Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 1.35 > §2.1

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

 35   I am finishing with a few examples which are no less remarkable for the favours they highlight than for the persons involved. 

Paolo Giovio, a Bishop from Como in the Duchy of Milan, recounts an incident in the life of Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan. After he had seized Castelnuovo, they brought an exceptionally beautiful maiden to him and when she saw she was trapped in the Duke's chamber she looked all around in desperation and noticed an image of Our Lady next to his bed. She then knelt down and, with her hands joined in prayer, she implored the Duke out of the respect he owed to the name and to the image of the MOTHER OF GOD to preserve her honour. These tearful prayers, accompanied by a powerful movement of heavenly grace, so affected the Duke that he willingly granted her request and took steps to ensure she was led safely back to her family.

During the papacy of Pope Clement VIII, Ferdinand Gonzaga[1] (later Duke of Milan) was trying to control a difficult horse when it suddenly reacted against its rider by charging into the iron railings of a nearby Church. The Prince commended himself to Our Lady of Loreto and a miracle occurred, for he survived and was able to rise to his feet safe and sound. In memory of his escape and by way of thanksgiving, he later offered Our Lady of Loreto a silver statue of a man mounted on horseback whilst he himself always wore thereafter a silver image of the Holy Virgin around his neck.

I heard the following story from an honourable man whose word is most worthy of credence. He was sent a few years ago to gather information about some of the most remarkable events associated with blessed César de Bus who had died with a great reputation for holiness in this city of Avignon. Depositions taken from witnesses reveal that what finally persuaded him to overcome his doubts and convert from his sinful life was an image of the most sacred Virgin painted on the door of the Chapel of Sainte-Claire. As soon as he caught sight of this image, he prostrated himself on the ground in the middle of the road, placing all his hope of salvation (after God) in the hands of the MOTHER OF GOD. After this, he changed his life and made incredible progress in virtue.

Readers will be able to decide which of the practices we have been describing seem most fitting to honour images of the MOTHER OF GOD. I am now going to proceed to other Religious exercises.

Footnotes

[1] Part I, ch. 12, § 5 ; Part II, ch. 9, § 9.

§ 2. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

 1   When it comes to praise, all the Holy Fathers agree that there is no creature who can equal the great qualities of the MOTHER OF GOD. 

She surpasses all the good things we could possibly.say (these are the words of St John Damascene[1]) and even if all the tongues in the world were to become as one this still would not be sufficient to praise her worthily. Even if you were to add in the Angels[2], you still would not come near the excellence of her by means of whom we enter into possession of God’s glory.

We are all permitted, says St Basil of Seleucia[3], to praise the my sacred Virgin as highly as we can without fearing that we go too far; but as for being able to do her justice with our words, this is something entirely impossible.

Let us praise, let us honour, let us love this blessed lady to the utmost of our strength, says the devout Denis Richel[4] at the beginning of the four books he composed of praises to the MOTHER OF GOD; and after we have done everything we can, let us acknowledge that there is nothing that can come near the greatness of her merits and of the graces and favours she bestows upon us.

Alas! We are the merest of creatures (as the admirable St Augustine noted[5]) and what could we possibly produce that could be worthy of her even if all our bodily members were changed into tongues, since she is higher than the highest heavens and deeper than the greatest depths? It seems to me that the two Cherubim who spread their wings over the Ark of Moses were telling us that the true Ark of the Covenant – which is none other than the MOTHER OF GOD – would remain forever hidden, despite every effort of their understanding (represented by their wings).

No, no : let no one be in error about this, says St Anselm[6], for it is true that no one is excluded from offering her praises and there is, by the grace of God, more than enough to occupy the finest minds in the world ; but whoever undertakes such praises, let him resolve at the outset to place himself under her guidance.

A French Doctor[7] once expressed this idea in the following elegant lines:

Si fieri posset quod arenæ pulvis, et undæ, 

Undarum guttæ, rosa, gemmæ, lilia, flammæ, 

Æther, coelicolo, nix, grande, sexus uterque, 

Ventorum pennæ, volucrum, et pecudum genus omne, 

Sylvarum rami, frondes, avium quoque pennæ, 

Gramina, ros, stellæ, pisces, angues, et aristæ : 

Et lapides, montes, convalles, terra, dracones, 

Linguæ cuncta forent, numquam depromere possent 

Quæ vel quanta virgo Regina Maria : 

Quæ tua sit pietas, nec littera, nec dabit ætas.

Here is what he would have said if he had spoken in French:  

[The following English verse translation seeks to follow the vocabulary, metre and rhyming scheme of the French text which is itself a free rather than literal translation of the Latin.]

If all the grains of sand on river and sea shore, 

If all the flow’rs of Spring and Summer’s harvest too,

If Autumn’s fruit and nuts as they come bursting through,

If Winter’s icy snow that chilleth to the core;

If sighing of the wind, and birdsong in the trees,

If shoals of countless fish in silv’ry coats of mail,

If twinkling stars which do the vault of Heav’n regale,

If lightning, wind and rain upon the stormy seas;

If ages, days and hours, and twinklings of an eye,

If Angels, men alive as well as those who die:

If all of these perchance, in each and ev’ry part  

Could speak as with one voice, then all of them could never

Exalt and laud enough the virtues of her heart

Whose praise th’Angelic host doth glorify for ever.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Assumpt. B. Virg.

[2] Orat. 1.

[3] Orat. de Annunt. Virg.

[4] Denis the Carthusian (1402–1471): See “On the Praises and Dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (4 vols. ) & “On the Dignity and Commendation of Mary” (4 vols).

[5] Orat. 35 de Sanctis.

[6] Lib.de Excellentia Virg., c. 2.

[7] Petrus Comestor (d. 1178).

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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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.

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.