Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 10 : § 3.7-8

Chapter 10 : The Ninth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is her children’s Teacher

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. The Holy Virgin’s second office as Teacher : training her children how to put into practice what they learn

St Gertrude

 7   St Gertrude herself writes[1] of the day when Our Lord gave her to understand that for her greater spiritual profit she would be visited by certain tribulations, whereupon she suddenly felt assaulted by temptations undermining her trust and filling her with doubts. The Saviour then appeared in person to give her strength and encouragement, presenting as her Teacher and Mother the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of Mercy. He told her that as soon as she felt anxious in her heart or that she was being assailed by some adversity she had only to throw herself into her Mother’s arms where she would not fail to obtain comfort and assistance. 

She was to experience this on several occasions, one of which in particular stands out. It was around the time of the Feast of Saint Bartholomew when she was surprised to find herself under attack and she felt as though she had been plunged into a brackish and turbulent ocean of sadness and darkness. She quickly had recourse to her dear Mother who, at the end of Compline on Saturday when the customary antiphon was being chanted, caused the dark cloud that had enveloped her to melt away and Gertrude’s heart was filled with heavenly joy.

On another occasion[2] she was extremely ill and was, moreover, so lacking in spiritual resilience that she felt nothing could prevent her from sinking into a deep abyss of sorrow. She prayed about this to the Blessed Virgin who immediately appeared to her, saying  

“Dearest daughter, I can tell thee that just as thou hast never suffered so grievously in either body or spirit, so too thou hast never been so well disposed to receive the extraordinary graces that my beloved Son is resolved to grant thee. He will give thee to understand most clearly how it was not without reason that He prepared thy spirit to receive His inestimable gifts through the harsh treatment He permitted thy body to suffer.” 

I knew a beautiful soul who had such a close rapport with the most sacred Virgin that, even amidst the powerful trials which God sent to test her virtue and patience in suffering, she never failed to feel a certain forewarning by means of an interior prompting which sounded like an alarm clock, so to speak, preparing her heart for what was to come. I have no doubt whatsoever that if our own hearts were faithful and well disposed we too would be able to hear the voice of her who calls upon us to take up the Cross ourselves and who, with an indescribable love, provides us with opportunities to embrace the Cross and acquire thereby a great store of merits. 

Footnotes

[1] Revelat., lib. III, c. 1.

[2] Thomas Cantipratensis, in ejus Vita, 16 Junii.

 8   What, my soul? Do these considerations not instil thee with courage to detach thyself from the ties of this mortal body so as to soar into the heavens on the wings of thought and there realise the level of glory attained by the children of the MOTHER OF GOD, as a result of the way she put them to the test here on earth? Thou wilt be able to identify them easily enough amongst the others because they wear the livery of the Mother of goodness and thou wilt hear them singing along with the Royal Prophet a hymn of thanksgiving, saying: We have rejoiced for the days in which thou hast humbled us: for the years in which we have seen evils[1]. We have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us out into a refreshment[2] which we now enjoy. Thou shalt partake of the joy they receive from the memory of past trials and thou wilt join them in the paeans of happiness and the hymns of thanksgiving they offer up to the Queen of Heaven; for they been purified by her like gold tried in the furnace[3], being considered worthy to suffer something for God. Thou wilt behold these wonders and thy heart shall rejoice, blessing her who poureth down blessings upon her children and crowneth them with mercy. 

Footnotes

[1] Psal. LXXXIX 15.

[2] Psal. LXV 12.

[3] For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) ii. 5.

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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