Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 13 : §4.1-2

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She safeguards her children at the hour of death and provides them with their passport to Heaven

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. How the holy Virgin defends her children against the attacks of invisible enemies

 1   If ever there were an image with two faces showing all the perfections and wonders of perspective, then it is the one which portrays the darkness of Egypt as set forth in chapter 20 of Exodus and presented with greater detail in chapters 17 and 18 of Wisdom. 

Be so good as to stand firstly on the left hand side, and there you will see a night so black with impenetrable darkness that the mere sight of it is sufficient to horrify you. Those who are walking uncertainly through this Cimmerian night are the Egyptians who have been condemned to undergo three days and three nights of darkness. They are lost in awe and paralysed with fear. There is nothing that can bring them reassurance but on the contrary everything fills them with terror. Some seek refuge in caves to ward off their fears but they are pursued by a relentless wind which forces them out again. They are also tormented by spectres and the hideous faces of demons which pass before their eyes. 

Is it not something completely unheard of that when a fire is lit in their presence, it does not light up anything for them ; and that the pleasing light of the sun does not help them in any way because they derive no consolation from it whatsoever? All that they can make out are various underground fires that do not shed any light but seem to call forth heads with faces that are dreadful to behold, and weird shapes produced by necromancers. The worst of their troubles, however, is something that comes from within themselves. Their disordered imagination conjures up a thousand phantoms causing them great distress as they try to work out what is real and what is not. If they hear a soft breeze playing with the leaves on the trees, for example, they persuade themselves that it is a council of war threatening to send enemy troops pouring upon them. The mere sound of running water makes them think fearfully of war chariots or of a cavalry charge. They interpret the lowing of a cow as the rumbling of thunder followed by lightning. In short, they themselves produce fears which are far more difficult to bear than even the dark shadows which envelop them. 

Perhaps you will think that the sorcerers whom you see gathered to one side with magic wands in their hands, promising wonders that can move mountains and making out that they can charm away the fears and terrors of the darkness, will bring consolation to the soul and peace to the heart amidst the shared terrors. Far from it, because although on the one hand they have no fear of the dark shadows and the hideous figures that they see flying through the air with their spells, on the other hand none of their grimaces is able to defend them from the fears and panic which torment everyone else. Even a cat appearing in front of them, a dog barking, a serpent hissing or anything like that, fills them with fear. The air itself which they cannot escape and which they cannot see seems to be at war with them and fills them with dread. If from time to time these countless, distraught souls that you can see scattered here and there seem able to snatch a moment of fitful slumber, suddenly they find themselves shaken awake again by their own disordered imaginations. If some of them find their courage is failing in the midst of these terrors (as happens to quite a few), they must of necessity remain helpless ; if they think to fly a particular danger then they are immediately swallowed up by one still greater; and the result of all this is that they are forced to halt as though paralysed and are incapable of moving forward or retreating. You would say that they are like a group of galley-slaves held together by these dark shadows just as tightly as though by chains of iron. This should give you a true picture of the tragic and frightful night of darkness awaiting them at the centre of the earth. 

Here then you have one face of this image produced by the paint brush and masterful skill of the Holy Spirit.

 2   Let us now move to the right and consider the other face of this painting. It portrays a fine day in beautiful sunlight. It is easy to judge from the colour in their faces and the way they are dressed that the people we can see clearly are the Hebrews held in captivity by the Egyptians. From their demeanour and their comportment, however, we would never have imagined them to be prisoners because their actions show that they are at complete liberty and their words are so many blessings and thanks offered to God for all the graces and favours they have been receiving from his generosity, especially for so many wonders they have seen with their own eyes. No one would say that they could not take flight very easily if they wanted, or even steal from their hosts’ houses, for they would be to unable to run after them; but they are waiting for the hand of God to intervene and for those who are at the moment keeping them captive to force them out themselves. 

Apart from this, it cannot be denied that wondrous things are taking place and here is one example to illustrate the miracle of which I am speaking. A Hebrew and an Egyptian find themselves in the same room; despite the thick darkness covering Egypt, the Hebrew can see as clearly as on any other day but the Egyptian can scarcely see anything;  the Hebrew goes about his daily life as usual for the Egyptian is unable to do anything; the Hebrew finds nothing that causes any difficulty to him but the Egyptian is frightened and worried about everything; the Hebrew sings the praises of God but the Egyptian detests his life and curses his condition ; the Hebrew enjoys freedom in his slavery but the Egyptian is a slave despite his freedom.

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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