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).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020) |
§ 5. How the Holy Virgin helps her children during the judgement which takes place after their death
1 Imagine for a moment two courageous Captains at the head of two armies almost equal in power and numbers, so closely engaged amidst the smoke from the cannons and the heat of the battle that nothing can separate them until the shadows of night fall upon them. Sometimes those who survive return to see who has won the day and then battle is renewed more fiercely than before until finally one side gains a victory which at one time might have seemed doubtful.
This is what happens at the hour of death where occasionally the encounter is so furious that it is difficult to say which side will gain the upper hand. The dark night of death, however, means that both sides have to leave the battlefield and wait for the next morning, meaning the day of eternity, in order to discover which side has been awarded victory. From this you can see immediately, without my having to say anything, that the battle does not come to an end with death but that it is only interrupted and there must be one more round to settle the differences. This is what happens at the soul’s judgement when the battle comes to an end in the presence and on the authority of the King of Heaven. At this point, the struggle renews with more ferocity than before because one of the two combatants stands to lose everything forever. Accordingly, the Prince of evil, powerfully armed and brandishing every trick of deceit, pursues the poor soul right to the last gasp and makes a final effort to take him down. This is in fact the encounter which several great servants of God have feared with great apprehension as to its final outcome. Is it possible, for example, to think of anyone more innocent than the holy man Job who nevertheless provoked pity in the hearts of those who heard him sigh as he uttered the words: For what shall I do when God shall rise to judge and when he shall examine, what shall I answer him?[1]
At this point I should like to urge the children of the Virgin to take heart from the words of God spoken through the Prophet Isaiah, assuring them that all will be well for the just[2].
Footnotes
[1] Job xxxi. 14.
[2] Say to the just man that it is well, for he shall eat the fruit of his doings. Isaias (Isaiah) iii. 10.
2 Yes, all will be well, since the Holy Virgin who took them under her protection from the beginning foresaw the final attack and poured forth all her graces to bring about success through final perseverance. Yes, all will be well, since she has equipped them with all the armour and weapons necessary to face down the enemy. Yes, all will be well, since there is no reason to suppose that she who hitherto has given them so many proofs of her love will abandon them in their final moment of need. Yes, all will be well, since the Mother of the sovereign Judge has all the details of their cases in her hands and she means to serve as their advocate. Yes, all will be well, since the Judge who is her Son and her Spouse will be able to refuse her nothing. Let the grand accuser now do his worst, let him produce his evidence, let him summon his witnesses, let him cite law and custom, let him deploy all his ruses – yet how can he hope to prevail against the Queen Mother and the Queen Regnant of Paradise? Let him thunder, let him rage and let him spew goblets of fire : the Mother of Mercy can vanquish him with a single word: for her word may not be gainsaid, her testimony is above suspicion, her prayers may not be refused, her credit is indisputable and her authority is unanswerable. Her words have the force of decrees, her prayers the power of love and Her wishes are invariably translated into action.
A young man called Andrew
3 I should like to mention now something that is recorded in the life of St Anno[1], Archbishop of Cologne. This great servant of God had gone to Rome in the year 1070 where he received from His Holiness the arm of St Cæsarius the martyr. He carried the relic away with him like a most precious treasure and, once he had arrived back in Cologne, he gave orders for it to be born with great solemnity to the place that he had prepared for it. His personal contribution to this solemn occasion was to go up into the pulpit and preach about the Saint’s praiseworthy life and death.
Amongst other remarkable things, he said that there was once in the city of Rome a certain young man called Andrew. He was notably given over to the pursuit of pleasure and the only little spark of devotion that he still had left was towards St Cæsarius. He would frequently visit the Church where the Saint was buried, honouring him through prayer and lighting candles at his tomb. Andrew met with death quite suddenly so that he had very little time for recollection and repentance. Immediately after his death he was surrounded by demons who were already confident that he would become their prey for ever. Picture him being dragged before God’s tribunal amidst the disorderly screams of glee from the demons. His enemies then present a powerful case against him and he is scarcely able to respond to their charges. St Cæsarius, however, is unwilling to abandon Andrew and he kneels before the Mother of Mercy to implore her help. She is immediately won over by his prayers and goes to speak with her Son, accompanied by the Blessed Apostles, St Cæsarius and a group of Holy Martyrs. She speaks on behalf of the wretched sinner so movingly that he is permitted to come back to life and do penance for his sins. This is exactly what happened for he rose out of his coffin at midnight and gave everyone an account of what had happened to him.
Footnotes
[1] Lib. I, c. 35 apud Surium.
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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
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