Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 5 : § 1.1-3

Chapter 5 : Zeal for souls – a fourth 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)

Zeal is Love’s sword which is turned against anything troubling the peaceful possession of the beloved or the happiness of his friend.

This is why, says Saint Thomas[1] (after St Denis[2]), the more intense love is the more vigorously it withstands opposition or resistance and seeks to remove everything that opposes the good of the beloved.   

It is for this reason I am placing zeal immediately after love. If anyone is at pains to know what connection there is between zeal and the gratitude due to the Queen of hearts for her great qualities, then I aim to make this plain in the paragraphs which follow.

Footnotes

[1] I-II, quæst. 28, art. 4.

[2] Cap. 4 de Divin. Nom. Commonly attributed to Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite.

§ 1. Zeal for souls is a form of gratitude most pleasing to the MOTHER OF GOD 

Because of the love she has for God and for souls 

 1   When fire catches hold of one of your friend’s houses, spreading from room to room and floor to floor, ravaging his property and reducing it to ashes, there can be no doubt that the most pleasing service we could provide for him would be to spare no effort in saving what we know is dearest to him and which he would least like to lose. The fire of sin has caught hold of God’s house, which is also that of the Virgin, and the flames spread every day capturing countries and causing new disasters – and we think we can just stand with our arms folded wondering what we are supposed to do in such a case! Are we not showing ourselves seriously wanting since the answer to our question is obvious as we see others running to fetch water, going in front of the fire to head it off and trying to protect everything they can from the advancing flames? Would it not actually show a lack of judgement if we went to ask the Lady of the house for her permission to come and help? In the first place, asking a question like that would seem to doubt that she loved God whose souls these were in danger of perishing; and if we cannot have any doubts about this without risk of impiety, why would we have any doubts about her being pleased to see us running to offer help and trying to save as many as we could?

The great Aphraates[1], seeing the Emperor Valens with torch in hand ready to burn down the House of God, felt an ardour blazing within him which made him abandon his beloved solitude and make his way in haste to Antioch where he was ready to die if necessary in the midst of the flames in order to spend his every last effort in saving those whose lives were at risk. St Catherine of Sienna was ready to block off the gates of hell with her own body in order to prevent souls from being lost. St Paul had no hesitation in wishing himself to be an anathema provided this would be of service to his brethren[2].

With one spark of charity which set their hearts on fire, these saints would have offered themselves body and soul to prevent an offence against God, and to avoid the risk of a single person being lost. Are we really to imagine therefore that the desolation of the Kingdom of God would be a matter of indifference for the holy Virgin or that she would react in a lukewarm manner –  she whose heart, as I have said, is a powerful furnace of love able to set the whole world on fire!

Footnotes

[1] Theodoretus, lib. IV Eccles. Hist., c. 24.

[2] Rom. ix. 3.

Because of the interest she has in their welfare

 

 2   What I have said so far amounts to quite a lot but it is still not everything since it is true that, even were there nothing else at stake, her own interest would oblige her to call out for water and to make use of all those persons she could find so as to reduce the effects of the fire. She would be obliged to do this in virtue of being Lady of the household and Queen, faced with losing those of her subjects who were caught in the fire. She would be obliged in virtue of her position as Spouse who would have to share her Husband’s experiences for better or worse. She would be obliged in virtue of her position as Mother who would feel sick at heart  to lose any of her children. I am referring to her as Mother because I have demonstrated elsewhere that all the children of salvation were conceived within her, borne within her womb, nourished at her breasts and raised by her loving dedication. Let anyone try to tell me that a Mother such as this would fail to be touched by the loss of her beloved children, or fail to be moved by the love of those who are willing to risk their lives to save them in the midst of the dangers surrounding them?

Because of the love she has for her Son

 3   But what shall I say about the incomprehensible love she has for her Son and the esteem she has for the precious blood that He shed for the salvation of souls? What a sword of sorrow she would receive every time it is is shed because of sinners, if sorrow were able to pierce her heart at present! On the contrary, what joy it is for her to see it falling on good ground and producing the fruits which she wants. How will she look upon those who collect it until the last drop, waiting for a moment to put it to good use? What courage must she instil in these so that they never weary of this practice? What graces must she grant them so they may acquit themselves worthily in such a holy undertaking? With what love and affection must she bless their plans and look favourably upon their undertakings? In order to move swiftly onto practical matters, I am here leaving out any mention of those countless other considerations which render dear to her all those who work for the zeal of souls.

© 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 : § 7.1-10

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)

§ 7. The seventh sign of love : personal colloquies with Mary

 1   The heart is able to speak with great eloquence, especially when it is a question of love, but it can also display great ingenuity. Sensing the limitations of the spoken word (and even more so of the written word), it can make use of certain characters much more mysterious even than the hieroglyphs of ancient Egyptian where with just a few characters (often with only one letter), more can be communicated than in several lines of script. A heart affected by holy love is no less eloquent nor less inventive than other hearts and, because it speaks the language of Heaven, it is easily understood there. 

I am keen to stay within the bounds of my subject and to focus on the servants of the MOTHER OF GOD. These are souls who, as soon as they have once begun to love her ardently, develop a desire to speak to her continually, always conversing with her and never separating themselves from her. Their wish is to love her and honour her endlessly, always sharing with her what they feel in their hearts – but how to do this in life’s mortal coil surrounded by so many pressing concerns? What is the most effective method or practice? Love has in fact found such a method and it involves making a solemn agreement with the Queen of Heaven that whenever a particular word or phrase is uttered, it will have the same effect as if much more had been spoken, depending upon what has been agreed. Forasmuch as this practice is simple enough and no less profitable, I have decided to spend a little more time on it here for the benefit of those seeking to honour the Mother of love with their whole heart.

 2   Anyone who wishes to devote himself entirely to her should select a favourable day when he can open up his heart and make an agreement with her in the following manner:

 Dearest Mother, 

After God, thou art the unique desire of my heart. If my mortal condition and circumstances permitted, I would never wish to depart from thee; but since it is not possible for me to enjoy this happiness without interruption, my wish is to possess it as frequently as possible. To this end, and since our hearts have the benefit of thy foresight and prevenient graces, here is the irrevocable pact which I resolve to make this day with thee.

I love thee 

 3   For as many times, most Holy Virgin, that I raise my heart and mind to thee and utter simply the words: 

My dearest Mother, I love thee... 

it is my wish and intention that this should be as though I were telling thee: 

I love thee with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. I love thee more than anything beneath thee in creation. I love thee more than my body, more than my soul, more than my honour, more than my happiness, more than my health, more than my life, and more than my eternal salvation.

I offer thee

 4   Whenever I say :  

Queen of great splendours, I offer thee...

let it be no more nor less than if I were adding: 

I offer thee all the honour which hath been rendered unto thee up until now, both in Heaven and on earth. I offer thee all the good intentions I ever had of honouring thee and serving thee; all the desires of the Saints and all the blessings which will be given thee for the duration of eternity. I offer thee all that which hath been created with the same heart as I would offer it to thee if it belonged to me.

 

I rejoice

 5   Each and every time that I utter the following words in my heart or through my lips:  

I rejoice...

let this be just as pleasing to thee as though I were saying: 

I rejoice in thy Great qualities and Excellent splendours. I rejoice in that thou art the wonder of all creatures, the paragon and perfect master-work of nature, grace and glory. I rejoice in the happiness with which thou art blessed, the power that is thine and the domain thou hast as sovereign Lady. I rejoice in the honour which is rendered unto thee and especially in seeing thee uplifted so high that no creature can equal thy merits through any services or honour whatsoever. 

I would like

 6   If in my mind I sometimes say to thee:  

Mother most admirable, I would like...

may these few words represent the rest of my wishes, so as to tell thee how: 

I would like to have the means of honouring thee alone amongst all creatures. I would like to have a heart capable of loving thee as thou wouldst desire. I would like to possess all that is great and glorious in the world but only so that I might lay it before thy feet. I would like all the hairs on my head, all the parts of my body and all the faculties in my soul to be given the power of tongues so as to bless thee and make thee loved and cherished by everyone.

Thou art

 7   After the following five words:  

Mother most faithful, thou art...

I pray thou wilt hear those which come next: 

Thou art the honour of earth and of Heaven. Thou art a protection for the just and a refuge for the afflicted. Thou art my fulfilment, my joy, my support, my strength my courage, my hope, my meekness – my everything. Thou art the fulfilment of my desires, the desire of my soul, the soul of my aspirations, the aspiration of my life, the life of my spirit and the spirit of my affections.

I am

 8   If my heart then uttereth only the following words:  

Thou Wonder of Mothers, I am...

may these few words be as though to say : 

I am thy most humble servant and indebted to thee, even though I am a most unworthy son for thee, the handmaid of the Lord. I am the least of thy children, far down the line of those who have the confidence to call thee Mother and to keep thee in their minds and hearts. I am entirely at thy disposition, determined to follow all thy directions according to thy good pleasure; only do unto me that which seemeth good to thee; do thou order my life and my all as that which belongeth entirely to thee.

 9   These examples should be enough to whet the appetite of any amongst you who feel inclined to try this exercise, since as soon as you start you will find that love’s diligence will produce other thoughts and ideas of your own. All that I would add is that, to prevent the practice from losing its initial vigour, you should from time to time renew your pact and declare your thoughts and feelings in full. After that, you can use the abbreviated expressions in the comings and goings of daily life, whilst at rest and when at work – in short, as frequently as you are able in order to season all your daily activities with these sweet utterances and aspirations.

 10   Let our theologians look into the merits of these interior movements of the heart and mind with all the rigour of their reasoning. For my part, I will always be ready to submit my judgement to their conclusions. I am convinced that great favours and sweet graces, along with an abundance of love, are available in Heaven for those whose hearts have rectitude and integrity. There are mysteries involved in all this which do not properly fall within the ambit of the Schools and which personal experience alone can vouchsafe and judge in a worthy manner. At the end of the day, however, even if we grant these exercises are relatively recent in terms of merits pleasing to the Mother of love, what counts above all else is that she likes them and those who offer them to her see their wishes perfectly fulfilled.

[End of Chapter 4]

© 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 : § 6.28-31

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)

§ 6. The sixth sign of love: loving for love of Mary all those who belong to her, whether through family, marriage, or election ; wherein special mention is made of St Joachim, St Anne and St Joseph 

 28   Can anyone really believe that Jesus would show such a strong inclination to ensure that His father and provider was honoured by everybody on earth and in Heaven, but St Joseph’s beloved Spouse would forget all his past services and a million instances of how they displayed to one another their holy and perfect amity? Who would not be convinced that now she enjoys sovereignty of power she does everything she can to ensure that his merits are recognised and that he receives the glory which is his due? Who can fail to see that, amongst the acts of gratitude shown by her faithful servants, she pays particular attention to all they do to advance the honour of this great Saint? 

By way of support for this, I will cite only the instance of what happened to Blessed Teresa of Jesus on the very day of the Assumption[1]. This holy soul had a singular devotion to the glorious St Joseph which she revealed in all the ways that her love could find. Amongst the ideas she had was a strong desire for building the first Monastery of Discalced Carmelites in Ávila and dedicating it to St Joseph – but you would have thought that Heaven and Earth were opposed to her plans because she seemed to encounter resistance on all sides. Finally, on the above-mentioned day of the Assumption whilst she was deep in prayer, she noticed that someone was placing a white robe on her which dazzled with its brightness. To begin with she did not see who was putting it on her but after a while she realised it was the MOTHER OF GOD on one side and St Joseph on the other, who were at the same time caressing her with extraordinary gentleness. What filled her heart with indescribable joy was a tender gesture on the part of the Mother of love who took her by the hand and, squeezing it gently, thanked her for the good will she had for her most holy Spouse and the affection she bore him. She gave her to understand how happy this made her feel and finally she encouraged her not to worry about anything, explaining that they would help her faithfully and constantly so as to overcome all the opposition; that her beloved Son would be by her side as He had promised; that the building would be completed and that all three – namely Jesus, Mary and Joseph – would be greatly honoured and served in the new Monastery. By way of confirming everything that she had said, she made her a present of a golden necklace and pendant Cross that was so brilliant and lustrous that its like had never been seen on earth. Once she had done that, the blessed Virgin made her way into Heaven along with the glorious St Joseph, followed by a great multitude of blessed Spirits, leaving St Teresa replete with consolation and burning with a desire to consume herself entirely in service of her Spouse Jesus, the glorious Virgin and St Joseph –  so much so that she was for a long time unable to move or to utter a word. 

It is simply not possible to tell you about all the favours she subsequently received through the intercession of this Saint. The best evidence that we have comes from what she herself wrote. Several times she refers to various occasions on which she experienced the effects of the esteem in which he is held in heaven. She came to realise that in Heaven he retained a certain power as a Father in consequence of that which God Himself had granted to him over His Son whilst he was here on earth. She was also convinced that, after the glorious Virgin herself, there was no intercession more powerful than that of her holy Spouse, St Joseph.

Footnotes

[1] Rivera, Vitæ ipsius, lib. I, c. 15.

 29   Fr Balthazar Alvarez (S.J.) served for a long time as the spiritual director of St Teresa[1]. One day when he was in Valladolid, he fell ill with a raging fever and a fellow Jesuit Priest showed him an image of Our Lady with the glorious Saint Joseph, telling him he should commend himself to the Virgin’s holy Spouse. Pointing to the image of the Blessed Virgin, Fr Balthazar replied:

“You are right , because Our Lady herself asked me to do this.”

His fellow Priest was astonished to hear this and later spoke to Brother Juan Sanchez who had accompanied Fr Balthazar to Rome, asking if he knew of any special devotion the Priest had towards Blessed St Joseph. The Brother replied that he had a clear memory of one morning after they had finished prayers in the chapel at Loreto, when the Priest had said to him as they left: 

“The Holy Virgin encouraged me to have a devotion to St Joseph.”

These few words spoke volumes for a man who was very reserved when it came to talking about himself. 

Footnotes

[1] Vitæ ipsius, c. 26.

 30   Jean Gerson was the pious Chancellor of Paris and his heartfelt affection for the most sacred MOTHER OF GOD throughout his life was quite remarkable. I agree with others who have said that it was the same Virgin who prompted him to acquire a devotion for St Joseph. He has left us a beautiful poem[1] which he composed in his honour and a sermon replete with praise which he preached on his feast day, for which he also composed a Mass and an entire Office. He wrote various letters to numerous Prelates encouraging them to celebrate his feast and he also wrote on this subject to the Duc de Berry, urging him with powerful arguments to contribute anything he could to establish this devotion. These are so many sure signs of the deep piety of this great man and what stands out particularly is the ardent zeal in his missives which makes them impossible to read without being touched to the heart.

  

Footnotes

[1] Popularly referred to as “Josephina”: a poem of some 3000 lines in Latin, for which there seems to be no full English translation available.

 31   This is how God delights in bringing to our attention those who have rejected worldly honour. This is how the Saviour of the world highlights the glory of His earthly father and provider and how the Blessed Virgin labours to show men the merits of her Holy Spouse. This is how those who wish  to honour the one and the other do everything they possibly can to serve him and to make known his great qualities, striving to show others the precious gifts they have received through the favour and help of this Saint.

© 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 : § 6.26-27

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)

§ 6. The sixth sign of love: loving for love of Mary all those who belong to her, whether through family, marriage, or election ; wherein special mention is made of St Joachim, St Anne and St Joseph 

God’s third plan for St Joseph: to give him a special place in Heaven

 26   Using these great qualities as a solid foundation, several learned Doctors[1] have developed a pious belief which forms the basis of the third plan God had for St Joseph and which is the combination of all the others: that his place in Heaven should be immediately below the most sacred Virgin. Their reasons are not lacking in weight since they say, in the first place, that St Joseph was included well in advance with a role in the mystery of the Incarnation of the divine Word, that his role was second to none after that of the Holy Virgin his Spouse, and just as a holy house was once established on earth with three heavenly persons – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – in the same way it is entirely reasonable that a special order should have established in Heaven for the three of them, as being the honour and the Trinity of our earth.

They say in the second place that St Joseph was raised by virtue of his role and status over all the orders of Saints both in the Old and the New Testaments; and that just as the office of Father of the Saviour has nothing else comparable here on Earth, so too in Heaven it calls for a rank higher than all those who  carried the title of servants and who were employed in everyday duties for the House of God.   

In the third place they say that the long and uninterrupted service he gave to God-made-man gave him an almost infinite advantage over all the actions of others. In short, since (after his Spouse most chaste) he was more closely united to the principle and source of all holiness than any other, reason requires that he should have partaken of this holiness more than them all and that consequently his possession of glory should be greater in a proportionate degree. They add[2] that the King of glory, his Son, wanted to show His gratitude towards him in every way possible. Accordingly He did not fail to ennoble him with those beautiful crowns of honour which we call Aureoles[3], recognising his Virginity which he preserved most religiously; his role as a Doctor (or teacher) which he discharged in an altogether honourable manner, especially during the time the Holy Family spent in Egypt; and his spirit of Martyrdom by reason of the most excellent charity which made him offer his own life a thousand times over for that of his Son and his God whom he saw pursued unto death.   

Footnotes

[1] Bernardin.Senen., conc.de S.Joseph; Gerson,Serm.de Nativit. B. Virg.; Osorius, Serm. 2 de S. Joseph; Granat., de Mysterio Incarnationis, c. 20; Barrad., t. I Concordiæ, lib. VI, c. 8; Suarez, t. III, in III p., disput. 8, sect. 1; Morales, in c. 1 Matth., lib. V, tract. XI; Bernardinus de Bustis, IV part.; Carthagena, de sacr. arcanis Deiparæ et Joseph., lib. VIII, hom. ult.; Isid. Isolanus, de S. Jo-seph., IV p., c. 2, etc.

[2] Isolanus, de S. Joseph., IV part., c. 2, etc.

[3] Aureole: celestial crown won by a martyr, virgin, or doctor; according to Josephus Angles in Du Cange, the aureola or coronula of virgins is white, that of martyrs red, that of doctors green [OED]

Devotion to St Joseph

 27   Finally, these learned Doctors conclude that in order to be received into the good graces of God one of the chief ways we have is to win the favour of St Joseph. We should not imagine that the Saviour who values and cherishes His saints in an infinite degree would be opposed to seeing them elevated; on the contrary, there is no satisfaction comparable to that which He obtains when Saints are invoked and honoured by all. The gates of Heaven are always open for those who wish to address themselves to the Saints and it is to the honour of the King of glory that they should always have their followers. This is especially true in the case of Blessed St Joseph whom He is pleased to ennoble for all the faithful and pleasing services He received from him when He was on earth, as well as for his kind-hearted and affectionate treatment in general. Through St Joseph’s graces and attractive qualities, God Himself invites the hearts of men to address themselves to him as to His Father and to him who has full power next to His sovereign Majesty. In this connection, He causes his glory to grow from day to day and reveals his excellent qualities more and more to the Church, just as the brightness of the sun grows from dawn as it approaches midday. 

This explains how we can see this great Saint growing in the appreciation and esteem of men, especially among the most pure in heart and the most virtuous; and how nowadays all seem to vie with one another in placing themselves under his protection. The great ones regard themselves as honoured to enjoy his favour, considering him to be part of the world’s nobility and incomparably greater still through the closeness he enjoys with God Himself. The poor and the lowly of the world are happy to approach him with complete confidence, forasmuch as in his life he understood their lot. Contemplatives seek his favour in order to gain access to Jesus and Mary with whom he has such a close and familiar relationship. Those who follow an active or mixed life select him for their model considering how skilfully he wedded the two lives and provided through his example a two-fold means of making spiritual progress. Members of religious orders find in his house the true idea of a religious family whilst in his behaviour and demeanour they observe a distillation of every perfection. Virgins choose him for their Patron and so do those who are married. People undertaking journeys commend themselves to him. In short: every manner of person from every background, in all their affairs and undertakings unceasingly go to St Joseph no more no less than to their own father, as to someone offering them security and safety. The Saints, the sick, the afflicted and those approaching their last hour – all find in him the help they are seeking and no one fails to experience the effectiveness of his powerful aid.

© 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 : § 6.23-25

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)

§ 6. The sixth sign of love: loving for love of Mary all those who belong to her, whether through family, marriage, or election ; wherein special mention is made of St Joachim, St Anne and St Joseph 

 23   He was Father through the power he enjoyed in virtue of being the true and lawful superior of the Mother and the Son (insofar as He was man). The divine Child respected this superiority throughout His life and showed greater obedience to St Joseph than any son ever did to his father. Here is what St Peter Chrysologus, Bishop of Ravenna, has to say in this connection[1]: 

As soon as the Creator of all things had scaled down His greatness into the smallness of our flesh, He wanted to have His own country just like other men and be considered an inhabitant of Judea. He who was the Father of all wanted to have His own father and mother; He wanted to invite people unto Him through love, attract people through charity, conquer hearts through affection and to win back through His humanity those who had been oppressed by tyranny, driven away by fear and cut off from God’s kind nature and generosity.

We should remember that the superiority of St Joseph has the authority of letters patent in Heaven itself guaranteeing his right. Consider, for example, what happened when it came to calling the Saviour by the name of Jesus : the commission was addressed to St Joseph[2] as well as to the Blessed Virgin[3]; and when their little infant had to be taken to Egypt to protect Him from Herod’s fury : the Angel spoke directly to St Joseph; or when they had to bring Him back to Nazareth : it was St Joseph who received the order[4]. To sum up : Joseph takes charge of everything and nothing is done without his authority.    

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 150.

[2] And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. Matt. i. 21.

[3] Matt. ii. 13. & 19-20.

[4] Matt. ii. 13. & 19-20.

 24   He was also fFather in the sense of being the one who supplied food and other essentials for Jesus.  

How loyal and prudent this man must have been, says the pious Saint Bernard[1], who alone was sought out by God to be a source of support for His Mother and a most faithful helper for the Angel of Great Counsel[2], supplying him with food and other necessaries.

Footnotes

[1] Homil. 3 super Missus.

[2] A reference to Our Lord in Isaiah ix. 6. of the Septuagint.

 25   He was a Father through his love and through his affection. There never was a heart with fatherly tenderness comparable to that of Blessed St Joseph. Where could words be found to describe the emotions in Joseph’s heart when he gazed upon the Creator of all things as a newborn baby, when he saw His blood shed at the Circumcision, when he saw Him adored by the Magi and when he personally witnessed other mysteries which would so touch the hearts of those who could only picture them in their imaginations? Who could find words to speak of his ardent feelings when he held his Son, when he embraced Him and when he kissed this child so utterly heavenly and ablaze with the fire of divine love? When he dressed Him, when he carried Him, when he caressed Him and was caressed in return? When this little child, the delight of Heaven and earth, squeezed him with His tiny hands, when He kissed him with His holy lips, and when He made His first attempts to call him His Father? And, as He grew older, when He asked him for jobs to do, when He followed his instructions carefully, when He worked alongside him and whilst working would occasionally glance at him in a way which would inflame even the coldest hearts in the world with love? Whenever St Joseph came home after going out, his Son would embrace him warmly and prepare some refreshment which He would present to him with a demeanour that would enrapture the Angels of Heaven. What were the thoughts and feelings of Joseph when he saw this child sweeping the house, setting the table, answering the door and doing other chores with the same willingness that He did everything else? But when his Son began to speak from His sacred lips when He spoke to them of holy things and His speech was sweeter than honey and ambrosia, what person would not have felt his heart melting in happiness and would not have swooned with delight? 

Going beyond this, consider what it must have been like to lead this life and to enjoy the presence of this company for the space of thirty whole years; to live such a long time amidst the innocent caresses of the Saviour’s childhood, amongst the self restraint and virtuousness of His adolescence, amongst the divine actions, examples and instruction which were His after He came of age ; and to enjoy the daily conversation and interaction with a Princess who was the sweetest , the most holy and the most accomplished there has ever been : was this nothing less than the equivalent of living for whole centuries in the company of the Blessed Spirits? Who would be able to describe, I mean truly describe, the gratitude of the Saviour towards St Joseph for all the toil and trouble he took for the sake of his Son? Who could tell how greatly God appreciated him, raising him to this dignity of Father, provider and guide for His only-begotten Son? If the love that the Redeemer of the world bore for St John expressed itself sufficiently in the way He commended His Holy Mother to him whilst he was dying on the Cross; if the affection He felt towards St Peter revealed itself sufficiently in the commission He gave him to feed his sheep; and if the Saints raise one another up to heaven as a result of such caresses and such commissions, just try to imagine how highly God must have esteemed St Joseph. To which of the Angels has the Word incarnate ever said: You are my Father, you are my Guide and my Superior, as having authority over me by the express commission that you received from my heavenly Father? It is this consideration which pulls me up short and makes me conclude that they are right who say that St Joseph yields in nothing to the glorious Spirits, since he is an Angel through his purity, an Archangel through his office, a Principality through his dominion, a Power through his commission, a Virtue through his actions, a Domination through his work, a Throne through his service, a Cherub through his knowledge and a Seraph through his love.

© 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 : § 6.21-22

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)

§ 6. The sixth sign of love: loving for love of Mary all those who belong to her, whether through family, marriage, or election ; wherein special mention is made of St Joachim, St Anne and St Joseph 

God’s first plan for St Joseph : to make him the Spouse of the holy Virgin 

 21   Just as in the Holy City (as described by the beloved Disciple in chapter 21 of the Apocalypse) God laid foundations of rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other precious stones so that He could erect walls over them built of jasper and porphyr, along with gates of pearl of prodigious size; in the same way, the great Architect of the universe laid foundations in Blessed St Joseph of outstanding virtues on which He was to build three wonders He had planned that would redound to His own glory, to the honour of this Saint and the astonishment of the whole world. The first of these was to make him the Spouse of the Mother of His only-begotten Son and by this means to present us with the idea of the most holy and honourable marriage that there has ever been. 

In the first place, this marriage was between two people who were the most celebrated that could be found in terms of their nobility, their natural perfections, their graces freely bestowed, their merits, their purity and their possession of every sort of virtue. In the second place, the marriage came about through the sovereign Wisdom of God inspiring the priests (in whose power the most sacred Virgin found herself at the time) with the means of making it happen and contributing through His own agency certain miraculous occurrences, as we shall see later[1]. In the third place, this was a true, unshakeable and perfect marriage which was declared to be such by the Holy Spirit at various places in Holy Scripture, in Sacred Councils and in the writings of the ancient Fathers[2]. In the fourth place, it was accompanied by every conceivable blessing it is possible to imagine within a marriage. It was blessed with fecundity, which is one of the first fruits of conjugal union. Even though the Saviour might not have been born through the ordinary use of marriage, the great St Augustine nevertheless has no difficulty in calling Him the fruit of virginal marriage. The marriage was holy in its perfection, holy in the person of the Spouse, more holy in the person of his Bride, and most holy in the person of the Son who was Jesus. It was truly exemplary in the mutual love and understanding of the parties, for they loved one another with a chaste love which was the holiest and most total there has ever been. They loved one another with a natural love which had for its foundation the exceptional qualities of both and the wonderful closeness they enjoyed in terms of nobility, their family (being the issue of two brothers), in physical beauty, in their gentle dispositions and in every other sort of perfection. They loved one another with a love acquired and honed through long association and continual service to one another, through the intimate communications of their hearts and through everything that flows from a noble and sincere friendship. They loved one another with a supernatural love, in consideration of the extraordinary graces they perceived in each other (following on from the choice God had made of them) and for the love of Jesus, the honour of their marriage, along with the sacred bond and indissoluble ties of their reciprocal affection. This marriage was more of Heaven than of earth and more angelic than human!  

“Do you want me to tell you in one word what Gorgonia’s husband was?” St Gregory of Nazianzus[3] once asked his brother. “He was the husband of Gorgonia[4] – that says it all, for these few words are a short eulogy containing the essence of everything I could want to say about a man of outstanding merit.”

Do you want to know who St Joseph was? asks the pious Abbot Rupert[5]. You will know him by a single word that the Evangelist St Matthew mentions, almost in passing: he was the husband of Mary[6]; do not ask for anything more than that: since in hearing it said that he is the Husband, the Head and Superior of the MOTHER OF GOD, and consequently the reputed father of the Saviour, you have all you need to form the most elevated idea your mind could conceive.

    

Footnotes

[1] Chap. 11, § 4.

[2] V. Suar., t. II in III p., d. 7.

[3] Orat. 11.

[4] St Gorgonia (died c370). Wife and mother, sister of St Gregory of Nazianzus.

[5] Lib. I de Gloria et honore Filii hominis, in c. 1. Matth.

[6] Matt. i. 16.

His second plan : to make him the father of His Son 

 22   Without thinking, I have just introduced the second plan that God had for St Joseph : to make him the reputed Father of His beloved Son. When I call him the reputed Father of the Saviour, I am not suggesting that he was Father only according to the opinion and estimation of men. In fact, the Holy Spirit[1] and the Holy Virgin[2], who were not governed simply by public opinion, had no difficulty in giving him the name of Father. I should stress that I have no wish to prejudice in any way whatsoever the more than angelic purity of the most immaculate Mother of Jesus, may God forbid! But I want to follow what St John Chrysostom[3], St Augustine[4] and several other Doctors have stated that, with the exception of physical generation alone, he was Father in all the other ways which are associated with this title.  

He was the Saviour’s Father, says St Augustine[5], not only according to the belief of men but also in reality inasmuch as Jesus was the natural Son of his true and lawful wife, over whom he had power according to the words of St Paul the Apostle[6] who said that the woman is not mistress of her body but the husband to whom she transfers the right. This is all the more true since she had conceived this Son after contracting marriage and after her spouse most chaste had acquired rights over her body.

Footnotes

[1] Luke ii. 33.

[2] Luke ii. 48.

[3] Homil. 4 in Matth.

[4] Lib. II de Consens. Evang., c. 1.

[5] Ibid.

[6] The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband. 1 Cor. vii. 4.

© 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 : § 6.18-20

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)

§ 6. The sixth sign of love: loving for love of Mary all those who belong to her, whether through family, marriage, or election ; wherein special mention is made of St Joachim, St Anne and St Joseph 

Purity of heart

 18   It is inconceivable that his purity of heart should be less than that of his body, since not only would the latter be of little value without the other, but also because his daily lot was to have familiar dealings and conversation with the word Incarnate and the most holy Virgin in the world. They were in consequence all in harmony with each other, their voices offering praise to God, their sighs being holy aspirations and any intervals in conversation being filled with holy peace and tranquillity, in this way becoming like unto God.

Humility

 19  Neither are there any reasons to doubt his humility, for if we have been considering his other virtues and the exceptional graces and favours he received as a result of the role he had been called upon to perform and his close involvement with the most sacred Virgin, who could fail to see that these same reasons would have the effect of imbuing him with a most deep humility, as someone who would spend the rest of his days in the company of a God incarnate and the most humble of human creatures – in other words, with a continual awareness of his own humility? There are in fact several great Doctors who state that his wondrous humility was the reason he was minded to put his most chaste Spouse away privately as soon as she was found with child. They say it was through his humility that he felt totally unworthy of staying any longer with a God incarnate and with a Virgin who had become the MOTHER OF GOD, of being taken for the father of one and the husband of the other, and of having power over those whom even the Angels in Heaven did not merit to serve. Accordingly, he preferred to withdraw quietly rather than to be mortified in his humility and be constrained to take on the burden of such a huge honour. Apart from the revelation made by the glorious Virgin one day to St Bridget[1], this was also the view of Origen[2], of St Basil[3], of Theophylact[4], of the Author of the incomplete work on St Matthew[5], of St Bernard[6] and of many modern Doctors[7]. Consider how the Apostle St Peter, after he suddenly perceived the divinity of his Master following a miracle He had performed, was seized by an extraordinary feeling of fervour and humility which prompted him to call out : Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord[8]. Compare this to the reaction of St Joseph who withdrew into himself and felt an awareness of his own nothingness when confronted with the miracle of a Virgin whom he could see was with child, which was a thing which had never been seen or heard since the beginning of the world. He judged it was far above anything he could have merited : to contemplate with his eyes and to hold in his hands a God incarnate, and to have dealings with her whom the Seraphim honoured as Mother of their Sovereign Lord.

  

Footnotes

[1] Lib. VI Revel., c. 59 ; lib. VIII, c. 25.

[2] Homil. 1 in diversos.

[3] Homil. de Christi humana generatione.

[4] Homil. 1.

[5] Matth. 1.

[6] Homil. 2 in Missus.

[7] Canisius, lib. II de B. Virg., c. 14 et 15 ; Gonsalv. Durant., in c. 59 citat. lib. VI Revel. S. Brigittæ.

[8] Luke v. 6-9.

His Justice

 20   n conclusion, to avoid speaking at length on his other virtues, it will be sufficient to use the words of praise coming from the Holy Spirit and to say that he was a just man[1], using the word justice like Clement of Alexandria[2], as including generally the perfection of all the virtues. Perhaps if I may be be permitted to quote the Angelic Doctor[3] who teaches that: 

the closer that each thing comes to the principle of some perfection the more advantageously it takes of it,

then I would proceed to point out that St Joseph, having been closer to the Author of grace and the principle of all virtue then all the Fathers in the Old Testament, he obtained in consequence more graces than all of them and that he alone inherited all their blessings. Accordingly, we may believe that in him may be seen the innocence of Abel, the purity of Enoch, the justice of Noah, the patience of Job, the faith of Abraham, the obedience of Isaac, the strength of Jacob, the chastity of Joseph, the kind-heartedness of Moses, the trust of Joshua, the piety of Samuel, the sincerity of David, the wisdom of Solomon, the longanimity of the Patriarchs, the faithfulness of the Prophets and the holiness of all the great friends of God. In short, all these virtues and qualities scattered amongst others will be gathered together and united in him, which is altogether fitting for the Spouse of her in whom is found all the holiness of human creatures.  

For my part , says the pious Saint Bernardine[4], I hold it for certain that this man was most outstanding in his purity, most deep in his humility, most ardent in his charity, most elevated in his contemplation and most assiduous in working for the salvation of the world ; all this in imitation of her to whom he was to have the closest likeness possible.  

But why am I searching around for proofs from outside when I already have the irreproachable testimony of the Virgin herself who, whilst speaking confidentially with St Bridget[5], revealed to her in a few words the qualities of her blessed spouse St Joseph?

Joseph’s mouth, she told her, was like the gate of a Temple, so carefully did he set a watch before it[6]. He never spoke any words even slightly suggestive of mockery, anger or complaining. He was more than happy with his poverty, extremely diligent in his work, most patient whenever reproached and most assiduous in his services to me. He was just as courageous in defending my virginity against and in the face of all as he was faithful in making known the wonders of God when occasion required it. He was entirely dead unto the world and vanity, being someone whose heart was set on Heaven. He was deeply attached to God and His promises, being someone whose only desire was to see them fulfilled. He lived as in a holy retreat from the world and was always deeply recollected within himself, being uninterested in the things of men and whose every thought was rather on how to please God, the unique love and sovereign good of his heart. 

Footnotes

[1] Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man… : Matthew i:19.

[2] Lib. VI Stromatum.

[3] III p., q. 27, art. 5.

[4] Serm. de Joseph, art. 1.

[5] Lib. VI Revel., c. 59.

[6] Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: and a door round about my lips. Ps. CXL. 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.