The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 8 : § 1. 2-3

Chapter 8 : The Seventh Star or Splendour in 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)

Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD was exempt from original sin

First proof, taken from the person of the Saviour

 2   I am going to link the first proof to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, for any stain on the Conception of the Virgin would unquestionably redound to the dishonour of Christ Himself. When speaking of men’s Redeemer, the Apostle Paul says[1] it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest who so plentifully endowed with qualities that He was holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners. This idea must be carefully pondered, for there is nothing that this spotless Lamb omitted to do in order to separate Himself from the general contagion suffered among sinners. Note how from the very beginning He chose out of all the nations a particular people to whom He gave His livery and sign lest with the passage of time they would intermingle with the rest. Within this people, He sifted out certain persons of outstanding virtue so that He would be born from their posterity. He left to His people thousands of symbols and figures representing the purity (both exterior and interior) which would be realized in Him. 

He left the imprint of His purity in every part of the Temple, in the persons of His ministers, in the sacrifices, in the vessels and in everything pertaining to His worship. Now, what man of any intelligence could believe that He would take so much care of shadows and figures only to be neglectful of their true fulfilment in reality? Who could accept that having created so many wonders to adorn His royal city, having guided crystal-clear spring waters to flow through its streets and having watched over it so carefully to keep it safe – that after preparing from all eternity the city where He would be received, that He would permit His Mother to remain unrefreshed by a single drop of grace, that He would have fallen asleep at the very moment of His Blessed Mother’s Conception when the enemy was at the gates with scaling ladders in a surprise attack?

 3   Who would say that He chose a physical throne more dazzling than the Sun only to accept a living throne stained and filthy with sin? Who would imagine that He would cause His corruptible temple to be covered with purest gold and built without a single hammer-blow being heard, making it all holy and divine just to house the golden Ark of the covenant – whereas the living temple where He would be received in person would be caked with mud and dirt, built with all the hurly-burly and disorder of sin? The great St Cyril fought in defence of this divine Temple at the Council of Ephesus and asked:

Who has ever heard of an architect who builds a dwelling for his own use but then is stopped from taking up residence and has to surrender this right to his enemy?

Could any reasonable mind admit the idea that God forbade under pain of death any person other than the High Priest to set foot in the Sanctuary of a Temple which was only figurative – but that He would willingly yield His true and unique Sanctuary to the spirit of filth and corruption? If he could not prevent it, how can He be omnipotent? If He could have prevented it, why did He fail to do so? Especially in view of what St Jerome says[2], all honour given to the mother redounds to the son, no more nor less than is the case with dishonour. Finally, what would be the point of requiring so much purity for the earthenware and wooden vessels meant only for the use of servants whilst allowing filth and muck in the golden vessel destined for use by the King?  It is just as if there were a great prince who built a palace for his future use and to display his magnificence; and with a view to taking up possession, he caused the streets in the town to be paved well in advance with white marble, the walls to be hung with rich tapestries and the route he would take to be decorated right royally; but at the very entrance of the Palace he left a stinking quagmire which he would be obliged to cross, sinking to his armpits.

Footnotes

[1] For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Hebr. vii. 26.

[2] Ad Eustoch.

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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