The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 6 : § 4. 6-9

Chapter 6 : The Fifth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of 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)

§ 4. On her wonderful nature

 6   If we now consider Mary when she was older, we may appreciate what was said by St Ignatius Martyr, Bishop of Antioch and in his day a pillar of the Church. Several serious-minded authors[1] attribute to him an Epistle addressed to St John the Evangelist which I am more than happy to quote since, even if it was not actually written by him, it is clear that the letter is ancient and is to be taken seriously. In it, St Ignatius portrays the Holy Virgin in her unaffected simplicity, and here is what he says:

You would have seen her always cheerful amid sufferings and in times of affliction, untroubled in times of scarcity, helpful to everyone and happy to offer help even to those who caused her displeasure, never behaving coolly towards them. She was quietly grateful in times of prosperity and remained true to herself at all times. Her heart was full of compassion towards those suffering from afflictions and full of courage when it came to combatting vices. She remained constant as she persevered in her holy undertakings, tireless in her labours and invincible when defending the true Religion.

 

 7   St John Damascene[2] says almost nothing that the above-mentioned Fathers have not said already. His words, however are so sweet that they fully deserve to be repeated:

What words can I find to describe the dignity of thy comportment, the propriety of thy demeanour, the gracefulness[3] of thy countenance and the wisdom beyond thy years? Thou art robed, as it were, with modesty which keeps thee far removed from every sort of self-indulgence or cosseted life-style. Thy calm and measured comportment was the enemy of all that was frivolous. In thy dealings with others, thou didst combine dignity and kindness in equal measure. Thou didst flee from the company of men, as shown by thine anxiety at the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel in the form of a man.  Thou wast more obedient and more humble than all others in every way, notwithstanding thy sublime contemplations. In short, thou hast always been the dwelling and abode of Divinity.

 8   The historian Nicephorus[4] writes that Mary’s body shows forth aspects of her soul and he reveals to us the beauty of her nature in the features of her countenance:

 

In all things she behaved in a proper and dignified manner. She spoke very little and only about necessary things. She was a good listener, affable and showed respect towards all people. Improper laughter and outbursts of ill-controlled emotion, especially of anger, had no part at all in her temperament. She was of medium height, or some say rather above the average. She was light-skinned was fair and her fair-haired. Her bright eyes were blue-green in colour and her eyebrows were gently arched. She had a medium sized nose, her lips were sweet and delicate and her face was longish rather than round. She had long fingers and her hands were fine and well-formed. She had a pleasing demeanour, she wore no make-up and she was self-effacing in conversation. Her clothes were clean and well cared-for, the colour of undyed wool and unfailingly modest.

These are the words of the historian, according to St Epiphanius.

 9   I could elaborate on the simple words of these great minds but, not only because of the respect I owe them, but also because I intend to keep the promise I made at the beginning, I am happy to refrain from adding a single word of my own.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. I Gratiæ spiritualis.

[2] Orat. 1 de Nativit. B. Virg.

[3] la bonne grace : the gracefulness > In early use: beauty, charm. In later use: the quality of being graceful or elegant in form, proportions, movement, action, or expression. Complete OED.

[4] Lib II, c. 32.

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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