Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 5 : § 4.4

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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 4. The care taken by the Holy Virgin to provide a home for her children and to help them lead a life conducive to their salvation

St Bernard of Menthon

 4   I am going to follow the above story with one which concerns Blessed Bernard of Menthon, for they are both linked in nobility, in courage and in the spirit of sweetness which they reveal[1].  

Bernard of Menthon was a young nobleman born in 923 who came from one of the most illustrious families in Savoy. In fact he was soon to give proof of his noble extraction through his heroic virtues. He spent part of his youth studying letters but, realising that there was something higher than this, he used studies as a means of arriving at the perfection of Christian life. He made such noteworthy progress in this that his father, who would have preferred to see him become a valiant knight rather than a pious Christian devoting his life to his faith, blamed his tutor for having filled his mind with spiritual fantasies (the expression he used to describe his piety), and he sacked the tutor. He went on to do the same with the keeper of his privy chamber, his page and his footman who had all begun to imitate the demeanour and comportment of their young master. This unfavourable treatment they received actually brought upon them the favour of the King of heaven. As soon as they saw lying at their feet the fetters which had bound them to this world, they finally made up their minds to withdraw into a religious sanctuary, to sing thenceforth canticles of gratitude to the one who had delivered them. They chose for this purpose a Benedictine Monastery in Talloires where they had previously received a warm and affectionate welcome. 

That left their young master and he was to prove the truth of the saying that the more dangerous and taxing the combat is, the greater and more celebrated will be the glory in victory. His father suddenly conceived the idea of marriage, hoping this would keep his son out of the religious life. A future spouse was soon found for him who was considered a good match for his family and his qualities. This was Marguerite of Miolans, a young lady who was most accomplished in every respect, and who hailed from one of the noblest families in the country. All the preparations for the marriage had been finalised and everyone was simply waiting for the nuptial ceremony to take place on the following day when, late in the evening, the young fiancé withdrew to his bedchamber. After he had dismissed his servants, he knelt down and appealed to the gentle and providential mercy of God. He stormed heaven by laying bear his heart, pouring forth tears and sobs which intermingled joy and sadness, courage and fear. In no time at all he had made a breach in the loving heart of the Father of mercy. After God Himself, he placed all his trust in the Holy Virgin whom he had chosen as his loving Mother and whom he called upon with his whole soul to be his most powerful advocate. He also had a particular devotion to Blessed St Nicholas, whom he implored to intercede on his behalf with the Queen of Angels, asking her to take on his case and to rescue him from this present danger. Just as he had reached a high point in his fervour, he was suddenly transported into the sweet repose of slumber during which St Nicholas, dressed as a pilgrim and sent by God and the Holy Virgin, offered him consolation. He instructed him to arise and make his way to the city of Aoste under the direction of the venerable Archdeacon Peter, a man of outstanding holiness, and he promised that he would himself act as his guide. 

Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard. Guilhem Vellut (2014). CC by 2.0.

On hearing these words, Bernard immediately arose and feeling his heart was on fire with divine love, he took up his quill and wrote a farewell to his mother and father in terms couched in heavenly terms rather than in earthly eloquence. Once these final duties towards those to whom he owed his life had been completed, St Nicholas and his guardian Angel appeared once more at his side. Then this holy young man, as if divinely inspired, threw open the window (which may still be seen to this day in the family house), and after making the Sign of the Cross, he leapt out and down the steep incline on which the Château was built. In a short while, following paths unknown to him, he arrived at the gate of the city of Aoste. There he was taken to the Church of the Holy Virgin as though into the embrace of his Mother. He was expected here because this where his guides had been told to bring him. The venerable Archdeacon Peter came to meet him, giving him a warm welcome and the kiss of peace, as if knowing that Bernard had been chosen by God as his successor and would become a true model of every perfection.    

Try to form an idea, if you can, of what must have been going on in Bernard’s heart which,  during these miraculous events, was bathed in the sweet blessings of heaven and filled to bursting with feelings of gratitude, adoration and wonderment at God’s great mercy and the extraordinary kindness of his Mother most generous. Try to imagine, on the other hand, the mourning and distress experienced by his sorrowful family after they became aware that he (for whom they had been preparing an event of great joy) had taken flight. These are things which cannot be put into words but suffice it to say that through this example God, who wished to confer the plenitude of contentment upon his faithful servant, so moved the heart and mind of Marguerite that when she realised his servant had not wanted a mortal woman for his spouse, she for her part resolved never to have any other Spouse than Jesus Christ, to whom she consecrated herself as a religious sister in an abbey near the city of Grenoble.  

  

Footnotes

[1] Veteri Breviario Augustano..

.👑   👑   👑

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