Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 6 : § 3.1-3

Chapter 6 : The Fifth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is a true model of generosity towards 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 generosity of the MOTHER OF GOD towards her children when it comes to the good of the soul and especially with regard to the mind and knowledge

 1   It is true that writers who recount histories of miracles worked by the MOTHER OF GOD have for the most part concentrated on the physical wonders of change obtained through her intercession. I am not in the least surprised by this when we take into account the way men seem to focus mostly upon their bodily needs. If only the eyes of the soul, however, could see as clearly as the eyes of the body, or if interior, spiritual graces were as easy to see as exterior favours, there would be enough material to fill volumes much bigger than those that have been written concerning physical healing and favours. The Holy Mother values the soul infinitely more highly than the body and consequently she takes more delight in a man’s spiritual enrichment than in conferring physical benefits. Indeed, the latter are a means of bringing men to know and love her so that they may gain access thereby to higher and more exquisite favours. For anyone who wants to investigate this subject in greater depth, there is more than enough material to fill whole volumes with examples of spiritual benefits which she has conferred on those who are devoted to her. My aim in this work, however, is not to do that but simply to highlight a selection which may serve as an introduction for those who wish to study the matter further. We should remember that the Holy Virgin has a store filled with these benefits and this is always open to her friends – who only have to approach her in humility and love.

The power of the mind

 2   Let us start with the mind, a faculty proper to man which raises him above other creatures for in this he naturally surpasses the animals. We could with good reason call it the soul of the soul itself, since without this faculty the soul is like a knife without a blade, a dagger without a point, fire without flame, a body without movement, a household without a master, or a ship without a helmsman. It is what discovered and produced the arts and the sciences, what brought into the world so many wonders and prodigies, what brings credit to men and which for this reason is so highly esteemed amongst them. The Queen of Angels would give an even greater share of this to her children if it were not a two-edged sword with which a person can just as easily injure himself as use it for his own benefit. This does not, however, stop her from conferring the benefits of this fine attribute in cases where she thinks people will be able to profit therefrom, not only for their own good but for the glory of God.   

Amongst other examples in our own century we have the remarkable case of Father Jean Gontery whose fame has spread throughout the whole of France As well as beyond. He is now eminently qualified but I heard from his own lips that when he first joined the Society of Jesus he was somewhat ponderous and slow on the uptake. One day he felt an extraordinary impulsion to have recourse to the MOTHER OF GOD, and he prayed that she would sharpen his mental faculties if she thought this would enable him to use his mind For her Son’s glory and for her own. He continued with these prayers for some time and then began to notice that his mind was developing from one day to the next. There are few people in France today unaware of just how far his prayers were answered.  

Henri Delson was a Coadjutor in the Society and passed on from this life in Saint-Omer in Flanders on the eve of All Saints in 1615. At first people had found that he was so slow and ponderous that nothing seemed to stick in his mind. He would himself frequently complain that his memory was like a sieve and scarcely able to retain any spiritual teaching. Finally, whilst he was pouring out his heart one day in the presence of the glorious Virgin, offering her his body and soul and promising to be her servant forever, he felt a shaft of light pierce and enlighten his mind. The truth of this was attested by the fact that everyone was astonished to see him thenceforth able to repeat whole lessons word for word. He made such progress in such a short period of time that soon there was no theologian, however deep his learning might be, who could not learn something from him – such was his mastery of spiritual and holy subjects.

  

Knowledge : Albertus Magnus and Hermannus Contractus

 3   Knowledge is the ornament of the mind just as the mind is the glory of the soul and a fine mind without knowledge may be compared to a man who can only use one of his hands. It is nevertheless something which is capable of doing as much harm as good. This makes the Mother of knowledge careful in the way she distributes it for fear that she may be putting a dangerous weapon into the hands of her dear children. She is, however, willing to share this treasure when she sees her children disposed to make good use of it. For the majority of them, she pours knowledge into their minds in a way which is almost imperceptible and they are not really aware of what has happened. Sometimes, she imparts an extraordinary blessing to the study and hard work that people have put into acquiring knowledge. There are other occasions, however, that she does all this in such a visible manner that there can be no doubting that this knowledge amounts to a present that she has given. I have written earlier[1] about the favour she showed to Albertus Magnus. Here is another account which concerns the favour she bestowed upon the pious Hermann from the famous Veringen nobility.

From a very early age Hermann suffered from an extreme physical disability[2] which caused his body to be almost bent double – which is why he was nicknamed Contractus. He joined the Order of St Benedict in the Monastery of St Gall around 600 years ago. There he was advised that his physical infirmity would have a significant impact upon his religious life and spiritual exercises. This inspired him to approach the MOTHER OF GOD (in whom he had complete and tender trust) and he prayed to her continually that he might be freed from his condition so that he could then serve her dear Son and herself with greater propriety and with spiritual joy. Our Lady appeared to him whilst he was earnestly praying to her and offered him a choice either of being freed from his physical disability or of receiving knowledge as a pure gift. At the same time she opened his mind enabling him to make a rational choice which is what he did, preferring this precious gift for his soul to the healing of his body. No sooner had he expressed his wishes than he experienced a sudden change. Apart from his physical affliction, he had also suffered from certain impediments to his mental faculties but now he found his mind had become more powerful and retentive, so that as he applied himself diligently to study, he acquired such a perfect knowledge of Sacred Scripture, of philosophy, of astronomy, of music, of poetry and of the Latin, Greek and Arabic languages (Arabic was required for scholars to be able to understand the Arab philosophers who were the most famous in his day), that he became a veritable fountain of knowledge and a wonder of his age[3].

Footnotes

[1] Chap. 4, § 2.

[2] Trithemius, de Viris illustribus Ordinis S. Benedicti, lib. II, c. 84.

[3] Today is the Feast of the Assumption and readers of this blog may be as fascinated as I was to note that he is credited with two beautiful Marian hymns: the Alma Redemptoris Mater and the Salve Regina. “Yes, whenever you say the last prayer of your rosary, remember that it was composed by the little man who could not walk, the lover of music who could not sing.” For more on his achievements, see God Makes No Mistakes (Anthony Esolen, 2021).

.👑   👑   👑

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