Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 10 : § 3.3-6

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

Saint Lutgarde

 3   In this connection, I recall the case of Blessed St Lutgard, a native of Tongres in Brabant, a young lady of the highest virtue who had chosen a spouse in heaven[1] rather than the one proposed for her in this world. She placed herself at the service of God in St Catherine’s Monastery under the rule of St Benedict. The Virgin Mother had drawn Lutgarde to join her son’s retinue but provided a stiff test for her right at the beginning of her calling. 

The Sisters in the Monastery had noticed she displayed signs of extraordinary virtue but instead of profiting from her example they took it as an opportunity to attack her in various ways. They scornfully referred to her as the Fervent one and the Holy one ; they told her she would not be able to continue without falling away from the brave start she had made because she had been too impetuous and this meant she would soon become weary. Since she was truly humble, these and other similar comments made her feel anxious that the predictions made by the Sisters might come true and in the end she would fall away from her initial fervour. Finding herself gripped by this fear, she turned to the glorious Virgin who was quick to console her and tell her that she should not worry unduly about their words which would disappear like smoke in the wind. Not only would she never look back, but from from now on she would make progress daily along the path of Virtue and this is exactly what happened. 

Footnotes

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

Blessed Margaret of Savoy

 4   Blessed Margaret of Savoy, Marchioness of Montferrat, had a great devotion to the Holy Virgin.  

One day she was experiencing terrible pain from the gout and she prayed earnestly to God that He might mitigate her suffering. The Blessed Virgin appeared to her and told her it was her Son’s will and her own that she should carry this cross until the end of her life. These words brought about such a change of heart in Margaret that henceforth she was never heard to utter a single word of complaint about her condition. If perchance anyone asked her how she was keeping, she would reply: 

“Very well, since God’s will is being accomplished in me.” 

 Something was to happen, however, which enabled her to see that it was not through want of love that she was being treated in this way but that it was for her greater good. Her niece, who had married the King of Cyprus, had fallen dangerously ill and Margaret prayed for her recovery. In response to her prayers, the Holy Virgin generously granted her niece that which she had refused when Margaret had asked the same for herself. 

We could never realise how much our sufferings can be pleasing to Heaven if we did not have irrefutable evidence in the lives of nearly all the Saints.

St Lidwina

 5   Blessed St Lidwina had already undergone seventeen long years of painful suffering when by way of consolation she experienced the following vision. 

It was around the feast of St Thomas when, being raised in the spirit, she saw a group of Angels placing the instruments of the Passion on the bed where she lay. Shortly after this, she saw the Saviour arrive accompanied by His glorious Mother. At first, He appeared to her in the form of a little child but almost in an instant He changed into a fully grown man. Then she saw Him on the Cross, with blood streaming from wounds all over His body. Whilst the servant of God was contemplating and wondering at this change, the Saviour imprinted the wounds of His sacred body within her. Once that had been done, the most sacred Virgin gathered with her own hands the instruments of the Passion, kissed them lovingly and offered them to St Lidwina to do the same. The vision then came to an end, leaving the Saint’s heart with a renewed desire to suffer and to offer her life like a Phoenix consumed in the flames of divine Love.

Footnotes

[1] 1 Cor. ix. 25.

[2] Matt. vi. 20.

[3] Exod. ii. 6-10.

Henry de Castus

 6   Henry[1] was a devout member of the Order of St Dominic and whilst he was at prayer in his cell one day,

suddenly his candle went out. At the same time, he was surrounded by radiant light and heard a woman’s voice calling to him. Totally taken aback, he cried out: 

“Dear Lord what is this I am hearing?”

Then the Holy Virgin spoke to him saying 

“I am Mary, the Mother of Jesus.”

Henry, more astonished than ever, knelt down before her, saying: 

“Dearest Lady! Since it is thee, do thou show me thy fair countenance.”

To which the Virgin replied: 

“Henri, my dear son, thou art still but a child; I prithee continue to grow and then thou shalt see me.”

After this visitation, he was put to the test by suffering in various different ways – which is what the MOTHER OF GOD had meant when she said he was still a child. On one particular day he was struck by such a violent heart attack that he thought he would die and he immediately became aware of a host of demons. They were surging around him and screaming out as loudly as they could, without daring to touch him: 

“Thou art ours; thou art coming with us!”

Poor Henry. overcome with terror, defended himself to the utmost of his power but his enemies simply redoubled their assault and cried out unceasingly :

“It’s all over for thou art ours, and thou art coming with us!”

This oppressive attack seemed to go on for a long time until finally Henry, more dead than alive, summoned the help of the Queen of Angels. She finally came to him radiant with resplendent light – which had the effect of a bolt of lightning upon the hideous demons who had been attacking him and they all fled, whereupon the Holy Virgin said to him:

“It is I; be not afraid[2].”

Henri asked why her beloved Son had permitted him to be treated in this way and she replied: 

“With this little that thou has suffered, everything God found displeasing in thee hath been purified, like unto gold in a furnace. When men leave thee in peace, then demons will put thee to the test; but do thou be of good heart for the end is drawing nigh and thou wilt soon be with me.”

Footnotes

[1] Henri de Castus seems to be Henry Suso (1295 – 1366) who was a German Dominican friar known for his extreme mortifications and author of the phrase Suffering is a short pain and a long joy : see Ch. XIII.: “On The Immeasurable Dignity of Temporal Suffering” in his work: A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom (Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd, 1910)

[2] Cf. Ego sum, nolite timere: John vi. 20.

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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