Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.2-4

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)

§ 2. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

 2   Far from it being the case that the sheer heights of her glory should prove daunting for us, they should on the contrary encourage us all the more and inspire us to do everything we possibly can, forasmuch as it is certain, according to the words of a great and Wise man, that we shall never exhaust the fountain of her praises.

Just because we cannot praise her as much as she deserves, says Saint John Damascene[1], do we think this means we can stay silent and that our silence would not be condemned? Far from it, and we should in fact marry affection with fear and respect with love,– just as though we were picking various beautiful flowers which we can use to weave a pleasing garland for her, representing the first fruits of our poor Garden.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

 3   We are called upon to do this through her exceptional merits and the effects they have within us. We may also draw inspiration from the moving words of Solomon who tells us[1]: Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her, not in secret or in some corner, but in public places and in all the finest gatherings. We are called upon to do this because God has made it easy for us to show her our gratitude through this means. I recall how St Mechtilde[2] once found herself in trouble because of something that had happened between her and the Holy Virgin and she was complaining that she had done nothing to deserve this. The Spouse of beautiful souls Himself then appeared to her and said:

“My dearest daughter, for all the favours that thou hast received from my beloved Mother : do thou praise the outstanding fidelity she hath shown in doing and fulfilling the will of my Father, not only in what concerneth me but also herself; do thou praise the outstanding fidelity she hath shown by serving me in every way conceivable and sharing within her soul all the torments that I suffered in my body ; do thou praise the outstanding fidelity she doth continue to show in winning souls for me and her diligence in bringing them back to me in the one true fold.”

Footnotes

[1] Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her in the gates. Prov. xxi. 31. 

[2] In ejus Vita.

 4   We are called upon to do this by the glory which comes from these praises to the Saviour of souls. 

If honour rendered to a maidservant passes to her Mistress, says Saint Ildephonsus[1], then all the more reason why that which is rendered to the Mother belongs to the Son, in the same way that she has a goodly share in that which her Son receives as King of glory.

We are called upon to do this by the desire we have for our praises to bury the horrible blasphemies that hell and its minions have spewed forth and which they continue to do every day against her. We are called upon to do this by the wondrous reward that has been prepared and promised to those who devote themselves to praising her and to making her known a reward which is nothing less than life everlasting, following the words of Ecclesiasticus[2] which the Church applies to her.

Finally, says St Ildephonsus[3], we are called upon by the example of her beloved Son and of the glorious Holy Spirit to sing melodious canticles before the throne of Glory.

We are called upon to do this by the example of so many Saints who have performed wonders to praise her who is the Wonder of Heaven. Consider what has not been done by great names such as St Epiphanius, St Athanasius, St Cyril, St Augustine, St Ildephonsus, St Andrew of Candia, St Ephrem, Blessed Peter Damian, St Bernard, Abbot Rupert, St Bonaventure, St Bernardine, St Albert and many others who have provided material for our discussions about the great privileges and dignities of the Holy Virgin. What zeal and ardour have they not displayed in doing battle for her title as MOTHER OF GOD, in defending her virginity, in exalting her humility, in wondering at her charity, in making known to all her virtues and qualities and in calling upon the whole world  to get to know and love her peerless goodness?

Footnotes

[1] Lib. de Virginitate Mariæ, c. 2.

[2] They that explain me shall have life everlasting: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 31 (and throughout the chapter generally).

[3] Serm. de Assumpt.

© 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.