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).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin
§ 2. That the MOTHER OF GOD was free of all actual sin
1 Just as there is only one MOTHER OF GOD, so too there is only one pure creature who is privileged in every way. I know well Catholic teaching is that even the greatest servants of God are not exempt from daily sins which seem to be inseparably attached to the fragility of our fallen nature. They find it necessary to have recourse to God’s mercy so as to obtain forgiveness for their failings. The Council of Milevum[1] delivered a judgement on this proposition, followed by the Council of Trent[2]. I also know that the latter Council confirmed the blessed Virgin’s exemption from sin, declaring that this was the understanding of the Church. The question was finally settled beyond doubt by the Council of Clermont[3] under Pope Urban II where it was decreed unanimously by all the Fathers present that Mary never committed any sin. Her status is such that we can accept her freedom from sin without further enquiry, but if we were to investigate, we would find that the evidence and reasoning are such that there is no way to contest her privilege. The Holy Fathers speak of it in such a way that we are left with no choice but to accept it after hearing them. Origen[4] calls her immaculate; the second Council of Toledo says as much and adds the word Holy. Theodoret[5] felt this did not go far enough and he wanted to use the words most immaculate.
Sophronius says[6]:
she does not know the stain of sin and she is far removed from the contagion of iniquity.
Euthymius[7] maintains that :
it is a waste of time looking for anything to reproach in her since she is God’s most beauteous spouse.
St Ephrem says[8]:
she is without blemish and her purity is complete in its perfection.
The learned Idiota[9] declares that:
her glorious soul was never besmirched with any stain, nor with any vice or sin; she was lacking no perfection of spiritual beauty, of grace or of virtue.
St Bernard says[10]:
As for me, I believe that such an abundance of blessings poured upon her that not only was her birth made holy but she was also freed from sin for the whole of her life, something that had never been granted to any other person born of woman.
St Vincent Ferrier, to remove any doubt, proceeds to consider her thoughts, her words, her actions, her soul and her body. His conclusion is:
In each of her faculties she never felt any inclination whatsoever to do anything displeasing in the eyes of God’s Sovereign Majesty. The Holy Ghost, overcome by such rare beauty, was moved to compose words in her honour, saying : Thou art all fair, O my love, and no stain is found in thee.
St Thomas certainly accepts the thinking in this verse, on condition that for it to be true then Mary must be considered free from all stain of sin, as I have shown above.
Footnotes
[1] Cap. 6, 7, 8. Concilium Milevitanum.
[2] Sess. VI, can. 23.
[3] Refert Vega, lib. XIV in Trident., c. 18.
[4] Homil. 3 in 2 cap. Matth.
[5] In c. 6 Cant.
[6] Serm. de Assumpt.
[7] Orat. in Adoratione Zonæ Deiparæ.
[8] Orat. de Laudib. Mariæ.
[9] Contempl., c. 2.
[10] Epist. 144.
[11] Cant. iv. 7.
Various comparisons taken from the Holy Fathers
2 The Doctors do not stop at that but go further and provide us with various similes and comparisons so as to show the total purity of the Virgin. St Epiphanius[1] compares her to:
a beautiful white lily with a silver crown in the midst of thorns but higher then them so that she is not harmed by them.
St Gregory of Neocaesarea[2] says that:
just as her body was purer than refined gold, her soul was whiter than snow.
Richard of St Victor[3] holds that:
the virgins, howsoever many they may be, are true mirrors of the Lamb unspotted and undefiled[4], whose constant companions they are; but the Virgin of Virgins is the unspotted mirror[5], a glass modest in simplicity, who never received the slightest breath of sin.
Sophronius[6] confirms that:
it is no wonder that she is called the beautiful dove, the only one of her mother[7], since in her is found only purity, simplicity, truth and grace from God.
In the same passage he compares her to:
a beautiful fleece dyed in red, offered to the Emperor of earth and Heaven.
The learned Alcuin was happy to take this thought and use it[8] in the book he has left us on the most Holy Trinity. St Eucherius[9], Archbishop of Lyon, eloquently compares her to the Prince’s privy chamber, fragrant with precious scent, and adds:
where there is only grace, fragrant as with musk and ambergris, there is no reason to fear the stench of sin.
St Bonaventure[10] applies to her a verse from Psalm LXXVII which says: And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns. By this he means that God built for Himself a divine Sanctuary which is none other than the glorious Virgin. In this he did no more nor less than the unicorn which, according to the venerable Bede[11], drives away from its home every sort of poison purely by the sweetness of its natural odour.
St Bernard[12] pictures her clothed with her beautiful robe, by which I mean the Sun, and then observes:
after that, it would be the height of folly to try and find any darkness in her, or even a little shadow, or the mere appearance of lukewarmness.
The same Saint describes the habitual gentleness of her nature and compares her to the house in Bethany where the Saviour received a loving welcome by Martha and her sister Mary. These two were true images of the holy union within Our Lady of the active life and the contemplative life.
Now, he says, take note that no mention is made of Lazarus who is a figure representing penitence. For God forbid the thought should enter our minds that any stain should ever have come into my soul, which is why Martha was busy keeping the house clean with the broom.
Footnotes
[1] Serm. de Laudib. Mariæ.
[2] Serm. de Annuntiat.
[3] Conc. 29 in Cant.
[4] I Pet. i. 19.
[5] Sap. vii. 26.
[6] Serm. de Assumpt.
[7] Cant. vi. 8.
[8] Lib. III, c. 14.
[9] Serm. de Nativit. ad Auroram.
[10] In Psalter. Virg.
[11] In Psal. LXXVII.
[12] Serm. in Signum magnum, etc.
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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.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2024
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