Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 12 : § 1.3-4

Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Sanctuary and Refuge of sinners

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)

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD is the true refuge of sinners 

 3   If sin transforms a rational man into an unreasoning brute then, far from shunning him, the glorious Virgin will give him a most gracious welcome. I should like to refer here to an incident involving Blessed St Gertrude recounted in the book of her Revelations[1]. 

One day the Saviour showed her several little animals of different kinds which had gathered under the great mantle of the Holy Mother, just as if they had found there a place where they would be safe. She was stroking them affectionately in the way people do with their little pet dogs. By this image the Saviour meant to show Gertrude the deep affection His gentle Mother has towards sinners, whom she welcomes with heartfelt warmth, taking them under her protection until with all their heart and soul they are reconciled with His divine Majesty.    

If sin casts a man into dense clouds of Cimmerian[2] darkness, then the Holy Virgin will dissipate them, bringing joy once more into his heart with her beautiful radiance. Pope St Innocent III writes wonderfully on this idea, making use of the threefold imagery in the Canticle of love where the Holy Spouse is called radiant as the morning rising, fair as the moon, and bright as the sun[3].  

The moon, writes the Saint, gives us light during the night; the dawn between night and day; and the sun during the daytime. Night signifies the state of sin, dawn that of penitence, and day that of grace. Accordingly, whoever finds himself in the dark night of sin, let him gaze upon the moon and pray to Mary, so that from her he may receive a ray of holy compunction; for who has ever invoked her help in the night of sin and been left unaided? Let him who is awakened from his sin with true repentance gaze upon the beautiful dawn, and let him call for Mary’s help so that he can receive from her the courage to make proper satisfaction. Let him who through her mediation has received the grace of justification hold her in ceaseless contemplation like the beautiful star of the day; it is she who keeps him in this longed-for state belonging to the children of light.      

If sin is like a mortal wound in the soul, or one which inclines it to lose the life of grace, then the hand of the MOTHER OF GOD brings health and healing. This is what she actually said one day to blessed St Bridget : 

No matter how great and loathsome a man’s sins may be, I am always ready to welcome him if he hath recourse to me in good heart and with a true desire to amend his life. I do not so much consider the enormity of his sins as I do his sincere willingness to abandon his sinful ways. Provided he hath a revulsion for his condition then no matter how vile and disfigured this may be, I am always ready to take charge of him, cleansing and healing his wounds, and restoring his health to him. This is why I am called and in truth why I am the Mother of Mercy. 

Footnotes

[1] Lib. IV, c. 49.

[2] Cimmerian: One of a people fabled by the ancients to live in perpetual darkness. 1871 There the people dwell, Of the Cimmerians, in eternal cloud and darkness. W. C. Bryant, translation of Homer, Odyssey vol. I. xi. 267.

[3] Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array? Cant. vi. 9. 

 4   To sum up: if sin is like a divorce which separates and breaks the unity of the soul with God, then it belongs to the Mother of Goodness to restore peace and return the soul into the good graces of the heavenly Spouse. 

When writing about this, blessed Peter Damien says that the Holy Virgin was prefigured by the Sulamitess who was invited no less than four times to return[1]; so too, our Holy Mother is invited by the penitent sinner to return to this world after being called to Heaven where she was crowned and recognised as sovereign Lady and Queen of all her Son’s domains. 

“Our people do not envy thee this happiness, most holy Virgin!” exclaims the poor soul and indeed, why would he since thy glory is his and the credit that thou doth acquire with God is the greatest blessing that he could ever hope for? We pray, however that thou wilt not forget thy dear children whom thou leavest engulfed in a thousand miseries; please bring a little joy to their hearts by favouring them frequently with thy gaze.

Firstly, do thou return to them in nature, for being united as thou art with divine nature it is not reasonable for thou to forget those who are in this valley of tears, exposed to so many sorts of trials and tribulations. In the end, thou art ours by nature and reason requireth that we should be more abundantly than others the beneficiaries of the sweet blessings of thy loving heart. 

Secondly, do thou return in power, because He that is mighty hath done great things to thee[2]. For is there anything in the world that can be refused to thee, to thee who had the power to rescue Theophilus[3] from the abyss of perdition into which he had plunged himself? Thou didst  save him from the claws of Satan, this poor wretch who with his own hand and his own blood had denied Him who had been conceived in thee; and thou wast able to restore to him a lively hope of his salvation. What is there then that thou couldst not do if thou chose to come to our help? And how could He deny thee this power who did Himself receive our nature from thee?  

Thirdly, Do thou return in love and affection since in thee and through thee thy most dear Son doth cherish us with sovereign love. 

Finally, do thou return in excellence, since thou hast been raised and elevated in such an excellent manner over all the works of God. The treasures of His great mercy are in thy hands and in truth why wouldst thou leave sinners unaided, thou who seekest only an opportunity to help the needy and to shower on them the blessings that thou hast received for them – especially since thy glory is in no wise diminished when sinners obtain forgiveness and by means of justifying grace are given possession of that glory which awaiteth them; on the contrary, thy glory groweth anew to the extent that God receiveth more honour and holy Sion is filled up with His Elect? 

Thus does this great Cardinal and devout servant of the Virgin call upon the Mother of Mercy, acknowledging her every virtue and her sense of maternal duty; he urges her by all that is most dear to her on earth as in Heaven to show herself favourable to the prayers of sinners, helping them to return to God – even though she does not in fact need to be asked, since she values and loves their good and their salvation incomparably more than they do themselves. She never ceases, however, to take pleasure at hearing the prayers and petitions that are made to her on their behalf, for these are so many testimonies of their determination to break away from sin entirely. Accordingly, since she is so pleased to see us frequently at her door seeking to hand in our requests, we should never hesitate to have recourse to her at any hour of the day and at any opportunity – for such is her wish and such is the will of God who gave her as Mediatrix and Sanctuary for poor sinners. 

Footnotes

[1] Return, return, O Sulamitess: return, return that we may behold thee. Canticles (Solomon) vi.12.

[2] Luke i. 49.

[3] St Theophilus the Penitent (d. 538) also known as Theophilus of Cilicia or Theophilus of Adana.

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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