Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 2 : § 2.1-2

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)

§ 2. The first quality of the Holy Virgin which drew down the divine Word : an ardent desire for the Incarnation.

 1   When the philosophers observed prodigious phenomena in nature for which they could see no apparent cause, they went to great pains in researching possible hidden explanations. They noticed, for example, how a magnet attracts iron, how bits of straw are drawn to amber[1], how the sun makes the head of the marigold follow its course[2], how the moon affects the tides, how the polar star makes the needle of the sailor’s compass point towards it, how the root of the approxis plant draws fire[3] and how there is a complementary link between gold and mercury[4]. All these effects can be observed, but when it comes to pinpointing an explanation, the knowledge of the philosophers falls short.

This notwithstanding, we feel confident in our desire to consider the hidden qualities of the Holy Virgin which made God come down from Heaven. I would never risk such an undertaking if it did not redound to the honour of the one and of the other, and if the Sacred Scriptures and the Holy Fathers did not show us the way and invite us to follow them. Since this is what they do, I am happy that with the help of their guidance we shall be able to consider this question with all due respect and humility.

Footnotes

[1] Because of its electrostatic qualities, the Persians called amber kāhrubā ‘attracting straws,’ from < kāh straw + rubā carrying off.

[2] The French text has souci which normally refers to the marigold; souci is derived from the Latin solsequia, meaning heliotrope : a name given to plants of which the flowers turn so as to follow the sun; in early times applied to the sunflower (tournesol), marigold, etc. (OED)

[3] ā̆proxis, is, f., a plant whose root, acc. to Pythagoras, takes fire at a distance, Pliny Nat 24, 17, 101, § 158.

[4] “All substances float upon the surface of quicksilver[mercury], with the exception of gold, this being the only substance that it attracts to itself.” Pliny Nat. 33.32

 2   In his sermon on the nativity of the Virgin, Saint Bernard notes that out of the heart of the Eternal Father comes forth from all eternity the spring or source of life, namely His Word, which is the true source of life from which all the plants in Paradise are watered. He goes on to say:

On earth we had been suffering from an extreme drought and had been waiting a long time for the waters of this spring, but in their absence our suffering continued until a suitable channel could be found. This was the most sacred Virgin who, being the only one to draw near to the bosom of God, was able to serve as a conduit through which the waters of Heaven’s blessings could pour down upon us in abundance. This conduit, he says, had three channels through which the sweet blessings from this wondrous spring were conveyed to us: the power of her ardent desire, the fervour of her devotion and the purity of her prayer.

For if it is true that the prayers of the just shall pierce the clouds[1], then what might not be obtained by the prayer of this most innocent of all creatures? What could be refused to her who was full of grace, (although she herself thought she had nothing of worth), while the others were lacking in this respect? This was the inexplicable power of the prayer of the holy Virgin. She was so moved by her desire for our good that her prayer could not be rejected by God. For what the ancient Fathers had sought with so much weeping and sighing for the space of more than four thousand years, she was able to obtain in a very short period of time; and the desires alone of her heart had more effect upon God than all the lamentations of so many Patriarchs and Prophets and of a goodly number of the just. 

This was revealed one day to the blessed Saint Mechtild during Holy Mass when she received at the same time a most rare gift from Heaven : for the heart of the most immaculate MOTHER OF GOD was given to her, a heart which was the most holy and the most beneficial for the world that there has ever been, after only that of her most venerable Son. It was also revealed to her – 

how this heart of the Holy Virgin had been useful in hundreds of ways and especially: 

    • in the fervent desire she had for the most holy humanity of the Saviour, 

    • in the depth of the love which made her MOTHER OF GOD, 

    • in the incomparable tenderness with which she nursed and reared little Jesus, 

    • in the great care she took to ponder and keep in her heart all the words she heard coming from his most sacred mouth, 

    • in the wondrous fortitude she showed in the midst of her Son’s most terrible torments, 

    • in the outstanding zeal she displayed for the advancement of the Church and 

    • in the continual influence she has in our own hearts, making them burn with a desire to please His sovereign Majesty.

Footnotes

[1] The prayer of him that humbleth himself, shall pierce the clouds: and till it come nigh he will not be comforted: and he will not depart till the most High behold. Ecclus. xxxv. 21.

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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