The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 12.10-12

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

§ 12. She is the Crown of all the Saints

 10   At this point, is there no hardened sinner to be found who will pay heed to my fears and consider seriously that this misfortune could strike him at any instant?  

Profane spirit: Hast thou never thought about this danger? Thou who hast given thyself over to incontinent habits, who allowest thyself to be blown around by the winds of passing vanities, who dost live thy life on earth as if there were no Paradise! 

Dost thou not realise that by continuing on the path thou hast chosen, thou wilt never, I repeat never, see the MOTHER OF GOD in her triumph? 

Thou wilt have to bid farewell forever

• to her who causes rejoicing in Heaven in the twinkling of an eye?  
• to her who is their gentle Mother and that which is most lovable in all creation, second only to God Himself? 
• to her for whom it is necessary to reject life and all its pleasures in order to look upon her just once? 

I seem to remember having once read[1]:

that a certain Cleric with a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin was overtaken by such an ardent desire to see her that he did not cease praying by day or by night that she would show herself to him in all her beauty, of which he had tell so many wonderful things. In the end she granted his request, but only on the understanding that once he had seen her he would lose the sight of both his eyes. In fact, the Holy Virgin was not so severe in this regard, for she took away the sight from one eye only. This encouraged him to ask her for the same favour a second time, putting at risk the sight of his remaining good eye. The Holy Virgin granted his request a second time but then she restored the eye that he had lost, leaving him with the use of both his eyes instead of losing them.

Now it is true that all gifts coming from Heaven are precious and cannot be prized highly enough. It seems to me, however, that were a similar privilege granted to me, I would not want to open my bodily eyes ever again until it I could look upon her as she is in Heaven, with no fear of ever losing sight of her again, and sharing in the truly unshakeable delight she brings on high to all the Blessed.

Footnotes

[1] Speculi exemplorum, dist. 8, § 69.

 11   There is something more I wish to add so that I can bring this discussion to a close in a fitting manner: an experience well worth recalling from the life of blessed Gertrude[1].

She was assisting at Vespers on the vigil of the Assumption and when they came to chant the Antiphon Tota pulchra es, meaning Thou art all fair, she saw the Saviour holding His blessed mother closely in His sacred embrace. It seemed to her that the same words that were being sung in choir were coming from the heart of the King of glory, inviting His beloved Mother to remember the sweet and innocent cuddles that she had once shared with Him when He used to caress her tenderly with His little hands and, as seems probable, rejoiced at her exceptional beauty using the same words from the Canticle of love[2]. The Saint also saw the divine heart in the form of a blazing furnace shooting out a showers of sparks like Stars around the most sacred Virgin, conferring a most extraordinary grace and beauty upon her. Some fell on the ground in Heaven and were collected by the Blessed with wonderment and joy. The heart of the Saint burst with joy when she looked upon the Saints holding these Stars in their hands, captivated by their beauty. Enraptured by feelings of sweet delight, the Saints offered up their praise and thanks to the Son and to His Mother. Then all joined together in singing the Responsory: Quae est ista[3]? The Saviour continued with the opening words of the Versicle: Ista es speciosa[4]. For Saint Gertrude, the heart of the Prince of Love seemed to become a mellifluous instrument, accompanied by the Holy Spirit who was also making music above, producing ineffably sweet and moving harmonies. God wished in this way to show this beautiful soul that the Saints in Heaven experience joy and consolation from the superabundant glory of their Princess and their Mother beyond the power of words to describe.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. IV Revel., c. 49.

[2] Cant iv. 7.

[3] Who is she? Cant iii. 6., vi. 9., & viii. 5.

[4] She is beautiful. 

 12   When will it be that we have the joy of seeing these wonders and rejoicing in these sweet delights? But who actually knows if we will be numbered amongst those who are thus eternally indebted to the Son and to His Mother? I pray that through thy goodness, Holy Mother of mercy, I may cherish such a hope. After so many favours making me indebted to you for all eternity, I dare to hope for this final favour which will be like a crown for all the others: through thine intercession, to be received into the company of those whose duty and delight is to sing thy praises forever.

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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