Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 11 : § 6.1-4

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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 6. The power of this same Mediatrix which comes from her Son’s incomparable goodness

 1   How wonderful it is to picture the chaste Judith setting out from Bethulia in her widow’s weeds, more finely bedecked than on the day of her nuptials, her countenance radiant with grace! In speaking of her, Sacred Scripture adds a significant detail[1], namely that, since her motive for what she was doing was entirely pure and holy, God wished to add something of His own. Accordingly, apart from what nature had already given her, He increased her beauty still further and it became so majestic and so sweet as to enrapture all those who laid eyes upon her. In my submission, this is what the King of Heaven did for the Holy Virgin, elevating through His goodness the credit that the title of Mother had already given to the Holy Virgin, so as to take it to its highest level. The pious St Bernard[2] observes that:

If He had not done this, it might be imagined that the Saviour felt little affection for such a Mother or that his affection was at best rather mediocre; especially when considering how Solomon had so honoured his Mother[3] as to make her sit by his side, and to give her all power in his kingdom.

If the Emperor Constantine placed in the hands of St Helena his mother the seals of the empire and the keys to his treasuries, granting her full power to dispose of them and to grant all sorts of favours, can it be imagined that the Monarch of the universe would show less regard to her who had borne Him? It is clear, however that this could not be the case, seeing that there was never a son in the whole world who would honour his mother in the way that He did. I would make so bold as to say that if it were possible to distil the quintessence of the love of all the children in the world for their mothers, this would be as nothing in comparison with the Saviour’s love for His Mother. From which I conclude that, having the power and the desire to elevate her, and there being nothing that could prevent Him, this is what He did – with such superabundance that (to use sacred terms) all Heaven was truly astonished and the Holy Mother herself was altogether transported in an ecstasy of loving feelings and heartfelt gratitude towards her Son. 

I have already said something treating of the glory that He conferred upon her in heaven and I will be discussing this later, especially in the next chapter. Even when we have done the best we can, however, there will be wonders of favour and credit beyond our capacity to describe. Try as we might to imagine His welcome and to convey all that God could do to honour His Mother, our efforts will fall far short of the wondrous reality.

Footnotes

[1] And the Lord also gave her more beauty: because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely. Jud. x.4.

[2] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[3] Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand. III Kings (I Kings) ii. 19.

 2   Bearing in mind, however, that we can often come to an understanding of the divine through the human, I hope you will not object if I recall the story of the wise and virtuous Lady Volumnia and her son Martius[1] Coriolanus[2], despite having heard it frequently retold.

This Lady had reared this young man with so much care, affection and propriety that his courage proved pre-eminent in defending the city of Rome. There was never a battle when Martius was not in the first rank and when he did not fail to win a victor’s crown. He would present his trophies to his beloved mother and she derived great pleasure watching her son in the victory parades. Through his remarkable feats in war he had earned for himself the nickname of Coriolanus[3]. 

When he decided to run for the consulship, he was rejected because of the fear people had of his unbending spirit which could not accommodate itself to the important demands and the factious schemings of the plebeians. Put out by this rejection, he went over to the Volsci who welcomed him with open arms and, taking advantage of the opportunity, put him in charge of their army. Now we see him at their head before the gates of Rome, to the great astonishment of everyone; and even though the boldest amongst them tried to put a brave face upon it, they were genuinely fearful of the outcome. Temples were crowded with supplicants, and it was almost impossible to get near the altars because of the ladies flocking there from morning to evening. In the end, one of the most gifted among them, named Valeria, lead a party of women to the House where Volumnia, the mother of Coriolanus, and his wife Vergilia lived. She found them overcome with the same feelings of fear shared throughout the city and in a few words she gave them to understand that the hopes of everyone lay in their hands alone, for it was within their power to guarantee the city's freedom or to allow it to fall. It did not take much to make them resolve to do everything that was asked of them. 

Accordingly, having asked for a little time to clothe themselves in a manner befitting the dire straits of the populace, they finally set off from this city, taking with them the children of Martius, along with a small company of Roman women. At this point, Coriolanus was still seated in his court, holding a council of war, and he did not at first understand the significance of the group of women that he could see making its way towards him. As soon as they drew near however, he recognised his mother, his wife and his children but he did not have the courage to receive them where he was. Accordingly, he went out to meet them and kissed them, whereat he suddenly felt his heart softening. At this point Volumnia addressed him as follows:

“Coriolanus, even were I not to open my mouth these clothes I am wearing should be sufficient to make thee understand the state to which thy poor house has presently been reduced. Apart from being engulfed in the misfortunes shared by everyone, which are by no means insignificant, we see ourselves threatened by a particular evil, since we cannot avoid one of two terrible outcomes: either to lose our city or for me to lose my son, for your wife to lose her husband and these little children their father. Either fate representing a terrible tragedy, it is better to meet them head on rather than to languish whilst awaiting the final blow. Consequently, decide whether thou art going to grant peace to thy city – which is the request coming the lips of thine afflicted mother, or to enter into Rome over the dead bodies of thy mother, thy wife and thy children.”

After speaking these words, she fell silent and Martius stood with his eyes staring at the ground whilst his heart was pulled this way and that; but he did not utter a single word in reply, and this made Volumnia speak again, saying:

“My son, how canst thou treat me in this way? Dost thou wish to add to my woes so that it will be said that thou didst not even deign to reply to thy mother, or that thou didst dismiss her prayer out of hand? Thy city hath paid large sums to redress the wrongs that thou claimest to have suffered. Please believe me when I say that, having never previously been given cause for concern by thee, I simply cannot suffer all this without dying.”

At these words, she threw herself at the feet of her son, accompanied by her daughter-in-law, her grandchildren and all the other Roman ladies whose eyes were streaming with tears. Coriolanus, touched to the quick by her words and her weeping, immediately raised her to her feet calling out:

“Dearest mother, what hast thou done to me?” Then he seized her hand and, holding it tightly, he said: “Thou hast won a happy victory indeed for thy city, but this will have an evil and deadly outcome for thy son.”

Thus did he speak and so it came to pass, for Volumnia withdrew with her companions and he lifted the siege before returning to Antium. There he met his undoing at the hands of certain seditious rebels who had been incited by Tullus Aufidius, one of the leaders of the Volsci. Coriolanus preferred to lose his life than to make a breach in the obedience that he had hitherto never failed to show unto his mother.

Footnotes

[1] The name is spelled variously as Marcius or Martius in different translations. See, e.g., The Life of Coriolanus (The Parallel Lives by Plutarch); and The Life of Caius Martius Coriolanus (Thomas North, Rev. Walter W. Skeat, Ed.)

[2] Plutarch. in ipso. 

[3] "Coriolanus:" a name he was awarded following his courageous actions during a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli.

 3   I must admit that is difficult to read of anything more striking than this – if we limit ourselves to those duties and acts of gratitude on the part of men. As soon as we bring the Prince of Heaven into the picture, however, we need to lay aside what other children have done for there is now something unique and totally inimitable which cannot be compared to others. It would in fact be easier to compare an atom with the sky than the honour which all the others have shown their mothers with the least sign of affection that the Saviour demonstrated towards His most dear Mother. It belongs to God alone to go beyond all human merits and to augment them so that His gratitude surpasses them all beyond measure. What is there left to add after we have said that everything she commands is done; that she only needs give a sign of her will in order to obtain what she wants; that the Son, after honouring His Father, has no greater desire than to please His Mother; that He obtains greater joy from the respect which is shown to her than any He might Himself receive; and finally, that He may indeed be the Judge, but she has been empowered to moderate His decrees?

 4   O sweet Virgin Mary: we pray that those who show themselves jealous for thine honour may be forever in thy tender care; and that those who have any knowledge of thine incomparable goodness and of the credit thou hast with thy Son, may find therein a reason to redouble their desire to love thee, to honour thee and to serve thee – so that Heaven will resound forever with praises for the Mother and the Son, for the Mediatrix and for Him who hath procured her for us; and may all declare how their joy hath come to them by thine intercession.

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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