The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 7.6-7

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

§ 7. She is the Temple of God

The consecration of the High Priest

 6    What shall I say about the mysterious consecration of the High Priest, one of the holiest and most solemn rituals performed in the Temple? The ceremony is described in chapters XXIX and XXX of Exodus, where particular reference is made to the garments with which he was to be vested and the precious oil of unction which would serve to anoint him. But who would be rash enough to compare this ritual with the consecration of the sovereign High Priest, Jesus, when He was clothed with the robe of our humanity and, as was said by Saint Germanus of Constantinople[1],

He was made King of men and at the same time High Priest in the Temple which He had built, inside the Holy of Holies which no one had been permitted to enter other than Him?

The Prophet David would have had good reason to say that He was anointed with the oil of gladness[2] in this divine Sanctuary over all those who had prefigured Him in the office which He truly and really embodied in Himself. I myself would have good reason to honour our sacrosanct Temple by revealing how within her was performed the noblest and most sublime ritual in world history – if only time and space allowed me to do so.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. de Nativit. B. Virg.

[2] Ps. XLIV. 8.

The end for which the Temple was built

 7    I think it is better, however, for us to proceed to the end – by which I mean the end for which the ancient Temple was built. The Psalmist expressed this succinctly when he said[1] that all people setting foot in this Temple render honour and glory to His sovereign Majesty. This is true, whether you consider the High Priest approaching the Propitiatory; or if you look at the other Priests and Levites offering sacrifices and burning incense; or if you watch the people pressing forward to offer their victims and to pour out their hearts in the presence of God; or even if you pay attention to the Gentiles who flock here from various places, so as to adore the King of Heaven in this place which is the most noble and magnificent in the world. It is clear that everything has for its end the honour and glory of God, and just as that was God’s foremost and principal end when He gave Solomon the idea of building a Temple for Him, this must also be the aim and purpose of all those who have the honour of entering the Temple.

It would be pointless, it seems to me, to take the trouble of seeking the end for which our mystical Temple was made, granted there is nothing in the world more evident than that it was built for no other reason than the highest glory of God. With regards to this, I find no no words express the idea in a more fitting way than those in Ecclesiasticus[2]: full of the glory of the Lord is His work. There has never been anything in her which does not aim directly promoting the glory of God. Her thoughts, her words, her actions, the way she looks – in short, all the movements of her body and her spirit are focused on that as their central aim, without wavering or deviating in the slightest.

Now, you might wish to delve more deeply into the wonderful designs that God had for her, such as making her the principal instrument and cause in the incarnation of the divine Word, whereby she became the Mother of all the elect. If you were to do this, it would become clear that He was claiming through her a glory so extraordinary that it would be beyond the power of words to describe. In so far as I feel obliged to comment, however, it is enough for me to say that not only did this living Temple glorify her architect in a thousand ways but that, moreover, all those who see her and have the privilege of drawing near her, so as to appreciate her beauty and rare qualities, will bless forever the divine Craftsman who made her and they will sing of her great qualities for all time. 

Footnotes

[1] Ps. XXVIII. 9: and in his temple all shall speak his glory.

[2] Orat. 2 de Nativit. Virg.

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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