She is the source of eternal happiness for her chosen children
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) |
§ 3. She is in a special way the principle of eternal happiness for her children
The first root
5 The first is a certain kind of loving demeanour which for me is the distinctive raiment of the Virgin’s children. In ancient times, the pupils of the painter Apelles[1] could be distinguished from others by their master’s style which they had made their own; in the same way, I have always believed that the Blessed Mother imprints a particular character in the souls of her children, which may most fittingly be called loving demeanour. When we consider the spirit of the Mother of God, we find no trace of bitterness or harshness; on the contrary, we find a friendly and gentle disposition, along with principles befitting a heart which is noble and wishes to please God for His own sake. This is the spirit which she normally communicates to her children and which enables them not to be governed by terror and anxiety concerning God’s terrible punishments, but by the gentleness of His goodness and His faithfulness; and just as they have hearts disposed in this way towards God, she also wants them to behave like this towards their neighbour. There is nothing better, said the Prophet Isaiah[2], than this sort of attachment when held together by love’s powerful sealant. As St Bernard remarks[3],
There are some who are attached to the good with cords, so to speak, tied to consideration for honour[4], virtue and the hope of the gain they expect to receive; others are held fast by nails , representing the horror and fear they have of punishment; but some adhere thereto by love’s pure and sincere sealant. The first are held tightly and the second even more so, but for the the third group there is no feeling of force or compulsion. The first may come adrift quite easily for in the end the cords can break or come undone; the second group find it difficult to continue for very long under such a violent constraint; but the last group can maintain their attachment without labour or effort, and their only fear is to become separated.
There you have the condition of the children of the Mother of love. If you consider them in their comportment and behaviour, you will see that they all display this loving demeanour and they all exude an air of sweetness and gentleness which can only come from Paradise. I shall say no more for the time being about this loving demeanour, since I will have occasion to discuss it again later in this work[5].
Footnotes
[1] Apelles: late 4th century B.C. See Pliny the Elder, The Natural History: Plin. Nat. 35.36.
[2] Every one shall help his neighbour, and shall say to his brother: Be of good courage. The coppersmith striking with the hammer encouraged him that forged at that time, saying: It is ready for soldering: and he strengthened it with nails, that it should not be moved. Isaiah xli. 6-7.
[3] Serm. 4 de Diversis, de triplici cohærentia vinculorum, clavorum, et glutinis.
[4] The French text has honnêteté, from Latin honestas, meaning: title to respect, dignity, honour, good name (DMLBS).
[5] In the following chapter and in Part IV, ch. 4.
The second root
6 To this first root is joined a second, which incorporates a heartfelt respect and a filial fear with which the Bountiful Mother suffuses the souls of her beloved children, giving rise to a spirit of reverence and a sweet fear of causing her displeasure or of doing anything whatsoever that could be displeasing to her Son. It is an attribute of well-born children to have a strong feeling in their hearts against ever causing displeasure to their parents; they suffer from the most extreme regret when they think that they have offended them or saddened them. For my part, unless I am mistaken, I have always taken the view that true devotion to Our Lady cannot enter into a soul, nor can the Mother of love take possession of a soul, without planting therein this root which is, in my opinion, one of the most solid assurances we can have of our salvation. I can never forget the most wise advice that a holy Pope gave to a great and virtuous lady : here are the words of Gregory VII, indefatigable defender of ecclesiastical rights and privileges, whose glorious memory we celebrate every year on the 25th of May. He was speaking to Matilda, daughter of Beatrix (Duchess of Tuscany). This is what he said[1]:
What can I say to thee, my dear young lady, concerning the Mother of God? I have commended thee to her and I shall never cease to do so until that moment when we have the happiness of being in her presence and seeing her in heaven? Again, what can I say to thee, except to point out that heaven and earth do not cease to praise her, even though they are unable to do so in the way she truly deserves? This one thing I do say unto thee, imploring thee to treasure it in thy heart: just as as she is higher, more lovable and more holy than all the mothers in the world, to the same extent she shows herself more gentle and more kind-hearted to those men and women who, moved by a true repentance in respect of their past lives, cast themselves fearlessly into her arms. You have only to make a firm resolution to cease offending God, opening your hearts to her and pouring out your tears in full confidence before her, and I give you my word that you will never find a mother to welcome you so readily and love you so tenderly as she will.
Footnotes
[1] Lib. I, Epist. 48.
👑 👑 👑
 |
| 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
No comments:
Post a Comment