Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 9 : § 7.1-2

Chapter 9 The Eighth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She commands the Church’s armies

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 first victory of the MOTHER OF GOD : defeating the Demons, enemies of her Son and His followers

 1   We have heard enough of the drum-beats coming from hell and it is now time to see the MOTHER OF GOD making an appearance since the enemy is already marching with banners unfurled and a proud Goliath is mocking Israel’s troops. At the head of this advancing horde are the demons, led by the Prince of evil himself. Their faces are fierce, their shouts and screams are frightening and their arrogant effrontery is breath-taking; to see them, you would think they had already won a victory. Do but take heart, my friends, for Heaven is coming to our aid and is sending the holy Virgin who is marching like an invincible Amazon warrior at the head of the children of light, making her way straight towards these first troops of the enemy. St John Chrysostom describes the scene, and here is how he speaks in his 46th sermon on St Matthew:

I can see a fierce combat about to take place between the woman and the serpent; from all appearances, it is plain that the engagement will be fierce and the battle will be a bloody one. The troops have been formed up and the enemies are preparing to confront each other; each side is manoeuvring and the troops are watchful, picking out their opposite numbers and reassuring one another in readiness for the attack. The woman displays a cheerful confidence and is targeting the head of the serpent, as well as making ready her defences against him. The cunning serpent seeks to protect his head and to launch a surprise attack with his tongue against the woman. God is surveying the scene and awaiting the issue of the combat; He rejoices greatly to see the head of the ancient serpent crushed. There they are now, grappling with one another – but leave things to Mary and you will see how the proud serpent will soon feel the weight of her arm. 

The pious Cardinal Peter Damian calls her with good reason the unique terror and dread of the demons[1], and the rod of iron that will put a halt to their hate-filled plans and smash them. 

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Assumpt.

The first characteristic of this combat

 2   Those who write about the victories of great generals and military leaders try to identify their distinguishing characteristics. If I were to do this in the case of the Holy Virgin, I would have a long list to parade before the reader, but I am going to present only three. The learned Rupert[1] refers to the first when he says :

There was a great difference between the victory won by the Serpent over the first woman and the one that the second Eve won over him. Eve was defeated through betrayal, but Mary’s victory came through a war waged openly. 

The challenge to the serpent[2] was thrown down by God Himself at the beginning of the world when He told him that a woman would crush his head. The woman is none other than Mary,

for whom, as St Bernard says[3], the defeat of the ancient serpent was uniquely reserved.

The use of the masculine pronoun in the Septuagint[4] persuaded several Holy Fathers to interpret this text as referring to the Saviour of the world. Other writers such as St Ambrose[5], St Augustine[6], St Chrysostom[7], St Gregory[8], St Eucherius[9], the Abbot Rupert and many more – in fact the generality of Catholic doctors using the official version of Scripture[10] have taken it to refer to the MOTHER OF GOD. Accordingly, the enemy had more than four thousand years to arm himself and make ready for war. Assured as he was of the arrival of her whom he was to engage in battle, he could not claim the attack came as a surprise, and he finds himself forced to concede that he was defeated by his own weakness and cowardice.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. III de Trinit., c. 2.

[2] Gen. iii.

[3] Homil. 2 in Missus : Cui hæc servita Victoria, nisi Maria ? etc. ; Irenæus, lib. IV contra Hære-ses, c. 78 ; Cyprian., lib. I Testim., c. 98 ; Chrysol., Serm. 173 ; S. Leo, Serm. 2 de Nativit.

[4] he shall watch against thy head, and thou shalt watch against his heel [αὐτός σου τηρήσει κεφαλήν, καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν] Sept. Gen. iii. 15.

[5] Lib. de Fuga sæculi, c. 7.

[6] Lib. II de Genesi ad lit., c. 19.

[7] Homil. 18 in Gen.

[8] Lib. I Moral., c. 18.

[9] Lib. II in Gen., c. 38.

[10] she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel: ipsa conteret caput tuum, et tu insidiaberis calcaneo ejus. [Genesis iii:15; Douay-Rheims & Vulgate]. The Fillion Bible (1888-1895) follows this but notes in its commentary that the Hebrew third person pronoun ( הוּא / hu) is masculine, referring to the antecedent  zéra / semen /seed and not to ‘issah / mulier / woman.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025