Chapter 11 The Tenth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD
She is an Advocate for men and Mediatrix between them and her Son
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. How advantageously the MOTHER OF GOD exercises her office for us on high
A second excellent aspect of her intercession
3 A second excellent aspect of her power of intercession concerns the sheer range of petitions and requests addressed to her that she is able to take on.
It is true that we can have recourse to all the Saints in Paradise, says the pious Abbot Rupert[1], but that doth not prevent us from looking in a special way to thee, O Holy Virgin! For thou art the mountain above all mountains[2], the Virgin of Virgins, the Holy of Holies[3]; whereas all these others are limited in the jurisdiction and in the cases they can address and help to resolve.
In time of plague – we have recourse to St Sebastian and to St Roch, and in time of war – to Saint Michael; at sea – to St Nicholas, and on land – to Saint Raphael and to the Holy Kings; for protection from fire – to St Lawrence or St Anthony, from flood – to St Florian; for healing of epilepsy – to St Valentine, for problems with the eyes – to St Lucy, and so on, according to our understanding of the particular graces that God granted to different saints. In the case of the MOTHER OF GOD, however, she is not limited to any particular favour. We invoke her help and protection against illness and disease, against the scourges of God, and for all sorts of ills that befall us; we have recourse to her in time of peace, in time of war, in time of famine, in time of the plague, in times of prosperity or in adversity, while we are still living and when we are dying; we ask her to obtain for us blessings for the body and for the soul, for grace and for glory – to sum up, Mary’s power of intercession extends to everything contained in the Treasury of God’s power and largesse. It was perhaps this consideration that prompted St Augustine[4], and after him Arnold of Chartres, to address her in the following beautiful words which Holy Church has inserted into the Office[5] of the same Virgin:
Holy Mary, succour the unfortunate, help the faint-hearted, pray for the Clergy, intercede for the devoted members of Religious Orders (the Church replaced these words with: for all holy women consecrated to God[6]), and may all who have recourse unto thee feel the power of thy favourable intercession.
St Ephrem calls her bulwark of the faithful, salvation for the world, propitiatory[7] for the afflicted. In the hymn which he composed on the model of the Te Deum, Saint Bonaventure wonders what other titles he can give her. He calls her: strength for those in battle, Advocate of the poor, refuge of sinners, safe haven for those in danger of shipwreck, comfort of the afflicted, help of the dying, advancing the just and leading the lost back to the right path. In short, imagine all the graces and favours kept safely in the treasure chests of Heaven, and you will find none for which Mary does not hold the key.
Dear reader, as you read these thoughts, do you not share my wonder at the greatness of this Lady and the extent of her power? For how wondrous it truly is that in one instant she receives prayers and petitions addressed to her from all corners of the earth which means that she therefore has millions of appeals to process, all different from each another; and yet she deals with them all through her intercession, obtaining favours requested, swiftly dispatching the blessed spirits who are ever ready to receive her commands, no more nor less than they were God’s own. What is much more, she achieves all this in a state of wondrous calm, without showing any sign of trouble or pressure. Is she not imitating, as far as a mere creature can, the infinite greatness of divine understanding? Is this not a cause for astonishment, on earth as it is in heaven? Is this not a reason to bless forever Him whom it pleased to make a creature so incomparably noble?
Footnotes
[1] Prolog. in Cant.
[2] Cf. Isaiah ii. 2.
[3] Cf. quod dicitur Sancta sanctorum : which is called the holy of holies. Hebr. ix. 3.
[4] Serm. 18 de Sanctis.
[5] See: Sancta Maria, succurre miseris..;
[6] Lit. pro devoto femineo sexu.
[7] From Latin propitiāre: to render favourable, win over, appease. For propitiatory (or mercy seat) as noun, see Exod. xxv. 17.
A third excellency of her intercessory powers
4 The third excellent aspect of her power of intercession may be seen in the unparalleled way she is able to give effect to the responsibility which it brings. Even though everything I have been saying up to now can be attributed to the competency she enjoys in discharging her office as advocate so worthily, I cannot omit to mention the relevance of her knowledge and its depth. There can be no doubt, as far as this is concerned, that God filled her heart with understanding and that she had sufficient knowledge to resolve immediately any difficulties she might encounter. Holy Church honours her with this belief and applies to her the words of the last chapter in the book of Proverbs[1], where it says that the law of clemency is on her tongue. This can be interpreted in a number of ways, such as by saying that:
• her tongue is nothing less than the law itself, inasmuch as everything coming from her tongue is like an oracle, or a distillation of her wisdom; or
• the law is in her tongue, because she makes law in speaking and from her tongue proceed decisions and decrees – since she has never said anything which was not affirmed and approved by God.
Take note, however, and at the same time be filled with wonder that the laws proceeding from her tongue are all laws of clemency – for in relation to the law she always adopts a position of clemency, representing gentleness in such a way as never to depart from the rule of equity.
How can we ever describe the ways in which we are obliged to her as our Advocate? We can say of her with more reason than St Paul had in speaking of those whom God constituted as His ministers here on earth[2], that He hath placed in her the word of reconciliation[3]; for God alone knows the good work she has done on behalf of men during nearly every minute of their life. When God has stretched forth His arm to punish us in our bodies, in our capacities, in those things which touch us closely, in our souls, in the matter of our own salvation – how many times has she intervened with gentle words of reconciliation, staying the hand of God’s justice? For the time being, these matters are a closed book to us, but they will be revealed one day in heaven, giving us reason to love and venerate her[4] forever.
Footnotes
[1] Prov. xxxi. 26.
[2] and hath given to us [His Apostles] the ministry of reconciliation; II Cor. v. 18.
[3] Modifying St Paul’s actual words: He hath placed in us the word of reconciliation. II Cor. v. 19.
[4] The French text here uses the verb adorer, to adore, without specifying whether the object is Him (God) or her (Mary). The context suggests Mary (“How many times has she intervened etc) and adorer is occasionally used in French to represent hyperdulia as well as latria. Accordingly I have used the English verb venerate, with reference to Mary.
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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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