Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 4 : § 3.8-9

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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)

§ 3. The sweetness, the graces and the honour that the Holy Virgin received for all the things she did caring for little Jesus

The honour received by the Holy Virgin when she was bringing up the Saviour

 8   The honour she received from bringing up the Saviour was no less than the sweetness and the merits we mentioned above. If her beloved Son. who faithfully rewarded people for their good works, did not allow the world to be forget the name of Martha, whom He loved for the charity she showed to Him; if He promised Mary Magdalene. in return for the oil that she poured onto His feet, that her name would be known wherever the Holy Gospel was preached[1]; if He granted so many favours[2] to all those who followed Him, some of whom with the shadow of their body[3] others with their handkerchiefs[4], healed all sorts of sicknesses, then to what height of honour must He not have raised her who formed Him with her blood, who nourished Him with her milk, and who raised Him tenderly with care and love beyond the power of words to describe? It would be superfluous for me to say more about this, since the fame of this Lady has spread to all corners of the world and there is no place under heaven where they do not sing: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck[5]. 

I would like to echo the words of Saint Augustine who says:

Let us wonder, let us rejoice, let us love, let us praise, let us adore and let us show our thanks[6]. 

Let us wonder at how the Sovereign Majesty came down from on high, at how a mere creature is lifted up to the honour of feeding and teaching God, at how deep are the secrets and mysteries in the union of these two, and how abundant are the fruits which we have gathered from them. 

Let us rejoice with the Son who has found such a worthy Mother, and with the Mother who has raised such a noble Son. 

Let us love with a tender love the nursling of the Virgin most chaste, and her who fed the divine Infant. 

Let us praise to the utmost of our powers Him who scaled down His greatness, making His own the needs of a tiny infant; and let us praise her who amongst all women was chosen to serve in so many ways the Son of the Monarch of the Heavens. 

Let us adore that which we are not worthy to comprehend, and that which the Seraphim adore along with us. 

Let us show our thanks to Him who, so that we might be filled with His glory, has deigned to be fed like a little child, and to her who out of millions of women was found worthy to give Him His first food.

Footnotes

[1] Amen I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memory of her. Matt. xxvi. 13.

[2] Basilius Seleuciæ Episc., Serm.de Annuntiat.

[3] that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities. Acts v. 15.

[4] So that even there were brought from his [Paul’s] body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the wicked spirits went out of them. Acts xix. 12.

[5] Luke: xi. 27.

[6] Serm. 35 de Sanctis : Admiremur, gratulemur, amemus, laudemus, adoremus, gratias illi agamus, etc.

 9   I am happy to conclude with the words of the Holy Abbot Rupert[1]:

We shall ever rejoice in her and with her, in the memory of how she fed Him with food from her breasts; we shall praise forever the God of Heaven, Him who conferred on her the favour of wanting her for His nursing Mother; the feeling of intoxication that we experience in contemplating what she did will surpass all the sensible delights symbolised in this life by wine; in short, all those souls loving righteousness will love her, thank her and bless her for ever and ever.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. I in Cantica.

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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 4 : § 3.5-7

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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)

§ 3. The sweetness, the graces and the honour that the Holy Virgin received for all the things she did caring for little Jesus

 5   Great God of Heaven! How could anyone explain the abundance of delights which continually flooded this holy heart? How could anyone describe the tender gestures of affection exchanged between Son and Mother? How would anyone convey what the most sacred Virgin experienced in Nazareth, in Bethlehem, in Egypt, in Jerusalem, during the childhood of her Son, during His adolescence and after Jesus attained manhood? There is no one whose mind would not find itself forced to acknowledge the greatness of these wonders, and even the least of these feelings would be enough to make anyone lose his desire for any other pleasure. Accordingly, most holy Lady, please allow me to address thee with the words of thy faithful servant, blessed Saint Ildephonsus[1] when he said that:

It was not without reason that thou didst receive in abundance the first fruits of the consolations that thy Son came to communicate to men; but we implore thee most humbly to remember to keep for thy poor children some of the leftovers from this foretaste of Heaven. Thou art seated at the table as Lady, Queen and Mother; we are at thy feet, like the little dogs in the Gospel[2]. Our eyes are on thy hands[3], whence we await nourishment for our soul. It is through thee that we have received the fruit of life from the table of the Holy Sacraments that we see daily; please grant that at the eternal wedding feast[4] we may enjoy this same fruit in a new way for the lasting glory of the elect.

Footnotes

[1] Loc. cit.

[2] Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters. Matt. xv. 27.

[3] Cf. Ps. CXXII. 2.

[4] Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Apoc. xix. 9.

The graces received by the Holy Virgin when she was bringing up the Saviour

 6   If the infant Jesus was for His holy Mother a fountain of sweetness, we can truthfully say that He was also the source of a cascade of graces and favours. In his work entitled The Paedagogus[1] Clement of Alexandria states that:

the love mothers feel towards their babies increases in a remarkable manner whilst they are breast-feeding them.

This was indeed the case with the Holy Virgin but to a higher degree than all mothers in the world, forasmuch as the sweetness of this little lamb and the gestures of affection I mentioned earlier so increased the love she felt towards Him, and with this love the immensity of the merits she received, that even the Cherubim were astonished. The Venerable Bede[2] writes about this as follows:

She was indeed truly delighted to have been able to give this personal service to the Word Incarnate, but it cannot be denied that she was much happier still that she was able to discharge so many duties towards Him with a love which will be spoken of forever.

Is this not what the Spouse in the Canticles meant when He said to His chaste Spouse[3] that her breasts were like clusters of grapes?

The grapes of the Church, noted a learned commentator on this text[4], are the Holy Martyrs who shed their blood when they were forced, as it were, into the wine press of torment.

Now, there is no one unaware that the blood they shed in defence of the truth was of inestimable value in the eyes of God; nevertheless, any one who considers the Holy Virgin giving her milk to feed the divine Word will come to realise that what she was doing had no less merit than the suffering of the martyrs. The reason I say this is that the principal source of merit is grace and charity; in the heart of the most Holy Virgin, these could be found to an inestimable degree and in this respect she incomparably surpassed the Holy Martyrs.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. I, c. 3. & 5. 

[2] In c. 11 Lucæ. 

[3] Cant. vii. 7. See also: How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine: Cant. iv. 10. 

[4] Hailgrinus Cardinalis.

 7   The Blessed Archbishop of Toledo[1] touches on another matter which deserves careful consideration. Following St Augustine, he states that:

Whilst this Lady was breast-feeding her dear Son, her heart and mind were raised to the highest level, where she may be seen as filling the veins which one day were to be emptied for the salvation of the whole human race.

This means that from now on she was already participating in the work of redemption, that is, in an action of infinite merit.

Take heart, most holy Virgin, continues St Augustine. Give thy milk to Him who created thee, to the true bread from Heaven and the Redeemer of the world. Offer thy breast to Him who will one day offer His cheek to be struck for thee and for all men. Feed him who hath made thee what thou art, so as to receive from thee the service thou presently doth render unto Him.

St Paul[2] urges Christians to be generous in their alms-giving, giving according to their means to those who work for the spreading of the faith, forasmuch as in this way they may acquire the merits of the Holy Martyrs and the glorious Confessors, offering unto God living sacrifices which are to Him incomparably more pleasing than the sacrifices of dead bodies. This being the case, what are we to think about her who fed the Prince of martyrs and confessors and the very Principle of our reconciliation with God, and who fed Him with a love beyond the power of words to describe? We must conclude that through this means she has entered into a communion of blessings with Him and, as I shall explain later[3], she has participated in a manner most advantageous to the work of our redemption, which is the highest point of Merit that can be attained by a simple creature.

Footnotes

[1] S. Ildefonsus, Serm. de Assumpt.

[2] Hebrews: xiii.

[3] Ch. 6.

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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 4 : § 3.3-4

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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)

§ 3. The sweetness, the graces and the honour that the Holy Virgin received for all the things she did caring for little Jesus

 3   It is not possible for us – but I should restrict this to us– it is not possible for even all the created spirits to form an adequate conception of this virginal rapport, or better said, the sweetness of this divine colloquy.

What taste could there be of celestial Wisdom which was not savoured by her who actually possessed its treasure? asks St Anselm[1]. Picture her seated at the feet of her beloved Son, just like another Mary Magdalene, but see how she deals with Him face to face, for she is His Mother; and observe how her heart burns night and day like a divine censer, with memories of the sacred words that she has heard coming from her Son. Never will anyone taste the sweetness of God in the way that she did who was there next to the gushing source, and who had charge over this fountain of pure delight. 

St Epiphanius[2] does not hesitate in saying that the Holy Angels never heard such delightful utterances as she did; neither were they worthy to share the private conversations enjoyed by the Holy Virgin with her Son.

These noble spirits, he says, do not even permit themselves to look upon the adorable face of the Saviour, and yet the Virgin Mother gazes upon Him, embraces and caresses Him whenever she wants. The Spirits lower their wings and do not draw near, but the Mother kisses Him, carries Him, cradles Him on her breast, and holds Him tightly in her arms for as long as she wants.

Do not be astonished at this, says the Abbot Guerric[3], and what could be more reasonable than this privilege which she enjoys before all others? Right is on her side, requiring that she be allowed to reap the fullness of the blessings which she has sown; and since she has borne within her a blessing of all the nations of the world, is it not fitting that she should see the fruits before anyone else, and more abundantly? There would be something unjust in denying her the sweet enjoyment of the fruit of her womb, says the Holy Spirit, and accordingly may she be flooded with the sweet consolations that are spread within souls by Him whom she conceived and bore for us.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Assumpt.

[2] Serm. de S. Deipara.

[3] Serm. 6 de Assumpt.

 4   In the writings of the pious Abbot Rupert[1] there is support for this idea:

When the Blessed spirits when they have been contemplating Him, they desire more; but the Holy Virgin did not possess Him in the ordinary way, for she drew Him from her own womb, she carried Him in her arms, she suckled Him at her breast and could contemplate Him at her leisure. How many nights, she says, have I spent close to Him without going to sleep, looking at Him and adoring Him, being unable to see Him too much; how much time have I spent around Him, when He was already growing bigger, listening to His holy speech and drawing profit from what I heard; how many times has he made me see through the eyes of His holy humanity, as in sparkling crystals, the bright light of His divinity, which He adapted for me so that my eyes were not dazzled thereby!

In another place[1], this holy Abbot makes use of a comparison some might consider fairly basic in order to give us some idea of the sweet feelings which filled the heart of the most sacred Virgin. He says that he knew someone, (I personally have no doubt that he was referring to himself),who after he had gone to bed suddenly felt a hand touching his chest and he was allowed to hold it for a little while. He explains that his heart was filled with a balm of such sweet fragrance and set on fire with such an ardour of devotion that it seemed to him that he was experiencing Paradise. This is the irresistible argument, it seems to me, which has on many occasions convinced me that there was never any feeling of joy and consolation comparable to what the Blessed Virgin experienced. For if, as I might say, simply picturing in the imagination some mystery of our salvation, and a body formed from the air, in which the Saviour occasionally made an appearance, sometimes in the form of a little child, sometimes fully grown, at other times on the cross or in other ways – if all this could have had so much power as to transport out of themselves saints such as Francis, Bernardine, Antony of Padua, Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine of Sienna, Catherine of Genoa, Catherine of Bologna and countless other Saints; if this could set them ablaze with an interior fire that consumed them alive, making them melt like wax under the rays of the sun, causing them to call out that they could not take any more and that they could no longer bear this celestial ardour – what must we then believe of her who was able to experience these feelings whenever and for however long she wanted, not based upon an imaginary vision but upon the real presence of her holy Spouse; of her who had continually before her eyes Him to whom she had given being, over whom the Eternal Father had granted her a power both maternal and paternal at the same time, and who loved her with an infinite love both as God and as man, a love which was incomprehensible to any other person? Was this not enough to lead to swoons of joy, just hearing Him call her Mother once and her calling him Son? Just a single embrace, a single kiss,  a single glance – would this not be enough to flood her soul with all the sweet fragrances of paradise?

Footnotes

[1] Lib. II in Cantica.

[2] Lib. V in Cantica.

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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 4 : § 2.7-8 > § 3.1-2

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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. Concerning the care and affection with which the holy Virgin nourished, raised and served her beloved Son

 7   Besides all this, look at the tender care and love that she shows when she lays Him down, picks Him up, cradles Him, rocks Him to sleep, wakes Him up, washes and changes Him, dresses Him, keeps Him warm, carries Him, keeps Him company, follows Him, helps Him and does everything that a Mother can do for a child. Where was there ever a creature who did something for God with a care and love that may be compared to the way this incomparable Mother served her beloved Son in even the least of things? The great St Augustine spoke of this as follows:

No-one with any intelligence could ever call into question the way Mary made herself the most humble handmaid for her Son, not only through her unshakable faith but also through her constancy in the way she discharged her duties to Him. She bore Him in her womb, she fed Him, she kept Him safe when He was being hunted by Herod, and she never left Him during His childhood; she accompanied him during His public life and not even death kept her away from the foot of the cross; she followed Him too through the imitation of His virtues, more than by following His actual footsteps, moved by the indescribable respect she bore towards Him as her God. Consequently, just as she was His most faithful servant by reason of her spiritual works, so too she was His most faithful companion through her steadfast faith and her ardent charity.

This great Doctor strikes a chord here of wondrous resonance, namely the remarkable faith which moved the Virgin’s heart and mind, which guided all her steps and which provided the impetus for all her actions. For just as as there was never found a soul illuminated by faith and by the gift of Heavenly Wisdom like unto hers, in the same way there was never anything to compare with the zeal and the love with which she served her beloved Son, right up until His dying breath.

 8   You know this, O Holy Spirits, you know this because you were the faithful companions and the irreproachable witnesses to all the services that she performed for Him: notwithstanding this, St Bonaventure[1] declares that:

This most humble Virgin suffered distress when she thought that her Son was denigrated because of her, and when she heard the Jews describe Him scornfully as the son of Mary[2] and Joseph.

Most holy Virgin, why dost thou allow thy heart to be afflicted in this way? Please pay no attention to the insolent words of these proud and arrogant people; they are like the blind who are leading others into the pit[3]. This storm will blow over and there will soon be calm followed by a happy time in which people will spread the news everywhere, to the great honour of the Mother and of the Son, that Jesus is the Son of Mary and that Mary is His Mother who feeds and teaches her little Jesus. In that time, instead of these terrible reproaches, the devout children of the Church will call upon the name of Him whom thou dost now serve, and with a particular sweetness they will call Him the Son of Mary. Accordingly, well-formed minds will no longer scorn Him for being thy Son and for being nursed by thee, but on the contrary I tell you that the Holy Angels will honour Him throughout all eternity, not only for His peerless merits but also because He is the Son and suckling babe of the wisest, the holiest and the most accomplished of all the mothers in the world. I pray only that thou wilt not forget thy poor children, and how they love to be numbered amongst those blessing forever the Son along with His Mother and the Mother in company with her Son.

Footnotes

[1] Speculi, c. 4.

[2] Mark vi. 3.

[3] Matt. xv. 14.

§ 3. The sweetness, the graces and the honour that the Holy Virgin received for all the things she did caring for little Jesus

 1   Little infants have scarcely begun to babble before they start to repay in part with their gestures of affection and charming little ways all the trouble that their mothers and nurses have been taking with them. It would in fact be difficult to handle all their demands were it not for these corresponding moments of delight. To focus, however, on the Holy Virgin: I can say in all truth that never was a mother  showered with more sweet moments and consolations than she received during the infancy of her beloved Son.

The sweet experience of the Holy Virgin when she was teaching and bringing up the Saviour

 2   In order to portray the tender feelings which filled her holy soul, it would be necessary to have experienced something of these raptures of the heart and this heavenly sweetness. Perhaps it will suffice to say that there never was a child that could be compared to little Jesus – meaning that there was never anyone so lovable because of His sweet nature and His gentle soul, or anyone whose grace showed in all that He did. In the same way, there will never be found a heart so disposed as Mary’s was to receive the innocent acts of love and the abundance of spiritual delights that her most dear Son showered on her. Martha’s part has now changed significantly, granted that she had only to summon her sister Mary to share in her chores, since she was always being invited by Mary to partake of the peace and joy which carried away her heart and mind. Here are the eloquent words of the Bishop of Carthage and the Blessed Martyr St Cyprian[1], who said that:

Even though the glorious Virgin did not lose a minute of time in the active life she devoted to the service of her Son, her hard work and dedication were nevertheless rewarded by the most sweet fruits of the contemplative life.

St Basil of Seleucia[2] develops this idea using his great gift for words and his natural devotion. 

Sometimes the Virgin Mother felt emboldened, but then she would hold back; sometimes her feelings of affection gained the upper hand, but then respect would restrain her; she wanted to give him endless kisses and cuddles, but the Majesty she could see in His divine countenance held her back. This toing and froing between restraint and familiarity actually made her melt in tenderness, causing the feelings in her heart to grow stronger and fanning the flames of love within her holy breast.

How tenderly, says St Augustine[3], does she smother her little nursling with kisses after feeding him at her breast? How lovingly does this blessed Son put His arms around His Mother’s neck, showing her His divinity as if by a flash of lightning, which fills her heart at that same instant with a most pleasing fear of the Lord?

Who could even begin to describe, asks Saint Ildephonsus[4], their sweet and loving colloquies? How beautiful it is to contemplate on the one hand the Mother's virginity, ennobled by her fruitfulness, and on the other the Son’s virginity, shining resplendently through his humanity!

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Nativit.

[2] Serm. de Annuntiat.

[3] Serm. 35 de Sanctis.

[4] Serm. 5 de Assumpt.

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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 4 : § 2.2-6

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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. Concerning the care and affection with which the holy Virgin nourished, raised and served her beloved Son

 2   Those who are learned in the law1 have raised the question as to whether ladies of quality are personally obliged to breastfeed their children. On this question I will say firstly that if they are claiming in this regard a privilege, it is clear that it does not come from nature, which does not supply them with breasts and milk like other mothers for any other reason then to allow them to feed those with whom they shared their own blood when they were carrying them in their womb. 

Were I were pressed to speak further on this matter, I would tell them that if they study the Sages of antiquity or the Holy Doctors of the Church[2], they will assuredly receive a blunt reminder of their duty, and that they will never be judged worthy of being mothers unless they do so fully and not just in a partial manner. These great minds will give them examples of women such as: Hecuba, Queen of Asia, who felt privileged to breast feed her son Hector; such as the wise Sara and the virtuous Anna who were like Princesses in their time: the former breastfed her son Isaac and the latter her son Samuel; such as the noble Flaccilla, wife of Theodosius the Great, who would never trust anyone else when it came to feeding her little Honorious; and of a great number of others who understood that the titles of mother and wet nurse were not names and roles that could be shared. I leave the final reasoning in this question to those who are wiser: for my part, I will say only that I know very well there could be no sort of privilege which would dispense the Holy Virgin from this her duty, since God had expressly chosen her to fulfil it in relation to his son, and that, as the Church sings, Him ... only the Virgin suckled, breasts filled by heaven[3].

Footnotes

[1] Tiraquel., lib. de Nobilit., c. 20, nº 78.

[2] Ambros., lib. VII in Hexameron.

[3] From Nesciens Mater, by Jean Mouton (1459 – 1522) who was a French priest, canon and prolific composer.

 3   It is my opinion, however, that even if all the laws and customs in the world had provided an exemption for her, she could never have been persuaded to make use of it. How could she ever have found the courage to abandon so early this little Pilgrim from Heaven who had thrown Himself into her arms and who had chosen her with such love, in preference to every other woman? How could she have willingly given up the sweet feelings which thrilled her holy soul during the infancy of the Saviour? How could she have yielded to any other woman a portion of the right belonging to the MOTHER OF GOD, handing over freely and entirely the role and privilege of being wet nurse to the Creator? How could she think so little of the inestimable favour which was attached to this privilege? Did she not know that the milk she would provide to Him would be converted into the very substance of God, and joined to the divine Word in the unity of His person, no more nor less than the precious blood which she had supplied to Him when He was still enclosed within her womb? It is for this reason that the Holy Souls compare the gravity of this role and privilege of feeding God to that of the Sanctuary. If it was an incomparable favour for her to be the Mother of her Creator, it must be confessed that the one which comes nearest to it is the honour of being the Mother who feeds God. Granted that just as what is adored in Heaven and in the Holy Sacrament of the altar is the flesh formed from the most pure blood of Mary, then it follows that the object of the belief of the faithful is in Him who is nourished by the milk which she gave to Him. Who could ever describe the care the Holy Angels took to ensure that not one single drop was lost, and with what respect this chaste maid presented her breast to her God ; or the sense of obligation she judged herself as having to Him who had chosen her for such an elevated office; or what her feelings might have been at the thought this food would change into the very substance of her Creator!

 4   What shall I say concerning the education of this little Prince from Heaven, and the care with which the holy Virgin brought Him up and served Him during his tender years? In profane history we are told the remarkable story of two noble Roman brothers called the Gracchi, of the care taken of them by Cornelia their valiant mother, and of the effort she put into their upbringing. We are also told that there was no one to compare with these two children whom this lady considered to represent all her jewels, riches and treasure. Solomon has left for posterity two references in Sacred Scripture[1] to the incomparable love and wisdom shown by his beloved mother Bethsabee, wanting us to appreciate the exceptional education she gave him when he was young, and to know how she would mix her teaching with affection, and how she moderated the gravity of her position as regent with the tenderness of a mother, calling him her little Lamuel[2], meaning, 'he who has God with him', because of the natural goodness which she always saw in him. If our Saviour, however, had allowed His own holy childhood to be described in detail, and the Evangelists had presented us with all the instances of the wondrous wisdom of His most holy Mother, as well as those showing her humility, devout souls studying such sweet revelations would never want to cease their contemplation. I firmly believe that just as in all things He wanted to be made like unto his brethren, as St Paul declares[3], so too He submitted Himself to the teachings of His holy Mother, so that by this means He might fulfil all justice[4], as He said to His humble Precursor. And why would He not have done this whilst He was still a child, and towards His venerable Mother, since at the age of twelve He was happy to find Himself amidst the Doctors, listening to them and questioning them like a little schoolboy?

Footnotes

[1] Proverb. c. iv. &  xxxi.

[2] Prov. xxxi. 1 & 4. The French text has Samuel but the Vulgate, Douay-Rheims & Fillion translations have Lamuel, which the latter's commentary states was commonly regarded by the Fathers as referring to Solomon. 

[3] Hebr. ii. 17.

[4] Matt. iii. 15.

 5   Who will find it strange that He should have learned from His beloved mother how to walk, how to babble and then begin to speak, and to do all the other things that go with this tender age? Just as the Holy Virgin was altogether in tune with the divine dispensation, so too she understood very well what God wanted from her. Her profound humility which was wedded to her peerless obedience, enabled her to overcome all the difficulties her mind might conceive with regard to teaching Wisdom incarnate. Once she had consented to be MOTHER OF GOD, she told herself that here she was dealing with a mystery where she would have to proceed without being able to see everything that was involved. She would just have to try and accomplish everything that depended upon it and which God desired of her, with no other consideration than conforming to the good pleasure of His Majesty. Her humility brought her down to earth and kept her feet on the ground, so to speak, whilst her obedience made it possible for her to rise up to the challenge of fulfilling the divine will within the time available. 

Dear God of love: how pleasing a thing to see and to hear the teaching that this wise Mother gave to her little Jesus! And the sweet activity of a soul such as His, behaving just like any other child, and willing to accept these little lessons with a humility that delighted Heaven; whilst she for her part was content to lose herself amidst the wondrous mysteries of the divine judgments, pondering them in her heart!

 6   But it was in the least of the services that she was called upon to perform during the little Saviour’s infancy that she busied herself with the particular sweetness and concern. In these, as was the case with another Martha, she was careful not to miss any opportunity to put herself at His service. What am I saying, like another Martha? The care shown by Martha was as nothing compared to what Mary did and in fact all the love of the Blessed Spirits could not stand comparison. The learned Rupert commented on the following words from the Canticle : the sweet smell of thy ointments is above all aromatical spices[1] and applied them to the Holy Virgin, saying:

There is no comparison between the works of mercy performed by other Saints and the services that the Queen of Heaven offered to her beloved Son. 

St Anselm[2] takes this idea further in the following terms:

Think about the difference which between the Holy Virgin and all those who undertake the office of a Martha. The others provide shelter for any ordinary passer-by but the Virgin provided an abode, not in her house, but in her womb, for the only begotten Son of God who had not where to lay his precious head[3]. The others provide a poor person with a covering of linen or wool, but the Holy Virgin clothed the word Incarnate with her own flesh. The others distributed surplus foodstuffs from their house, but the Virgin changed her own blood into milk to provide nourishment for her Son.

Footnotes

[1] Cant. iv. 10.

[2] Serm. de Assumptione.

[3] Matt. viii. 20; Luke ix. 58.

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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 4 : § 1.3 > § 2.1

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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. The excellent qualities of her who nourished and brought up the Word incarnate

 3   Men are free to think what they will, and some may come to their own conclusions regarding this question. I am simply expressing my own opinion which is that one of the most moving and most powerful motives He might have had for taking on the mantle of a pilgrim was so that He might be nourished, raised and served by this peerless Virgin, and in this way raise her as high as it is possible for a mere creature beneath His own sovereign Majesty. It must follow from this that the innocent attractions of this Virgin Mother are worthy of wonder since they went right up to Heaven and were able to draw the divine Word from the bosom of His Eternal Father, making Him desirous of being nursed against her chaste breasts, being nourished by the milk which Heaven had placed there, of being cradled in her arms, of being fed by her hands, of snuggling against her bosom, and of being altogether indebted to her for His upbringing. The blessed Bishop Proclus spoke as follows at the Council of Ephesus[1]:

Do not imagine that the Son borne by the Virgin in her sacred womb was different from Him who dwelled in the bosom of His Eternal Father from all the eternity, or that the infant cradled in Mary‘s arms was anyone other than Him who walks on the wings of the winds[2]. 

The holy Doctors St Gregory Thaumaturgus and St John Damascene recognise in this a feature of the MOTHER OF GOD so majestic in its greatness that they are altogether astonished.

What is it that I am hearing, and what am I seeing? asks the first of these[3]: a Virgin who wrapped up warmly Him who is clothed with light, a maiden who swaddled Him who formed all creatures, who laid in a manger Him who is seated on the Cherubim throne and is praised by countless thousands of blessed Spirits, who feeds at her breast Him who nourisheth all that hath life. For all these considerations, most holy Virgin, which bind thee in such a special way to the Word incarnate, it must needs be that thy merits surpass all our praise.

The second writer says:

She is more noble than anything in all creation, forasmuch as she furnished the builder of all things with the flesh and the blood which He united to His divinity; she fed Him with her milk, and He kissed her countless times with his little lips; in short, it cannot be denied that there was in her something quite extraordinary, which is why the Eternal Father chose her to be the Mother who would nourish His only begotten Son.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. de Nativit. Domini.

[2] Ps. CIII. 3.

[3] Serm. 1 de Annuntiat.

§ 2. Concerning the care and affection with which the holy Virgin nourished, raised and served her beloved Son

 1   To hear the words of Martha, the charitable hostess of the Saviour, you would say that she is perhaps forgetting the privileged position of her sister Mary, or that she she does not understand how contemplation has, as it were, neither feet for walking, nor hands for working, nor a heart which makes someone bustle around in service of another like her. Saint Bernard[1] came close to the truth, it seems to me, when he said:

In a case such as this, it Mary should have called Martha to help her, rather than Martha trouble Mary.

In fact, if we consider how Martha and Mary are perfectly represented in the blessed MOTHER OF GOD (as was explained elsewhere[2]), we shall find that Mary was truly the one who drew down from Heaven the divine Word and who enabled the union which He made with our nature to be put into practice; but when it came to providing a home for Him, of welcoming Him and looking after Him, she should have called Martha to help her; forasmuch as, in the words of St Bernard:

Mary has no house to offer as a home, no hands to provide service, no feet to help in her tasks and  no body to grow weary through her labours.

It is the task and duty of Martha, whom we shall see busying herself with our Lord in a quiet and holy manner, to breastfeed Him, to rear Him and to serve Him.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 3 de Assumpt.

[2] Part I, chapter 3, last §.

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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 4 : § 1.1-2

Chapter 4 : The Third Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She was the one who nourished and brought up the divine Word

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)

The nourishment and education of Kings is a matter of such importance that the philosopher Plato conducted research into the most noteworthy customs followed at the Persian court. Amongst these, he was particularly struck by the care they took in allocating the infants of their Kings, and particularly the successor to the Crown, to nurses chosen from amongst the Princesses of the Kingdom, and especially those distinguished for their exceptional qualities. Now, if reason teaches that no care and vigilance should be regarded as too much when it comes to bringing up a man who is to govern others with the power of sovereignty, and if men with no more than their limited prudence have taken so many pains about this, then what qualities would have to be sought in her who was to nourish and teach God? And what can we imagine would emerge from the infinite Providence of the Eternal Father and the love that He had for His only begotten Son when it comes to this choice? Our sole motive in this enquiry is to arrive at a conception in our minds of the Holy Virgin’s sublime splendours. It seems to me that it should be more than sufficient to consider the fact that God chose her uniquely above any other, and that she was the most accomplished in all the perfections that had ever been seen under the Sun. Let us now start our exploration of the subject and I am hopeful that the course of our discussion will demonstrate this in a convincing manner.

§ 1. The excellent qualities of her who nourished and brought up the Word incarnate

 1   The Prophet Jeremiah asked God a question in a spirit of holy ecstasy[1]: O expectation of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble: why wilt thou be a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man turning in to lodge? With this thought in mind, I asked myself: Is this reaction not a sign of the hard-heartedness and coarseness of His own people who, according to the beloved Disciple[2], did not want to know Him; and who in their own towns and country treated Him as a stranger[3]? Is this not to teach us by His own example to turn away from the perishable things of life and to understand that we are strangers and pilgrims on earth[4]?

For nearly twelve hundred years, the world has been wondering at the great courage of the fearless Saint Alexius. Even today it is impossible not to be astonished at his life and I believe this feeling will not abate until the end of the world. It was, in fact, an altogether novel sight: that of a young Lord, who was among the noblest, the wealthiest and the finest in the world’s capital, banished through his own choice from the city of his birth, received later for the love of God in his own house, a pilgrim in his home, a guest of his own family, unrecognised by those nearest to him, a stranger to his father, his mother, and his spouse, begging in the midst of the wealth which could be available to him, an abject outcast from honours in which he alone has no part, the butt of scorn from the riff-raff among servants, housed in a wretched corner of the house which was just like a tiny cell under the lackeys’ quarters.

This is a most exceptional example, I agree, but it would be an offence against all reason to compare it with what happened to the King of glory, who came as a stranger into the world which was the work of His own hands, who chose to beg for His clothing, His food and His lodging, the Monarch of His subjects, the Creator of His creatures, God of men: this sums up everything.

Footnotes

[1] Jeremiah xiv. 8.

[2] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. John: i. 10-11.

[3] Mark. vi. 1-6; John: iv. 44.

[4] I Peter ii. 11.

 2   Perhaps we should point out at this juncture just how highly He esteemed hospitality. Not only did He recommend it so frequently and in so many different ways[1], promising 

    • to consider such kindness shown to others as being offered to Himself, and to stand surety for those who took in the poor for love of Him; 

    • to ensure their charity would be made known in the fullness of time to the whole world, and to give them a kingdom in Heaven as a reward for their kind-heartedness; 

    • to send Angels disguised as pilgrims, or to come in His own person, to be received by such as Abraham and by numerous other Saints, in both the Old and New Testaments; 

    – not only did He do all this, but He made Himself the recipient of the mercy of His own creatures, staying in the houses that He had made for them, and living on the alms that He had supplied to them. 

O ye souls that have been raised up: tell all peoples of the wondrous examples of love that God hath shown unto us forasmuch as, in order to win Heaven for us, it was not enough for Him to send His ministers who might receive our charitable actions on His behalf, but He chose to come and receive them in person so as to have the means of presenting them to His Eternal Father, and so that He might be better placed to ask for Heaven as a reward for the little acts of kindness He had received from us on earth.

Footnotes

[1] See, e,g., Matt. xxv. 34-40.

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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