The Crown of Excellence
Continuing our translation of the Preface to the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 edition).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
1 ✷ The author assigns the first Star to Mary's eternal predestination as Mother to God's Son incarnate. From all eternity, the thought of a God-Man was present to the Blessed Trinity. This thought presupposes a Mother from whom He will draw a human nature by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Between Son and Mother exists an interconnection, namely Divine Maternity, conceived and prepared in the mind of God, which associates Mary with His eternal plans by means of predestination. There is no higher predestination than Mary's, save for that of Jesus Christ Himself, to which her own is inseparably linked.
2 ✷ Before becoming manifest outside the mind of God, this ineffable predestination was announced and prefigured by types and symbols. This interconnection between Mary and Jesus Christ, who was to become her Son in time just as He is the Son of the Father in eternity, forms the second Star. The author has chosen six figures drawn from inanimate objects: the burning bush, Aaron's rod, Gideon's fleece, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon's throne and the little cloud of Elias.1 In a similar way, twelve living symbols are taken from Scripture: Eve, Sara, Rebecca, Mary (sister of Moses), Axa, Jahel, Judith, Esther, Bethsabee, Abigail, Martha and finally the contemplative, Mary Magdalene
3 ✷ After her predestination and pre-figuring in type and symbol, the Mother of God is finally created in the fulness of time by the power of God. Her status is Daughter of the Heavenly Father and this is the Third Star. Her creation is an act of paternity, but where in all creation is the being on whom the Father of all has lavished greater munificence? Adoption is another act of paternity, and where amongst us is there anyone who through adoption has been closer to the Creator than Mary, who in this way partakes of His power of Filiation?
4 ✷ The Holy Ghost took Mary for His true Spouse and through Him she bore divine fruit at the Incarnation. To prepare her for this sublime calling, He poured Himself into her, adorning her with every virtue's richness and every gift of His grace. To degrees beyond measure, He nurtured within her the treasures of perfection that He had prepared. Her status as Bride of the Holy Ghost is the fourth star.
5 ✷ The fifth Star shines forth from the natural perfections which make Mary the highest masterpiece of God's power and the great wonder of His creation : the nobility of her origin, her incomparable beauty, her sublime intelligence and her goodness, whereby she poured herself out for the benefit of all in creation.
6 ✷ The supernatural gifts of grace taken together form the sixth Star. In Mary, these are much higher than those natural gifts which mirror them but in an imperfect manner. The grace that poured into Mary with such abundance from the instant of her conception grew in ways unfathomable to the mind of man and became in Mary the basis of merit for her which was greater than that of all the saints together.
7 ✷ The Mother of God's complete freedom from sin shows in her a degree of glory that we sinners with holy yearning can only proclaim as the seventh Star in this first Crown. Mary’s perfect harmony with the uncreated Holiness of God is shown firstly in her Immaculate Conception, for she was not subject to the stain of original sin; next, in her complete freedom from actual sin in which she has no part and which has taken nothing whatsoever from the natural holiness radiating from her.
8 ✷ Mary is blessed among all women : this is the eighth Star. She is not tainted in any way whatsoever by the curse on Eve. She is blessed in the fruitfulness of her virginal womb and blessed by the acclamations of all who honour her. She is the fulfilment of all the types and figures of blessedness in this promised Land beloved of God, in the Tabernacle of the Covenant, dwelling place of His Majesty.
9 ✷ The ninth Star shows forth Mary as the Queen and Mother of the virtues. The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit have made their abode in the sanctuary of her heart. The twelve fruits of this same divine Spirit, listed by the Apostle, also have their dwelling in her. The eight Beatitudes exalted from the very mouth of the Saviour Himself are her magnificent, crowning achievement.
10 ✷ The wonders of the glory surrounding Mary are signified by the tenth Star: her glory in death, surpassing in sweetness the most noted of God's friends; the glory of her Assumption in body and soul, recalling the Ascension of her divine Son; the glory of her triumph, which moved the whole celestial court; the glory of her body spreading radiance around Heaven; the glory of her soul, exceeding in brightness and perfections all the hierarchies of Angels; and the glory of her throne, where, after God, she is seated as sovereign over all.
11 ✷ According to Mary’s own prediction, all generations are to call her Blessed. The eleventh Star represents this universal accord featuring in succession the gentiles, who lived in expectation of this Virgin’s Son whose birth would deliver Saviour of the world; the Jews, who expected He would be born of their race; the Muslims who have always honoured Mary, despite the clouded understanding of infidels; the princes and princesses who honour her through placing their crowns at her feet; the Christian nations of the old and new worlds where august sanctuaries have been built in her honour, decorated with dazzling depictions of her miracles showing Mary is pleased to dwell therein; and the religious Orders who vie with each other for her favours, providing so many monuments to her glory and proclaiming her praises in striking harmonies.
12 ✷ Finally, the twelfth Star consists of all the different perfections distributed amongst the various orders of creation and gathered together by the hand of God Himself into the woman He chose to be Mother of His Son. Fr Poiré summarizes these as follows: the most delicate of flowers, the most brilliant of pearls, the most sparkling of precious stones; the moon, the sun, the garden of delights, the temple of God, the world of God, the chariot of God and the crowning glory of all the Saints.
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 Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
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