Chapter 12 The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD
She is the Queen of all Creation
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. The reason the Holy Virgin is Queen of the Universe and the extent of her dominion
3 Along with these other Fathers, Arnold of Chartres[1] has also written words that deserve our attention, as when he says:
There is no way of separating the power and dominion of the Son from those of the Mother; both share one same flesh, one same spirit and one same love; accordingly, once the words had been spoken to her: the Lord is with thee (note how rich in meaning they are), the promise was fulfilled, the gift came into effect and Lordship over all things was conferred upon her.
He adds that:
Unity does not admit of division, and once two things have become one, that which has been made from the two can no longer be divided; in consequence (strictly and properly speaking) we must not say that the Son shares His glory with His Mother but rather that they both have one and the same glory.
This Doctor could not be closer to the truth since under civil law mothers may sometimes enjoy the rights, honours and titles of their offspring, but this will depend upon whether it was the will of the Legislators to make such a provision; under the law of nature, however, it is indeed the case that all the goods and honours of the children are placed under the power of their father and their mother and they can enjoy them as though they were their own. The Prince of Philosophers[2] reflected deeply on the world of nature and taught:
there is no opposition in justice truly understood between the father and the offspring, and this holds true with regard to the mother too, forasmuch as according to nature they are one and there is accordingly amity between them;
He goes on to say that:
This amity has a certain excellence in the person of the father which is accompanied by the dominion he has over his offspring and all that is his.
In the preceding chapter, he had already said that:
this paternal power, which is a pre-eminent power, draws to a great extent from the royal power.
It might be said furthermore that royal power is actually an imitation of paternal Dominion, which explains by what right the Holy Virgin is called Sovereign Lady of the world. Let us give St John Damascene[3] the final word, before we go to consider the extent of this dominion.
It was necessary for the MOTHER OF GOD to possess all that pertained to the dominion of her Son and that she should be acknowledged and venerated as Queen of all created things. Even though, according to the ordinary course of things, inheritance passes from fathers and mothers to their children – the contrary is true in this case, and I need to borrow the words of a learned doctor and say that just as the waters of a fountain go back to their own source, in the same way the inheritance passed from the Son back to His Mother once He had subjected all created things to her.
There you have the words of this remarkable theologian.
Footnotes
[1] Tract. de Laudib. Virg.
[2] S. Ethic., c. 11.
[3] Orat. 1 de Assumpt.
The extent of the Holy Virgin’s power
5 We should perhaps be satisfied with what has been said up until now without wishing to delve further into the secret archives of heaven, looking for documents and title deeds in relation to this glorious Lady:
The human mind should be more than happy, says Saint Augustine, to acknowledge the Holy Virgin as Queen of Heaven since she conceived and brought forth the King of Angels.
This notwithstanding, St John Damascene[1] tells us that this research has been carried out in a spirit of due humility and respect which redounds to the glory of the King and the Queen. Accordingly, I think it would be worthwhile spending a little time on this question. I am not going to dwell upon the power which she has over men, since she is their Sovereign Lady and Mistress for all the reasons that we have been discussing throughout Part II. I will, however, propose that the domain of her crown and her sceptre extends far beyond these, for it also encompasses the Angels and even reaches into the dark confines of hell. St Augustine[2], Saint Ildephonsus[3], and all the other writers hail her as Queen of Angels. The pious writer known as Idiota[4] and St Bonaventure[5] declare that she is Sovereign Lady of all that is in heaven beneath God, all that is on earth and also all that is under the earth. Arnold of Chartres proclaims[6] unequivocally that:
It is the will of God that those in heaven above, those who are on earth here below and the inhabitants of hell should bend the knee at the name of Mary, no more nor less than at the name of her Son; in short, everyone who bends the knee at the name of Jesus should also kneel at the name of Mary.
St Bernadine of Siena ever jealous for the honour his beloved mother, says all that might be said about this. Here is how he speaks[7]:
Just as there are creatures serving the most holy Trinity, so too there are those which obey Mary, whatever their rank or dignity might be: whether they are found amongst those who are purely spiritual beings like the Angels, or amongst those composed of body and spirit like men, or those which are completely inanimate, such as the skies and the elements; all are subject to the Dominion of the glorious Virgin, including those in heaven and those who are here on Earth, as well as those who are damned – in short, everything which is within the purview and domain of God is also subject to Mary. He who is the Son of God and of the most blessed Virgin, desirous that in some manner the extent of His Mother’s power should equal that of His Father, chose to be part of this dominion Himself and be a subject and servant of this Virgin here on earth. This means that just as all things are under the power of God, and the Virgin is included with the others – so too there is nothing which is not under the dominion of the Virgin, God Himself being no exception.
There you have an example of speech which is bold indeed, which also shows how a Saint would speak who has perfect zeal for the honour of the MOTHER OF GOD. I do not know what can be added to this except that as Mother of the King of Glory, as Queen and sovereign Lady of the universe, she holds the keys to the treasuries of Heaven and distributes graces and favours as she pleases but always with the approval of the Prince, who could never find fault with anything that she does.
It is by means of this, says St Augustine, that the wretched receive mercy through thee, most Holy Virgin, the hard-hearted received grace, sinners receive pardon, those here on earth receive what is heavenly, men receive God, mortal men receive life and pilgrims come to their home country, which is none other than heaven.
Footnotes
[1] Orat. 2 de Dormit. B. Virg.
[2] Serm. de Assumpt.
[3] Serm. 7 de Assumpt.
[4] Contempl. de B. Virg., c. 5.
[5] Speculi, c. 3.
[6] Tract. de Laudib. Virg., t. VI. Bibl. SS. PP.
[7] T. I, Serm. 61, art. 3, c. 36.
6 Let us conclude with the eloquent words of the Abbot Guerric who writes as follows in the third sermon that he composed for the Assumption, commenting upon the words in chapter 24 of Ecclesiasticus[1]: and in all these I sought rest.
The Holy Virgin, he says, did indeed seek rest more carefully than any other but she finally found it on the day of her Assumption, after the persecution of Herod, after the flight into Egypt, after the ambushes and cruelties of Jewish wickedness. Finally, after so many swords of sorrow had pierced her holy soul, on this day she can say[2]: Take courage, my soul, look now upon the place of thy rest, forasmuch as the Lord hath filled thee with good things, and thou mayest hope that He who didst make thee and who was made from thee, who took His rest within the tabernacle of thy body, will not refuse thee now the rest that thou awaitest in His palace; for He who doth reward others in full measure will not refuse a dwelling to her with whom He once dwelt with such affection.
Go forward now in trust and confidence, most Holy Mother, and do thou enter into possession of all thy Son’s goods, distributing graces and favours boldly as Mother, as Queen and as Spouse. Thine own modesty would aspire to no more than rest, but Queenship and Power are due unto thee. He with whom thou didst work conjointly the mystery of Piety and Reconciliation, when thou was for Him at the same time Mother and Spouse, now doth associate thee with His Kingship and willeth that thou should have therein as much right as Him. Take thy rest henceforth, O Virgin three times happy! Embraced by thy beloved Spouse who will make known unto thee, throughout all eternity, the joy that thou didst give unto Him during the time when He didst abide in the tabernacle of thy body, and didst take His rest upon the nuptial couch of thy heart.
Footnotes
[1] Orat. 2 de Dormit. B. Virg.
[2] Serm. de Assumpt.
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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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