servant.

 

Footnotes

[1] Vassal : In the feudal system, one holding lands from a superior on conditions of homage and allegiance; a feudatory; a tenant in fee. 

[2] In ejus Vita, 23 Aprilis.

 6   This was a discovery made by Marinus the pious brother of Blessed Peter Damian who writes of him as follows[1] : 

One day before the altar of the Queen of Heaven, he offered himself to her not only as her servant but also as her slave and in order to show this he fixed his belt around his neck and applied the discipline to himself. Finally, so as not to be wanting in his duty towards her, he placed a silver coin on the edge of the Virgin’s altar, promising that he would continue every year to pay her this same tribute.

Footnotes

[1] Opusculo XXXIV, c. 4.

 7   It was perhaps in imitation of the latter that the valiant Walter of Birbeck, a relative of the Duke of Louvain, chose to dedicate himself completely to the service of the most sacred Virgin. He was a truly gallant young knight accomplished in arms we performed wonders at the joust and took part in tournaments and the other pastimes popular with the nobility in those days. His most burning desire, however, was to win the heart of the MOTHER OF GOD and to strive in every way he could to be accepted in her good graces. Even though he left out nothing to achieve this end, one day he made a particular effort to show his love and courage which deserves to be remembered in posterity.  

Walter made use of the services of a priest in order to offer a holy sacrifice and, in order to present himself as a victim to the MOTHER OF GOD, he went into a small Church where he knelt down on both knees before the altar, with a halter around his neck like a criminal. He offered himself as the lowliest of all creatures to the holy Virgin, as a vassal entirely at her mercy and someone whose property would all pass to her by escheat[1]. Before leaving the Church, He wanted to begin payment of his dues something he continued to do for the whole of the rest of his life. 

The pious monk Cæsarius had long conversations with Walter in the Monastery at Himmerod in Germany where Walter had himself joined the Cistercians. He certified[2] that he had learned all this from Walter’s own lips and had himself been a faithful witness of the fine examples of Virtue  Which he bequeathed as memories to all those who had the good fortune to know him.

Footnotes

[1] escheat: in feudal English land law, the return of land held by a tenant to his Lord or Lady.

[2] Lib. VII Mirac.

 8   This is also apparent in the devotion shown by Louis II, Count of Vendôme, and Lord d’Épernon and de Montdoubleau. The wonderful memory is preserved in the Archives of the Church of Notre-Dame de Chartres, whence it was copied by Sébastien Rouillard into chapter five of his Parthenike[1].

This noble Prince had been taken prisoner by the Burgundians and had been held closely confined for the space of nine months. Fearing greatly for his life, he turned to the most sacred Virgin, his dear Mother, swearing his devotion to her from the bottom of his heart and imploring her to come to his rescue. This is what exactly she did on the very day of her Annunciation when the Count was finally restored to complete liberty and the full enjoyment of his possessions. He felt so obliged to his loving Mother that he made his way to Chartres as soon as he possibly could. On the day of the Ascension (which was the first of June in the year 1413), he went after the conclusion of Matins barefoot into the Church of Our Lady carrying a precious candle. He was followed by a stately  procession of one hundred Knights and Squires, each carrying a candle. Once he arrived in front of the image of the Virgin, he knelt down with his retinue and offered his devout prayers to the same Virgin. He then addressed himself to the members of the Chapter gathered in solemn congregation and, in consideration of his debt of gratitude to the his holy Mother, he swore that henceforth he would forever be the devoted servant of the glorious Virgin and of her Church in Chartres. This act of consecration was immediately received and accepted by the Officers of the Chapter, being followed by countless acts of thanksgiving which everyone offered to God and the Holy Virgin, along with several hymns of joy.

Footnotes

[1] Parthenike: from παρθενική “unmarried girl. "Rouillard’s History of the most august Church of Chartres, dedicated by the ancient Druids, in honour of the Virgin who would give birth." 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 4 : § 1.1-4

Chapter 4 : Love – a third feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

Although Love holds third place in the divine virtues according to the order of its genesis, it comes incontrovertibly first in terms of perfection and nobility. It is truly the most worthy form of gratitude that can be shown to the Mother of love. The following signs of love have been distilled from Parts I-III of this work.

§ 1. The first sign of love: offering oneself to the Holy Virgin through a solemn and irrevocable act of consecration

 1   I am placing this sign before the others forasmuch as it contains them all to perfection, giving them a value and merit which cannot be explained in simple terms. I am attaching two conditions by requiring this act of giving must be solemn and irrevocable. 

I am saying that it has to be irrevocable firstly because there is no reason that could be found to make us retract something we have once promised to the Mother of goodness, and secondly because such a retraction could only amount to an infamous sacrilege. The act of consecration must also partake of solemnity and ceremony since it is one of the most honourable and important actions of our lives. This is because not only are we entering ourselves on the list of those formally joining the Queen of Heaven’s own, but also because we are glorifying her in a most excellent manner by signing over to her everything that we as mere creatures can give. It is of course true that I am not so much calling here for human preparations and external ceremony but rather for heavenly conversations and spiritual acts of preparation. I am not saying that spiritual persons or those making the same profession are not to be invited, but I do maintain the main ceremony should centre on a Heavenly procession. Without speaking of the Holy Virgin herself who is central to the solemnity, the most Holy Trinity should be invited to honour the event; along with the Saviour of the world, being more interested than any other person in the glory of His Mother most venerable; the Holy Angels – in particular the Guardian Angel who will serve as Paranymph[1] and Master of Ceremonies; those who belong by right of nature or covenant to the MOTHER OF GOD, her favourite children and those who have distinguished themselves through the outstanding affection they have for her; and the whole of the Heavenly Court. 

Footnotes

[1] Paranymph: a bridesmaid or best man; an advocate: OED 1. & 2. 

 2   The best preparation we can make will involve a review of the whole of our past life followed by a general confession, a precise examination of what it is that prevents us from being pleasing to His divine Majesty, along with fervent acts of Faith, Hope, Charity and other holy virtues. The place for the consecration can only be a Church or Chapel forasmuch as these are the places where God holds His Court and where may be found all that is most noble and divine in Religion. The banquet is the very one prepared by Uncreated Wisdom to nourish and give joy to His children, namely the most holy and most adorable Sacrament of the Altar. The principal action to which everything else properly relates is a solemn protestation made by the devout soul to the sacred Virgin in the presence of earth and Heaven expressing the desire : to be hers by a free and unchangeable act of the will; to belong to her in all things with the rank and position of a most humble servant; to recognise her as his Lady and Sovereign in perpetuity; to abandon himself to all that she might wish and to place himself entirely at her disposal; to offer her every moment of his life, including all the fruits of his faculties both interior and exterior; to offer all he is or can hope to become in the order of nature and grace – meaning everything the soul might possibly offer by way of homage; in short : to beg her to take absolute dominion over him in the best and most secure manner that she knows, and to treat him as something which belongs completely to her (after God Himself). 

I believe this represents the authentic profession as made by St Gregory of Nazianus at a certain point in his writings[1] where he chose the Queen of Heaven for his Lady, for his unique treasure and for his sovereign Mediatrix.

Footnotes

[1] Tragæd. de Christo patiente.

 3   Such was the noble resolution that St Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, had no difficulty in making when in the flower of his youth he offered himself to God and His holy Mother[1] in a remarkably spiritual and loving way. 

He swore to God a vow of perpetual chastity in front of a statue of the Virgin whom he took from that moment as his Spouse and his Queen. As a pledge of his fidelity he placed on the finger of the Virgin’s statue a golden ring on which the words Ave Maria were engraved. It was noted after his death that the same words were engraved on the Episcopal ring worn by the Saint and what subsequently transpired is well worth recounting. 

Whilst different people were looking to take away relics of the Saint, the Sacristan of the Monastery at Soisy-Bouy (where he died), looked with great interest on the Saint’s ring, hoping that it might be left for him to take after the others had left. When he finally approached the Saint’s body and tried to take off the ring he seemed to meet with resistance and, although he used all his strength, he could not manage to remove the ring. With a holy fear that he had done wrong and would be punished, he knelt down in front of the body and spoke in a low voice into the Saint’s ear, humbly begging forgiveness for his temerity and at the same time promising he would ask for permission were he to try and take even one thread from his clothes as a relic. No sooner had he completed this prayer than the ring of itself slipped from the holy Prelate’s finger into the hand of the Sacristan who subsequently told the whole story to the Abbot. This ring later caused several miracles and various sorts of illnesses were healed.

Footnotes

[1] Vitæ ipsius, c. 6.

 4   What happened to a young man (according to the account written by the learned and devout Vincent, Bishop of Beauvais[1]) is worth recalling here because of the link it has to what has just been said concerning St Edmund.  

Two young men were amusing themselves near a Church and one of them mentioned a ring he had received from a girl. Anxious about not losing it or damaging it, he took it off his finger and, looking for somewhere he could keep it safely, he went into the Church and there he set eyes on a high-relief image of Our Lady. She seemed so beautiful in his eyes that he could not help himself but knelt down and swore, in the presence of the Angels surrounding her, that there was no beauty in the whole world comparable to hers, being indeed different from the girl who had given him the ring. He went further and said that if she would agree to accept him as her servant he would from that moment renounce any other love and would devote himself exclusively to her. Having said that, he arose and placed his ring on one of the fingers of the holy Virgin, whom he found more beautiful the more carefully he looked at her. In order to signify her assent to his proposal, the Virgin bent the finger which she had previously held straight. The young man was overwhelmed by joy no less than astonishment and went into the street, calling his companions to be witnesses of what had happened to him. They all went to verify the truth of his story, they all envied what had happened to him, and they all urged him to leave the world in order to serve more effectively the Holy Virgin to whom he had offered his service and devotion.

Several months passed by, however, and the pleasures of this world which held him prisoner in chains of gold and silver tempting him with empty promises slowly extinguished the heavenly flame which the Virgin had kindled in his soul. Finally, carried away by the ardours of youth, he banished the memory of her to whom he had solemnly pledged his word, stooping so low as to be in complete breach of the explicit promise he had given. On his wedding night the Holy Virgin appeared to him and asked him what had become of the fidelity he had sworn to her and what could have moved him to abandon her in order to take someone else. She then spoke a second time warning him worse would befall him if he did not keep his promise. Finally, she succeeded in penetrating his heart to such an extent that he fled like a second Saint Alexius and, having secured his liberty, he employed the rest of his days in the service of the Virgin of Virgins.

Footnotes

[1] Vincent. Bellovac., Speculi Exempl., lib. VII, c. 87.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 3 : § 3.1-2

Chapter 3 : Trust in the Mother of God – a second feature of the gratitude we owe

[Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Holy Mother of God (1643 French edition)]

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 3. The second sign of trust : relying upon her in all things to free us from anxieties or hasty actions

 1   In the sixth chapter of his Gospel, St Mark writes[1] how the Disciples were afraid as stormy winds and waves buffeted their boat on Lake Tiberias. Jesus had spent the night in prayer on a neighbouring mountain and He came to their rescue, walking over the waters; but having drawn near, He would have passed by them, allowing them to perish. The sacred text suggests the reason was that they thought this was an apparition, even though He had often helped them previously in their necessities and they should not have failed to recognise Him. Unless I am mistaken, I feel confident in saying that one of the main reasons why God, the glorious Virgin and other saints very often pass by us when we are in some need, not responding to our prayers, is because we see them as apparitions separated from us by an infinite distance and we do not esteem their affection in the way we should. Thus we approach them, for instance, because we feel like others that it is the proper thing to do, or we feel in our hearts somewhat intimidated by their greatness and we think that everything said about their limitless kindness is not really for us but only for Saints and for certain privileged souls who are elevated far above the ordinary.  

Footnotes

[1] about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh to them walking upon the sea, and he would have passed by them.  But they seeing him walking upon the sea, thought it was an apparition, and they cried out. For they all saw him, and were troubled. Mark vi. 48-50.

 2   St Bernard included discussion about trust in one of the sermons he composed on the seven loaves which Our Lord miraculously multiplied. It takes a different tack and I was so struck by it I have decided to include it here to help people in how they put their trust into practice. 

There are three things, he says, which give such strength and fortitude to my heart that neither my utter lack of merit, nor an understanding of my baseness, nor my esteem for that which I hope to attain are capable of shaking me or causing me to fall from the high point of hope and trust which I have attained. These three things are: charity, granted to me so that I might partake in the grace of adoration; divine promises which are utterly true and reliable; and the power of the one making them to fulfil them in due time. In my opinion, this is the triple rock on which is founded the trust of the children of the Mother of love – a trust giving them a peace of mind and heart which cannot be troubled by any fear or anxiety. The first then is the wondrous charity which moved her to number them amongst her most dear children and it was this charity rather than any of their own merits or any of the services they might have performed for her. The second is the irrevocable promise she made never to abandon them but to see everything through to a successful conclusion. The third is the power she has of bringing her plans to completion, a power which can neither be frustrated or delayed by any outside force.

 

Yet a thought occurs to me challenging me to consider my nothingness and asking me on what personal merits I base my trust and confidence. My bold response to this would be that I base my trust not on my own good works nor on past services rendered but only on the innate goodness, the faithfulness and the power of her is beyond compare (God alone accepted). I would go on to say that I have not placed my hopes in the moving sands of merely human claims, neither does my strength come from mortal flesh, but my trust is built on a bedrock of reliability which cannot fail, on goodness which cannot fade, on truth which cannot deceive and on strength which cannot be defeated. 

Apart from this, let no one speak to me of distrust or presumption, for I do not even want to hear these words lest they wound the loving heart of her who deigns to take care of me and my journey through life. It is more than enough for me to know that she is the best Mother in the world and that I have the honour of belonging to her through the special choice she made of me. I should not presume to interfere, seeking to take charge myself or to worry about what she has planned for me. From the present moment, I foreswear every sort of anxious worry; I do not want my heart to be like those who willingly entertain such thoughts since to doubt her power would be criminal and to distrust her goodness or her faithfulness would be to make oneself forever unworthy of all her favours. There may be those who take a contrary view, but I am in no doubt at all that what I have described is the state of a soul worthy of the special protection of the MOTHER OF GOD. I wonder if there is any sort of gratitude which she appreciates more than the feeling of someone who lives his life like a child at his mother’s breast, trusting that he is at no risk from any harm whatsoever. If amongst us such trust as this cannot be esteemed as highly as it deserves; and if someone receiving such trust from another person would feel infinitely obliged not only because of the esteem being shown towards him by the person who is trusting in him with his whole heart and soul, but also by reason of the pleasure experienced in having a heart so completely devoted to us – then can we not see how our Mother’s tender heart would be no less affected by the trust of someone who has chosen to depend utterly and totally upon her (after God Himself)? 

Most holy and loving Mother, those who do not know who thou art might perhaps be forgiven for showing restraint and discretion in their dealings with thee; but as for those who do know thee, I could never forgive them for holding back their trust in thee unless it were shown that the belief they have in thy goodness and thy fidelity was based on a mistake or deception – which is altogether impossible. Accordingly, let them cast aside any fear they might have of entrusting themselves totally to thee; and let them be in no doubt that, the less they rely upon themselves and their own wisdom, then the more assuredly will they benefit from the plenitude of holy peace and every kind of spiritual progress.

 

 [End of Chapter 3]

© Peter Bloor 2025

👑   👑   👑

The Virgin of Tenderness. >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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.