The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 2.1 [Pt II] & 2.2

Chapter 12 : The Eleventh 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)

She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world

§ 2. She has been recognized and called Blessed by the Gentiles

 1   Continued from previous post.

 1   The Hellespontine or Trojan Sibyl was often used by Heraclitus, the ancient philosopher. Here is what she foresaw:

There’s none that can compare, in history or fable: 

A Virgin pure there was delivered of her mite, 

An only Son brought forth from God’s eternal might;

This helpless babe was born within a lowly stable.

The Phrygian Sybil, usually represented with her hair flowing in the wind and robed in purple, is said by some to be the Cassandra who told father Anchises of his adventures and prophesied the fall of Troy. Here are her words:

One day the time will come – the heart of human history –

When God will send His Son so men might then behold

The wondrous virgin birth, by Angel all foretold,

Of One to cleanse all sin through mercy’s tender mystery.

The European Sibyl also had a very beautiful face and always wore brocatelle. Here is what she has left us:

The image of the Lord in His Eternal Word

Will come in leaps and bounds from peak to sacred peak,

Like mountain goats who play at springtime hide and seek;

He comes to mend the fault that man’s first sin incurred.

The Tiburtine Sibyl (the Sybil of Tivoli) is recalled by a statue found by the river’s edge which shows her holding a book. She made the following prophecy:

The Lord who cannot lie has told me to declare

A wondrous birth is due to Maid beyond compare:

God’s only Son conceived by Virgin undefiled;

Near Bethlehem this Maid her firstborn she will bear;

How bless’d she is who shows Him all her tender care,

Who suckles Him and loves her holy little Child.

The Agrippine Sibyl is less well-known than the others, both with regard to her country of origin and the place where she pronounced her prophecies. Here is what she said:

Take heed, O Adam’s sons, this wonder I proclaim:

In your days cometh One, in clothing of a mortal,

The Son belov’d of God, the Principle immortal,

Deliver’d of a Maid – and Blessed is her name!

The Babylonian or Erythraean Sybil was a maiden of great renown, not only for the clarity of her Oracles but also for her virtue. She spoke so unmistakeably of the Saviour and His Holy Mother that she might almost be taken for an Evangelist rather than a Prophetess. She spoke as follows:

A movement all divine within my soul arose,

In highest Heav’n I saw a mystery unheard:

From sov’reign Father leaped His own incarnate Word[1]

Who for His earthly home a Maiden’s womb He chose.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Wisdom xvii. 15.

 2   To these Sibylline Oracles we can add one more which God the Father of truth drew from the mouth of the father of lies. In the year of the world three thousand minus two, the Argonauts took possession of a town in the Hellespont named Cyzicus. They asked the Delphic Oracle what thanksgiving they could offer for this victory. Here is the response which the demon, under the name of Apollo, was constrained to give them:

Observe, O mortal men, this ordinance divine:

Adore one God alone who ruleth every land,

Who holdeth Heav’n above and earth within His hand;

To holy fear of Him, your trembling hearts resign.

When as a lightning bolt across the heavens in flight

Is looséd from the clouds and streaketh down the sky:

So shall men see Him come, descending from on high,

The living God’s own Son, the Virgin’s first-born mite. 

The fulness of her grace shall be forever prized,

To Maid and blessed fruit fore’er are consecrated

The Temple – altar too – this won’t be abrogated;

As Mary shall the maid be straightway recognized.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 2.1 [Pt I]

Chapter 12 : The Eleventh 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)

She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world

§ 2. She has been recognized and called Blessed by the Gentiles

 1   It is a long time since Clement of Alexandria said[1]:

God, as the Father of all men, has never failed to illuminate the darkness of the disordered and brutish lives men lead with flashes of His light. These are always more than sufficient to lead them to knowledge of the truth. In every age He has brought into this world people who have been able to shine the light of this truth so as to guide men to the safe haven of salvation.

Putting to one side the Jews whom God treated as His chosen people, let us now consider the Gentiles who, although enveloped in darkness, had their own lights to lead them on the right path of virtue and piety. Among these, I am now going to discuss the Sibyls because the Doctors of the Church have used their prophecies in a wondrous manner for the benefit of the Christian Religion[2]. It cannot be denied that through a special act of Divine providence the Gentiles were moved to preserve with such care these books which would provide us with the means to refute their paganism. The Emperor Augustus, for example, was a Prince with a most enquiring mind and he ordered the most learned men he could find to conduct a diligent review and study of the texts. These were then honoured by being placed in two golden chests beneath the statue of Apollo Palatinus.

Now I am well aware of the differences of opinion between scholars concerning the number of these Virgin prophetesses of the Gentiles and I have no intention of trying to settle this question. I shall follow the consensus which has opted for twelve, all of whom lived long before the birth of the Saviour, including some who predate Him by nearly two thousand years. It is a marvel to see how they explained with such clarity the mysteries concerning Jesus Christ and His Mother. You will be pleased to read them in our own language.*

*[Translator's note: I have followed the alexandrine metre and rhyming scheme of Fr Poiré's French text in the verse translations below, staying fairly close to his word patterns]

I shall begin with the Persian Sibyl, a daughter of Berosus and from the time of King Cyrus. She normally wore a robe made from cloth of gold with a white veil on her head. She speaks about the MOTHER OF GOD : 

The first-born Son of God, conceived through virgin Maid,

His royal City soon will enter on a colt;

A gentle Prince will man redeem from sin and fault,

Who to His Father then will safely be conveyed.

The Libyan Sibyl is referenced by Euripides and Theognis, two very ancient poets. She was never seen without a floral hat. She speaks thus:

The One who lives alone from ages sempiternal

And contemplates within His essence all serene,

Will rest within the womb of His own mortal Queen;

Forsooth ye men and Angels – adore your King supernal!

The Delphic Sibyl, who was prophesying in the era before the city of Troy fell, served as a mouthpiece for the Delphic oracle. Here are her words:

The Lord extends His hand and holds His sinews taut,

Suspending nature’s laws in truth is His intention;

A Virgin will conceive without man’s intervention,

Remaining all intact, of pain she suffers naught.

The Cimmerian Sybil’s name comes from a town in Italy near Cumae. She spoke as follows:

Behold the sovereign Prince, the mighty Empire’s blessing,

Enthroned upon the lap of Virgin without peer;

When radiant star on high does suddenly appear,

Behold now from the east, three Magi are progressing.

The Samian Sybil, or the Sybil from Samothrace, was a Virgin of exceptional beauty. Some identify her with the celebrated Pytho of whom Nicanor speaks in his account of Alexander the Great’s deeds and Eratosthenes in his Annals of the Samians. She has left us these lines:

In Heaven will be seen a star on high has soared,

In darkness light will shine, to show men here on earth

That God is born like us, so like our own His birth;

Hence Mother and her Son by men will be adored!

The Cumaean Sibyl was known as Amalthea or Deiphobe (from her father Deiphobus, son of Glaucus). She uttered her prophecies in Italy and here is what she declared:

The Lord sought out which clothes would suit His incarnation;

He chose a Virgin’s womb, whom gladly she embraced, 

Most chaste among the fair, most fair among the chaste,

She was His masterpiece, His joy, His exultation.

Footnotes

[1] Lib.VI Stromatum.

[2] Lactant., lib. I Divin. Institut.; D. Aug., lib. XVIII de Civit. Dei, c. 28 et permulti alii.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 1.3-6

Chapter 12 : The Eleventh 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)

She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD, following the prophecy she herself uttered, has been called Blessed by all generations

 3   The learned Theodoret[1] has another slant on these generations who will render homage to the MOTHER OF GOD by calling her blessed. He says that

These are all the nations of the earth and, with words which will never cease to pour from their lips, they will proclaim the happiness she received and that she brought to others.

Indeed there is no country where she is not recognized nor any language in which her praises have not been sung and do not cease to be sung today. She has moreover been fortunate in finding superb Panegyrists all over the world who have spread her name and her celebrity amongst the peoples of the earth :

    • St Juvenal, St Timothy, Chrysippus and Hesychius, Priests of Jerisalem, have published her great qualities in Palestine;

    • St John Chysostom in Syria;

    • St Andrew the Candian, in Crete;

    • St Gregory Thaumaturgus, in Pontus (in Asia Minor);

    • the blessed Martyr Methodius, in Lycia and Phoenicia;

    • St Cyril of Alexandria, in Egypt;

    • St Augustine and St Fulgence, in Africa;

    • St Proclus and St Germanus, in Constantinople;

    • St Bonaventure and St bernardine, in Italy;

    • St Lawrence Justinian, in the State of Venice;

    • St Jerome, in Istria;

    • St Bernard, in France;

    • St Ildephonsus, in Spain;

    • St Anselm, in England;

    • St Albert and St Rupert, in Germany;

    • St Francis Xavier, in Japan;

    • Matteo Ricci, in China; 

and many more omitted for the sake of brevity but who represent various other Kingdoms and Provinces where the MOTHER OF GOD is known, since her fame on earth is so widespread that the sun never sets upon it.

Footnotes

[1] In c. 6 Cantic., ad illa verba : Una est columba, etc.

 4   Theophylact, Archbishop of the Bulgarians[1], says that:

These generations must be understood as referring to whole succession of men who succeed each other from father to son until the end of the world.

A great many authors show that from the time this prophesy issued from the lips of the MOTHER OF GOD, no era has ever been wanting in persons exceptional for their doctrine, their holiness and their merit who have studied this subject with the aim of spreading Mary’s fame. We may note that this has, through the special favour of God, blossomed more in our time than in previous centuries. Accordingly, we can only hope that as the world draws near its end, so the glory of the Holy Virgin will continue to grow. I promise the following discussions will show this more fully than I have been able been able to in these few words.

 5   It would seem, however, that it is not enough to say that all generations have called her, call her now and will in the future call her blessed, because there is nothing in her which does not merit particular blessing and praise for her. Her womb was blessed for having conceived and borne the fruit of life, and at the same time her breasts have been blessed for having given the Saviour His first sustenance. On her head is a crown of twelve stars; her dove’s eyes, her hair, her cheeks, her teeth, her neck – all since time long passed have been honoured by the outstanding praise accorded them by the wise Solomon[2]. In short, she has been praised and blessed from head to foot. 

If this is the case with her body, then how will it be with her soul’s interior faculties : her understanding, which is the true sanctuary of God; her will, which is the singular altar of fragrant perfumes; her memory, wherein all the images are like candles on the great, golden candlestick, burning continually in the presence of the Lord ? It is not just in her and on her that the happiness is found, for it needs must pass on to all that belongs to her. Consequently, blessed are the parents who begot her, blessed the womb that bore her, and blessed the paps that gave her suck; blessed the arms that cradled her, the cloths which covered her; blessed all which came into contact with her; blessed the earth which supported her weight and upon which she trod; blessed be those whom she regards with particular affection; blessed are those places where she chose to be honoured; blessed are all those who will call her blessed : for they all shall partake in her happiness.

Footnotes

[1] In c. 1 Lucæ; Maldonat., ibid.

[2] Cant. iv.

 6    There is probably enough here already to show that all generations will call her blessed. I aim, nevertheless, to continue our discussion for the benefit of readers and to provide them with more details so that they have a palpable proof of the truth of this prophecy.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 1.1-2

Chapter 12 : The Eleventh 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)

She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world

Sometimes we see coming from the Sun, the father of the day, a beam of light that shoots downwards until it meets a dark and solid object which causes it to halt; it seems to turn back on itself and its brightness is diffused around itself. In the same way, we can picture coming from the radiant face of God a ray of glory which penetrates the souls of the Blessed, enlightening their understanding, bringing strength and joy to their wills and producing wondrous effects in their bodies. We call such gifts glorious endowments[1] and they are like accretions to the honour and reputation of those souls whom God has undertaken to glorify, rendering their name famous on earth, as their merit is recognized in Heaven. They are the result of the struggles of the Saints before God, for as their secret was to lead a hidden life and to consider themselves as nothing out of love for Him, He for His part brings into play various ways of honouring them and adding to their greatness, both on earth and in Heaven. 

An example of this is the case of Mary Magdalen : after she placed her honour and her reputation at the feet of the Lord, He promised that her fame would be be carried to the ends of the earth. Another example is St Anthony : after he had withdrawn into the desert where he saw only wild animals and demons, he was promised that he would be famous throughout the world. God made the same promise to the majority of His Saints and He was as faithful to His word as He was free in giving His promise. This reflects what He wrote through the Prophet who said to Heli the High Priest: whosoever shall glorify me, him will I glorify: but they that despise me, shall be despised[2]. He also declared that there is no man who renders Him even a little honour by way of service who shall not receive an hundred times as much[3]. 

All this is truly realized in the MOTHER OF GOD who for the sake of her love humbled herself beneath all creatures but who was raised to the foremost position in Heaven as we have just seen. She received, moreover, such great honour while still on earth that it seems God’s only thought was to find ways of honouring her. It is by no means the least among the splendours of the MOTHER OF GOD and I see clearly enough that, to expound it as it deserves, I shall need the help of both parties involved, namely of Him whose pleasure it was to glorify her, and of her who merited to receive such honour.

Footnotes

[1] endowment : the translation chosen here for the French word douaire which was commonly used to denote what a husband gives to his bride on marriage.

[2] I Kings (I Samuel) ii. 30.

[3] Mark. x. 30.

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD, following the prophecy she herself uttered, has been called Blessed by all generations

 1   The holy Patriarch Job[1] and the Prophet David[2] are in agreement that God speaks once, and repeats not the same thing a second time. His word is all-powerful and brings about what it signifies. Why would it not be permissible for me to say the same thing proportionately about the MOTHER OF GOD, since she spoke one prophecy saying that all generations shall call her blessed[3], and we have seen the effects of this all over the world and we shall continue to see them until the end of the world? Scarcely had she uttered the words than they came to be obeyed throughout the Lord’s domain, just as if a peal of thunder had carried them everywhere. I have described the words as prophetic along with the great Saints and the best Doctors who understood them and verified they were such. These include St Basil[4], St Cyril[5], St Epiphanius[6] and St Ildephonsus, whose words bear repeating[7]:

Please listen to the Mother and Prophetess of God, or better, listen to the Evangelist. Pay heed to his words, all ye Virgins, and may there be no woman, of whatever quality or condition, who does not understand the exceptional humility of the Virgin. Do not believe me if you do not see that everything the spirit of truth prophesied through her come to pass in every detail. She said that all generations would call her blessed, and she said this at a time when she was scarcely known by anyone, and that too only Judea. She spoke the words with great confidence, as though sure about what would come to pass. Is it not indeed true that there is no country under the Sun which does not have knowledge of the Saviour, and that wherever they speak of Jesus, His holy Mother is also famous. All the languages and all the nations of the earth call her blessed, and you have as many witnesses to this fact as there inhabitants on earth.

Thus spoke the great Archbishop of Toledo over one thousand years ago.

Footnotes

[1] God speaketh once, and repeateth not the selfsame thing a second time. Job. xxxiii. 14

[2] God hath spoken once. Ps. LXI. 12.

[3] Luke i. 48.

[4] Isai. 8 in illud : Accessit ad Prophetissam.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Hæresi 78.

[7] Serm. 2 de Assumpt.

 2   St Bernard[1], discussing the same matter nearly five hundred years later, 

said that:

All these generations who were to call her blessed comprised all in the universe, from God right to the lowest order of insensible nature.

 

Now it is true that the Eternal Father called her blessed, despatching one of the foremost Princes of His Court to deliver the first embassy[2] in the world. The Son too recognized her as such, rendering her the honour which I spoke of earlier and which I will have occasion to mention again later. The Holy Spirit honoured her in every way He could, seeking her love with His affection and declaring her His Spouse. 

The blessed Spirits had no wish to be remiss in their duty, knowing full well the will of their Master. St Athanasius[3] put this very well when he said:

Most Holy Virgin, all the Hierarchies of Angels along with the ranks of the Church militant call thee blessed, and all those privileged to be of this number raise their hands on high and give thee a thousand blessings! They make Heaven and earth echo to the sound of thy praises, saying blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. These are the acclamations offered thee by the first hierarchy, comprising the Seraphim, the Cherubim and the Thrones, all Spirits quite on fire with love for God and enlightened by His knowledge, showing their respect for thy sacred womb and for thy breasts which suckled the Lord. The second Hierarchy comprises the Dominations, the Virtues and the Powers; they do the same to the utmost of their powers, following the rhythm and cadence of the first group. The third Hierarchy is made up of the Principalities, the Archangels and the Angels. They feel especially duty-bound to honour thee since it was from these that the Ambassador was chosen who brought thee the accredited message; and with him they do not cease to proclaim : Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. We, thy little servants here on earth, seek to imitate them and do all we can to ask for thine assistance and to proclaim everywhere that thou art Lady, Mistress and Queen of the universe.

As if to confirm the truth of this, St Ildephonsus[4] and St Bernard[5] add the following:

The Archangel Gabriel rendered so much honour to the Virgin that it might be said he wished to adore her, notwithstanding the majesty of the relations these blessed Spirits had enjoyed previously in their dealings with men : for they had always spoken in the person of God and therefore it was not difficult for them to be treated with the honour which is due to Him alone.

Finally, the same St Bernard concludes his discussion[6] and then addresses the glorious Virgin, saying:

Most holy Lady, Queen of Heaven and earth, it is indeed true that all generations call thee blessed, both those in Heaven and those on earth; they do so with every reason, since thou hast been the Mother of life and glory for all. Through thee, the Angels meet the cause of their rejoicing, the just obtain glory and sinners hope to receive forgiveness. It is not without reason that the eyes of all creatures are fixed on thee, since it is through thee, in thee and by thee that the hand of the Almighty hath made whole that which he created.

The pious Abbot Guerric[7] follows his Master quite closely, saying:

It is entirely reasonable that Mary is able to reap the blessings which she sowed and, since this was for the benefit of all generations, duty obliges everyone to thank her for it, from the noblest Spirits to the simplest souls.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 2 in Pentecoste.

[2] A message sent or delivered by an ambassador. Archaic. 

[3] Serm. de S. Deipara..

[4] Serm. 2 de Assumpt.

[5] Serm. in Signum magnum, etc.

[6] Serm. 2 de Pentecoste.

[7] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 11 : § 5.4-5

Chapter 11 : The Tenth 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)

§ 5. The incredible elevation of Mary's royal Throne

 4   Blessed Cardinal Peter Damian, right at the beginning of the Sermon he prepared for this very feast, allows his ideas to take flight. He prays that his tongue may speak in golden streams of words, that the Holy Virgin will sharpen his understanding, guide his pen and enrich his language. He asks the Sun to rise on a wonderful day– for this is the blessed day when the Virgin without peer is assumed up to the seat of the Eternal Father and, taking her place near the Throne of the most holy Trinity, draws unto herself the gaze of all the blessed Spirits.

You will interpret the words of these great Saints in whatever sense appeals to you. For my part, I am satisfied at having kept my word by making them speak in your presence. As I promised, I shall not introduce my personal opinions. It would be going too far for me to make conjectures about the joy that filled Heaven on this day. Here are the words of the blessed St Ildephonsus[1]: 

Let us start with the Holy Virgin, for this feast belongs mainly to her. Try to picture how her soul burst with joy when she saw next to her Him for whom her heart had longed so patiently. We may perhaps hear the words she might have uttered at this point: 

My most beloved Son, Thou hast been the anchorage for all my hopes; what is there in Heaven or on earth that could possess my heart apart from Thee, who art my only good, my Lord and my God, whom I cherish over all that is lovable in the world, whom I honour and want with all the love in my heart? Now I hold Thee and possess Thee with no fear of losing Thee, with no anxiety about being separated from Thee. Through all eternity, thou wilt be my destiny, my inheritance, my happiness, my one and my only, my all…

Let us now consider the feelings of joy that filled the whole of Heaven. The same Saint goes on to ask[2] whether anyone could doubt the following : that the hundred and forty-four thousand Cantors of Heaven’s Chapel Royal, continually in the presence of the Throne of the Lamb with their musical instruments to hand, made the holy household resonate with the melodious harmonies of the new Canticle which they alone are able to sing; and that they came to perform before the Virgin, who is the one among the wise virgins. But did I say the one? She is rather the first among the first and the one who is always at the side of the Lamb, accompanying Him everywhere, whereas the others follow along after. 

Footnotes

[1] Ildefons., Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[2] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

Our Lady is the Throne of God

 5   In order to discharge fully my promise, all that remains is for me to show that the Saints confirm the same Virgin is, properly speaking, the true Throne of the King of Glory. The holy Abbot Guerric provides the best and clearest explanation of this[1]:

Be careful not to think that being received into the bosom of Abraham is comparable to being received into Mary’s bosom, granted that the King of glory placed His throne within her, saying: Come, my beloved, and I will place my Throne within thee. It was not possible to represent more candidly or more elegantly the glory of this holy soul than by calling it the Throne of God. It reveals quite clearly how God does not communicate with any of the Saints in such a full and familiar fashion as He does with Her in whom He takes His special repose. I know that He promised His Apostles they would sit on the twelve seats[2] to judge with him, because they had left all things for love of Him. I am aware of what he said[3] to encourage His soldiers, that He would allow them to sit with Him victoriously on His throne, as after His conquests He Himself did sit on the throne of His Eternal Father. But just as the Mother’s merit is quite different from that of the servants, so too is the reward. Telling her He will place His throne within her is as though He were to have said:

It is not enough, my sweetest Mother, for thou to be seated next to me and to judge with me; I need thee to become my throne of justice so that I may be seated with thee in particular, for my plan is to help thee understand in a privileged way that which is incomprehensible. Thou didst seat me in thy lap when I was little; now that I am infinitely colossal, thou dost seat me in thy spirit. Thou wast a shelter for the pilgrim, thou wilt be a palace for the King. Thou wast a tent for Him who was yet to go into battle, thou wilt be the triumphal chariot of glory for Him who now taketh a victory salute. Thou wast the nuptial couch of the Spouse Incarnate, thou wilt be the throne of the crownéd King.

O King of Glory, how true it is that Holiness is proper to Thy house, which Thou hast set in good order! Entering therein for the first time Thou didst increase her grace, but on the second Thou didst fill her to overflowing. Then, Thou wast born as a man; now Thou hast been glorified as a God. Then, Thou didst make her a sanctuary of grace, now she hath become the Throne of Thy glory.

I concede there are some among the blessed spirits whom we honour with the title of Thrones and I accept that the soul of the just is called in Sacred Scripture the seat of Wisdom[4]. I agree that Heaven is said to be full of seats and this reference is to the Saints, in each whom God has His repose, being accommodated according to their particular merits. There can be no debate, however, about the MOTHER OF GOD and she is not to be treated as being in this respect just like all the other Saints. Without diminishing their position, it must be granted that God has a throne which is exceptional, the glory of which is at a higher level than everything else in Heaven. I am speaking of Mary who is so far above all the choirs of Angels that none has precedence over the Mother except her Son, none goes before the Queen except the King, and none before the Mediatrix except the Mediator.

That is how this noble servant of the Mother of God speaks about this subject. 

He goes further in a subsequent Sermon where he has the Saviour addressing His Mother as follows:

I shall establish thee as the royal seat of my reign; in thee and through thee shall I dispense my justice; it will be from thy sacred hands that I shall receive the petitions of men. No person served me more faithfully than thee during my childhood, and this is why I serve thee above all others in my Royalty. Thou didst give me humanity, do thou receive in return my divinity. In thy humility thou wast content with a kiss from my lips, without asking for anything more; thou wilt in truth now receive an eternal embrace; by joining my lips to thine I shall unite my spirit with thine indissolubly, inasmuch as I have sought out thy beauty with a yearning greater than thou didst desire. It seemeth to me that there will be always something wanting to my glory until thou dost fully come to appreciate the incomparable good I desire for thee.

May the Angels bless Thee, O King of glory; may Thy Mother’s glory make Thine own shine forth ever more brilliantly; and may all the world understand how just as there is no Son like unto Thee, so too there is no Mother like unto her whom Thou hast so highly honoured.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[2] Matt. xix. 28.

[3] Apoc. iii. 21.

[4] Wisdom vii. See St. Augustine on Ps LXXX in his Exposition on the Book of Psalms.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 11 : § 5.1-3

Chapter 11 : The Tenth 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)

§ 5. The incredible elevation of Mary's royal Throne

 1   St Bernard would always advise extreme caution to anyone presuming to speak about the reception given in Heaven to the MOTHER OF GOD and the elevation of the throne to which she was raised. He did not want anyone to consider the entrance by the Queen of Angels into Heaven any less remarkable than the descent to earth by the King of glory. Here is how he speaks of both:[1]

Why do you think Holy Church on the feast of the Virgin’s Assumption places before us the Gospel[2] of this valiant Lady who received the Saviour (note that he understands this in a mystical sense and is not speaking of any reception other than that given by the Blessed Virgin), if it is not so that the Son’s entry may lead us to that of His Mother and that we may understand the second is no less inexplicable than the first?

Indeed, even if a man were to speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, where could he find eloquence sufficient to describe how it came to pass that, by the omnipotent hand of the Holy Spirit and the Virtue of the Most High, the Word who made all things was made flesh; and the God of Majesty for whom the whole extent of the created world would be a constraint, was enclosed within the womb of a poor Virgin?

If you agree this mystery is incomprehensible, how do you think it is possible to understand the triumph of the Queen of the world when she was assumed into Heaven and seated on the throne of glory, as befitted the honour due to her as MOTHER OF GOD and the great dignity which was proper to such a Son? With this in mind, let anyone who feels confident try to describe the height of the Imperial throne where the Queen of glory was to be seated. I confess that I have no wish to risk such an attempt and I prefer to place before you what the Saints have written. We shall find they soar to such heights in their words that were they not Saints they would strain their credibility for the most faithful of the Virgin’s servants.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[2] Luke x. 38-42 was the Gospel for this feast before the changes made after the formal definition of the Assumption in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. William Durandus says of this text: “Jesus entered into a certain ‘small castle’, that is, into the Virgin Mary...  called ‘a small castle’ in the diminutive (castellum) because of her humility, and because of her unique condition, since ‘neither before nor henceforth hath there been or shall be such another.’” See Rationale Divinorum Officium, Book 7, at New Liturgical Movement site.

Our Lady was placed higher than all the Saints

 2   Holy Church and the Doctors speak in three different ways about the seat of honour which was given to the MOTHER OF GOD, firstly in general terms. Thus we sing with the Church of how she was lifted up to the Kingdom of Heaven higher than the choirs of Angels. St Bernard and a great number of other Saints whom we have heard earlier place her over everything else that is under God.

The Virgin, he says[1], is welcomed this day into the holy City by Him for whom she once provided a home in her little castle when He came down into the world. But with what honour, with what joy and with what glory do you think she will be received? Just as when He came down to earth from Heaven, she received Him in what was the most honourable and worthy place in all the world, in the same way when she was assumed into Heaven from earth, she was honoured with the noblest position of all.

The same is said by many others I do not have space to include here who, basing themselves on reason, have declared it is an unquestionable maxim that the MOTHER OF GOD constitutes in Heaven an order apart and that her throne occupies a unique position below the most holy Trinity, but immeasurably higher than the seats of all the other Blessed.

 

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

Our Lady takes up her abode next to her Son, enthroned with Him

 3   When I come to consider the matter more closely and to study what has been written by great servants of God and by those with great zeal for His glory, I note that they speak so highly of the Holy Virgin that they set her at the right hand of the Saviour on a throne adjoining His own beneath the same canopy, placing her near the Royal Seat of the most adorable Trinity.

St Athanasius[1], the great Doctor in antiquity, applies to her the words of King David the Prophet when he says[2]: The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing; surrounded with variety.

St Ildephonsus comments[3]:

On this day, the Holy Virgin was crowned whilst attended to by Angels in the Kingdom which had been prepared for her from the beginning of the world; on this day, she was assigned her place at the right hand of God, as the Psalmist sang of old.

 

St John Damascene is not satisfied with that and he places her on the self-same throne as that of her Son, as companion and sharer in His delight and Queen of the same Realm, saying[4]:

The King hath brought thee into His chamber where thou art surrounded by Principalities, blessed by Powers, honoured by Thrones and exalted by Seraphim as true Mother by nature and by grace of the Lord of the universe. Thou wast not taken up to Heaven like Elias, nor wast thou caught up only to the third heaven, like St Paul; thou didst come to the Royal Throne of thy Son, and there thou dost contemplate at thy will His adorable face and enjoy personal and tender dealings with Him.

St Augustine does her no less honour when he says[5]:

Thou hast left behind the choirs of Angels and hast arrived at the Throne of the Sovereign Lord;  for the King thy Son hath raised thee to the same seat where He placed that which He took from thee, reason requiring that thou, who art the Queen, shouldst attain the same summit of honour as He who was engendered of thee.

Sophronius says as much in his Sermon on the Assumption which he addresses to St Paula and her daughter St Eustochium Julia:

This is the day on which the glorious Virgin was assumed to the highest Heaven and was seated on the Royal Throne by the side of her beloved Son.

St Anselm speaks of the unutterable gentleness the Saviour towards His Mother when he says[6]:

He came to her at the head of millions of Angels and then, after parading all the legions before her, He invited her to take her seat near Him on the Throne of His glory, at the same time investing her with absolute power over all the creatures who obey Him.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. de S. Deipara.

[2] Ps. XLIV. 10.

[3] Serm. 1 de Assumpt. Virg.

[4] Orat. 1 de Dormit. B. Virg.

[5] Serm. de Assumpt.

[6] Lib. de Excellentia Virg., c. 8.

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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