Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 4 : § 5.17-20

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

 17   O God of love! What words can we find to describe the feelings of the Saints when it comes to this and the various ways in which Jesus strengthened their love so as to make them sharers in His Cross and His sufferings?

Blessed Teresa of Jesus had such a great thirst for these that her everyday motto was: to suffer or to die. 

Alphonsus Rodríguez was a Brother in the Society of Jesus and the following words were always on his lips: Most sweet Jesus and Mary: allow me to suffer for you and to die for love of you;  may I give all of myself to you and keep nothing for myself. 

Her most Serene Highness Philippa of Guelders (whom I mentioned earlier) was so sensitive in this regard that on hearing the least word spoken about the Cross, the spear, the thorns or the Passion of her dear Jesus, she would be overcome with sighs and burst into tears; these would be accompanied by such violent palpitations of the heart that people would run to help this faithful follower of the Cross as she languished and swooned with love. Her languor and suffering increased noticeably in the last seven years of her life. Her travails would start on Thursday evening and last until Saturday morning. Apart from this, she would experience such unusual pains, piercing sensations and emotional turbulence that she was forced to spend the whole of Friday lying on a bed, with her eyes fixed on a Crucifix. During this time, the powerful hand of her Master gradually honed her so that she might become like unto Him. 

On countless occasions, Blessed Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi experienced in both her body and in her soul the terrible torments that the Saviour of the world, her dear Spouse, had endured on the Cross. There was one time she experienced an ecstasy lasting twenty-six hours when she followed in the footsteps of her Lord, having the same feelings as if she had been with Him during His agony in the garden, had been seized and bound by the Jews, dragged through the streets, taken before Pilate, scourged at the pillar, shown to the people, condemned to death and forced to carry the Cross to Calvary. Stretching out one hand and then the other as though she had actually been nailed to the Cross, she was then miraculously raised to her feet without bending her knees or otherwise changing her posture before finding herself with her back against the wall as though she had been crucified. There she remained for a long time, uttering all the words that Jesus did on the Cross. Finally, just as though her soul had  separated from her body which now became unable to remain in this position, she bowed her head and fell towards the ground. She would have suffered injury if the other Sisters had not suddenly rushed forward to help her and received her into their arms.  

 18   How many times did St Lidwina accompany the Saviour on the Way of the Cross from the Garden of Olives to Calvary, returning with bruises on her swollen feet, gashes in her legs, split and bleeding lips, dislocated limbs, covered in thorns, thistles and spines – showing that her experience was not an imaginary one but involved a real participation in the torments and suffering of the Spouse who was so dear to her heart?

Did not St Catherine of Genoa spend thirty-six years of her life in continual suffering? What part of the martyrdom undergone by her dear Spouse did she not share, including His effusion of blood – for she too shed a quantity of blood before her death; the rest had been consumed by an interior fire blazing incessantly within her which burned so ardently that she could make water boil by simply dipping her hand in it.

 19   It may readily be thought that by highlighting the above individuals I may have been unfair in certain ways to others – granted that all Saints have had the honour, some to a greater and some to a lesser degree, of bearing the marks of their crucified Master. Accordingly, let us conclude these examples with a consideration that will put us back on track and lead us once more to the Virgin whom we left only for a short while in order to focus upon her Son and His Passion : namely, that the Mother of love is like the Mistress of a household dispensing favours similar to those we have been discussing. Through these, she shows her tender love for her dear children and those who would claim such favours must, after God himself, have their principal recourse in her.

Such has always been the mind of Holy Church which addresses the following prayer to her. 

Sweet source of love and clemency,

Pray listen to my heartfelt cries:

May all my sorrow, all my sighs

To thine own grief united be.

 

Pray make my soul a furnace-fire

So when thy work is meetly done 

Thy dear and well-beloved Son

May cherish it and much admire.

Sweet Virgin grant this my request:

Within my heart do thou engrave

Those marks whereby Our Lord did save

Mankind from sin through His conquest.

O Virgin since my wicked crime

Delivered Jesus to the gibbet,

Do not mine eyes’ their tears inhibit

Since they would mourn till end of time.

Dear Saviour how I envy Thee, 

Derided and Thy strength deplete!

With gall may I be now replete

Until life’s end doth summon me.

This Cross of wood my heart o’erpowers 

And like a tree with glorious roots  

It sendeth forth triumphant shoots  

Whose thorns for me are fragrant flowers.

Oh mirror innocent and pure,

From baseness turn thy breast away;

Allow my dreams to have their day

So I thy suff’ring might endure. 

The nails to glory I’ve assigned,

The reed sweet thoughts within me urges; 

Whilst all the cruelty of the scourges 

Is colloquy within my mind.

Permitting thus my heart’s distress, 

Wilt thou this favour then decree –  

Through love of Jesus I may see 

Me drowned in sadness shared with thee?

 20   It is not, however, merely the sufferings of her beloved Son that she has the power to allocate to whomsoever she chooses, but also the love of Jesus in all its extent which she shares with the same Jesus and her dear children according to the order given her by God, the desire she notices within them, and the good services they perform. In this connection, here is a very humble prayer with which their faithful servant St Anselm concludes one of his devout orisons:

Sweet Jesus and Sweet Mother of Jesus, since it is reasonable that we should love all that you love, grant us love for the Father of our life who is worthy of all love. Oh Thou Lord who art faithful and true in thy love for men, will it be said that Thou hast loved us unto death and that thou canst yet refuse Thy love and that of Thy dear Mother to those who ask each of Thee from the bottom of their hearts and with their most tender affection? Dear Mother of this Divine Lover, whom thou didst merit to bear within thy sacred womb and to nourish at thy virginal breasts, wouldst thou really be able to refuse us thy love and that of thy most adorable Son, which we ask of thee with our hands joined in prayer, appealing to the gentleness of thy maternal heart? How I pray that my mind may honour you as you deserve! How I pray that my heart may love you as is fitting! How I pray that my soul may cherish you to the utmost of my ability – so that all which is in me, and all I am myself, may sing forever: May the Son and the Mother be praised for ever and ever! 

© 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 : § 5.15-16

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

 15   What happened one day to St Peter of Verona (commonly known as St Peter the Martyr), deserves to be mentioned here.

This great servant of God was in the Convent of St John the Baptist near Rome and was in an elevated state of contemplation. This resulted in a visit from St Agnes, St Catherine and St Cecilia who spoke with him about heavenly things for such a long time and so audibly as to draw the attention of a Religious who was passing by. He assumed Peter was talking with ordinary women and was so scandalised that he later accused the Saint in a plenary meeting of their Chapter, providing all the details of what he thought had been happening. Peter was at first surprised by this delation and for some time was uncertain what to do, whether to remain silent or to prove his innocence of the charge which had been made more through lack of prudence than through malice. On the one hand, he felt he was under an obligation to prevent the scandal  which might be occasioned to weak minds by this conversation he was alleged to have had with the women. On the other hand, he saw that it would not be possible for him to defend himself without revealing the extraordinary favours that he had received from God and which he judged were not yet to be made publicly known. Saints have their own way of doing things and follow paths unknown to the wisdom of the world. The Prior, aware of the great virtue of the accused man, was nevertheless unable to deny the solid evidence for the charge and the tacit confession of the accused himself. He judged the incident to have arisen from ill-considered naivety which nevertheless deserved some punishment. Accordingly, he did not impose a severe sentence but nevertheless gave him an exemplary punishment by sending him to their Convent in the March of Ancona. There he was to be placed in a cell and forced to give satisfaction for the bad example he had given.

Peter spent some time there with great courage and in marvellous spirits, considering the honour he was receiving from his Master whose Cross He had been given an opportunity to share. As time went on, however, the daily inconveniences he suffered and the increasingly harsh reproaches he received every day started to shake his constancy, producing a weariness within him and even a revulsion at his condition. Accordingly, one day while he was on his knees before the Crucifix, his eyes bathed with tears and his heart aching with sadness, he gave way to his feelings and began to complain to his adorable Saviour, remonstrating that He knew he was innocent and that the time had now come to show this; that the favours he had received from His goodness should not work to his prejudice in this manner, and finally that the bad reputation he now had was contrary to any idea of serving His Majesty. Then he heard the Saviour speaking to him from the Cross:

“And what about me, Peter...what have I done to be nailed to this Cross? Learn from my example to suffer injuries and insults since what thou art enduring is nothing compared to what I have suffered for thee.”

At first, these words troubled the servant of God but eventually they filled him with such a spirit of calm and a willingness to suffer that no amount of insults and mockery were then too much for him. For the love of Jesus and following His example, he so treasured the contempt he endured that he would have not have swapped it for the greatest happiness of Kings, nor even for the keenest satisfactions of the Saints.

Loving Jesus with strength

 16   While I have been delving into our discussion about imitating Jesus, I have not noticed that we have been touching on that love which is strong and courageous, ranked third by St Bernard and higher the others. In the end, great sufferings are like the final carats of love purified and refined in the furnace of patience – and patience hath a perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing, in the words of the Apostle St James[1]. The chaste Spouse does not esteem her ability to love[2] if she does not attain the perfection of this love, which is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are fire and flames. Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it. This is the Master’s trait which God hath presented to all his best friends, as the masterwork of their fidelity ; it is the trial through which all the Saints have wanted to pass, as through a uniquely testing way of tempering pure love. It is what made them resolve to unite themselves eternally with the Cross, to take on all manner of labours in a close embrace, and to feel they had not repaid love unless with pain for pain, blood for blood and life for life.

St Catherine of Sienna administered the discipline to herself using an iron chain three times daily , each time taking an hour and a half. She did this so vigorously that it caused blood to flow and she said it was to repay Him who had shed all His blood for her. 

 As the executioners were ripping the flesh of St Eulalia  with iron hooks, she urged them on, saying: 

 “Be vigorous and spare me not! What you are doing is the only way of carving deeply into my heart the love and sufferings of the most adorable Jesus.”

This is what she said and it was true, since the pious Gerson observed most aptly in this connection that: 

No one feels more keenly in his heart the love and passion of the Saviour of the world than someone whom He has honoured by making him undergo something similar for the love of Him. 

This is the approach found in what St Paul wrote to the Macedonian Churches when he did not ask them to preach fine sermons, or to think delicate thoughts about their Crucified Master's suffering, but rather to feel keenly within themselves what He had suffered for their sake.  

Footnotes

[1] James i. 3-4. 

[2] Cant. viii. 6-7.

© 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 : § 5.13-14

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

Loving Jesus with wisdom

 13   Love which is prudent and wise is known principally by two things, firstly, a great eagerness and a holy desire to know and to learn all that pertains to the life, the mysteries and the perfections of Jesus: and secondly, a real and heartfelt imitation of His excellent virtues. This same Jesus who understood better than anyone else the nature of this love, said one day to His Apostles[1] that eternal life, meaning the happiness that we can hope for in that life, consists in the knowledge we have of God and of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ whom He sent down to earth. The great St Paul regarded this study as so important that he wrote to the Corinthians[2] telling them he judged not himself to know anything among them, but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified ; and to the Philippians[3] that I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ. In the letter he wrote to the Ephesians[4], we can picture him on his knees with his hands joined in prayer to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, asking that they may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth: To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that they may be filled unto all the fulness of God. It is indeed true that this knowledge so esteemed by St Paul and other Saints does not consist of speculative enlightenment but rather in affective and practical knowledge leading us to perfect imitation of Jesus. Right at the beginning of the Canticles[5], the chaste Spouse follows the promptings of the love which has taken possession of her and has found nothing better to ask of her Beloved than the kiss of His mouth. Soon, however, she realises that it is possible she is being too self-indulgent in seeking her own satisfaction. Accordingly, she changes her approach and tells Him that in return for these caresses that she receives He can do whatever seems good to Him. She asks, however, one thing absolutely of him –  that He take effective measures to draw her after Him so that she can bring with her the young maidens who have been following her.

Footnotes

[1] Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John xvii. 3.

[2] For I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1 Cor. ii. 2.

[3] Phil. iii. 8.

[4] Eph. iii. 18-19.

[5] Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine, Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee. Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. Cant. i.1-3.

 14   It is said that those who wish to fill a dovecote have only to start with one, well-scented bird and give her freedom to roam because others will readily be attracted by her odour and will follow her back to the dovecote. This is what the Eternal Father discovered when He wished to repopulate Heaven after the departure of the fallen Angels. He anointed His beloved Son Jesus with the unction of Divinity and made Him fragrant with all the virtues of Paradise. This made all the chaste and innocent doves follow Him and, being separated from the rapacious crows, they were to fill the places that sinful pride had emptied. In point of fact, if you think about the most powerful consideration throughout time in the minds of those desirous of pleasing God, you will find it has been the example set by Jesus, their Father and their Saviour, who says to them through the Prophet Jeremiah[1]: Thou shalt call me father and shalt not cease to walk after me. Nothing has been impossible for them since they carefully fixed their eyes on this and wisely weighed the words of St Paul[2] who told them the most certain sign of their predestination is the resemblance they have to the model of all the elect, who is none other than the same Jesus Christ. Be that as it may, have they sometimes found themselves tired and worn out on the path of virtue? If so then with St Paul[3] they will have cast their eyes on Jesus whom he calls the author and finisher of faith, who . . . endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God, and he invites them to think diligently upon him that endured such opposition.  Have they ever thought of choosing a life of abstinence? They will find no more powerful motives than the hunger, the thirst and the sufferings endured by Jesus. 

One day at Easter, the Abbot Pachomius had received the Abbot Palemon who had come on a visit. To share in the rejoicings of this great day, he had poured a little oil and salt on the herbs he had prepared but the pious Palemon began to shed tears and called out: 

“But what is this! Shall it be said that I shall satisfy my appetite in this way seeing before my eyes the Saviour of the world given gall and vinegar to drink?”

Have they bravely embraced humility and a contempt for themselves in all things? The unparalleled humility of the Saviour will have obliged them in a sense to do this. 

Blessed Francis Borgia, true mirror of Christian humanity, had such a low view of himself that he could find no place which befitted his state, except at the feet of the traitor Judas. But as soon as he had set eyes on his Master and Saviour on Maundy Thursday, he felt so plunged in shame that he thought that hell alone would be a worthy retreat for him.

Do they feel they should patiently ensure the injuries and abuses suffered at the hands of others? Nothing will have served as a better example of this than when Jesus was despiséd and felt an insatiable desire to suffer insults and scorn. 

St Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, found himself in Genoa at the beginning of his conversion when war had broken out between the French and the Spanish. He was taken prisoner by some Spanish soldiers, flogged, put in prisoner's rags and led before their Captain. He asked Ignatius several questions but without obtaining any replies except when he was asked if he was a spy, to which Ignatius answered that he certainly was not. In the end, he ordered him to be taken away and sharply rebuked his soldiers for having brought before him someone who he said, was disturbed in his mind. They were so enraged by this that they started to shout at him and beat him with their fists and rods, eventually leaving him for dead. In the midst of this terrible treatment, Ignatius consoled himself by considering the honour that God had paid him in allowing him to resemble His beloved Son who had been led shamefully before Herod and abused before being dismissed as a fool and led back as a criminal by this cruel tyrant’s soldiers. 

Footnotes

[1] Jerem. iii. 19.

[2] For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son; that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. And whom he predestinated, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified.  Rom. viii. 29-30.

[3] Hebr. xii. 2-3.

© 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 : § 5.11-12

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

 11   Blessed Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, a Carmelite nun in Florence, had a different perspective and she was consumed by a different kind of fire. Occasionally she could be heard crying out, her eyes fixed upon the heavens: 

“Oh Love! Oh Love! Oh God of Love! The Love Thou hast for Thy creatures is too great! Not, dear Jesus, that it is too much for Thy greatness , but it is too great for such a base and abject creature.”

Then she would run through the Convent with a crucifix in her hand calling out the following words which aroused incredible fervour in the other sisters: 

“Oh Love! Oh Love! Oh Love! Never shall I cease to call thee Love, our hope and our all.”

Turning towards her sisters, she would ask:

“What! Did ye not know, my dear Sisters, that our Jesus is nothing but Love?”

She would then call upon her Beloved, speaking to Him as follows : 

“Grant unto me, O Lord, a voice so strong and powerful that when I call Thee Love, it may be heard from the east to the west, and in all corners of the world even as far as the gates of hell, making it possible for Thee to be known and loved as true Love, and receive thanks for the same.”

It would be difficult to describe here the tenderness she showed towards the crucifix, taking the Saviour in her hands, kissing Him, Holding Him tightly against her bosom, wiping away His sweat and His blood with her veil or handkerchief – and doing all this in such a miraculous manner that later these cloths were found moistened and stained as though she had really performed this service to Jesus Christ dying on the Cross. She was so affected by the ardour of her love that frequently even in the depths of winter she was forced to undo her habit and pour very cold water on herself, her face and her hands, drinking long draughts to cool down in some measure the flames of divine love that were consuming her. One day on the feast of the Invention (Finding) of the Holy Cross, she was heard to call out: 

“Oh Love! How little thou art known and loved; if thou hast not where to lay thy head[1], come, oh divine love! Just come to me and I shall be Thy dwelling. Oh soul! Why lovest thou not Love? Alas and alack! Love maketh me to die while living and to live while dying.”

Sometimes she would run through the garden and the cloisters looking for souls who knew and loved Love. When she encountered a Sister, she would take her by the hand and say to her: 

“Oh soul! Dost thou love Love as much as thou lovest thine own life? What! Dost thou not feel thyself swooning and dying of love?”

This has been an impromptu digression and there is not space here to provide similar details which could be found in the lives of St Catherine of Siena, St Bridget, St Gertrude, Saint Hildegard, St Mechtilde, St Lutgarde, St Mary of Oignies and many others. 

Footnotes

[1] Matt. viii. 20 & Luke ix. 58.

 12   There have been some people who, in order to keep the memory of Love and the Beloved continually fresh, have had certain marks imprinted on themselves whilst others have received these from Heaven, as though they were displaying liveries and favours of Love eternal.

Henry Suso was a devout Dominican friar who had the sacred name of Jesus engraved on his chest over the heart.

The author of Paris Antiquities writes that the Holy Name was found cauterised on the chest of a young woman from that city named Eustochium after her death.

The pious and learned Louis of Granada relates how in a city of Italy called Costello, during the opening of the tomb of a young woman of outstanding virtue called Catherine, there was found engraved on her chest a large pearl which contained the mystery of the Nativity and also the figure of the girl herself kneeling in front of the manger and adoring the infant Jesus.

Who has not heard tell of the instruments of the Passion which were seen over the heart of St Clare of Montefalco in Italy when her tomb was opened?

On the eve of the Annunciation in the year 1585, Blessed Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi (whom I mentioned above) was absorbed in meditation on the mystery of the Incarnation when the divine Word became flesh in the womb of the glorious Virgin. During her meditation, St Augustine wrote over her heart The Word in letters of gold followed by the words: was made flesh, in letters of blood. 

I shall not mention Saint Francis, Saint Catherine of Sienna nor several other Saints whose stories are very well known in this connection. I shall only add, in order to close this discussion with the words of St Bernard[1], that: 

One of the main reasons God makes a gift of this tender and sensitive love to devout souls is to drive out one love by another love – so as to banish from their hearts any feelings of sensual and profane love. 

In his opinion, it is: 

the reason why He clothed himself in our flesh – so that those who did not yet have a love sufficiently purified to love in the spirit alone might be drawn in pure love by someone whose flesh was entirely holy and Divine.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 20 in Cant.

© 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 : § 5.9-10

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

Loving Jesus with tenderness

 9   Here then, according to the judgement of this great servant of Jesus and Mary, are the signs of loving with tenderness. St Bernard continues as follows:

A person who loves Jesus in the first way feels his heart grow tender as soon as anyone speaks of his Beloved. There is nothing he would more willingly hear spoken of, nothing he would read about with greater affection and nothing more to his taste in meditation. The memory of Jesus is for such a person like an unending banquet where the fatted calf is killed and where the finest fare in the world is made available. He simply cannot bring himself to lose sight of this Word incarnate who is always present in his memory: whether at His Nativity, or cradled in the arms of His Mother, or preaching, or dying, or rising from the dead, or ascending into Heaven, or in other recollections which fulfil his heart’s yearnings.

It seems to me, however, that this writer represents these signs more effectively by actions than by words and in himself rather than in others. This is what he does in the 43rd sermon on the Canticles where he provides a commentary on the tender feelings of the chaste Spouse who sees that her Beloved will always abide between her breasts like a bundle of myrrh[1]. He makes an indissoluble pact with the cross and with the nails, with the lance and with the other instruments of the Passion of Jesus his Master. The Passion becomes for him a bouquet, a favour and all his recreation[2]. This is why this Saint is frequently portrayed holding the instruments of the Passion tight against his chest. 

In his letter to the Ephesians, the great Martyr and Patriarch of Antioch St Ignatius explained the disposition his own heart towards the Saviour.

I would not want you so much as to breathe without remembering Jesus. I am happy for all the world to know that He is my unique hope, my glory and all my wealth ; and that it is for love of Him that I am taken to Rome laden with these chains since they are for me pearls from the Orient or diamonds of great price. 

It seems beyond question that Ignatius inherited this love from St Paul, his esteemed teacher, who had no other Academy than Jerusalem, no other school than Calvary, no other teacher than the Crucifix, no other ambo than the Cross, no other quills than the nails, no other characters than the wounds and lesions of his Saviour, no other book than His side opened with a spear – as may be seen at hundreds of places in his Epistles.

 

Footnotes

[1] A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts. Cant. i. 12.

[2] Mental or spiritual comfort or consolation; OED 2.b. ?a1425–1785

 10   This feeling is so frequently found amongst well-constituted spirits that we could with good reason call it a common practice of the Saints.  

The glorious St Francis was carried away each and every time he meditated on the mysteries of the life of his Master, especially those of His nativity and His death. With exceptional tenderness, he called Jesus the child of Bethlehem. In his life of Francis, St Bonaventure recounts how he once obtained permission from the Holy Father to say the Midnight Mass of Christmas at a site prepared in the form of a stable with an ox and an ass. The faithful who were present could not hold back their tears when they saw how the heart of Saint Francis was transported by his holy love for Jesus, who had Himself become poor and little for love of us.

St Elzéar, Count of Ariano, used to place himself in spirit inside the wound which the spear opened in the Saviour’s side, as he told His blessed spouse, St Delphine.

St Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, used this as a familiar meditation and one day, when through pressure of work he decided to omit it, the devil was given the power to prevent him for a certain time from making the Sign of the Cross.

St Clare sometimes went so deeply into the meditation that it was only with great difficulty that she could be brought to herself once more.  

St Colette, who reformed the order of St Clare, once spent three whole days in the Monastery at Besançon without showing any signs of consciousness, utterly absorbed in contemplating the love that Jesus had shown towards men. 

I have known of someone who, in order to feel more at ease in his colloquies with the most adorable Jesus, placed himself in His company along with His most holy Mother, walking and conversing with them continually, never saying or doing anything whatsoever without consulting them and obtaining their approval. 

Her serene Highness Philippa of Gelders was sometime Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Lorraine, before later joining the Order of Poor Clares. Wishing to leave posterity a memorial of the devotion she had towards her most adorable Jesus, she created a spiritual garden which she had laid out and painted for the consolation of her Sisters. The Portresses were Hope and Fear of the Lord, whilst the Gardener was Love of Jesus. The hedge was composed of watchful thoughts[1] and the beds were filled with reflections, but were quite different from those seen in earthly plots ; for they were surrounded by flames, like the pyracantha[2] on Mount Olympus, becoming more beautiful when on fire and fading as soon as the fire dies. The Gardener could be seen amongst the beds weeding out any plants suffocating these thoughts. If any of the Gardener’s own plants were found wilting or dying, then he would dig around them and carefully tend them until they began to revive. Are these not in truth Royal occupations and activities worthy of such a soul? 

Footnotes

[1] In French soucis which apart from “cares” or “concerns” also denotes marigold flowers (calendula).

[2] The French text has pyragmes (feminine, plural) which has so far proved untraceable. The closest I can come is pyracantha (firethorn): see Pliny Nat. Hist. Book XXIV Ch. 70 (interestingly, its berries were believed to be a cure for the serpent’s poison). The French for pyracantha is buisson ardent which is suggestive of the burning bush.

© 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 : § 5.6-8

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

 6   If you were to think that here we can find all the reasons for loving Jesus, you would be greatly mistaken. I have said nothing yet about that love He bears for us, even though this is the most powerful way He has of drawing the hearts and minds of the children of Adam unto Himself.  Here is what St Bernard says[1]:

It is true that there are a million reasons obliging me to love Thee, oh most gentle and kind-hearted Jesus! But all things considered, there is nothing which rendereth Thee more lovable to my heart, nor winneth over my affections more effectively, than the chalice from which Thou didst will to drink for love of me, and the work of my redemption that Thou accomplished with such courage. Just as this is the high point and masterwork of Thy love, so too there is nothing which hath such a gentle power over my own; indeed nothing holdeth it more tightly and engageth with it more lastingly. It is true that in all the other things which Thou hast done for us, Thou dost urge men to give themselves to Thee – but here the force of compulsion is so complete that they would have to abandon the very idea of love if they did not yield before such powerful ideas as Thy heart pierced with a lance, Thy flesh torn by scourging, Thy whole body and spirit racked with pain.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 20 in Cant. 

 7   There is enough in this thought to awaken the affections even of those souls paralysed by the greatest imaginable lethargy. But can I make so bold as to say something which has a close bearing on our discussion : the mere consideration alone of the Mother of love should be enough to pierce our hearts and oblige them to love Jesus, our great and adorable Saviour? Yes, it would be enough for those who consider they are her children to know that Jesus is the Son of Mary and that by virtue of this quality alone He would deserve more love than could be offered by all the hearts in creation. It is beyond doubt that Mary’s esteem of the love souls have for Jesus is such that, if it helped, she would choose not to be loved herself; but what am I saying? This would be nothing much for her, so let us rather say that she would a thousand times prefer not to be rather than for Jesus not to be loved, or even for the love due to Him to be even slightly diminished. The very pinnacle of her ambition and crowning-point of her desires is to see Him cherished above all things and receive the esteem that He deserves. From this it is simple to see that of all the acts of thanksgiving we can make to the glorious Virgin, there is none comparable to this. For her, loving Jesus involves more than blessing her throughout our lives, performing service for her and working to make her honoured and loved by all the creatures in the world. This is what she explained one day to the Blessed St Bridget , when she said[1]:     

My dear daughter, if thou wouldst perform an outstanding service for me, do thou love my Son for love of me : indeed, do thou love Him more for Himself, since He is the most beautiful of all the children of men, the most noble and distinguished, the most humble and meek, the most accomplished and the most worthy of being loved that thou canst possibly imagine. 

Footnotes

[1] Revel., c. 1.

 8   At this point, my dearest wish of all would be for this wondrous Mother, whose heart is so replete with love for Jesus, to serve as our Teacher and instruct us in the ways of loving Him; or at the very least that she might be pleased to send us one of those Blessed Spirits on fire with the same love in order to reveal this secret to us. But perhaps we are being a little presumptuous here and so instead of an Angel from Heaven it will be an Angelic man from earth who will come to give us the lesson and show us the way of loving Him who is infinitely more worthy of love than we know how to love. I am speaking of the Virgin’s devoted child, the pious Saint Bernard[1], who in my opinion has scaled greater heights than any other spirit compassed in a mortal body. Here are his words: 

Learn from Jesus Himself, O Christian, the way thou art to love Him. Learn to love Him with tenderness, wisdom and strength. With tenderness, so that nothing can distract the senses from His love; with wisdom, so that vain appearances cannot deceive thee; with strength, so that no violent assaults can overcome thee. With tenderness, meaning with thy whole heart; with wisdom, meaning with thy whole soul; with strength, meaning with all thy powers and faculties. May charity inflame thy zeal, may knowledge and understanding provide it with nourishment, and may constancy render it unshakeable. May it be fervent, prudent and courageous.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 20 in Cant.

© 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 : § 5.5 (St Bernard's Canticle)

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)

§ 5. The fifth sign of love: Having a tender and fervent love for her dear Son

 6   On another occasion, St Bernard found himself transported with love and intoxicated by cascades of sweetness pouring from the sacred heart of Jesus, his loving Saviour. It was whilst in this state that he composed the following mellifluous canticle :

[Translator's note: In the following verse translation I have incorporated the iambic tetrameter and rhyming scheme of the French original, whilst staying close to its vocabulary and imagery.]

O Lord how sweet Thy darts of love

Which pierce the soul from Heaven above,

Sure marks of Thy divine dilection!

Thy presence brings supreme delight

To hearts by day and through the night,

Enfolding us in Thy protection.   

The loftiest airs of Cherubim 

Can match nor chant nor solemn hymn

When sung with my Redeemer’s Name;  

The thought enraptureth the mind

Whose noble aim (itself assigned)

Will th’uncreated Word proclaim. 

Surviving storms of wind and rain

Or shipwreck on sublunar main,

Man’s hope is anchored now in Thee!

Thy goodness shareth naught that’s sour 

For seekers find Thy sweetest power, 

Delighteth creatures gen’rously.

Thou nectar art, or malmsey fine, 

Surpassing far ambrosia wine

Of pagans in antiquity;

Thou art the source of ardour pure

Inflaming hearts with love secure

While burning out iniquity!

Which mind will help me to discern 

The book where I might come to learn

The holy art of loving Thee? 

Thy little ones might call the price 

Of martyr’s love a sacrifice,

But words must here deficient be.

To earth Thou leapt from Heaven’s height,

In mortal flesh Thou didst alight

To build Thyself a sweet abode.

Then Truth replaced what were but dreams

And Virtue ousted lying schemes

While Love triumphantly o’erflowed. 

Thy love hath such a mystic splendour 

’Tis like a dish full sweet and tender

Alluring with its subtle taste; 

A dish that perfectly doth nourish, 

It helpeth each of us to flourish,

And never causeth us distaste. 

The one who drinketh from this source

Is lit with flames which run their course

And work an inner transformation; 

The more we drink this muscatel

The more it doth our thirst compel, 

Fomenting love and delectation.

Whoever once hath tasted Thee 

With nothing else can happy be; 

To him a Palace seemeth hell,

The world of men – a lonely place,

Deprived of peace and eke of grace,

Its charms for him are poisons fell.

Oh Jesus, source of Angels’ wonder, 

Thy name resounds with mystic thunder 

Enrapturing the hearts of mortals; 

Thy grace like Heav’nly honeycombs 

Doth sanctify our spirits’ homes

And draw us to thy Churches’ portals. 

Thy touch doth penetrate my heart

Whence deepest sighs do take their start

To thank Thee for these gifts sublime.

Oh that my heart and mouth may savour

Their sweet and supernatural flavour,

In copious draughts ’til end of time.

Thy fires burning in my breast  

Inflame me and allow no rest,   

Consuming all my thoughts and feelings;  

May these exchanges fill my days 

For I am Thine now and always,

Delighting in our mutual dealings.       

Oh Jesus, love of holy souls, 

Oh Jesus, highest of my goals,

Exalted dream beyond all measure!

For Thee I’ll breathe, for Thee I’ll sigh,

In Thee, for Thee, until I die:

Thou fount and source of holy pleasure!

© 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.