Chapter 10 The Ninth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD
She is in charge of the Church’s resources and Treasurer of the Saviour’s graces
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
§ 3. Understanding what has been said : that the Holy Virgin is empowered to distribute all the graces of the Saviour
The Holy Virgin is empowered to distribute all the graces of the Saviour
1 To provide greater clarity about what has been said so far, it should be noted that there are three different ways of understanding how the graces of Heaven are conferred upon us by the sacred Virgin. The first is by realizing that it is through her that we have received the Author of all grace and this means we are in consequence obliged to her for all the graces and favours that come from Him. This why, or so it seems to me, St Bernard calls her the inventrix of Grace[1]. The second way goes beyond this but is still within the terms of a general prayer, inasmuch as her role as mediatrix means that she obtains in a general way the graces which are necessary for the salvation of all men. The third way is the most excellent of the three for it touches upon the least of our personal needs, so that there is not a single, particular grace or favour that does not pass through her hands, no need expressed that she does not relieve, no request that she does not answer.
In order to deal methodically with a subject of such importance, it seems that we can say of the three ways that the first is beyond question and does not cause any difficulties; and that the second is supported and explained by the writings of the Fathers that we have been considering. As far as the third way is concerned, it takes nothing away from the greatness of God to say there is no grace allocated to men which is not procured, obtained and communicated through her. There are several reasons I could give to show this but here are three which will be even more persuasive when they are reinforced by the authority of the Holy Fathers.
Footnotes
[1] Cf. example of 17th century usage cited in OED: 1604, This inuentrix of grace, this mediatrix of Saluation. (R. Parsons, Relation Triall before King of France)
The first reason
2 For a better understanding of the first reason, we need to recall what was said about her glory in Part I[1], that she can clearly see in detail everything that God knows because of a knowledge she has which we call vision: Through this ability, she can see what has been, what is, or what is to be – no matter what time difference there may be. In consequence, there can be no event or conjunction of events, no temptation, no danger or any case of need which she does not perceive. This is what moved Saint Epiphanius[2] and St Ephrem[3], in my opinion, to call her the Virgin with many eyes. The pious Richard of St Victor develops this idea when he says[4] that:
She has such a good and tender heart that it is not possible for her to learn of our miseries without immediately supplying a remedy; for once our needs have been presented to her, having compassion in her heart and the power to act (as the Saints have shown us), there is no way that she can forget us.
Footnotes
[1] Part I, ch. 2.; see also ch. 11 §4.4
[2] Serm. de Laudibus Virg.
[3] Orat. ad Deiparam.
[4] On the words: Thy two breasts like two young roes: Cant. iv. 5.
The second reason
3 The second reason will support what I have just said and I am basing it on the fact that she is at one at the same time both MOTHER OF GOD and also our Mother. The better to set forth this explanation, I am borrowing from an excellent speech written by Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who lived at the time of St Jerome; it can be found in the book he wrote about the Incarnation of the Word. There he writes that it is impossible for children to equal in a perfect manner that which they have received from their father and their mother; but he makes an exception to this general rule in the case of the Saviour who, apart from the natural life that he gave to His Mother insofar as He was God, as I have shown elsewhere[1], He also communicated to her a spiritual life which He enriched with so many extraordinary favours that He rendered her incomparably more noble than she was in her temporal life. He does not stop at that, but adds:
This peerless Son, desirous of recognizing in a very special manner what He owes to His most dear Mother, takes singular pleasure in granting her whatever she requests for us and is delighted to oblige her in this way.
It is not possible to state, says St Bernard[1], just how much our condition is better for having a Mediatrix whom the Saviour wishes to please in all things and at all times; this is so much the case that, because of His love for her, we often obtain what our own unworthy state would never deserve.
Indeed, were there to be no other consideration than this, the Saviour’s gratitude would have caused Him to place everything in her hands and place her in charge of his resources – not with a duty to keep and produce accounts like a mere court official – but with plenary power to dispose of them and make use of them according to her own will, as Mother, as Spouse and as Queen. In fact, I would go further than this and say that propriety requires this should be granted to her by virtue of her being Mother of all the Saviour's children. I am basing this on a fertile idea of the great St Augustine. In his book Of Holy Virginity, having said that:
The Virgin is our Mother by spirit and by grace just as she is the Saviour’s Mother by nature,
he develops this thought and says that:
she is delivered of her spiritual children when she brings them forth for Heaven; consequently, she bears them in her womb whilst they are here below waiting for this new life.
Whence it follows that, just as a tiny infant who is not yet born has for his food only that which has passed through the mouth of his mother and then been digested in her stomach; in the same way, for as long as we are here below, no grace is communicated to us that the Holy Virgin has not obtained through her prayer, as through her mouth, and which she has not in her charity converted into that which is able to nourish us.
Footnotes
[1] Part I, § 1, Part II ch. 1.
[2] Serm. de Vigilia Nativit. Domini.
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2025
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