The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 6.3-5

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth 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)

How she is the honour of earth and of Heaven

§ 6. She is the Paradise of delights

THE ELEVATED SITUATION OF PARADISE

 3    From the writings of this great disciple of the Virgin, I am going to take his idea of two Paradises and explore the parallels, covering some of the aspects that he touched upon. 

In the first place, it may be said that the Paradise described by the Sacred Writers was a wonder of the world, and could with good reason be called the honour of the Earth. This is why Scripture refers to the Lord’s Garden as the Paradise of the Lord, the Paradise of God and the Paradise of pleasure; others have given it a number of similar names which raise it higher than all the other places in the world. For my part, this image leads me to point out that the Holy Virgin is truly the honour of our earth, for it is she who gives it the highest value and the greatest renown. 

In the second place, the common belief has always been that the earthly Paradise was the most elevated location in all the earth. This is why the venerable Bede[1], Rabanus[2], the Bishop of Avila[3] and a great number of worthy writers with him have stated Paradise reaches to the Lunar circle[4]. Abdias of Babylon taught that the Apostle Saint Matthew shared this opinion. Theophilus, Patriarch of Antioch, located it between Heaven and earth – meaning, as I believe, on the summits of the highest mountains. Some place it here and others there, but all agree that it occupies a most eminent location and it cannot be otherwise if we wish to hold to that which has been written in Scripture. Although I am not going to pronounce upon the question here, it seems to be self-evident; and we should note that we shall always find the MOTHER OF GOD on the crest of the highest heights: meaning that she is super-elevated in her grace, her merits, her holiness and in all her perfections over all the other saints and, in fact, over the Blessed Spirits themselves.

Footnotes

[1] In Genesim.

[2] In Genesim.

[3] In Genesim.

[4] Bede, for example, wrote: Paradisus pertingit usque ad lunarem circulum, as quoted in ST Pt I, Q.102.

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THE CHARMS AND DELIGHTS OF PARADISE

 4    In the third place, I can say that the beautiful Garden of Eden was a place overflowing with abundance and delight. Saint Basil waxes most eloquently about this, giving us a clear understanding of the beauty, the sweet charms and the fertility of this place[1]. Here is a summary of what he says:

This blessed spot, he says, does not know what clouds or fog are, forasmuch as it is above these phenomena which make the sky overcast and impede our view. On the contrary, here are received the first rays of the Sun, which continues to bathe the garden with its gentle warmth while it proceeds on its daily course. Here there are no winds, no tempests, no hail, no thunder and lightning, no ice nor any other rigours of harsh winter. Spring arrives in turn, but without all the rain; Summer succeeds after this, but without its oppressive heat; Autumn and Winter duly arrive, but without the former’s aridity and without the latter’s piercing cold. All the seasons make their appearance, with all their benefits but with none of their disadvantages: Spring brings its flowers, Summer its fruits, Autumn its sweetness and Winter its repose. The earth produces from itself an incredible abundance of fruits and everywhere can be seen crystal springs of water and streams flowing with milk; the air is always fresh and gentle, the sky is open and peaceful; here all is well, all is smiling and laughter, all is peace and contentment.

Dear reader, what do you find yourself thinking about when you read the pleasing words of this great man? To me, they call up an image of the Princess of Heaven’s living soul, which is like a true earthly Paradise on account of the continual peace and calm reigning therein. This soul is never perturbed by the winds of anxiety, or agitated by the storms of passion, and never overshadowed by dark clouds. Her soul is continually caressed by the rays of the Sun of Justice; she receives unceasingly the beneficial effects of heavenly favours; and she is forever blessed with calm and serenity. She developed through her tender years without experiencing their weakness; she found herself in the turbulence of adolescence, but without its capriciousness; she acquired the strength and courage of maturity, but without suffering the changes of life. In short, she came to old age without undergoing the problems and illnesses associated thereto. It was God’s permissive will to honour her occasionally with spiritual and bodily sufferings, but this notwithstanding, I can say that her soul was not so much an image of an earthly Paradise, but rather that it was a portrait of Heavenly paradise.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. de Paradiso.

THE FRUIT OF LIFE

 5    We now come to discuss this fruit of life, brought forth by our Paradise with a much happier outcome then was the case with the Paradise of old. Blessed Theodotus, Bishop of Ancyra in Galatia, discussed this when he addressed the Council of Ephesus in the following terms:

“The Holy Virgin,” he said, “surpassed in every perfection the old Paradise of delights. The Virgin soil of that Paradise produced all manner of fruit without having been sown with seed or cultivated; but the new Paradise had this advantage over the old, for while remaining a virgin, out of the root of Jesse she brought forth the true fruit of life, the Saviour and Redeemer of men.”

“Blessed art thou, O Paradise of purity ever beautiful and ever fresh,” says Saint Basil of Seleucia[1], “for thou hast brought forth unto men the fruit of life and the true ransom of their salvation.”

“Blessed is the fruit of thy soil, by which I mean of thy womb, O Paradise divine;” says St Andrew of Jerusalem[2], “a fruit which when Adam had eaten it, made him cast out the poison he had foolishly taken and the bitterness that he had swallowed; a fruit which drew forth honey from the rock[3], which sweetened the waters of Mara[4], and which caused manna to rain down from Heaven: fruit which is like the grape, a token of the Promised Land and from which is confected the bread of benediction and the wine of immortality.”

“True paradise,” says the devoted Saint Bernard, “supplying the world with the fruit of life which giveth life eternal to those who eat it.”

“True fruit of life,” say Saint Bonaventure[5], “for although the fruit of the ancient tree of life placed in the midst of Paradise had the power of preserving natural life, the new tree which has been planted in the midst of the Paradise of the Church hath the power of preserving on earth the life of grace and on high the life of glory.”

Footnotes

[1] Orat. de Annuntiat.

[2] Orat. de Annuntiat.

[3] See Deut. Xxxii. 13: that he might suck honey out of the rock; and Ps. LXXX. 17: And he ... filled them with honey out of the rock. 

[4] Exod. xv. 22-25.

[5] Speculi B. Virg., c. 14.

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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 2025