Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 3 : § 2.1-3

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

It was from her alone, as His Mother, that the Eternal Word wanted to take our nature

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)

§ 2. The Power the MOTHER OF GOD had over Our Lord Jesus Christ

 1   How mysterious are the ways of humility, which receives honours when fleeing them, which dazzles when seeking to avoid the limelight and which finds that the more she desires lowliness, the higher she is raised. She turns aside to be out of sight, but she is pursued; she takes pleasure in remaining unknown, but finds herself borne aloft on the wings of fame; her ambition is to serve but she is placed on the throne of honour. What would you make of all this? It is the way things are done in God’s court. 

Please picture if you will the Holy Virgin, this remarkable example and model of humility, hidden away in her little chamber. She regards herself as being beneath all creatures when she considers her own lowliness, and she esteems herself altogether unworthy of the very least of God’s graces and favours. Suddenly, here is one of the foremost Princes of Heaven who comes and pays reverence to her. She falls into a state of confusion but he multiplies her honours, telling her that all that is beneath God is at the same time beneath her. Now more troubled than before, she seeks some way to cover her discomfiture; he adds that the Lord of heaven and earth is with her, and she kneels to adore Him as His handmaid. He tells her that she has been chosen to be the Mother of the King of Kings, and she is completely bewildered, but he goes even further and indicates on behalf of the Eternal Father that she is to have power over His own Son, true God from true God! In what state must she, the humblest of simple creatures, now find herself? The holy Angel, in fact, felt compassion towards her at this point and spared her modesty which had already been shaken.

 2   We would be even more astonished if we had the knowledge that she had concerning this privilege, and if we could even begin to understand what it means to have power over the Son of God. Do not make the mistake of thinking that here it is a question of the power that a friend might have over his friend, for instance, or a favourite over his Prince. We wonder, and rightly so, at the power Moses had over God Himself, when the Lord asked for his permission to punish his people, and prayed that he would not put any obstacle in his way[1]. We can only be overwhelmed with astonishment when we read that Joshua was able to give a command to the Sun, no more nor less than if he had been God, and God found no difficulty in obeying the voice of His servant[2]. When we consider what David said about the good and faithful servants of God[3], it seems a most remarkable indulgence that God would give effect to all their wishes. When we see this duly fulfilled in the story of the Saints, and when we read about the wondrous condescension shown towards them by God, and His unwillingness to disappoint them even in the slightest way, the promptness with which He grants them all that they desire, the way He is transported, so to speak, by His love for them, and the evidence He gives for this, then must we regard ourselves as being like the Queen of Saba was once – at a stage where we are lacking in knowledge and understanding. 

Even this, however, is still not the power of which I wish to speak; for although it surpasses what men and Angels together might think, it must be admitted that it is God who chooses to oblige Himself in such cases. His goodness being limitless, it pleases Him to recognise in this manner the smallest actions of His servants, and to receive with a heart truly royal, (or better with a divine heart), the tiny efforts that they make to show their love for Him to the utmost of their power, and to abandon themselves to His will in every way. It should also be pointed out that He reminds them to keep to the strait and narrow path, remembering always that these favours are a free gift and that they may be lost in an instant. God Himself explains this most clearly through the words of His Prophet[4] addressed to someone whose pride had lifted him up: Though thou be exalted as an eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars: thence will I bring the down, saith the Lord. Here what I am talking about, however, is rather the maternal power founded in nature, and which cannot suffer deterioration or disgrace; which is based on an obligation that cannot be extinguished or ended, either by the passage of time or by the discharge of a service due. No matter how much this maternal power is used, it can never be used up; and for as long as the Son is a Son, His obligation will remain, and for as long as the Mother is a Mother, her enjoyment of this right will continue

Footnotes

[1] Exod. xxxii. 10-14.

[2] Josue. x. 12-14.

[3] Psalm CXLIV.

[4] Abdias (Obadiah): i. 4.

 3   Give free rein to your intelligence and your imagination and see if you can come up with anything that even remotely approaches the greatness of what we have just been discussing.

Here we have a privilege, says the great Saint Augustine[1], which surpasses in every way the greatness of the Angels, and this forasmuch as it is a more excellent thing to be the Mother of the Prince than to be simply his servant.

No matter how much you reflect upon these Blessed Spirits, or how highly you esteem their merit and their honour, remember that in the end they remain always in the position of servants; whereas the Mother is Mother, meaning that she has been raised to a height you cannot imagine, since their Creator and their Lord owes her honour and respect.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. III de Symbol. ad Catech.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >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

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 3 : § 1.11-12

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

It was from her alone, as His Mother, that the Eternal Word wanted to take our nature

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)

§ 1. How the general power of the MOTHER OF GOD over all creation is shown in the mystery of the Incarnation

 11   How wonderful it is to see the King of glory emerging from the womb of His Mother, as though from His principal Royal Palace, crowned with a diadem and wearing the Royal mantle on His shoulders! If, like the Blessed Spirits, you are filled with wonder at this magnificence, do not forget that it was the Holy Virgin who worked with God Himself in producing such sublime nobility. This idea is supported by Saint Ambrose and the Abbot Guerric[1] (whose words we quoted at the beginning of Part One), where they say quite unambiguously that she crowned Him on the very day that she conceived Him. Concerning His Triumphal robes, St John Damascene states [2]:

that He was invested by her with imperial purple on the day of His anointing, which was the day of His conception.

If you have any doubts about the veneration due to this Prince of Heaven when He appears with His crown and wearing the robes befitting His state, just remember what St John Damascene[3] and St Basil of Seleucia[4] said:

It was in fact the Eternal Father who anointed Him with the holy oil and with the oil of divinity; but it was His Mother who invested Him with the beautiful robe of fine linen and with the rich mantle which she had woven from our humanity, so that He might perform in a worthy manner the office of peace and the ministry of reconciliation.

If you find it is not only majestic but also pleasing to the eye when you see Him emerging from His nuptial chamber, clad as is right and fitting for Heaven’s Spouse, be sure to understand along with blessed Cardinal Peter Damian[5] that:

The Holy Virgin, both as His Mother and as His Spouse, made Him fine and handsome, just as you see Him, and the sight thereof enraptured the hearts of men and Angels.

In short, if you can see countless wonders when contemplating this sight, then you will be sharing in the amazement of Saint Peter Chrysologus[6] who said that:

The unparalleled artistry and skill of this virtuous woman[7] were such that the humanity He took from her served Him as His tent for when on the field of battle, His pulpit for preaching and teaching, the palace where He resided and the throne from which He dispensed justice for His subjects.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 4 de Assumpt.

[2] Orat. 2 de Nativit. Virg.

[3] Lib. IV Fidei Orthod., c. 15.

[4] Serm. de Annuntiat. B. Virg.

[5] Serm. 2 de Nativit. Virg.

[6] Serm. 140.

[7] The French text has femme forte which echoes the Vulgate's mulier fortis in Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxvi. 2.

 12   For my part, I have to say that I am not really sure where this leaves me – seeing so many wonders that uplift my heart and inspire my mind. The more I consider what happened in the sacred womb of the Virgin, the more I feel like calling out along with Saint Epiphanius[1]:

O virginal womb, more sublime and mighty than Heaven! O womb more worthy than the great firmament itself! O womb illuminated by God’s light which is never extinguished, and is ennobled by the grace of the Holy Spirit!

O peerless Virgin : I offer thee in homage the astonishment of my soul, which is raised into ecstasy when contemplating thy great splendours and which can find nothing below God Himself to equal thee. I offer to thee the sweetest thoughts and feelings of thy beloved children who honour thee as the wonder of mothers and mother of wonders. Consequently, thou mayest say with greater confidence than the mother of Noe[2] : God hath given us a son and this same shall comfort us from the works and labours of our hands on the earth, which the Lord hath cursed. Thou canst say with greater truth than Sara[3]: God hath made a laughter for me: whosoever shall hear of it will laugh with me. Thou canst say with greater justice than Lia[4]: The Lord saw my affliction: now my husband will love me. Thou canst say more deservingly than Zelpha[5]: Women will call me blessed. Thou canst say with more happiness than Rachel[6]: God hath taken away my reproach. Thou canst say in a manner more mysterious than Joseph and his wife Aseneth[7]: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty. Thou canst say with greater advantage than all the others: He that is mighty hath done great things to me[8], because just as thy Son surpasseth infinitely all the children of the world, so thou doth surpass in an incomparable manner all the Mothers in the universe.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de S. Deipara.

[2] Gen. v. 29.

[3] Gen. xxi. 6.

[4] Gen. xxix. 32.

[5] Gen. xxx. 13.

[6] Gen. xxx. 23.

[7] Gen. xli. 52.

[8] Luke i. 49.

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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

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 3 : § 1.8-10

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

It was from her alone, as His Mother, that the Eternal Word wanted to take our nature

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)

§ 1. How the general power of the MOTHER OF GOD over all creation is shown in the mystery of the Incarnation

 8   What a wonder it is to see all of God’s attributes and His infinite perfections distilled into this miniature! Long ago, the Athenian sages went to great trouble trying to find what could at the same time be called the greatest and the smallest. Some suggested it was the pupil of the eye, some said it was the human heart whilst others opted for the faculty of understanding. This wide range of opinions may be forgiven in these people who had not received the light of truth; but for us, our thoughts need to go no further than the incomprehensible mystery of the Incarnation where we see:

‣ greatness come down from Heaven, 
‣ the riches of God’s omnipotence exhausted, 
‣ the splendour of grace and glory reduced into this epitome, 
‣ the predestination of the elect not only meriting but finding perfection and fulfilment; 
‣ in short, all that is great in Heaven and on earth distilled into one small volume, compassed in a small and tender body, arranged anew as never seen before.

This is indeed an unheard of wonder, where justice is pre-eminent, mercy reigns, eternity weighs and deliberates, goodness is swift to act, wisdom guides all to a conclusion, power is sufficient for plans, and where the various effects of all the different properties accord so happily with each other as to produce a harmony and concord highly pleasing to God, of great profit to men and Angels, and a source of wonderment for all the world. Do you wish to know who worked this miracle? We can of course all agree that it was God, but we should also remember at the same time that He did not bring it to completion alone, but wanted the Virgin to have a share in this honour with Him in the tiny shell of a corruptible and mortal body.

 9   What a wonder it is to see the eternal Word reduced in this way: almighty God brought low and the Word made flesh! When I say the Word made flesh, I mean to include within this word everything sublunary and lowly that the understanding of men and angels, and even of God, can perceive. 

I understand by this word flesh :

• with God Himself: a little piece of moistened dust[1]; 
• with the holy man Job[2] : that which lives for a short time, is filled with many miseries, coming forth like a springtime flower that fades in the evening and that flees as a shadow, a weathercock blown hither and thither, a vapour which appears drawn by the Sun for a little while and afterwards vanishes away[3], a wretched worm, a sack of rottenness[4], the leaf of a tree serving as a plaything for the winds, straw blown through the air[5]; 
• with David : a stinking dunghill; 
• with his son Solomon[6] : unruly hair, a broken wave and wild foam crashing upon the shore, a wisp of smoke that dissipates of itself, the fleeting memory of the traveller who  passes by a lodging, a tiny flame that goes out at the slightest breath, a puff of air, the vestige of a cloud, the passage of a shadow[7]; 
• with the holy Prophets Isaiah[8] and Jeremiah[9] : a crude earthen pot, which breaks at the slightest encounter; and
• with Saint Paul : a branded slave, and perhaps the best tribute, a beautiful nothingness. 

This is my understanding (and perhaps in fact something less) when I say : The Word was made flesh. The Prophet Jeremiah[10] cries out: Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and ye gates thereof, be very desolate, when you hear how the Lord of Majesty has humbled Himself. For it is true that God has become dust and ashes, the principle of all happiness in the world has become a storehouse of miseries, the incomprehensible Majesty is now an earthworm; the infinite is only a small atom, the source of life can now be called death’s prey, and the King of glory has changed into a small clay pot. What a wonder, or rather what an bottomless abyss of wonders! 

Great King Solomon, thou wast once so amazed that God wanted to dwell among men, even with the splendour of His majesty and with an indescribable display of magnificence: this news seemeth altogether incredible to thee; what hast thou to say now, when learning of this strange transformation and this unique act of self-abnegation!

Footnotes

[1] And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: Gen. ii. 7. slime is given for the Vulgate’s limus, which can also be translated as mud. See also: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. Gen. iii. 19.

[2] Job. xiv., especially verses 1-2: Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.  Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.

[3] For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away.  James. iv. 15.

[4] How much less man that is rottenness and the son of man who is a worm. Job. xxv. 6.

[5] Against a leaf, that is carried away with the wind, thou shewest thy power, and thou pursuest a dry straw. Job. xiii. 25.

[6] For the hope of the wicked is as dust, which is blown away with the wind, and as a thin froth which is dispersed by the storm: and a smoke that is scattered abroad by the wind: and as the remembrance of a guest of one day that passeth by. Wisdom. v. 15.

[7] Which being put out, our body shall be ashes, and our spirit shall be poured abroad as soft air, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, which is driven away by the beams of the sun, and overpowered with the heat thereof: Wisdom. ii. 3.

[8] Isai. xxix. 16.

[9] Lam. iv. 2.

[10] Jer. ii. 12.

 10   It is true that this could not happen without the holy arm of God Almighty; but are we to think that the Holy Virgin contributed nothing to this? I shall now pray in aid the blessed Sophronius who was a very close friend of Saint Jerome, for He made one small observation but it is more precious than gold and diamonds:

That which Saint John saw, he says[1], Mary conceived. 

This Word who had been from all eternity in the bosom of His Father and who was God Himself, through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was created; this Word in whom life had its source, a life which was the light of men, and the glory of which was proper to the first born Son of God; this Word full of grace and truth, with everything that the beloved disciple said about Him and with what he was not able to say – this Word was made flesh and the resulting, incomprehensible mystery is called the work of God and of Mary. I shall also pray in aid the pious Saint Bernard, who took the words of the Psalmist who says that God hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, and links them to what the Prophet Isaiah once taught when he said that God would make an abbreviated word or rather a concentrated and most exquisite distillation in the midst of the earth[2] (meaning, according several great doctors, the work of the Incarnation). According to his discerning intellect, he states that this midst of the Earth is a reference to none other than the glorious Virgin, in whom and through whom this mystery came to be accomplished.

The blessed Virgin, says he, is called in a supremely fitting way the midst of the Earth. This is because upon her as upon the centre, upon the Ark of God, upon the cause of all things, upon the vital work of all ages, are fixed the eyes of those who are already on high, of those who are still waiting here below, of those of us who live between both of these groups, of those who came before us, of those of us who are here now, of those of us who must succeed us, our children’s children and those who will come after them. 

Those who are in Heaven, have their eyes fixed upon thee, most Holy Virgin, as upon her who hath repaired their ruined state; those who are waiting here below, as upon her who will deliver them; those have come before, as upon her who will show they spoke the truth, fulfilling their prophecies; and those who come after them, as upon the mediatrix of their glory.

In short, all generations will call thee blessed, O MOTHER OF GOD, First Lady of the universe and Queen of Heaven, forasmuch as thou hast brought life and glory to them all. In thee and through thee, the holy Angels find the cause of all their joy, the just receive graces and sinners hope for mercy. It is therefore right and fitting that the eyes and the hearts of all creatures should be given over to thee, forasmuch as in thee, through thee and from thee, the all-generous hand of God hath restored all that hath been spoiled.

Footnotes

[1] Epist. de Assumpt. ad Paulam et Eustochium : Quod Joannes vidit, Virgo concepit.
[2] Ps. LXXIII. 12.

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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

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 3 : § 1.5-7

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

It was from her alone, as His Mother, that the Eternal Word wanted to take our nature

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)

§ 1. How the general power of the MOTHER OF GOD over all creation is shown in the mystery of the Incarnation

 5   What a wondrous novelty, and what a novel wonder – for us to be able to say in a real sense that a creature gave something to her Creator before receiving anything from Him! I know well that the Apostle Paul was eager for an answer to his question: Who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him[1]? But I am also aware of the reply given by Blessed Methodius, Bishop of Tyre and Martyr[2]:

This refers to the Blessed Virgin when from her own substance she formed a garment of flesh to clothe His divine majesty;

and of what the holy Archbishop of Milan said[3]:

the Holy Virgin had something to give to God, inasmuch as she offered something which came not from others but was her very own and of all things something quite ordinary she had produced in her womb – but with a tender love in an altogether extraordinary manner.

Who will not agree with me when I say this is what St Cyril[4] called the most sacred enigma and what St John Damascene[5] called the novelty of novelties?

Footnotes

[1] Rom. xi. 35. The Fillion commentary (1888-1895) says of this verse: “The sacred writer envisages the impossible, that a man has made a gift to God and receives a reward in return.”

[2] Orat. de Hypapante.

[3] Ambros., lib. I de Incarnationis dominicæ Sacramento, c. 9.

[4] Epist. de Fide ad Reginas.

[5] Lib. III a Fidei, c. 1.

 6   What a wonder we see in the union of two things so different: I am speaking here about the union of the impassible with the passible, the immortal with the immortal, Heaven with earth and God with man! A union which Saint Augustine[1] calls a wondrous commingling. For my part, I do not know any better way of representing this than what we find in the words of the great Saint Leo[2].

It is our Catholic belief, says this Doctor, that these two natures are so closely joined together and that, whilst their respective properties remain distinct, there is formed so tight a union between the two substances that from that happy moment when, for the good of the human race, the Word was made flesh in the womb of the most sacred Virgin, it is no longer possible for us to separate man from God or God from the man whom He has chosen, not even in our conceptions. It is indeed true that each of these two natures make themselves known by the different actions which are proper to each, and which distinguish one from the other – and yet there is no disunity between them. All that proceeds from the one and the other is joined together in common, so that majesty is resplendent in lowliness, abjection in greatness – without there being any sort of disruption to unity, and without their different qualities taking anything away from their union. There is a passible nature with an impassible nature; and, to develop this point, glory with contumely, and honour with dishonour, belonging to the same person; the weak and sickly is none other than the strong and powerful, and the victor over death is the one whom death has laid low.

In your judgement, is this not the marvellous exchange and the ineffable union that holy Church preaches so resoundingly[3], that the Patriarchs longed for, that the Prophets proclaimed, but which was reserved for the Sons of predilection of the New Law? This aside, if you were to ask me who is the author of this mysterious union, I would reply that in truth the first and foremost author is God, who drew this miracle out of the treasure-store of His omnipotence; but I would have no fear in adding, along with Saint Epiphanius[4],

that the Virgin cooperated greatly in this matter, and that she worked alongside God, binding together the two natures more tightly than the Gordian knot.

I should add that on this matter Saint Andrew Jerusalem[5] called the Holy Virgin the Cabinet[6] of nature, and St John Damscene[7] the Cabinet of Unions, in as much as 

divinity was united in her with humanity, suffering with impassibility, and life with death; the strong overcame the weak, bringing benefits and blessings.

 

Do you want to see the wonders of this divine union set out in terms? Here are the words of St Bernard[8]:

Attend and see length abbreviated, width straitened, height lowered, depth filled up. Here we behold light withholding its rays, the Word an infant[9], the Living Water athirst, Him who is the Bread of Heaven suffering hunger. Attend and see how Omnipotence is ruled, Wisdom instructed, Power sustained by another. Attend and see how joy is made sorrowful, how confidence becomes fearful, how happiness turns to suffering, health becomes sickness and life death. But attend and take note that sorrow gives joy, fear gives way to hope, weakness imparts strength and death restores life.  

Footnotes

[1] Epist. 3 ad Volusianum : Mixtura admirabilis.

[2] Serm. 3 de Passione.

[3] Admirabile commercium ! etc.

[4] Orat. de S. Deipara.

[5] Orat. de Annuntiat.

[6] Cabinet: used by the author according to different contexts as referring to a (royal) chamber, a place of retreat or a display case/cabinet.

[7] Orat. 1 de Nativit. B. Virg.

[8] Homil. 2 in Missus.

[9] infant: derived from Lat. infans, meaning one who cannot speak, without speech, mute, speechless.

 7   What a miracle it is for us to see the author of all things united not only to one of His creatures, but to as many as may be found – but by means of only one amongst them all! Judge for yourselves whether this is not a truly great wonder : that one creature should have merited to be, alongside God Himself, the cause and the starting point of this union. I owe this notion to St John Damascene. 

By means of the Virgin, says this Doctor, the Creator has made possible a new state for all His creatures, and one which is superior to that which they had before. Now, man may be regarded as a halfway house, so to speak, between spiritual creatures and physical creatures; he is the link between those which are visible and those which are invisible. Accordingly, when the most Immaculate Virgin joined God to man by an insoluble knot, she at the same time joined Him very closely to all the other creatures.

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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

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 3 : § 1.3-4

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

It was from her alone, as His Mother, that the Eternal Word wanted to take our nature

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)

§ 1. How the general power of the MOTHER OF GOD over all creation is shown in the mystery of the Incarnation

 3   It is of course true (and perhaps we need reminding of this) that the Incarnation was the handiwork of God and was indeed His own work par excellence; but we must also remember that it was the also work of the Virgin. God had no wish to complete this work except in her alone, just as He did not wish to accomplish His design except through her and with her. This is what the holy Doctors had in mind when they honoured her with showers of epithets and titles to show the sublime excellence of her Power. Saint Ambrose calls her in this respect the Royal Court of the divine mysteries[1]. St John Damascene calls her the miraculous Fountain, or the Fountain of wonders[2]. Saint Epiphanius has many wonderful things to say, including that here may be found the inexplicable and inexhaustible treasure of the holy Economy[3], which is the word normally used by the Greek Fathers when speaking of the mystery of the Incarnation. It is in truth most fitting for him to call this mystery a Treasure, because just as a treasure is a store of seemingly endless riches from which people can visit to help themselves, in the same way the wonders that may be found in this divine mystery are of such quality and in so great a quantity that there is no means of counting them.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. de Institut. Virg, c. 7 : Aula coelestium sacramentorum. [When aula occurs in the Vulgate, the Douay-Rheims translation is normally court, but it can also mean a large chamber, a hall or even a palace. See DMLBS.]

[2] Orat. 1 de Nativit. B. Virg.

[3] Orat. de S. Deipara.

 4   Just to mention one example in passing, what sort of miracle is it that the daughter should be the mother of her own father, and the builder of all things should take his being from his own handiwork?

It is not more than seven years ago that a little five-year old Chinese child called Denys (from the city of Hami) uttered a sentence which deserves to be passed on to posterity. It was noticed by many people but he did not seem to have learned it from anybody: the Lord of heaven, he said, created his own mother, and the mother conceived and brought forth the Lord of heaven. We might well believe that either God or His holy Mother must have revealed this beautiful truth to him. I am in fact inclined to believe this because it turns out that his house was a house of miracles and heavenly wonders, as may be seen in the story of the conversion of his elder brother aged seventeen. This young man had been struck by a serious illness and was thought to be beyond hope of recovery. On the fifth day of August at about four o’clock in the afternoon, he felt himself powerfully touched by God’s presence and he was inspired to become a Christian. To give effect to this desire of his, with many tears he was asking God to give him back his health when he saw very clearly some letters written on the canopy above him. It is true that they were few in number but they were deeply mysterious. On three different occasions the characters would be joined together but he could not see the hand that was doing this. The first time, the writing urged him to change his way of life and to follow God who was calling him. The second time, he was given genuine hope that he would. easily overcome all sorts of difficulties and that he would be the cause of salvation for several other people. The third time, he was promised that two years from then God would grant him an extraordinary grace. Such a novel experience gave him much cause to reflect especially when, from being someone whom the doctors had considered a hopeless case, he suddenly found himself healed. His conversion to the truth followed quickly thereafter and he received holy baptism, being given the name Raphael. Finally, as if to reinforce his faith in Heaven’s promises still more, his conversion was followed by that of all his family.

To return to our theme, however: this miracle that I have been speaking about is none other, in the judgement of the great saint Augustine, than the one the holy Virgin had in mind when she said He that is mighty had done great things to her.

Is it not indeed the case, most holy Virgin, (asks the admirable Doctor), that a creature hath conceived and brought forth her Creator, that the handmaid hath given life to her Lord, who hath by means of thee brought light, redemption and life to the world?

Most holy Lady! cries the eloquent Archbishop of Ravenna[1], Him whom thou hath made, hath been made from thee; from thee hath poured forth Him who is thy source; thou art the mother of thy father, and He who hath brought light into the world hath wished to take it from thee.

Footnotes

[1] Chrysol., Serm. 142.

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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

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 3 : § 1.1-2

Chapter 3 : The Second Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

It was from her alone, as His Mother, that the Eternal Word wanted to take our nature

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)

For the Holy Virgin to have drawn down to earth the Eternal Word is remarkable enough; and it is even more so that she provided an abode for Him within herself; but that she did this in an altogether worthy manner is most astonishing of all. What can it mean, then, for her to have given Him the nature that He came down on earth to take?

It is a privilege of the power she was given, says St John Damascene[1], which raises her to heights above anything in all of creation.

I have spoken about this once already, at the beginning of Part One; But I need to discuss it further for as much as this quality is not only the foundation of the great splendour of the Virgin excellence, there is also the origin of the prerogatives arising from her power. what I have already written, however, will mean that I need to say less than would otherwise be the case and I can concentrate specifically on the power which comes from her title as mother of God and from the mystery of the incarnation.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 1 de Nativit. B. Virg.

§ 1. How the general power of the MOTHER OF GOD over all creation is shown in the mystery of the Incarnation

 1   There is something deeply mysterious in how the Prophet Isaiah, faced with writing in just a few words about the promise of the Incarnation of the divine Word, should have been commanded by God to take a great scroll of parchment[1]. The mystery is discussed in the commentaries of Saint Epiphanius[2], Saint Ambrose[3], Saint Jerome[4], Saint Cyril[5], Saint Basil[6], Procopius of Gaza[7], the Abbot Rupert[8], and with them the Chaldee Paraphrast[9], a writer whom the Hebrews honour with the name of Holy Master[10]. By this commandment, the Holy Spirit wanted it understood that in these few words were hidden countless wonders. What is even more remarkable to me, however, is that the Prophet was instructed to write with a man’s pen[11]. According to the learned Rupert[12], this means in a manner that men might understand, granted that the mystery is in itself so sublime that otherwise they would never understand anything. Pope Saint Leo commented as follows:

The Prophet Isaiah asked long ago: Who shall declare his generation[13]? We should not conclude that this question was referring only to the eternal generation of the Word; for it must also be understood as including His temporal generation, inasmuch as if we set aside that which the faith teaches us, then no comment would be humanly possible about the meaning.

Footnotes

[1] And the Lord said to me: Take thee a great book: Isai. viii. 1.

[2] Hæresi 78.

[3] In c. 1 Lucæ.

[4] In cap. cit. Isaiæ.

[5] In cap. cit. Isaiæ.

[6] In cap. cit. Isaiæ.

[7] In cap. cit. Isaiæ.

[8] Loc. cit. Isaiæ.

[9] Rabbi Haccados apud Galatinum, lib. VII de Arcanis, c. 18. Note: Chaldee Paraphrast: the writer of the Chaldee Paraphrase (or Targum) of the Sacred Scriptures.

[10] In eum. locum. Holy Master: Judah the Prince, Rabbi: (Circa 135-219 A.D.) was known as Rabbenu Hakadosh,"our holy master." (see Chabad.org)

[11] write in it with a man's pen. Isai. viii. 1. The French and Latin words for pen can also mean style.

[12] Serm. 9.

[13] Isai. liii. 8.

The Incarnation is the excellent work of God

 2   I maintain that it is not possible to doubt that the Incarnation is properly to be regarded as the work of God. Saint Bonaventure expresses this in a devout manner, as is his custom[1]:

It is Thy work, O God of greatness, to have disposed in such a wonderful manner the heart and mind of the Holy Virgin so as to be worthy of the MOTHER OF GOD. The embassy[2] of the Angel Gabriel, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon her, and the union of the divine Word with her flesh: all these are also Thy work.

Many ages before him, the Prophet Habacuc had addressed a request to God in the following terms[3]: O Lord, thy Work, in the midst of the years bring it to life. This is just as if he were to have said: Lord, from the beginning we have been led to understand that Thou hast a masterpiece to complete, surpassing everything else previously produced by Thy hands, and we have always held fast to the hope that it would be seen in the midst of the years. The time has now come to fulfil Thy promise and Thou must not allow such a superb plan to come to nothing. On the contrary, we pray it will now see the light of day and we pray that Thou wilt bring it to life. Here is another way of expressing this: O God of greatness, the world is awaiting the arrival of a masterwork promised by Thee for which it hath conceived a great hope; but up until present there is only the beginning of penance and a statue which is as yet inanimate and emotionless. We have indeed heard tell :

    • of a certain marriage and of two who must be joined in one flesh[4]; 

    • of a dial whose shadow went backwards by ten lines[5]; 

    • of the mysterious ladder of the Patriarch Jacob[6]; and

    • of the prophet Eliseus stretching himself out over the lifeless body of of the widow’s little child[7]. 

These and similar prefigurations have been announced on many occasions, but they are just like the dead shades of inanimate bodies.

To Thee alone is it given to animate Thy design, to give life to it by adding the final master-stroke to this exceptional work; it is from Thee alone that it awaits it completion. In truth, when studying this more attentively I recall that the heavens, and all the rest of what we see, is called by the Psalmist the work of the fingers of God[8]; and that all the miracles that Moses once wrought in the presence of Pharaoh are also called the finger of God[9]; but when it comes to the miracle awaited since the beginning of all ages, David offers prayers to God for his omnipotence[10]; the Prophet Isaiah asks Him that He will raise up His arm[11] and fill it with strength; finally, the Holy Virgin in the Canticles invites her Spouse to put her as a seal upon His arm[12]. T

The master of Theology, Saint Thomas, teaches that:

the great power of God is shown in the way He unites discordant elements, bringing accord and harmony; that a great example is shown in the union of a spirit with a body; but that a very great example may be seen in the joining of the uncreated spirit to created nature.

It is true, O God of greatness, that we have heard with our ears: our fathers have declared to us, The work, thou hast wrought in their days, and in the days of old[13]. Thou didst vanquish Kings and didst subjugate nations on their arrival, working miracles for them in every way; and yet it must be admitted that never hath anyone heard speak of a wondrous work like unto this, nor of one which hath shown so clearly the greatness of Thy power. The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands;  permit us to tell Thee, however,  that even though all these things may be considered excellent, in comparison with this new work they are simply incomplete sketches and only in this instance hast Thou wanted to show the marks of Thy mastery, surpassing even Thyself, and producing a work quite inimitable by any other.

Footnotes

[1] Speculi B. Virg., c. 14.

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

[3] Habacuc iii. 2.

[4] Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. Gen. ii. 24.

[5] 4 Kings (2 Kings): xx. 8-11.

[6] Gen. xxviii. 12.

[7] 4 Kings (2 Kings): iv. 32-35.

[8] For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers. Ps. VIII. 4.

[9] And the magicians said to Pharao This is the finger of God. Exod, viii. 19.

[10] Ps. XCVII.

[11] Arise, arise, put on strength, O thou arm of the Lord, arise as in the days of old: Isai. lxi. 9.

[12] Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death. Cant. viii. 6.

[13] Ps. XLIII.2.

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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

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 2 : § 5.5-6

Chapter 2 : The First Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power 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).

She alone had the power of drawing down to earth the divine Word

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

§ 5. The fourth quality of the Holy Virgin which drew down the divine Word: Her obedience and assent to the divine will

 5   We have just seen how eloquently St Bernard addresses Heaven’s beloved daughter who, finally convinced by so many reasons, moved by our wretched condition and confident in the divine will, was no longer able to refuseher consent – on which depended her own happiness, our unique good, and the highest glory of God. 

Pay heed, O Blessed spirits, and let all creatures hold their peace; let there be silence in Heaven, on earth and in hell: for it is the MOTHER OF GOD who now speaks. Behold, she says, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word[1].

This means, according to Saint Andrew of Crete[2]: I have no more objections to the implementation of His Majesty’s wondrous designs; I am now ready to receive my Lord and my God within my womb, my heart is willing to cooperate in the fulfilment of all that He might wish and my will is prepared to obey Him in all things.

I am merely a blank canvas, says Theophylactus[3]; let the divine artist apply whatever strokes and colours He chooses; I am His work, which He may use in accordance with His good pleasure; it is enough for me if He can draw His glory from me.

What more do you want? asks St Eucher : She heard, she gave her assent and she conceived.

What blessed obedience, cries the incomparable Saint Augustine[4], what matchless grace, what humility in speech, fashioning a body for the Creator who fashioned all things! For with her assent God accomplished at one stroke in her what He had for long promised through His Prophet[5], saying that obedience was more pleasing to Him than sacrifice, and that the knowledge of God was more pleasing than holocausts. Indeed, obedience carried off the prize, before all the victims in the world, and submission before all the sacrifices that had ever been offered to God. This consent was the highpoint of her happiness and the foundation for the glory that she herself had prophesied when she said that from henceforth all generations would call her blessed[6]. 

The pious Lawrence Justinian cannot find the words to describe the peace and joy she feels in her heart and the benefits that her reply brought to the world.

It is indeed remarkable, he says[7], that a single word could fill all Heaven with joy, overwhelm the Angels with happiness, cause the rebirth of hope in a captive world, terrify the Demons, give satisfaction to the heavenly messenger and singular consolation to the Holy Fathers detained in Limbo[8]. It is impossible to describe how earnestly they awaited a favourable reply: on the one hand, they could not abandon hope in their deliverance – but on the other hand the modesty and restraint of the Virgin made them apprehensive. When they finally learned the good news about her assent, as with one voice they offered up endless prayers of thanks to God, saying: Blessed to be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrote the redemption of his people[9].

Footnotes

[1] Luke i. 38.

[2] Serm. de Annuntiat.

[3] In Expositione Missus est.

[4] Serm. 18 de Sanctis

[5] Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams.1 Kings (1 Samuel) 22.

[6] Luke i. 48.

[7] Serm. de Annuntiat.

[8] Limbo: the "limbus patrum" - the temporary place or state of the souls of the just who, although purified from sin, were excluded from the beatific vision until Christ's triumphant ascension into Heaven.

[9] Luke i. 68.

 6   We now come to a point at which I might have a serious fear of overstepping the mark and if Saint Bernadine of Sienna were not such a great theologian and saint, I would be hesitant about presenting readers with the conclusion that he proposes. He maintains that:

By the act of faith, obedience and submission that the glorious Virgin practised in her assent, she merited for herself more than everything ever merited by all creatures taken together, meaning all Angels and men in their actions, in their thoughts, in their words and all the sufferings of their lifetime.

I believe we can get used to his idea: 

if we take into account (and here is the argument of this great servant of the Virgin) that her action was so heroic and so noble that by it she merited for herself dominion over the universe, the plenitude of all God’s graces, of all the virtues, of all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, of the beatitudes, of freely bestowed graces, of virginity and fruitfulness conjoined, and what is still more, the title and the honour of being MOTHER OF GOD[1]. Accordingly, as the prize for what she did is higher and more sublime than the reward given for all the merits of the Saints together, we can truly say by her assent alone the Virgin won more than all the greatest things they ever did.

Most adorable Princess, I honour thee with all my heart and revere thine own as the sanctuary of God and the most noble place in all the world. Blessed be a thousand times this true altar of incense, blazing continually with thy holy desires and fervent prayers which drew our God down from Heaven. Blessed art thou in thy sacred body and thy virginal soul – uniquely beloved of Him who feedeth among the lilies[2]. May all the souls of the elect cause to resound within thine ears the shouts of acclamation and joy with which the chaste Judith was once honoured, so that everyone may know that God hath strengthened thy heart, and thou hast done manfully, because thou hast loved chastity; and therefore thou shalt be blessed forever[3]. Blessed art thou too in thy humility, by which thou hast been most pleasing to the Prince of Heaven. Finally, blessed are thy sacred lips, and the sweet words of consent they spoke for the benefit of all the children of Adam. I offer thee thanks for all the favours that we have obtained through thee, praying that they may truly be prized and cherished – and if not as much as they truly deserve, then at least as much as we are able, and for as long as we gather the fruits therefrom.

Footnotes

[1] Tom. II Concionum, Serm. 51, c. 1.

[2] Cant. ii. 16.

[3] Judith xv. 11.

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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