Chapter 4 : Love – a third feature of the gratitude we owe the Mother of God
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) |
§ 6. The sixth sign of love: loving for love of Mary all those who belong to her, whether through family, marriage, or election ; wherein special mention is made of St Joachim, St Anne and St Joseph
God’s third plan for St Joseph: to give him a special place in Heaven
26 Using these great qualities as a solid foundation, several learned Doctors[1] have developed a pious belief which forms the basis of the third plan God had for St Joseph and which is the combination of all the others: that his place in Heaven should be immediately below the most sacred Virgin. Their reasons are not lacking in weight since they say, in the first place, that St Joseph was included well in advance with a role in the mystery of the Incarnation of the divine Word, that his role was second to none after that of the Holy Virgin his Spouse, and just as a holy house was once established on earth with three heavenly persons – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – in the same way it is entirely reasonable that a special order should have established in Heaven for the three of them, as being the honour and the Trinity of our earth.
They say in the second place that St Joseph was raised by virtue of his role and status over all the orders of Saints both in the Old and the New Testaments; and that just as the office of Father of the Saviour has nothing else comparable here on Earth, so too in Heaven it calls for a rank higher than all those who carried the title of servants and who were employed in everyday duties for the House of God.
In the third place they say that the long and uninterrupted service he gave to God-made-man gave him an almost infinite advantage over all the actions of others. In short, since (after his Spouse most chaste) he was more closely united to the principle and source of all holiness than any other, reason requires that he should have partaken of this holiness more than them all and that consequently his possession of glory should be greater in a proportionate degree. They add[2] that the King of glory, his Son, wanted to show His gratitude towards him in every way possible. Accordingly He did not fail to ennoble him with those beautiful crowns of honour which we call Aureoles[3], recognising his Virginity which he preserved most religiously; his role as a Doctor (or teacher) which he discharged in an altogether honourable manner, especially during the time the Holy Family spent in Egypt; and his spirit of Martyrdom by reason of the most excellent charity which made him offer his own life a thousand times over for that of his Son and his God whom he saw pursued unto death.
Footnotes
[1] Bernardin.Senen., conc.de S.Joseph; Gerson,Serm.de Nativit. B. Virg.; Osorius, Serm. 2 de S. Joseph; Granat., de Mysterio Incarnationis, c. 20; Barrad., t. I Concordiæ, lib. VI, c. 8; Suarez, t. III, in III p., disput. 8, sect. 1; Morales, in c. 1 Matth., lib. V, tract. XI; Bernardinus de Bustis, IV part.; Carthagena, de sacr. arcanis Deiparæ et Joseph., lib. VIII, hom. ult.; Isid. Isolanus, de S. Jo-seph., IV p., c. 2, etc.
[2] Isolanus, de S. Joseph., IV part., c. 2, etc.
[3] Aureole: celestial crown won by a martyr, virgin, or doctor; according to Josephus Angles in Du Cange, the aureola or coronula of virgins is white, that of martyrs red, that of doctors green [OED]
Devotion to St Joseph
27 Finally, these learned Doctors conclude that in order to be received into the good graces of God one of the chief ways we have is to win the favour of St Joseph. We should not imagine that the Saviour who values and cherishes His saints in an infinite degree would be opposed to seeing them elevated; on the contrary, there is no satisfaction comparable to that which He obtains when Saints are invoked and honoured by all. The gates of Heaven are always open for those who wish to address themselves to the Saints and it is to the honour of the King of glory that they should always have their followers. This is especially true in the case of Blessed St Joseph whom He is pleased to ennoble for all the faithful and pleasing services He received from him when He was on earth, as well as for his kind-hearted and affectionate treatment in general. Through St Joseph’s graces and attractive qualities, God Himself invites the hearts of men to address themselves to him as to His Father and to him who has full power next to His sovereign Majesty. In this connection, He causes his glory to grow from day to day and reveals his excellent qualities more and more to the Church, just as the brightness of the sun grows from dawn as it approaches midday.
This explains how we can see this great Saint growing in the appreciation and esteem of men, especially among the most pure in heart and the most virtuous; and how nowadays all seem to vie with one another in placing themselves under his protection. The great ones regard themselves as honoured to enjoy his favour, considering him to be part of the world’s nobility and incomparably greater still through the closeness he enjoys with God Himself. The poor and the lowly of the world are happy to approach him with complete confidence, forasmuch as in his life he understood their lot. Contemplatives seek his favour in order to gain access to Jesus and Mary with whom he has such a close and familiar relationship. Those who follow an active or mixed life select him for their model considering how skilfully he wedded the two lives and provided through his example a two-fold means of making spiritual progress. Members of religious orders find in his house the true idea of a religious family whilst in his behaviour and demeanour they observe a distillation of every perfection. Virgins choose him for their Patron and so do those who are married. People undertaking journeys commend themselves to him. In short: every manner of person from every background, in all their affairs and undertakings unceasingly go to St Joseph no more no less than to their own father, as to someone offering them security and safety. The Saints, the sick, the afflicted and those approaching their last hour – all find in him the help they are seeking and no one fails to experience the effectiveness of his powerful aid.
© Peter Bloor 2025
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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.
The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.
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