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 fourth excellency of her intercessory powers
5 The fourth excellency can be seen in her affability and in the sweet she welcome that she gives to all those who have some reason for approaching her. There is indeed nothing in the world more gentle and more human than the way she permits people to approach her. Let us consider for a moment what moved the pious St Ephrem to call her the unique hope for all Christians after God Himself, and Saint Epiphanius to say that she alone gives us the confidence we need to address ourselves to God. This was one day made clear in a most wonderful manner to the Blessed St Gertrude[1] who lived around 400 years ago.
Whilst present at Compline on the day of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin, they were singing the Salve Regina, and when they came to the words: O most gracious advocate, she increased her fervour and implored the help of this Advocate most powerful. She then had the feeling that Our Lady was being drawn towards her as though by powerful cords, unable to resist the power of this sweet prayer. She came to realize that as soon as the Holy Virgin was summoned in her role as Advocate she felt deeply moved within herself and could not help but grant what had been requested of her. As they moved on to the following words: Turn thy merciful eyes towards us, she saw the same Virgin gently take the Saviour’s head which she inclined towards the earth, saying:“Behold my kind and pitying gaze turned towards those who have recourse unto me.”Our Lord then enjoined St Gertrude to recite these same words at least once a day and she could then rest assured that at the hour of her death she would receive a very special consolation.
Footnotes
[1] Orat. de B. Virg. ; Revelat., lib. IV, c. 53.
A fifth excellency of her intercessory powers
6 The last excellency of her intercessory power derives from the credit she has with God which is so remarkable that there is no matter so difficult nor undertaking so arduous that she cannot bring it to a successful conclusion. This was in the mind of St Antoninus[1] when he compared the Virgin to that woman who persuaded David to forgive and receive back into his presence his son Absalom after he had fallen into disgrace[2]. This was something no other person had been able to bring about but she succeeded through her insistent prayers to the Prince. From this, St Antoninus concludes that the Holy Virgin can achieve success in cases where other Saints would have failed. One of the finest Theologians[3] of our era makes a very pertinent point with regard to this question, namely:
If it were possible (or if we could imagine it to be possible), for Heaven to be divided on a question, with various points of view and opinions being held; and if the Virgin Mother was supporting one view whilst all the rest of the Blessed took another, she would win the argument against them all without any difficulty.
This is based upon what we concluded in Part I of this work when we discussed how she was pre-eminent in grace and glory – and consequently in the credit she enjoyed over all the rest of the Saints. I would actually go further and say that if all the stars in the firmament, all the leaves on the trees, all the stones in the countryside and all the grains of sand on the seashore, were changed into intercessors and advocates, then all of them together would not have the success that the MOTHER OF GOD has. Does this not speak to us of the share she has been given in God’s omnipotence? The learned Doctor St Anselm[4] seems to affirm this when he says:
God hath so exalted thee, most Holy Lady, that he hath willed that all things might be possible for thee with Him. Thou hast only to wish, and nothing will be opposed to thy will; thou wilt find nothing impossible.
Does it not seem to you that what is being spoken of here is the infinite power of God and of the absolute dominion He has over all His creatures, by reason of which it is enough for Him to will and to speak, and then everything He wills is immediately done? How many times have we heard tell how Demons, speaking through the mouths of those whom they possessed, rail against Heaven and earth and rage in despair when forced to call her all-powerful and to confess with bitter regret that she can deliver whatever she wishes?
Footnotes
[1] IV p., tit. XV, c. 4, § 7.
[2] II Kings (II Samuel) Ch. xiv.
[3] Suarez, t. I, in III p., disp. 23, sect. 2.
[4] Cap. 12 de Excellentia Virg.
7 I think it would be impossible to continue without saying a word in honour of Him who makes her so great. Here is what the same Saint Anselm[1] has to say:
Through the intercession of Mary, we often obtain more easily and quickly what we ask for than we do even through the Saviour Himself.
It is not that this Saint wishes to draw any parallel between their respective merits, for the faith does not allow this; he simply wishes to make the point that God takes such pleasure in allowing her this power that He is willing to defer to her gentle entreaties and grant her that which He would not give to His own son. Who is grumbling about this? Demons, along with their minions. Who has reason to complain, since it is God who wills it (ordaining it in this fashion) and since the Saviour, whose credit might seem to be in some way affected, agrees to this with His whole heart, being more jealous for the honour of His beloved Mother than for his own. Is it not the case that sometimes a king will grant something to a favourite which he would refuse to his own son, and that the son (if he is well-bred) will feel no resentment and no one would therefore have the right to be critical? I admit that some of these favours are indeed great and that they may seem occasionally to be excessive, at least to our limited intellects, but our minds need to submit to God’s ordinances and honour that which they cannot always understand.
Footnotes
[1] IV p., tit. XV, c. 4, § 7.
8 It would be simple enough to produce a great number of proofs of the unparalleled credit enjoyed by the holy Virgin; but my plan is to focus on the question in general terms within the Church, without going into the details of how individuals have experienced her intercession. I will, however, provide two examples.
We read in the life of St Lutgarde of Brabant[1], a Virgin of exceptional holiness, that around the year 1207, when the Albigensian heretics were behaving in a particularly frenzied manner, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her in morning, with tears in her eyes, with a sad, woebegone countenance, and with her heart evidently distraught to such an extent that it was almost impossible for her to speak. St Lutgarde, however, was bold enough to ask why she was so sorrowful and she replied that the heretics, along with wicked Christians, had been spitting once again in the face of her Son and were planning to crucify Him all over again. As a consequence, in order to turn aside the wrath of God who had resolved upon chastising the world, she would have to fast for the space of seven years on bread and water – and that is what she did.
I would find it hard to say how many times St Bridget[2] saw the same advocate interceding on behalf of men and intervening when God formed a plan to avenge the terrible iniquities of sinners. St Antoninus reports[3] the following as an eyewitness:
It seems that Our Lord prefers communicating with simple souls rather than others. In the year 1399, He appeared along with His Blessed Mother to a villager not far from a fountain. He ordered the villager, who was carrying three loaves, to throw them into the fountain. This was for a sign that He wanted to destroy the world, which is divided into three main parts and which the three loaves represented. The Holy Virgin, however, suddenly ran forward to prevent the implementation of this command. When he saw this, the villager turned to the Saviour and pointed out His Mother's opposition to His command: she had thrown herself at the feet of her Son, imploring Him to calm His just anger and to give men the time and the means to show repentance and to do penance. In the end, through the power of her prayers, she persuaded Him to be content with casting only one loaf into the water; whereupon she instructed the villager to go and tell the Pastors of the Christian people that everyone was to do penance, to don white garments and take part in penitential processions, each and every person seeking reconciliation with God.Anyone who had not seen the effect of the words of this simple villager, says the Holy Archbishop of Florence, would never believe it; but we saw with our own eyes how people responded in their droves; we saw their public devotions, the altogether remarkable use they made of the Sacraments, and we do not believe that anything like this has ever been heard of before. What made the truth of this apparition even better known, however, was the outbreak of the plague almost everywhere in the following year and the fact that it carried off scarcely less than a third part of the people.
There can be no suggestion in this case that men would have experienced such powerful emotions if God had not been at work in a most extraordinary manner: Even less can it be believed that a holy man endowed with such great qualities as Saint Antoninus would have pretended to have seen something which had not actually happened. This confirms me more and more in my belief that the world is under an inestimable obligation to the MOTHER OF GOD and, no matter what we might do, we will never be able to thank her in the way that she deserves. At the very least, however, let our gratitude be the best we can make it, since through our thanks we shall see a multiplication of the fruits that we can hope for from her intercession.
Footnotes
[1] Thomas, Cantic.
[2] Lib. I Revelat., c. 5, 24 et 45 ; lib. VI, c. 45, etc.
[3] V p., tit. XV, c. 2 ; et III p., tit. 22, c. 5, § 32.
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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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