Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 4 : § 4.1-4

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

She is a source of Favour for her children

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)

§ 4. The tenderness with which the MOTHER OF GOD caresses her Favoured children : the third effect of her Favour

 1  Whoever strips away Favour’s privacy removes its most beautiful and most precious quality, for ultimately the King’s heart is worth more than all his gifts, and when he opens his heart to his friends this alone is worth more than any mere presents. It is in fact very difficult for ardent love to grow without this communication between hearts because love has a power of enchantment which penetrates a person’s heart and draws out his most intimate thoughts. Even God could not stop Himself from loving in this way, as we read in Genesis[1], and His love was so powerful that it forced Him to reveal to Abraham one of the greatest plans that He had at that time. Consider too how Moses interacted with Him in a familiar way, like a friend with his friend. Accordingly, it is no wonder that men give way to the gentle but powerful stirrings in their hearts when they are possessed with love, since even God Himself has difficulty in resisting them. 

The Emperor Tiberius was as sly and calculating a Prince in government as there has ever been; this notwithstanding, he could not contain himself when it came to his favourite Sejanus, and whenever he saw him, his feelings vitiated his judgement completely.

Alexander did not know how best to show his regard for Hephæstion, his favourite; he rejoiced when people mistook his General for the King, saying that it was another Alexander. Besides this, no matter how secret any letters might be that Alexander was reading, he would never stop Hephæstion from drawing near and reading them over his Prince’s shoulder, seeing no harm in this. 

The Emperor Augustus dearly cherished his favourite Mæcenas and made him so great and powerful as to share his graces and favours with Agrippa. What proved more than anything else the affection he felt for him was the freedom that he allowed him to open his letters, even those addressed to the Senate. 

 Caesar was very close to his friend Oppius and was unable to hide anything from him. On one occasion, Caesar was taken ill whilst on a journey and was forced to halt beneath a tree; it was not possible to separate Caesar from his side throughout the night, despite the terrible weather and all attempts to remonstrate with him to the contrary.

Amongst all kings, indeed amongst all men, Solomon was foremost in wisdom ; and yet he too was not without a confidential friend. This was Zabud, son of Nathan, whom Sacred Scripture[2]

describes as a Priest who was the King’s friend. The learned Cajetan was correct in noting that he could not have been called Priest in the sense of one called to serve before the altar, granted that he was not of the sacerdotal lineage. He therefore concluded that this title of Priest was given to honour him inasmuch as the King respected him as being equal to a High Priest who had the power, whenever he saw fit, to go into the most secret thoughts of the King, no more nor less than into a living sanctuary.

 

Footnotes

[1] Gen. xviii.

[2] Zabud, the priest, son of Nathan, was the king's friend. 3 Kings (1 Kings) iv. 5.

St Bernard – St Fulbert 

 2   We have seen above the sorts of things on which the courtiers of this world set their sights. In the end, however, all these little promptings of the human heart are as follies and child’s play when we come to compare them to the heavenly caresses and tenderness shown by the holy Virgin towards her closest friends.  

With regard to this, I ask you what earthly feelings can approach the holy and innocent delights that the pious St Bernard experienced when the Holy Mother fed him with milk from her chaste breast, as is shown on several murals of the House of Châtillon[1]; and when she came in person[2], accompanied by a blessed St Lawrence and St Benedict, to heal him by a single touch from a serious haemorrhage with which he was afflicted? It seems that the Holy Virgin may have been playing with him because, at the same time that she healed him, she showed him in a dream a boat on a wide river which, after drawing up against the shore, was suddenly pushed back into deep water. The Holy Virgin was giving him to understand that he would soon approach a safe haven with thoughts of dying uppermost in his mind, but that he would recover his health and resume his pious exercises with even greater fervour than before.

Before St Bernard’s time, this same favour had already been granted to St Fulbert, Bishop of Chartres, when he was greatly troubled by an inflammation of his tongue which caused him severe pain. The Holy Virgin asked him to open his mouth, and he received milk from her virginal breast in such abundance that this divine dew completely extinguished the burning pain in his mouth[3].  In order to prove that such a rare favour was not just a fable, the holy Bishop’s cheek was covered in drops of milk after the healing and the handkerchief he used to wipe his cheek has been kept ever since in memory of the miracle in the Treasury of the Church of Notre-Dame in Chartres.

An echo of this is found in what the Blessed Cardinal Peter Damian[4] wrote about a certain cleric who had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, never failing to say the hours of her Office every day. He had fallen so ill that it seemed to be only a matter of time before he would pass on from this life to the next. Even in these straits, however, he never ceased praying for the help of his beloved Mother. Whilst he was praying, she suddenly appeared to him and he received in his mouth some of the milk from her virginal breast. In the matter of a moment, he regained perfect health, immediately rose from his bed and went into Church to join the others who were chanting the Psalms. All those who saw him were greatly astonished, especially when they noticed on his lips a few drops of the virginal milk that the loving Mother had left serve to serve as a seal, so to speak, of her Favour. 

 

Footnotes

[1] See, for example : The Miracle of Châtillon-sur-Seine (Les Musées de Liège).

[2] Willelmus Abbas S. Theodorici, in ejus vita, lib. I, c. 12.

[3] Willelmus Malmesburiensis, in Fasciculo temporum.

[4] Lib. VI, ep. 29.

St Catherine of Siena 

 3   Amongst the experiences of all the great ones of this world, what can be compared to the graces received from Heaven as a matter of course by St Catherine of Sienna?  

While she was still a little girl only five years old, she had been inspired by God to devote herself entirely to the service of her Holy Mother. From that moment onwards[1], whenever she used the stairs at home she would kneel down on each step and say one Ave Maria ; but it often happened that she was carried up the stairs by Angels without touching the steps. While she was still very young, she experienced an interior inspiration to spend the duration of Carnival[2] with an extraordinary preparation focusing on purity of heart, so as to take advantage of the graces which others would lose through debauchery in this season. She would not, however, be lacking payment in kind received from Heaven. One day, she received a visit from the Saviour who was accompanied by his Holy Mother, St Peter, St John the Evangelist, St Dominic and the Prophet David, who was singing to the accompaniment of his harp. The MOTHER OF GOD approached her, took her by the hand and, extending her fingers, asked her Son in a most affectionate manner to take Catherine for His Spouse. This He agreed to do forthwith, saying to here: 

“Sweet maid, I – thy Creator and Saviour – do wed thee and plight thee my troth; thou shalt henceforth serve me with a heart full of courage.”

In order that she have confidence in the truth of this vision, He placed on her finger a ring with a cluster of gemstones in the midst of which was set the most spectacular diamond (although she alone had the privilege of being able to see it). 

Many the time was she honoured with consoling visits from her Spouse and the Holy Virgin His Mother! Many the time they recited the divine Office along with her! Many the time they kept her company, even in her daily chores, as when Her most bountiful Mother helped her in making bread for the poor – which turned out to to have a heavenly taste, even though the flour used had been off! 

Footnotes

[1] See, for example : The Miracle of Châtillon-sur-Seine (Les Musées de Liège).

[2] The length of Carnival varied, at different times and in different places ranging from the day or days immediately preceding the beginning of Lent to a much longer season beginning not long after Christmas. It traditionally formed a period of general indulgence coming before the austerity and abstinence of Lent.

St Catherine of Alexandria – Blessed Maria Razzi – Blessed Osanna 

 4   As we have been speaking of nuptials and marriage, the question might be asked as to how many other women have received this same grace?  

Was it not granted long ago to St Catherine of Alexandria, and much later, did not the glorious Virgin place a precious crown upon the head of the Blessed Maria Razzi, who was a sister in the Order of St Dominic[1]? Did she not give her the title of Queen in the presence of a group of virgins who were accompanying her? Did she not give her as spouse to her beloved Son and, in token of their marriage, did she not place a precious ring on her finger?  

Did she not do as much for the Blessed Osanna[2] of Mantua, another Dominican sister? Did she not agree in the presence of King David that her Son could become her Spouse? Did she not teach her to read and write along with her Son while she was a little girl? Did she not reveal to her later, at Christmas and on the feast of the Purification, everything that took place on those two days, just as though she had been present? Did she not call upon her to take the infant Jesus in her arms, to cradle and caress Him, notwithstanding the objections that she raised, claiming that she was unworthy of such an extraordinary favour?

Footnotes

[1] Chronicon Ordinis.

[2] Ibid.

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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 III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 4 : § 3.4-5

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

She is a source of Favour for her children

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 influence enjoyed by the Favourites of the Holy Virgin : the second effect of her Favour

 4  My main aim in what I have written above is to show how all the Saints respond to the impulse they receive from their Queen and how they are devoted to those upon whom she casts a favourable eye. When earthly courtiers act to honour the Queen’s Favour, they normally do so out of courtesy and for reasons of earthly respect or their own self interest; heavenly courtiers, however, do so because they are moved by the principles of heartfelt and celestial charity to offer service and support to those whom they see are especially pleasing to their Princess and their Queen. I would go so far as to say that, unless I am mistaken, after the Favourites of Jesus Himself there will be none who have more partisans in heaven, (if we can call them this) than the Favourites of the Virgin. I say this because all the members of the heavenly Court respond to the Queen’s feelings and their only focus, after giving glory to God, is to honour His holy Mother and to serve her in the persons of those whom she cherishes.  When we read accounts of the apparitions of the Virgin, she is nearly always found accompanied by a retinue of Blessed Spirits and a certain number of Saints whom she has chosen according to her good will. I feel quite safe in saying that on such occasions there is a sort of holy rivalry in heaven about who will have the honour of forming her escort and of demonstrating goodwill towards those whom she had chosen to favour. We would be much less astonished about this if we could have any conception of the ardent desire felt by the Saints to serve, to honour and to love the MOTHER OF GOD and if we were able to appreciate the lesson given us by the great St Denis in the fourth chapter of his work on the Divine Names, when he says: 

When it comes to favour, the situation is different in heaven to that on earth; for here on earth men’s hearts are so small that love is limited to one person. A person will be continually troubled by a fear that others will go after the one he loves and successfully outbid him, so to speak. In heaven, however, it is God alone who possesses and fills hearts, giving them a capacity proportionate to the love which he has preveniently[1] granted them. The more love there is in a heart, the more it grows and expands in charity; the more ardently it focuses on an object, the more it yearns to see that object loved by others, and the more it uses its power to achieve this end.

 

Footnotes

[1] prevene: Of God, or the grace of God: to go before (a person) with spiritual guidance and help.  OED 1.c.

 5   The influence of the Virgin’s favourites is also apparent in the way that, out of consideration for them, she grants countless favours to other persons. St Lutgardis, who was about to change monastery, was told by the MOTHER OF GOD that for her sake she would always take especial care of her first religious house.

In the next example, it is consoling to read how the Virgin grants graces to several people on account of her love for St Bridget. 

For love of her, she arms and equips her son Charles like a true Christian knight[1]; she takes him under her protection and defends him[2] against all. For the love of her, she helped her brother Israel against the infidels[3]; she provides him with help on hundreds of occasions and especially when it comes to the most important of all, the hour of his death. For love of her, she reveals a thousand beautiful secrets to Matthias her confessor[4], and she fills his mind with heavenly illumination not only in terms of knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures but also spiritual insight concerning the interior life. For the love of her, she delivers Ulpho[5] (her husband) from terrible attacks by invisible enemies at the time of his passing from this life to the next. For the love of her, she puts to flight the demons from hell[6] who were tormenting one of her ladies at the time of her death. In short, for the love of her, she performs hundreds of favours for her servants[7] and for others whom she knew were recommended by Bridget.  

From this I conclude that there is no happiness in the world comparable to that which comes as a result of being Favoured by the MOTHER OF GOD. This is not only because, once she has cast her benevolent eyes upon someone, she can draw down the favour of the whole of heaven; but also because she alone has more power than the whole assembly of the Blessed, and this means that those whom her heart has favoured cannot fail to become great through her graces and blessings. The valiant Themistocles said one day that his god-like[8] son was the most powerful lord on earth. His reasoning was that through their nobility the Greeks ruled the world; that amongst the Greeks, the Athenians issued laws to the whole of Greece; that he, Themistocles, commanded the Athenians, and that he himself was governed by his wife – from which he concluded that his son had the power to do whatever he wanted. If the Favourites of the MOTHER OF GOD wanted to apply this reasoning to themselves, they would in the end find themselves all powerful : for since all conceivable happiness is in the hands of the Eternal Father, and since this great Father of the universe has given all power over this happiness to His Son ; and since the Son, as I have shown elsewhere, has granted His Mother absolute power, and this Mother is incapable of refusing anything to those whom she loves so tenderly – what other the conclusion is there except that everything God possesses is at their disposal, and that their influence reaches as far as that of the Queen of Heaven herself? 

A thousand times happy are they whose blessed lot this is : May they enjoy in good time all the fruits of such a wondrous blessing, and may we ourselves, through their intercession, find access to her from whom they obtained such Favour.   

 

Footnotes

[1] Lib. IV Revel., c. 74.

[2] Lib. VIII, c. 13.

[3] Lib. VI, c. 95.

[4] Lib. VI, c. 89 et 90.

[5] Revel. Extravag., c. 66.

[6] Lib. VI, c. 102.

[7] Lib. VI.

[8] god-like : translating Diophane in the French text. From Dĭophắnēs: said to derive from Διός (Diós, genitive of Ζεύς (Zeús)) +‎ -φανής (-phanḗs, “seeming, appearing”).

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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 III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 4 : § 3.1-3

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

She is a source of Favour for her children

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 influence enjoyed by the Favourites of the Holy Virgin : the second effect of her Favour

 1   It was not without reason that Pompey the Great compared Favour to the rising sun, venerated by many people. This is because everyone seeks it by reason of the influence and power enjoyed by Favourites, who are in a certain sense made omnipotent by it. Josue felt strongly the favour of Heaven upon him and was enabled to make the sun obey him[1].The great servants of God were able to command the animate and inanimate in creation, as though nothing were impossible for them. Joseph wielded such absolute power in the Pharaoh’s court that one day this Prince spoke to him as follows[2]: I am Pharao; without thy commandment no man shall move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. Hephæstion, a favourite of Alexander, was able to award crowns according to his good pleasure, in proportion as the great Conqueror subjugated Kingdoms. Suleiman the Magnificent developed such a fondness for Ibrahim Pasha that this Favourite actually thought the favour shown towards him was excessive and he frequently asked for it to be moderated. Suleiman, however, had such strong feelings in this regard that he could not control them. If we had as much understanding of heavenly as we do of earthly Favour, we would say that David had very good reason for saying[3]: But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality[4] is exceedingly strengthened.

Footnotes

[1] Jos. x. 12-13.

[2] Gen. xli. 44.

[3] Ps. CXXXVIII. 17.

[4] principality: the Douay-Rheims translation of the Vulgate’s principatus: meaning the first place, pre-eminence or preference (see Lewis & Short’s entry) - with which they have been favoured and from which they derive power and influence.

St Dominic – St Philp Neri

 2   What I have just been saying also applies to the Mother of Love’s Favour – but in a proportionate manner, having no other foundations than the immutability of God. The influence enjoyed by others is such that they do not themselves understand it. I am speaking of the influence they have with the Mother of Favour and of the influence which she gives them with God and with all the Saints – in short, the influence enabling them to obtain all that their heart might desire. There are numerous examples of this but I am happy to relate just one of them which concerns St Dominic. With a true feeling of humility and understanding, he declared that he had never asked his beloved Mother for a single thing that he had not obtained from her. The following pages will give many examples of the influence which she allows them to have with God since she is the one who holds the key to Favour’s chamber, so to speak. 

I recall in passing what happened one day to Blessed St Philip Neri, founder of the Oratory in Rome[1].       

This man of God, learning about the serious illness of the famous Church historian Cæsar Baronius (who was himself an Oratorian and later gained his Cardinal’s hat for his outstanding merits), knelt down before a Crucifix and said: “Lord, it is important for Cæsar to be healed – if it is thy will.” As he did not receive a favourable answer, he made use of his beloved Mother’s influence and he uttered the same words to her and they were followed immediately by that which he had requested. What is even more remarkable in this story is that the Blessed Virgin allowed Caesar to see everything concerning him as it was actually happening in Blessed Philip’s Oratory. This was confirmed by the evidence of two irreproachable witnesses, putting it beyond all reasonable doubt.

 

Footnotes

[1] In the Life written by Antonio Gallonio. It took place in the year 1572.

St Henry, Emperor

 3   Neither should there be any doubt regarding what happened to the great and valiant Emperor St Henry, the first of this name (although some call him the second). He was a Prince of such outstanding wisdom and exceptional virtue that only a person of ill will could doubt it and what we have learned has come to us from his own sworn testimony. He was truly accomplished in every perfection but was especially esteemed for the honour he showed to the Holy See, for the justice he dispensed to his subjects, for the perpetual chastity he observed in his marriage to the Empress Cunegonde his wife and for the exceptional devotion that he had towards the MOTHER OF GOD. 

Every time he came to Rome, it was his custom to pass the first night in prayer in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. On one of these occasions, (and there are reasons to believe that it was the night of the Purification by reason of the Mass, about which I will speak later), he was praying more ardently than usual when he saw entering the church the Saviour of the world, wearing priestly vestments, and at his side St Laurence and St Vincent were performing the office of Deacon and subdeacon. Immediately after them came the Queen of Heaven with a retinue of holy Virgins; next came St John the Baptist, at the head of a group of ancient Patriarchs and Prophets; then came St Peter and St Paul, walking at the head of the Apostles; after them came St Stephen who led the Martyrs and St Martin the Confessors. All this took place to the great astonishment of St Henry, who alone amongst all the mortals was a spectator to this solemnity.

 

The Angels chanted the Introit of the holy Mass: Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam in medio templi tui[1], which is that of Candlemas. When they came to the words: Justitia plena est dextera tua[2], meaning Thy right hand is full of justice, this is what happened: first of all, the Saviour, then His holy Mother, followed by all the others, turned one after another towards St Henry and pointed towards him, attesting through this gesture to Heaven’s satisfaction with the justice that he dispensed to all his subjects. After the reading of the Gospel, an Angel presented the book to the Saviour for Him to kiss, then to the Holy Virgin and to the others present. The Mother of sweetness and gentleness did not want the Emperor to be deprived of this consolation and she ordered the Angel to take him the book, saying: 

“Do thou offer on my behalf the kiss of peace to my faithful servant Henry, whose chastity is singularly pleasing to me.”

The sweetness of this action so affected Henry’s heart that he was transported into ecstasy and he ceased to be fully aware of what was going on. For this reason, the Angel administered a firm blow to a sinew in his thigh, saying: 

“This will serve thee for a witness of the love that God hath for thee, by reason of thy chastity and the justice thou dost dispense.”

The effect of the Angel’s blow was to make the sinew shrink, causing one of his legs to be shorter than the other. For this reason he was ever after called Henry the Lame.

Footnotes

[1] We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple. Ps. XLVII 10. 

[2] Ps. XLVII 11.

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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 III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 4 : § 2.3-5

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

She is a source of Favour for her children

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. Advancing the Favourites of the Holy Virgin : first effect of her Favour

St Andrew of Fiesole[1]

 3   If the little human heart is capable of so much love and can show this with such noble and magnificent effects, how astonished do you think we would be if we could see the testimonies of heavenly favour? What heights of happiness, in our judgement, could be attained by the Favourites of the MOTHER OF GOD? 

Amongst this number may be counted blessed Andrew of Fiesole in Tuscany, born in Florence and a member of the illustrious family of the Corsini. His parents had consecrated him to the Holy Virgin before he was even conceived (they had prayed to her for a baby and had consecrated him to her before his conception). He had imbibed devotion to the Queen of Heaven with his mother’s milk and one day, when he was kneeling before her altar in the Carmelite Church, he experienced a calling to join that Order. It was the Favour of the Virgin that led him to the Order at the age of fifteen and accompanied him until the end. It was her Favour that caused him to make extraordinary advances in the Court of her Son by means of the outstanding virtues of humility, obedience, prayer, silence, mortification and charity which he obtained through her. 

Once he had attained the minimum age required to become a priest, his Superiors directed him to receive Holy Orders. Through obedience he agreed but it was never possible to persuade him to say his first Mass in Florence. In fact, because he feared the trouble and fuss that the presence of his family might cause, he withdrew to the Convent of the Forests near Florence  and this was where he offered his first fruits to God and His beloved Mother. He did this with such fervour and devotion that the Holy Mother, to show how pleased she was with him, appeared in person to Andrew, her favourite, and said to him:

“Thou art my servant[2], forasmuch as I have chosen thee and in thee will I be glorified.”  

Words more precious and all the effects that could ever be imagined of human favour. His wonderful virtues, which he enjoyed as a consequence of the choice the Holy Virgin had made of him, led to his elevation as Bishop to the See of Fiesole. There his great holiness and his closeness to her who had shown favour to him, made him so famous that he became a true luminary of the Church. The high point of his favour came when, having been warned by the glorious Virgin of the day of his decease, namely the Epiphany of the Saviour, he parted this life in the year 1373. His life had lasted seventy-one years which had seen him make continual progress, tirelessly engaged in good works – which God marked on several occasions by several noteworthy miracles during his lifetime, but with many more after his death. 

Footnotes

[1] Commonly known as St Andrew Corsini (1302-1373)

[2] Isaiah xlix. 3.

Albert the Great

 4   The same Favour took the Blessed Albert from nowhere and made him so great in all his perfections that the name Great has always been attached to his name. 

From a very young age, he dedicated himself to the service of the most sacred Virgin who received him with such warmth and love that soon the marks of her Favour became apparent. Every day he would offer veneration to his Mother by offering her various little acts of service and a small selection of prayers. He redoubled these as soon as he attained an age where he was able to contemplate the state of life he wished to embrace. He surrendered this desire entirely into the hands of his beloved Mother who took such a special interest in his progress that it was she who told him to enter into the Order of Friars Preachers. He did this and initially faced certain problems and difficulties but these were were all resolved by her who was guiding him .

A short while after joining the Order, he experienced a serious setback for he became prey to a very powerful temptation which arose from his feeling that he could not keep up with his companions in the study of philosophy. He was on the point of giving way to this temptation to quit and had even begun to prepare for his departure when he had a dream which caused him to change his mind. He seemed to see a ladder leaning against a wall in the cloister and all he had to do was to climb it and leave. At that precise moment, however, he was stopped in his tracks by four Virgins of incomparable beauty who explained that they were members of the MOTHER OF GOD’s retinue. They prevented him from passing and, after replacing his discouragement with renewed hope, they led him to their Mistress. The Mother of goodness received him with an extraordinary show of warmth and, by her serene countenance and her sweet words, she touched his heart so tenderly that all his cares left him. Then she spoke to him as follows:

“Albert, my son, thou shouldst not be faint-hearted over such a little thing as this, especially as thou knowest it was I who didst lead thee here and that, with thy consent, I have the power to sustain thee here. Thou hast only to tell me what thou desirest of me and thou shalt want for nothing.”

The young man found the courage to ask her to grant him the favour of excelling in philosophy – which was then the most pressing of his concerns. 

“If that is all thou dost require to continue happily in my service ,” replied the Virgin, “then thou wilt have what thou seekest; but in order that thou shalt remember this day and that thou shalt not forget thou didst receive this grace from me, when the end of thy life doth draw near, thou wilt suddenly revert to thy present ignorance. This will be for thee a certain sign that thou shouldst prepare for thy departure from this world and come to take the place I shall be keeping for thee in heaven.”

With that, she disappeared but subsequent events were soon to confirm the truth of the apparition, for after but a short time he overtook in his studies all those students who had previously left him far behind. In the end, he acquired such a reputation in matters of doctrine that he was nicknamed the Great. The Holy Virgin (who always gives much more than she promises) was not content with making him great in learning but went on to make him greater still in virtue. She conferred upon him the gift of a wondrous purity of heart and an excellent habit of prayer : in short, she made him a perfect mirror of the perfections desirable in the religious life. In the end, that which she had predicted came to pass, for he suddenly had to stop short in the middle of a lesson he was giving and had to take leave of his pupils, explaining to them in detail what had happened to him. Their hearts were so affected by these words that, once he had finished speaking, they all began to weep and they escorted him to his cell just as though they were taking him to the tomb.  He used all the little time he had left by making ready for his death, which was just as holy as his life, and finally he commended his spirit into the hands of her who was waiting for him in Heaven.  

St Bernardine of Siena

 5   Another beloved son of the MOTHER OF GOD who benefited from her Favour was the Blessed St Bernardine of Siena. He was a member of the Franciscan Order and we have frequently heard him speaking in honour of the Holy Virgin, as recorded in Parts I and II of this work.

Whilst he was still young, it could be seen from his remarkable modesty, the love he had for chastity, and his gentle ways that the Virgin Mother had her eye on him. What shone forth the most in his youth was indeed the tender affection he had towards the Queen of Angels and this was so strong that his radiant countenance gave off a light which was noticed by all those who had dealings with him. His principal devotion was to an image of the Virgin on one of the gates of the city of Siena, called Camollia. He would visit everyday, kneeling down and offering her his service, telling her of his singular love for her, and that (after God) he placed all his trust in her. He practised this devotion from a very early age and continued with it for as long as he could, even after he was admitted into the Franciscan Order.

The following story about this young servant of the Virgin reveals something of his nature. Having lost his parents when he was young, he was brought up by a kind-hearted aunt called Diana and her daughter Tobia – his main source of support who took extraordinary care in raising him well. One day whilst he was in conversation with her, he let slip that he had made the acquaintance of a Mistress[1] who was the most beautiful, the wisest and the most accomplished that could be imagined. He revealed he had been speaking with her every day and it had reached the stage where he could not get to sleep without seeing her. On the one hand, Bernardine’s aunt did not dare to question his virtue, for she could discern in him a maturity and a wisdom beyond his years ; on the other, his gentle nature and the various risks to which youth can find itself exposed, caused her some apprehension. Unable to resolve her uncertainty, she decided to keep a careful watch on him and she was delighted when all she could discover were his diligent visits to the Virgin of Camollia. She determined, nevertheless, to get to the bottom of the mystery and she took him aside one day and questioned him further about the way he had spoken of this Mistress. She was so insistent that in the end he confessed to the wondrous affection he felt in his heart towards the Queen of Angels and he spoke of the ways in which he, for his part, had received so many favours from her. His good aunt Diana was so pleased with what she heard that she could scarcely contain the joy in her soul.  

In addition to his other devotions, Bernardine also recited the Crown of Our Lady every day with great devotion. Because of the affection and service he offered to her, the Virgin gave him a special place in her heart, magnifying him before God and before men. One day, whilst he was praying as usual, she appeared to him and said: 

“My dear son, I have come to tell thee that thy devotion is most pleasing to me and, in consideration of the services thou hast rendered unto me, I have obtained for thee the gift of working miracles to advance my Son’s glory and mine own. I have in addition obtained for thee the grace of preaching and thy sermons will bear a rich plenitude of fruit. I can also reveal thou wilt rejoice with me forever in heaven and wilt have a goodly share in my joys.” 

God alone would know how this favour caused his love and trust for his beloved Mother to grow in his heart. His closest friends heard from his own mouth his belief that he had never received any grace from God which was not the result of this devotion and a sign of the Queen of Heaven’s approval.

During a sermon that he preached in the city of Siena in 1427, he revealed that he had been born on the feast day of the Nativity of the Virgin and he went on to explain that on this same date he had been baptised, he had received his religious habit, he had made his solemn profession, and he had said his first Mass. He added that on this same day he hoped to depart this world but in fact this proved not to be the case, since he died on the 20th of May. He received a special warning of this some time before his death whilst he was preaching in the city of Aquila (which is in the Kingdom of Naples) where he is buried. He was explaining the mysterious image of the Crown with twelve stars which is on the head of the woman that St John refers to in his Apocalypse. Suddenly, people saw on his head a star brighter than the sun, and rays of extraordinary brightness streamed from the star, lighting up his face. After a while, the star disappeared, foreshadowing the moment a few days later when this wondrous luminary, who had up until then enlightened the world, would cease to shine here below so that he could ascend to the eternal joys of Heaven.

Footnotes

[1] In the sense of teacher, instructress or governess; the French Maîtresse is from the Latin magistra; cf. Pope John XXIII’s Encyclical Mater et Magistra (1961).

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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 III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 4 : § 2.1-2

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

She is a source of Favour for her children

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. Advancing the Favourites of the Holy Virgin : first effect of her Favour

 1   The experience of every century and of every nation teaches us that Favour is like a necessary movement of the royal spirit, revealing the altogether rare perfections that it receives from participation in the spirit of God. It makes known to us, furthermore, that there are three principal qualities involved. The first is the absolute Liberty or Liberality of the Prince, showing itself in a wondrous manner by the way that a creature is drawn into being from nothing so that the creature possesses nothing of himself but only what he has as a result of the Prince’s favour. In short, he is the Prince’s creature and handiwork, independently of his own merit and of any duty of Justice. The second quality is Power, which receives an unparalleled satisfaction in seeing the one he has raised honoured, esteemed and sought after by all. The third is Friendship, without which the Kings themselves would be unable to live. It is too great a strain for someone to be always showing forth the King’s majesty, sceptre in hand and crown on head, maintaining an expression ever imperious. They need to have someone with whom they can interact in a more relaxed manner and to whom they can unburden their hearts. 

These three causes each produce their different effects which in their own way facilitate the works of Favour, granting it the splendour and brightness which delight so powerfully the eyes and the hearts of those under the world’s spell. The first is exemplified by advancement, whether to honourable positions of State, or in material goods and commodities, or in marriage or in other ways. The second is the credit that they acquire through the Princes affection, so that there is no one who does not honour them on this account and who would not seek their help when it comes to obtaining a particular favour. The third is the familiarity and intimacy shown them by the Sovereign in his dealings with them and in the way he shares his most secret thoughts with them – this being a seal and unquestionable sign of Favour. I am confident that it will be displeasing neither to the mother of God nor to her favourites if we apply these three effects to them, particularly as I have already shown that Favour takes its origin in heaven, that its first idea is in God and that Favour is nothing other than a participation in the Royal inclination that God has to communicate Himself to souls.

 2   Let us start off by considering advancement, for no matter what effort the royal spirit might make, it cannot stop itself from favouring and promoting someone who has won royal approval. No sooner had God chosen Abraham as his Favourite[1] than He revealed to him in the heavens and on the seashore the image of his future greatness, promising to multiply his descendants so that they would be as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is by the sea shore, saying he would be head and father of a whole nation, and would become so great as to be the envy of the grandest Monarchs in the world. 

At the same time that God called to Moses from the burning bush[2] in order to speak with him, He made him Prince and Ruler of His people, He gave him power to work miracles, and He told him He was making him the God of Pharaoh[3]. A previous Pharaoh had looked with a favourable eye upon Joseph and told him[4] he would be superintendent of Pharaoh’s household and second-in-command of his kingdom, that all his subjects would honour and obey him, and that only in the kingly throne would Pharaoh be above him; he took his ring from his own hand, and gave it into his hand, he put upon him a robe of silk, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and he made him go up into his second chariot, the Crier proclaiming that all should bow their knee before him, and that they should know he was made Governor over the whole land of Egypt. 

Daniel’s fortune, if it can be called this, was similar, since Nabuchodonosor[5] made him Governor over all the Provinces of Babylon, as well as chief over all the Officers of the Crown and all the Wise Men of Babylon. The proud Aman enjoyed exceptional favour from King Assuerus[6] who set his throne above all the Princes that were with him. All the king’s servants bent their knees and worshipped Aman: for so the emperor had commanded them, only Mardochai did not bend his knee, nor worship him. Aman was so angered by this that he counted it nothing to lay his hands upon Mardochai alone: for he had heard that he was of the nation of the Jews, and he chose rather to destroy all the nation of the Jews that were in the kingdom of Assuerus. As he required an explicit decree from King Assuerus for this, he offered ten thousand talents to him (this would be equivalent to more than twenty four million pieces of gold). This demonstrates what fabulous wealth he had acquired through Favour.

Footnotes

[1] Gen. xii, xvii, xvii, xxii.

[2] Exod. iii. & iv. 

[3] Exod. vii. 1.

[4] Gen. xli.

[5] Dan. ii.

[6] Esther iii.

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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 III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 4 : § 1.1-3

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

She is a source of Favour for her children

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)

Favour is the eldest daughter of Love, or perhaps it is better to say that Favour is nothing other than Love itself, being so strong and fervent; and that it is found in a person endowed with power, such as a King or a Monarch. We have just been discussing the love of the MOTHER OF GOD towards her children and it seems that I should speak about her as a source of Favour before moving on to the other consequences of this same Love, and proceeding to her other great Splendours of Goodness.

§ 1. The Holy Virgin is a source of Favour for her children

 1   Just as God is the source of fair Love, so too He is the source of holy Favour. The great St Denis has written of this in an inspired way in Chapter IV of his work on the Divine Names[1], where he says: 

By reason of His overflowing goodness, God willed to communicate Himself in creatures, creating them, perfecting them and attracting them unto Himself ; all this flows from a divine principle which is the extreme goodness of His love, reaching out from the sovereign good and coming back to the same.  

He goes on to add that:

 

The property of this Love is to produce ecstasy[2] and to transport, so to speak, the lover outside of himself so as to transform him into the thing loved.  

The great Apostle of France says of this ecstasy that : 

it has its origin in love, not only the love felt by creatures whom God causes to come out of themselves so that He may unite them to their Creator (as to their origin and their unique source of happiness), but also the love of God when, through a wondrous condescension and  an intense communication of His goodness, He unites Himself in such a way to His creatures that He keeps back nothing for Himself, sharing all with them. 

This Ecstasy seems so close in meaning to what we commonly call Favour that, if it is not actually Favour itself, then I cannot think how else we can explain the word. If we are to judge things by their effects, who would not agree that an effect of this ecstasy is revealed in the way God chose man, the lowest of the rational creatures, to be raised higher than the Angels and to be seated at His own right hand, granting him a favour which was capable of causing envy in heaven?  Who will not agree that another effect of the same ecstasy was that, out of all the peoples of the earth (who were all floundering in a state of ignorance and error), He should have chosen and favoured the Hebrew people alone, giving them knowledge of Himself, His law, His worship and His altars? Here are the words of Moses[3], his Lawgiver : Behold heaven is the Lord’s thy God, and the heaven of heaven, the earth and all things that are therein. And yet the Lord hath been closely joined to thy fathers, and loved them and chose their seed after them, that is to say, you, out of all nations, as this day it is proved.  Who will not agree that a third effect of this ecstasy was the most particular choice he made of certain persons in the generality of this people, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses , as well as many others mentioned in Scripture?

Footnotes

[1] On the Divine Names, Chapter IV. Attributed by some to Dionysius (Denis) the Areopagite and by others to Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite.

[2] ecstasy : from ἔκστασις : being taken or placed outside of oneself;  in late Greek the etymological meaning received another application, viz., ‘withdrawal of the soul from the body’(OED).

[3] Deut. x. 14-15.

 2   If we now turn our gaze towards the Son of God made man, was it not an effect of this ecstasy that, out of the great number of Disciples that He had, He should have called twelve Apostles to be His companions and those with whom He would have more familiar dealings, so that He might communicate to them all that He had learned from His Father[1], and give them with good reason the pleasing name of Friends? Was it not an effect of this ecstasy that out of this small number He chose to honour three with His most special favour and, moreover, that amongst these three there was one who would be the Beloved disciple who rested his head upon His bosom, and who received as his inheritance the dearest thing He possessed, namely the most sacred Virgin, His Mother? If all these signs of extraordinary goodwill are not so many signs of Favour; if the affection from which they proceed is not itself Favour, and if those who receive these Favours should not be called Favourites, for my part I cannot imagine what other use there could be for this this name which the world esteems so highly. If, on the contrary, we can agree that Favour and what the inspired St Dennis calls Love’s ecstasy are one and the same thing, then we are in consequence forced to accept that the Love which is found in God is the most excellent idea of Favour that we could possibly have. From this it follows that the more powerfully He imprints the image of His greatness and His sublime perfections in someone, the greater the recipient’s inclination will be to communicate himself by means of Favour. From this it follows, as I shall be explaining shortly, that Kings and Sovereigns (who are like so many moving statues animated by the Divinity), have hearts which are for the most part more susceptible to this love than others, in proportion to the means they have of showing it.

Footnotes

[1] John xiii.

 3   Taking into account what we have just been considering, I am no longer surprised either that the Holy Virgin should have been the Favourite par excellence of the most august Trinity, or that she herself should have been given the power to dispense Favour and make people feel its effects. Amongst all simple creatures, she approaches closer to God than any other. It must accordingly follow that, after the Favourites of His divine Majesty, those of the Virgin occupy the first rank. Such a conclusion will not appear strange to anyone who realises that this must follow from her role and status as MOTHER OF GOD and Queen of the universe. It follows no less from the pious thoughts and authority of several Doctors of the Church who believe that the grace which the Angelic Ambassador mentioned in his message to her was nothing other than Favour. Origen reserved judgement on this question[1], saying that he did not recall that the Greek word here used was found in any other part of Sacred Scripture[2]. It is nevertheless the case that St Basil of Seleucia[3], St Peter Chrysologus[4] and Saint Andrew of Candia[5] gave to this word the meaning that I have and are of the opinion that God, who was Himself the author of this message, wanted to make known to the Virgin that she had received His Majesty’s Favour over all the creatures on earth, and was being given the power to share with her children this same Favour. 

Footnotes

[1] Homil. 6 in Lucam.

[2] The Greek word used in Luke i. 28 is κεχαριτωμένη, which in some Bibles is translated as (highly) favoured. Whilst the exact word is not found elsewhere, commentators mention two other uses of a word with the similar components: 1) κεχαριτωμένῳ, in Sirach xviii. 17. ; and 2) ἐχαρίτωσεν, in Eph. i. 6.

[3] Orat. in Annuntiat.

[4] Serm. 142.

[5] John xiii

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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