Chapter 1 : Understanding the basis of Part III
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020) |
§ 2. She is Mother in a more special way for those of her children who are devoted to her
2 Amongst all those causes which produce multiple effects, there is none more universal than God. Nevertheless, Sacred Scripture, reason and experience all show that, in addition to His general Providence which is effective towards all the works of his hands (without exception), God has a special Providence which works in a particular way for the benefit of the rational creature. Furthermore, He has a very special Providence which focuses on those who abandon themselves entirely to His love and protection.
In case you think we are straying away from our theme of Mothers, I shall make mention now of Rebecca who was a saint and one of the most virtuous Ladies in the whole of the Old Testament. It is however beyond question that she loved Jacob her younger twin, incomparably more than Esau, the elder of the two[1]. I also recall the account given by a Greek historian[2] about how the Lacedæmonians were having difficulty in determining which was the elder of two sons whom their Queen Argeia had delivered as twins. They were advised by a certain Panites, a Messenian, to watch the mother carefully and see how she treated the two babies. They found that she always picked up, dressed and fed Eurysthenes before his brother Procles. Accordingly, they resolved to name Eurysthenes as heir and legitimate successor to the crown of Aristodemus, his father.
Footnotes
[1] Gen. xxv. 28.
[2] See Herodotus: The Histories, 6.52.2 et seq.
3 These considerations bring me to the fundamental truth of Part III of this work, namely: although the Holy Virgin is in fact the Mother of all the Saviour’s children, this does not prevent her from cherishing a certain number of them with a special affection. They have the honour over all the others of receiving her beneficent graces and it is for them that she makes use of the exceptional favour she derives from her proximity to God. The evidence I shall produce in the discussions which follow and the reassurance we experience from seeing the habitual love and tenderness she shows to her beloved children, will serve as proof of this truth. For now, it is enough to say that the preference she shows is beyond all reproach and criticism. Through her benevolent attachment to some rather than others, giving them a greater share in her credit, she treats her own as it pleases her – who will say this is a bad thing? She imitates God Himself, whose pleasure is to raise the poor man out of the dust so as to set him on the throne of glory, as it says in the Canticle[1] – who could take exception to this? She returns her love most to those who have most love for her, and she does more good things for those who serve her with a free and open heart – is there any reason to complain about this? She follows the movements and affections of her Son, showing more love and tenderness to those whom she knows are most pleasing to Him – does that mean because she has such a kind heart, we should therefore look askance at the favours she gives and at her favourites? How sweet that word truly is and and how happy such persons! What wonders of goodness are in store for them! What it is to see her benign and gracious gaze turned unceasingly towards them! If only those who seek so ardently the favour of the world could see this! If only the Holy Virgin could remove the scales from their eyes and with one ray of her splendour make herself known to them! If only she could pour into their hearts just one drop of the sweetness with which she fills the souls of her beloved children – they would abandon everything and make haste to run after this one favour which could lead them to eternal happiness!
Most Holy Virgin! To thee it belongeth to move hearts and to guide my mind and my pen in portraying the happy lot of those who love thee and whom thou lovest with especial affection, showing them the indescribable benefits and blessings they will receive from the modest service they render unto thee.
Footnotes
[1] The Canticle of Anna: He raiseth up the needy from the dust, and lifteth up the poor from the dunghill: that he may sit with princes, and hold the throne of glory. 1 Kings (1 Samuel) ii. 8. See also Ps. CXII. 7-8.
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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
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