Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 5 : § 4.17-19

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 Bridget

 17   I must not forget to mention the wonderful promise that was made to blessed St Bridget[1].  

Bridget had founded the Order of the Holy Saviour following an instruction she received from Our Lord and His most blessed Mother. One day as she was thinking to herself how worried she was about the fostering the growth of the Order, the Blessed Virgin spoke to her, telling that she should not be troubled about this, saying that her Son had instituted the Order in His Mother’s honour and He would most assuredly find suitable candidates for advancing her honour, and they would be led thereby to attain their own salvation.

  

Footnotes

[1] Revelat. Extravag., c. 19.

Blessed Paula

 18   The year 1368 saw the death in Florence of Blessed Paula of the Camaldolese Order[1]. 

From her infancy onwards, this Virgin was so dedicated to serving Our Lord and His most holy Mother that she spent her time in almost continual prayer, even when she was very little. In her bedroom there was an image of the Holy Virgin breast-feeding her beloved Son and Paula could not take her eyes away from them. The Son and His Mother were so delighted by this that they came to visit her one day and granted her graces of such extraordinary sweetness that Paula was quite transported with joy. The Mother of fair Love then placed her little Son in Paula’s arms and He kissed her, and some of His Mother’s milk which was still on His lips went on to Paula's face, making her swoon with delight. Then the Holy Virgin told her that she was to go to the Monastery of the Angels not far from there where her servant Sylvester would show her the path she was to take which would lead to her salvation. This is exactly what he did, granting her permission to become a member of his Order.

Footnotes

[1] Aug. Fesulinus, in ejus vita.

Blessed Philip of Todi (aka Philip Benizi)

 19   In Part I of this work[1] I explained that I would deal with Blessed Philip later when discussing that honourable company of individuals who are especially indebted to the glorious Virgin for the happiness they found in the Religious life. He is known by some as Philip of Todi, which is a town in the March of Ancona famous not only as being the place where this great servant of God and of the Virgin died but also for his miracles which continue to this day. Others say that he was a native of Florence and came from the famous Benizi family. After completing studies in Paris and in Padua, he practised medicine for a time but was called to the service of God when he was thirty years old in the following manner. 

On one of the days of the Octave of our Lord's resurrection Philip went to the Church of the Santissima Annunziata near Florence to hear Holy Mass. Just at the point when the Priest was reading these words from the Epistle of the day[2]: Philip, go near, and join thyself to this chariot, Philip was suddenly seized by a trembling in all his members, such as has happened to many others when the Spirit of God comes upon them. At the same time he was taken in spirit to a place full of labyrinthine paths, rocks, thorns, swamps, with serpents and other poisonous creatures. Then he heard again the words he had heard at Mass:

“Philip, go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”  

Not understanding what these words signified, he looked up and at the same moment noticed a triumphal chariot which was open-topped, borne on four wheels and covered in solid gold. It was drawn by a lion and a ewe whiter than snow. A dove with silvery white wings was circling the chariot. Seated triumphantly on high was the MOTHER OF GOD, whose royal mantle covered all those in her vicinity and she held a black habit in her hand. With tender feelings in his heart, Philip spent a whole day contemplating this scene, although to him it seemed only to last for a minute in time. He was then awakened by the sacristan and obliged to go back to his lodgings. God alone knows what feelings he had in his heart and what yearnings he experienced. Several days later, he had the same vision and the Holy Virgin elucidated the mysterious words, saying: 

“Philip, go near and join thyself to those who are honoured with the name of my servants” 

He now understood what the Mother of fair love meant and the very next day he made his way to the Monastery of the Servites, asking to speak with the Superior. This was at the time a certain Father Bonfils and he explained to Philip how the mysterious vision contained symbols pointing to his vocation. The place with the rocks, thorns and serpents represented the world; the chariot represented the religious Order of the Servites – the Virgin's triumphal chariot; it was covered in solid gold because of the charity which this Order professes and because it is totally dedicated to the Queen of Heaven, who surpasses mere creatures just as gold surpasses base metals; the four wheels represented the four cardinal virtues which sum up the whole perfection of the religious life; the lion signified the courage and strength needed to overcome the difficulties encountered in the service of God; the ewe represented humility; the dove, simplicity; the black habit was in fact the habit worn by the Servites. After this explanation, Father Bonfils received Philip into the Order and said that he would one day be the Apostle of the MOTHER OF GOD. That was indeed a most particular calling with which he was later honoured and about which I shall have more to say later.  

Footnotes

[1] Part I, ch. 12, § 7.

[2] Acts viii. 29.

 

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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