Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 11 : § 1.3-4

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Consolation of the Afflicted

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)

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD  is the Consolation of the afflicted 

 3   This is also the state in which we come to appreciate that the Mother of goodness is truly our Mother and where she makes us feel the gentle and loving effects of her mercy. A sufficient proof of this truth is the authentic voice of Holy Church which confers on her the lofty title of Consolatrix afflictorum – Comforter of the afflicted. All the Holy Fathers concur in this, including some of the most highly qualified amongst her devout servants. 

“Dear Comforter, the Lord bless thee and keep thee,” says St Ephrem[1], Deacon in the Church of Edessa in Syria. “Thou dost soothe our pains, dissipate our troubles and lighten our burdens.”

“Most chaste, bountiful and merciful Lady,” says St Germanus (Patriarch of Constantinople[2]). “Thou art the only solace of Christians, bringer of joy to the afflicted and refuge of sinners; prithee do not leave us orphans and cut off from help. For whither shall we go and to whom shall we have recourse if thou dost abandon us? What will become of us, oh thou who art the life and guiding light of faithful souls? Just as when a person breathes we know that a soul doth still vivify his body, so too is it the case that when thy holy name is on our lips we shall always have both an infallible sign and a firm belief that we may rejoice in thy help everywhere, everywhen and in every way.”   

The pious writer who uses the pen-name Idiota[3] declares that:  

out of all names of the Saints, there is none that bringeth joy to the afflicted and encouragement to those who are weak and exhausted like the name of Mary. 

Might we not fancy that he is speaking here of the beautiful light which comes at break of day and brings consolation to poor sick people, or perhaps of some lighthouse suddenly coming into sight just at the point when a worried sailor no longer knows which bearing to follow? And who can be in any doubt that the Virgin even in this life did not partake of the wondrous attributes of her beloved Son, of whom St Bridget[4] writes that: 

Those suffering from oppression and sadness in their hearts and minds would encourage each other to go and see the Son of Mary, the mere sight of whom would bring joy and peace back into their troubled souls ? 

Now if the splendour of her angelic countenance already had the power to dissipate the darksome clouds of sadness even in this valley of tears – what will it be like now that she is more dazzling than a thousand suns, being as one transformed in the Sun of eternal light, the principle and origin of all rejoicing in the world? We can go further and say that if she responds with a particular care even for strangers who have recourse to her, then how much more must she have for those of her household – her own dear children; and who can be any doubt that, just like the valiant woman in Proverbs[5], she will provide them with the clothes they need for winter and summer, meaning that she will take just as much care to help them in times of hardship and adversity as she will to prevent them from being corrupted by the fatal attractions of human consolations? 

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Laudibus Virg.

[2] In Adoratione Zonæ Deip.

[3] Contempl. de B. Virg., c. 5.

[4] Revel., lib. IV, c. 70.

[5] The valiant woman … shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments. Prov. xxxi. 10 & 21.

 4   In order to have a better idea of the maternal love she shows towards her children, picture a mother whose only son is seriously ill. You will note that she does not change her clothes by day or by night and permits herself no rest, for she will not allow her son to be served by anyone other than herself. She makes sure that she prepares all his food and drink, that she feeds him personally, that she keeps watch over him, gets him up, makes his bed and puts him to bed, and she is not free to leave off these tasks even for a little while. She answers the door to prevent his being disturbed; she ensures that he is not troubled by noise; she brings order to everything and finds nothing too demanding or difficult. If you take away from this image the trouble and inner turmoil – since the MOTHER OF GOD has no part in these – we have a rough idea of her maternal tenderness towards poor, afflicted souls. I say rough, for it is quite different from what she does in favour of her children who are suffering from some spiritual affliction. This would be beyond our conception and much less could a pen put it into words. 

It involves the miraculous care she takes to close off entry points for our invisible enemies lest they succeed in exploiting a dangerous time when we would be more susceptible to their evil influences. It involves the miraculous power she uses to shield us from their seething rage of their attacks. It involves the miraculous love and affection with which she ensures her children are strengthened and consoled with every sort of spiritual nourishment. She brings back to life precious holy things which had been dead and buried deep in their memory; she enlightens their understanding; she strengthens their will, restoring its full vigour. She reins in the imagination, keeping it within proper bounds; she restrains the disordered movements of the passions, keeping them subject to reason; she banishes objects of temptation which might breach the soul’s defences; little by little, she restores the taste and appetite for spiritual and divine things; she moderates the inclination to be tempted by things sensual and base; almost imperceptibly, she heals spiritual torpor and heaviness; with gentle stirrings of joy she uplifts the soul; most importantly, she infuses it with a firm confidence that she will never abandon it and that, no matter how terribly the storm may rage, the soul will never be allowed to founder; this confidence moves the soul to accept everything from the hand of God and from His dear Mother who causes the soul to accept all the ordinances from Heaven, making it as strong and firm as a rock in the midst of surging waves and turbulence.

If only those who have experienced this happy state and their help provided by the Queen of goodness could share their thoughts and feelings with us!  If only our eyes could see into the mystery of what happens inside these beautiful souls, what wonders of grace we would see streaming down to them from her hands! If only we had knowledge of all those whom she had comforted in their afflictions and the wondrous means she employed to do this, what sublime reasons we would have to honour her and to love her! 

I shall confine myself to providing two examples one of recent memory and the other from the past.

 

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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