Chapter 5 : The Fourth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD
The Wondrous Care she takes of her children
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. Of the wondrous care taken by the MOTHER OF GOD of all her children in general
1 I hope no one thinks I have overstated the peerless Mother’s honour when I said that the care shown by Rebecca was merely a faint foreshadowing of that which the Holy Mother has for her children. The Holy Fathers have provided me with thoughts better suited to describe this, even though they find it difficult to express this in words which satisfy them all and which do justice to the way she busily turns her love into action. St Bernard[1] speaks of the beautiful way she mirrors the valiant woman whom Solomon mentions at the end of Proverbs[2], in particular when he says:
The lamp of her vigilance and loving care never goes out[3] during the darkness of the time men spend in their mortal abode here on earth, but she lights the way for them and is their ever present companion, never letting them out of her sight.
St Augustine[4] states that her loving care corresponds in magnitude to the power she has been given, explaining that:
Just as the influence which she enjoys with God surpasses that of all the other Saints, so too her peerless affection exceeds the care shown by all others, no matter how numerous they may be.
The pious writer known as Idiota takes this idea still further[5], for he does not stop at what pertains to the charity of the Saints but soars in thought up to the throne of the Saviour Himself, who with a love incomparably ardent intercedes for us with His heavenly Father. The humble Doctor claims that is is here that we find the true idea of the loving care which the MOTHER OF GOD has for her children.
Just as she has no other rule to measure out the love she has towards them than that which her beloved Son Himself gives her, so too she wishes for no other model of loving care than what she sees in Him.
St Bernard comes to mind next and outdoes all other writers when he uses precise language to emphasise the essence of her care, in a way which could not be taken any further. He does not limit himself to the statement that she is as caring as it is possible for anyone to be, but he goes further and says that she is care itself and the care of all the ages. Here are his words[6]:
Upon her – as upon the centre of all things, being the unique dispensatrix of care through all the ages – are fixed the eyes of those who are on high in heaven, of those of us here below on earth, of those who are above us, of those who came before us and of the posterity which is to follow us. Just as I do not wish to dispute that she may be called the passive Care, common to all the ages, forasmuch as all the previous ages had an interest in her coming which they awaited with a holy impatience since she was to carry the good news of hoped for salvation; and forasmuch as the ages which followed her regarded her as nothing less than the living source from which so many blessings flowed for them : in the same way, it may not be denied that she can in a most fitting manner be called the active Care of all the ages, by reason of the incomparable love which impels her to procure salvation and spiritual progress for all men, but especially for her own children.
If, according to the learned interpreter Nicholas of Lyra (on the authority of Rabbi Solomon, a great man amongst those of his nation), the devil is called by King David the Prophet[6] the business that walketh about in the dark, on account of the extremely vigilant way he spies on men so as to surprise them and make them fall into every sort of sin; then why shall we not with greater reason call the Holy Virgin the business of the day and of the ages, seeing that she employs incomparably greater ardour in pursuit of our good than the enemy of nature puts into compassing our downfall? No, there is no point of comparison between the charity of Mary and the envy of this wretch or between her tender care and his bitterness. His terrible bitterness has no other foundation then the ill will with which he seethes against God, whereas the charity of the Mother of Goodness unites her with the sovereign Good. From this I conclude that we cannot speak of her in a more fitting way than by applying to her the words Care and Affection, since she truly represents the distilled essence of all the care and all the affection that can be found amongst creatures.
Footnotes
[1] Serm. 2 in Assumpt.
[2] Prov. xxxi. 10.
[3] her lamp shall not be put out in the night. Prov. xxxi. 18.
[4] Serm. de Assumpt.
[5] In Prologo Contemplat. de B. Virg.
[6] Serm. 2 de Pentecost.
[7] Ps. XC. 6. business is the Douay-Rheims translation of negotium in the Vulgate, meaning business, employment, occupation, affair (DMLBS).
2 When considering these ideas, I confess that we really need the gentle spirit of St Bernard himself to elaborate on his conception, or we need at the very least the skill of a poet to portray Care as if it had some created nature or substance. A poet might, for instance, represent the figure of Care with a hundred eyes to see everything, with a hundred ears to hear everything, with as many tongues to express itself, and with as many wings so as to be in an instant wherever he wanted to be. Alternatively, and perhaps better expressed, Care would have to be a pure spirit, indeed the lightest and most adept of all spirits, who could be almost everywhere at the same time, who would have an extraordinary ability to understand everything and an unparalleled skill in being able to bring all things to a conclusion. Just think how such a one would initiate and move forward his undertakings; how he would advance them and ensure progress was made and how he would leave no stone unturned to achieve his aims.
If you can begin to picture now what Care would be like if it were a living creature, you will be well disposed to understand how the Holy Virgin intercedes for the good of her children, seeking their benefit and advantage. You must however banish from your thoughts any idea of worry (which which we often associate with the word care), for just as with utmost tranquillity she sees in God everything that pertains to her children, so too she supplies all their needs with a wondrously calm spirit. The way she ceaselessly busies herself with the care of her children is a wonder to behold. She is ever watchful over her children and their every action, seeing from afar everything in their interest, without missing a single opportunity to promote their good (except when they render themselves unworthy). We shall, however, say no more on this question for now because we shall be providing proof of it in the pages which follow.
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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
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