The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 8 : § 1. 36-37

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

 36   In our consideration of this subject, it will soon be time to call off the Church’s forces in this war for the truth, but not without considering the main body of her army who will make one final engagement. On the 17th of September in the year 1439, nearly two hundred years ago, the Council of Basle[1] declared that the MOTHER OF GOD had never incurred the stain of original sin and ordered that the Feast of her Conception should continue to be celebrated. I am aware that there are doubts about the authority of this Council but we should realize that, putting to one side what relates specifically to the schism and the person of the Pope in those things pertaining to Catholic beliefs, this Council retains considerable authority; for there can scarcely be any doubt that this was the thinking of all the Prelates of the Church in attendance who passed this article unanimously. Forty-six years later, Innocent VIII approved an Order of female religious under the name and title of the Conception (I shall cover this later[2]).  Alexander VI, Julius II and Leo X issued Bulls confirming this Order and at various times qualified its name so that it became the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. The Council of Trent convened five years later and agreed on a decree concerning original sin[3] but did not include any reference to the immaculate MOTHER OF GOD, for that is how Decree referred to Mary.[4] Paul V issued a Bull specifically forbidding anyone from advancing contrary opinions in the lectures, public debates and still less in preaching. Gregory XV issued a papal Brief on this same subject which extended his predecessor’s prohibition to personal and private conversations.

What more could be wanted to be sure of the truth? The point admittedly has not been resolved by the supreme authority of last resort; but has there ever been a truth in the Church which, while not having the seal of approval from the sovereign authority, has been received with a greater degree of consent throughout the world than this one? Was there ever an article in the faith more effectively debated, more successfully defended and more zealously followed than this? What is there left to put forward which has not been said already in hundreds of different ways?

Footnotes

[1] Sess. XXXVI.

[2] C. 12.

[3] Sess. V.

[4] This same holy Synod doth nevertheless declare, that it is not its intention to include in this decree, where original sin is treated of, the blessed and immaculate Virgin Mary, the mother of God; but that the constitutions of Pope Sixtus IV., of happy memory, are to be observed, under the pains contained in the said constitutions, which it renews. Sess. V. end.

 37   Consequently, I shall conclude with apposite words of the Holy Ghost uttered by the Spouse to His Bride[1]: No matter how freely ye praise her and magnify her, she will surpass all the praise ye can ever give her; and with the gentle sentiment expressed by St Basil of Seleucia in the Prayer he composed for the Annunciation wherein he he speaks of the blessed Virgin as follows : 

Since thou art the temple truly worthy of God, O Lady thrice holy and sacred, a temple fragrant on every side with heavenly perfumes of purity and holiness; even if the words we speak of thee are as sublime and glorious as they can possibly be, then just as we cannot escape from the truth, so too our minds can never come near to the exalted heights of thy merits and the excellence of thy Greatness.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Glorify the Lord as much as ever you can, for he will yet far exceed, and his magnificence is wonderful. Blessing the Lord, exalt him as much as you can: for he is above all praise. Eccli. xliii. 32-33.

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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