The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 3 : § 2. 5-6

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That from the beginning of the world she was announced by the Prophets and represented by ancient figures

In the previous chapter, I presented the Holy Virgin as a trial design by God when considered in relation to the Saviour, who was Himself the first actual masterpiece in the world. In comparison with the rest of creation, however, it cannot be denied that Mary was the second masterpiece by God who produced a thousand preparatory sketches, as will be seen in the following discussion.

§ 2. On three inanimate figures used to represent the MOTHER OF GOD, namely the burning bush of Moses, Aaron’s rod and Gedeon’s Fleece

[Aaron's rod continued]

 5   This ancient rod was a branch from an almond tree, as appears from its flower and the fruit. This tree is the sign of the Sun which draws close to us in the spring; it is the first of all trees to blossom and the last to lose its leaves. In the same way, the Holy Virgin confirmed the news of the coming of the Sun of Justice, bore the flowers of sanctity from the moment of her conception and her soul never lost the ardour and vitality of its actions .

Aaron’s rod, said the Angel to St Bridget[1], was filled first with pith and sap, then afterwards it put forth flowers and fruit miraculously. In the same way, the Holy Virgin was filled first with the Holy Spirit and then she immediately bore the beautiful flower of the garden and the fruit expected by the nations, namely the blessed Jesus.

Aaron’s rod, says St Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem[2], achieved in one night what other trees do over several years; and the Holy Virgin did in one instant what had never been done before and will never be done after her. The same St Cyril says the rod was miraculously rendered fertile for the figurative High Priest, and Mary for the Eternal Priest according to the order of Melchisedech.[3]

The rod spent only one night next to the Ark of the Covenant and received a new blessing. The Virgin spent twelve years near the figurative Ark (as I shall show elsewhere[4]),and many more years close to the true Ark that had been prefigured, and brought forth thousands of thousands.[5] In the case of the rod, three miracles previously unheard of occurred in one instant: a bare rod put forth buds, these buds immediately blossomed into flowers and these flowers were changed into fruit. In the case of Mary, three heavenly miracles occurred in one instant, but very different from those just described: a Virgin conceived, God was made man as a little baby, and this baby was given form and substance from less than nothing. With Aaron’s rod, Moses made water gush forth miraculously from the rock, as we read in chapter xxi. of Numbers.[6] Heaven was formerly harder than rock, but by means of the mysterious rod I have described, a fountain of wonders poured forth upon the whole of the earth.

 

Aaron’s rod, said the learned Bishop of Avila[7], was never stripped of the honour it received from God and never lost its fruit which was carefully kept to preserve for posterity the memory of this astonishing miracle. In a similar way, the Virgin will be ever showered with honour and glory for the fruit she produced which will never be taken away from her.

 6   The Hebrew Doctors[8] speak of certain wonders associated with Aaron’s rod but it is for them to provide proof. They recount that Adam, having still in his mind the memory of the paradise of pleasure from which he had been cast out, after several years of penance sent his son Seth to the gate of Paradise to ask God to pardon his sin. The guardian Angel of Eden gave him a branch from the tree of life to plant in the earth and told him that as soon as the tree growing from the branch started to bear fruit, the mercy of God would come down on the posterity of Adam; and that heaven, hitherto closed and unyielding to their requests, would open its gates and send its blessings upon the earth. They add that Seth planted this branch in the desert where later Moses was called by God to deliver his people. It became a great tree and it was from this tree that Moses, at God’s commandment, cut the branch which as a rod would work so many miracles in Egypt. This rod was known as God’s rod and is the same as Aaron’s rod, about which we have been speaking. They go on to say that this tree was the one where Moses placed the brazen serpent;[9] from it too he cut the wood that he threw into the bitter waters of Mara to make them sweet and drinkable[10]. Finally, they conclude that this tree will bear admirable fruit on the arrival of the Messiah, serving again to take away the bitterness of the salty waters and to cleanse not only the first man of his sin but also all those who had sinned up to that point and all those who will commit sins in the future, for as long as there are men on the earth.

There is no-one who would not see the beautiful reflections that could be drawn out of this story, but I realize this may be seen as basing the truths of our faith on rabbinical inventions as well as on other pieces of nonsense or profane curiosities which are accepted by well-meaning minds. In my opinion, however, the stories take nothing away from the greatness of the feelings we should have towards such holy and divine things.

Footnotes

[1] In Sermone Angelico, c. 11.

[2] Catechesi 12.

[3] Hebrews vi. 20.

[4] Cap. 6. 

[5] Rebecca as type for Mary: Thou art our sister, mayst thou increase to thousands of thousands, and may thy seed possess the gates of their enemies. Gen. xxiv. 60.

[6] Num. xx. 11.

[7] In c. 17 Num.

[8] Simeon apud Galatinum, lib. VI, c. ult.

[9] Num. xxi. 8-9.

[10] Exod. xv. 23-25.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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 2024