Chapter 5 : Zeal for souls – a fourth feature of the gratitude we owe the Mother of God
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) |
§ 2. Various signs that show zeal for souls
Feeling a keen concern about the loss of souls
1 The first sign is a heartfelt concern about the loss of souls and an ardent desire to save them from eternal misfortune – at whatever price it takes. This desire is compared by the Saviour to the pain of hunger and thirst[1] which makes those afflicted thereby willing to undertake unusual things, eschewing crowns and honours. It is a desire which the Royal Prophet likens unto a fire consuming him[2] and leading his powers to weaken and to fail. It is a desire which produced feelings in St Paul similar to those of a mother who grieves when her only son is sick, who falls to the ground when she sees him languishing, who grows faint as he begins to fail, who is inconsolable when hope is given up of his recovery and who no longer wishes to live should once he die. It is a desire which made St John Chrysostom speak in the following way to his spiritual children in one of the homilies he gave about the Acts:
Do you believe me when I tell you that there is nothing in the world I would prefer to your good? No – not even light is so dear to me and I would prefer to lose the enjoyment of light a thousand times over just to win and save a single one of your souls; in truth, what pleasure could I receive from the light of the visible sun if my eyes were clouded over by the sorrow I would feel at your loss? I pray ye grant me the satisfaction that all of you may be saved and that I alone should pay and answer for all. Let this be at my expense for whatever it costs does not matter provided that I see you all free.
How worthy these sentiments are of a beautiful soul! How pleased the Mother of love is to see them within someone’s heart! How she considers favours appreciated like this to have been put to good use! How many new graces she prepares for those whom she sees thus well disposed!
Footnotes
[1] Matt. v. 6.
[2] My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out. Ps. XXXVIII. 4.
Prayers for souls
2 The second sign consists in offering frequent and heartfelt prayers for souls. This may be seen in the example of those two great men fired with zeal for the public good of the Jewish people who were shown in a vision to the great Captain, Judas Machabeus: I am referring to the High Priest Onias and the Prophet Jeremiah. He recognised Onias whom he saw with his arms raised to Heaven, imploring God’s mercy, but he did not recognise the second man whose face was on fire and whose eyes were streaming with tears. He learned his identity from the lips of Onias himself: This is a lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel: this is he that prayeth much for the people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias the prophet of God[1]. Another wonderful example is provided by Moses[2] who forced God to stay His hand, if it is possible to speak in this way, as a result of his earnest prayers. David, wanting to describe the effect of the prayers offered up by this great man, said[3] that had not Moses stood in the breach to turn away the wrath of God then this people would have been cut to pieces a thousand times over and annihilated. St Paul provides another wonderful example of this for his eyes were continually moist with tears and, as he himself says[4], for the space of three years he never ceased to weep and to commend to God the new Church that He had planted.
In such cases as these, however, the children of the Queen of Heaven address themselves especially to their dear Mother in order to ask for her help and favour, remembering that she has all power from her Son, that she holds the keys to His treasures and that it belongs to her (in her capacity as Ruler of the Church and Commander of the armies of God) to bring about the success of their plans. As I explained earlier in this work, those brave soldiers who fought under her white standard would never have taken a single step in their campaigns without first calling upon her help. They did this with such confidence that afterwards they freely offered offered all the glory of their conquests to her, as I shall explain later.
Footnotes
[1] 2 Machab. xv. 12-14.
[2] But Moses besought the Lord his God . . . And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people. Exod. xxxii. 11-14.
[3] And he said that he would destroy them: had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach: To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. Ps. CV. 23.
[4] Therefore watch, keeping in memory, that for three years I ceased not, with tears to admonish every one of you night and day. Acts xx. 31.
The third sign
3 The third sign is to show this zeal in a timely and appropriate manner, considering nothing too much trouble when it comes to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Once the heart is on fire with zeal, it must of necessity show itself through the eyes, through the mouth, and through the actions of the hands and the feet. This is what St Paul asks of his disciple Timothy when he says[1]: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. In short, let there be nothing which you do not use for this purpose. This is what he himself practised in an altogether remarkable way.
Behold this man who had none to compare with him, says St John Chrysostom; someone who was a Jew with the Jews, a Gentile with the Gentiles and a sick person with the sick, so that he might lead them all to Heaven. Take note of the care he shows to every sort of person, whom he treated as though they were his own children. Just look at how he comes and he goes on his journeys, making himself available in every way to win souls for Jesus Christ. He teaches all those whom he encounters, presenting to them the promises of eternal life; he prays for them by day and by night, he offers consolation, he inspires them with fear of the Lord, he chases out demons – what is there that he does not do? He is able to make progress through his presence, through his letters, on his own or through his disciples – in every way imaginable. Sometimes you will see him raising those who have fallen away and next confirming those who are holding fast to their faith – after comforting the sick, giving encouragement to the timid and standing firm against opponents. What more can I say? It is as though he alone can handle a thousand different persons. If you want me to say a word about who St Paul was, it seems to me that I cannot express what I think better than by telling you that he was charity itself, and that he was completely transformed into love, just like iron thrown into a furnace, which no longer seems to be a piece of iron but rather a ball of fire.
Speaking personally, I am now no longer surprised to find the Spouse in the Canticles[2] describing love’s zeal as stronger than death and harder than the tomb; or that he should have said its lamps are fire and flames which all the waters in the world cannot drown. It must be admitted this zeal has produced wondrous effects in souls. It has made them mistrust the attractions of the present life, the friendships, family members, homeland, the treats of daily living, honours and life itself. It has made them embrace total strangers as their own brothers, love their enemies as the best of friends, flee the attractions of pleasure like the plague, seek out trials as they would Paradise and embrace the Cross as the unique good of this life. It has made them unforgiving of themselves, tireless in their endeavours, unaffected by injuries, resistant to blows and has given them an insatiable desire to offer sacrifices. Their zeal makes them feel they might have wished for a thousand feet for running, a thousand hands for work, a thousand tongues for talking, a thousand bodies for suffering, a thousand lives to be offered up, a thousand minds to invent new ways of serving God and souls and a thousand worlds to conquer. Let the world boast as much as it wants about its servants and make known everywhere what they have done and what they have undertaken to please their masters – I shall declare unto the glory of God and His holy Mother, and in honour of the faithful servants of the one and the other, that what has been achieved by the former in service to the world does not bear to be mentioned in the same breath as the exploits of the latter: they have truly done much more than the others; they have endured more than the others (who have not even thought about sufferings); they have in one day achieved more glory than the others have throughout their lives; in short, one of these zealous souls has shown more courage and faithfulness then all the servants of the world added together.
Footnotes
[1] 2. Tim. iv. 2.
[2] Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are fire and flames. Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it: Cant. viii.6-7.
[End of Chapter 5]
© Peter Bloor 2025
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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.
The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.
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