Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD
She is a true model of generosity towards her children
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) |
§ 5. The Gratitude of the Mother of God towards certain Kings, Queens and other Rulers
William the Conqueror
30 William, Duke of Normandy became known as William the Conqueror after winning the English Crown by force of arms. Nothing was closer to his heart than the desire to be of service to the Virgin who repaid him for his devotion in a multitude of ways, especially at the end of his life. He suffered greatly in body and soul but he was always able to temper the grief caused by his suffering with a sweet consideration of the pains his sins deserved and with the confidence he had in the Mother of mercy. He died after having made a public confession of all his sins which included these beautiful words[1]:
“I humbly commend myself to the most holy MOTHER OF GOD my Queen and sovereign Lady, so that by her intercession she may restore me to the good graces of her Son, my Saviour and my God.”
Footnotes
[1] Baron., an. 1083.
St Boleslaw V
31 Amongst the lilies of the Heavenly Court there will scarcely be found one whiter or more pleasing than St Boleslaw, King of Poland. Right from the cradle, he was a most devoted son and servant of the Virgin Mother and he proved this in various ways throughout his life. As a reward for his loving service he received a heavenly jewel of inestimable price : I am referring to virginity, for he lived a chaste life throughout marriage to his wife Cunegunda (also known as Kinga), daughter of the King of Hungary and this is why he came to be known as Boleslaw the Chaste.
Władysław III
32 King Władysław III, who died in the year 1444, had as great a share as anyone in the graces and favours of the Empress of Heaven, whilst he for his part was devoted to serving her and making her honoured everywhere. He dedicated several Churches and Monasteries to her, and she granted him several victories over the enemies of the faith. After an outstanding victory over the Prussians, he built a fine monastery for her in Lublin which was entrusted to the Brigittines of the Order of St Saviour, dedicating the monastery’s Church to the Victorious Virgin Mary[1]. The Heavenly graces he obtained from her enabled him to convert more than 30,000 pagans to the Christian faith. In gratitude, he built a collegial Church on the same site where previously they had kept and worshipped a flame which never went out. He also founded a fine Chapter, along with a large number of Canons and Chaplains, so that there was never a moment by day or by night when they did not sing praises continuously to God and their heavenly Mother.
Footnotes
[1] Also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For more, see the Zabytek website.
St Stephen of Hungary
33 For a long time Hungary has provided us with the example of a man whom Heaven chose even before he was born to be the beloved of the Mother of Kings and a model for worthy Kings. I am referring here to St Stephen whose name alone is redolent of the crowns that would be his not only on earth but also in Heaven. We shall be discussing in Part IV the peerless love and trust he had for the Queen of Angels but here we shall consider just a few of the favours he received from her and the ways in which she showed her gratitude to him for his services. I can say of him in all truth that, being as truly a devoted servant of the MOTHER OF GOD as ever there was, he was indebted to her for all that raised him so highly in the esteem of God and of men. Here are some of the particular favours she obtained for him.
Firstly, if his father (Duke Geza) knew what he was going to become before he was even conceived, who could be in any doubt that this was with the complicity of her to whom Stephen had been given as a son before his birth? The Duke had already embraced the Christian faith and was looking for ways of spreading it throughout all these subjects when he received a message from Heaven somewhat similar to that which the valiant King David received[1]. This revealed to him that his project would be fulfilled by a Prince who was more of a peacemaker than he had been, for he had a warlike past steeped in human blood. He was told that God would grant him a son who would accomplish his designs and this son would be a King in this world and in the world to come.
Footnotes
[1] 1 Paralipomenon (1 Chronicles) xxviii. 3 & 6.
34 If the title of Duke was to be changed into that of King, who could not see in this something arranged by the Holy Virgin to whom St Stephen was to transfer his Kingdom, reserving for himself only the role of second-in-command, as I shall explain later? It is useful to note in this connexion that four years after the death of Géza his father, Christianity was doing well in Hungary and St Stephen sent Bishop Austricus to His Holiness. He was to present the Pope with those acknowledgments which are customary from Christian Princes, to ask him to bless the Church in Hungary and to give his blessing to Stephen as King. Note here the wondrous signs that Heaven’s providence showed towards this Prince.
Shortly before he made this decision Miesca, a Duke from Poland, had anticipated him and had made the same request to the Pope. The Crown had been duly prepared and the Pope was was intending to dispatch it the following day, but during the night which preceded the arrival of Bishop Austricus, the Pope received a warning from on high that early in the morning of the following day Ambassadors from a foreign country would arrive bearing a commission asking for the title of King to be conferred on their Prince and for an Apostolic Blessing to be given to the whole of his country; he should not fail to grant him the Crown which he had prepared for another, for such was Heaven’s will in this matter. The Pope was elated and carried out to the letter what he had been asked to do. In fact, he went further and conferred additional favours : for not content with granting him the Royal Crown with all its appurtenences, he honoured Stephen with the title of Apostle of Hungary and, as a sign of his Apostolate, gave his permission for the Cross to be borne before him. He also appointed him as his Legate a latere, with plenary power over the Primate, the Archbishops and Bishops, and the whole state of the Church within his Kingdom.
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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
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