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
§ 3. That the Holy Fathers say that the MOTHER OF GOD was incapable of sin, and how this is to be understood
The second principle : Mary continually shows a most ardent love of God
11 If the first favour placed her beyond the reach of sin, the next one we shall discuss will show her as a redoubtable foe to all the fiends of hell : her ability to show her love for God unceasingly. Her love is not weak and feeble but vigorous, ardent and always animated by fervour. I shall not abandon the plan I formulated at the outset so I think it best if I continue by showing how the Lord of hosts built on the site I have just described a fortress of love which put fear in the minds of the powers of darkness. If you would like the pleasure of a visit, I will show you firstly the lower ward of natural love, then the inner ward of acquired love and finally the keep of the supernatural, all three of these surrounded by ramparts.
THE NATURAL LOVE OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
12 Let us begin with the idea of natural love. The holy King David wanted the world to understand the great sorrow he felt at the death of his close friend Jonathan and, at the same time, the love he bore for him. The best way he was able to convey this was with the words[1]: As the mother loveth her only son, so did I love thee. In truth, I do not know if nature has anything to show more ardent or impassioned than that.
Now, I ask you to consider whether there was ever mother who had so much more reason to love her son than Mary. St Anselm[2], without saying this was in any way unique, observes that her love was not divided like that of other mothers, for the shared love of a father and a mother was here focussed in one person. Add to this, if you will, that this Son was her perfect image and likeness, and this constitutes a second bond of love. Consider too how He was strikingly handsome, wonderfully good-natured, unrivalled in wisdom, peerless in nobility and how he had done so many good things for her. The knowledge, moreover, that she had of her Son’s perfections surpassed immeasurably that which others have. Finally, remember that she could love Him without ever worrying about being excessive, granted that He was in Himself infinitely lovable. When everything is taken into account, try to estimate the extent of this love at what is only its first level, that is, inasmuch as it is only natural love.
Footnotes
[1] II Reg. i. 26.
[2] Lib. de Excellent. Virg., c. 4.
THE ACQUIRED LOVE OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
13 After this, let us now move up to the level of acquired love. By this I mean the love which grew and developed in the Virgin’s sacred heart over the space of thirty-four years, being born by her, nourished by her, followed and accompanied by her everywhere. Now, the love of mothers has its origin deep within them and grows stronger as the fruit of their womb progresses and develops. For a period of nine months, the MOTHER OF GOD was ever mindful of the sweet charge she bore and she held converse with Him, the unique object of her love. From Him, she came to understand how all her heart’s desires were known to Him. All the movements of little Jesus in her womb were like stimuli that spurred on her love. For His part, Jesus gave her infallible signs that He understood all the movements of her heart. Consider all the times she nursed Him on her lap or in her arms, how she wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes, laid Him down to sleep, woke Him up, and taught Him His first steps. After all this, consider how strong her love grew! What sweetness and tenderness she felt when nursing Him at her breast and when receiving the innocent caresses of her little Benjamin, more beautiful than beauty itself, and more pleasing than the graces of Heaven!
I shall develop this subject later[1] but for now, let us move forward and picture Jesus at the age of twelve: He is so handsome, so gentle, so wise and so loveable that He captivates the eyes and hearts of all who see Him and who hear Him speak. Consider how His venerable Mother must react to the general affection that everyone has for Him – what good feelings she must have had about the blessings bestowed on Him, the tenderness shown towards Him and the encouragement given Him. These are just so many signs of love that pierce her loveable heart. Where do you think this will end, as we see her accompanying Him now He is a man, drawing followers after Him, speaking words sweet as honey from His holy mouth, working miracles without number, proclaiming a doctrine the world had never before heard, seeing Him in the midst of applause and acclamations from the people who were completely taken with Him? Since she is the only person who, properly speaking, knows who He is and what He seeks, her love for Him is accordingly unique.
Footnotes
[1] Tract. II, c. 4, § 3..
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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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