Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 4.1-3

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 4. Fourth sign of devotion : the frequent recitation of the Little Office of Our Lady

 1   The Office of the Holy Virgin, containing the most beautiful words of praise taken by the Church from Sacred Scripture in order to honour the same Virgin, was composed (or at least arranged) by Blessed Peter Damien[1], Bishop of Ostia in the time of Gregory VII, around six hundred years ago. It later came to be most highly esteemed when at the Council of Clermont every means was being sought to obtain the help of the MOTHER OF GOD for the Church in her affliction, and especially asking her to take the Crusaders bound for the Holy Land under her protection. In the year 1094 Pope Urban II required all those under an obligation to say the Canonical Office to add that of the glorious Virgin, although later Pope Pius V in 1571 modified this requirement, limiting it to recitation in Choir and only on those days specified in the Breviary. He did not, however, omit a stirring exhortation to Christians encouraging them to recite her Office privately, making generous dispositions of the Church’s treasures available to them in this respect. This may be seen in the Bull which is included at the beginning of Our Lady’s Hours, which we find today widely used amongst the Christian people.

Footnotes

[1] Blosius, lib. IX de Signis Eccles., c. 8.

 2   There are very few members of either sex in the religious Orders singing in Choir who have not taken upon themselves the requirement to say the Little Office every day, seeking to obtain for themselves by this means the graces and favours of the Queen of Heaven.

The first to adopt this devotion were the Benedictine monks, in particular those of a certain monastery called Ganagobie. Lacking the will to continue saying the Office, they abandoned it after three years, only to find themselves then visited by all manner of illnesses, looting, theft and every sort of evil and wretchedness – to the extent that they almost began to grow weary of life. Peter Damien made use of this opportunity to reproach them for their laziness and weak will, telling them that it was no wonder that misfortunes had come into their house since they had evicted the Mother of pity and mercy. This made them open their eyes and humbly beg pardon for their sins, promising to take up the Office of the Virgin once more and never again to abandon it. They soon experienced the generosity of the same Virgin, for they were straight away delivered from all their troubles and enabled to enjoy the satisfaction they previously had.

I have described elsewhere the reason why the Carthusian Fathers decided to recite this Office right from the beginning of their institution[1]. They have continued to say it most religiously, with so much success that it would be impossible to list here the favours they've received from Heaven in return for this devotion. 

 

We could say as much about other religious Orders but it is sufficient to include them in what has already been written.   

Footnotes

[1] Part I, ch. 12, § 7.

 3   It would also be too time-consuming to call the roll of all those who have unfailingly followed this holy devotion by reciting it every day.  

I have spoken earlier about St Louis[1] who would not allow all the occupations and duties of his Kingdom to prevent him from discharging this duty. St Charles used to say it on his knees without ever missing it. St Vincent Ferrer took up the devotion whilst he was still young and followed it faithfully until his death. The same may be said of blessed James, also a member of the Dominican Order, who died in the year 1314. We read the same about St Elizabeth Queen of Portugal, St Bridget and St Catherine of Sweden her daughter, about our young Stanislaus[2] and others so numerous it would be difficult to count them. St Francesca Romana did no less and it is written of her in the Bull of her canonization that whilst she was reciting the Office outdoors in a heavy rainstorm, not a single drop of water fell upon her. The book of Hours which she possessed was carefully preserved and God has since made use of the volume to perform numerous miracles. Alphonsus Rodriguez, a lay brother in the Society of Jesus, recited every day the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception which the Holy Virgin had taught him. He derived enormous benefits from this devotion, as do an almost infinite number of people today who follow his example.

The day will come (God willing) when we will rejoice with them in the countless favors that the Mother of goodness has obtained for them in recognition of all the praises they have given her.

Footnotes

[1] Part III, ch. 7, § 5.

[2] BlessedStanislaus Kostka (Stanislaw Kostka, 1550-1568) S.J. (canonised in 1726).

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 3.6

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 3. Third sign of devotion : to offer the Ave Maria frequently to the Blessed Virgin

On the Angelus

 6   Whilst we are on this subject, let us say a few words about the holy custom of praying to the glorious Virgin three times every day with the Ave Maria at the sound of the bell in the morning, at midday and in the evening. Not everyone is in agreement about the origin of this pious devotion although it is fairly certain that it developed slowly before finally being reduced to the form which is observed at present throughout the whole Church. There are some[1] who say that the person who decreed the Holy Virgin should be greeted in the evening was Pope John XXII who granted twenty days of indulgences to those who recite the Ave Maria when they hear the sound of the bell.

  

The institution of this devotion arose from an incident which occurred in the city of Avignon where in the year 1320 a criminal, who had been condemned to be burned at the stake along with a companion, implored the Holy Virgin for her help with such heartfelt emotion that, whilst his companion was reduced to ashes, the fire did not touch him at all but could burn only the cords which bound him to the stake, even though they attempted the process a second time. All those present were so moved by what they saw that, recognising the special protection provided to him by the MOTHER OF GOD, they begged her forgiveness and led the man to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame to join him in offering an act of thanksgiving to her who had delivered him.

 

Others attribute the introduction of greeting the Holy Virgin in the morning to Thierry, Archbishop of Cologne ; but the biographer of St Bonaventure[2] gives him the glory of honouring her first in this way, both in the morning and in the afternoon. All things being considered, it seems to me that we have greater reason to accept what others write[3], namely that this holy devotion began at the Council of Claremont following a decree of Urban II who presided there in person. This ordered the bell to be rung twice each day, in the evening and in the morning, calling upon the Christian people to say the Ave in honour of the Queen of Heaven. It was with her favour the call to the Crusade in the Holy Land had been issued so that she might deign to take under her protection those who were going to risk their lives for the sake of the Faith and the Catholic Religion. Several other historians share the view that King Louis XI, following the advice of the Prelates in his kingdom, added the prayer which is said at midday; little by little, neighbouring provinces followed the example of France and soon the devotion was embraced generally throughout the Church, finally being simplified to the form which we use now. 

Irrespective of who was actually the author and what the reasons for its introduction may have been, whether

    • to remind us of the three greatest mysteries about faith, namely the Incarnation, the Death and the Resurrection of the Saviour, and to give thanks to God and to the most sacred Virgin for the indescribable benefits that we have received through their fulfilment; or

    • to make a public declaration at three different times in the day of the need we have for Heaven’s assistance from the morning through to the evening; or

    • to enable the Church to instruct us in the need we have to protect ourselves against our invisible enemies who are always trying to take us by surprise with their wickedness and snares and to teach us how we should look to heaven for help, 

it is clear that the devotion is filled with piety and loving gratitude, so that for as long as it is preserved it will protect the Church, serving as a reminder of the graces and favours which may be hoped for through the mediation of the Mother of Mercy. Pope Paul V has granted one thousand days of indulgences to those who practise the Angelus devotion in honour of the Holy Virgin following the custom of the Church. 

   

Footnotes

[1] Polydor. Virg., lib. VI de Inventoribus rerum, c. 12.

[2] Octavius, apud Surium, tom. V.

[3] Arnoldus Wionius, lib. V Ligni Vitæ, cap. 20, etc.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 3.4-5

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 3. Third sign of devotion : to offer the Ave Maria frequently to the Blessed Virgin

 4   When it comes to the feelings in our hearts when we recite the Ave Maria, I think you should learn these from Heaven itself, where it originated. Blessed St Mechtilde[1] found herself carried into ecstasy one Saturday during the Mass of the Glorious Virgin and she could not help speaking to her as follows: 

“Dear Mother beyond compare, I would so love to pray a salutation to thee in the most pleasing way that the human heart could ever discover...”

At that very moment, she saw the most sacred Virgin appear bearing a sign on her breast with the Ave Maria written in letters of gold. Then she heard the following words uttered by her sacred lips : 

“My dearest daughter, it would be foolish for a mere creature to try and exceed her Creator and think she could find a salutation comparable to the one sent me from Heaven. For what could be more wondrous than the word Hail, which showed the Eternal Father had fortified me with His omnipotence and gave me to understand that He had completely preserved me from the curse of sin? What could be more beautiful than the name of Mary which was given to me because of the Son who was to become incarnate in my womb, for through this name I learned that I was destined, like a star of pre-eminent brightness, to bring forth light to Heaven and earth? What could stir the heart more than this visit by the glorious Holy Spirit, my Spouse, who by describing me as full of grace put into effect at that same instant the very meaning of those words? When I hear the words the Lord is with me, I am reminded of the wondrous union of the Eternal Word with my flesh and of the joy that filled me when this incomprehensible mystery was accomplished within my womb. When I hear that I am blessed among women, I am reminded that the mercy of God hath raised me above all creatures. When to these words are added blessed is the fruit of my womb, all Heaven rejoiceth with me because my beloved Son hath brought to life and blessed for ever all in creation.” 

St Mechtilde wanted to see this through to its conclusion and she prayed that the Virgin Mother would come to her assistance now and at the hour of her death: 

“Thou hast my promise,” Mary continued, “but I want thee to pray three Ave Maria’s to me every day as follows. Just as the Eternal Father in the magnificence of His infinite power hath placed me so high in Heaven that He hath willed there should be no power beneath Him like unto mine, in the first Ave thou wilt pray for me to come to help thee and fortify thee at this dangerous hour, protecting thee from the wicked enemy powers. 

“My Son out of His infinite wisdom hath so filled my soul with knowledge and understanding of things Divine that there is no person so advanced in the incomprehensible mysteries of the most holy Trinity. Accordingly, in the second Ave thou wilt pray that I will come to thee at this important time and increase the light of the Faith within thee so that it will not be darkened by any cloud of ignorance or error. 

“Finally, since the Holy Spirit hath so filled my soul with the sweetness of His divine love that He hath made my heart the most gentle and compassionate there hath ever been, in the third Ave thou wilt earnestly pray for me to infuse thy soul with such sweet charity as to prevail over thy sufferings and all the fears thou might have of death.”

Where could we find a gentler and more pleasing way than this to help foster our devotion while we say this holy prayer?

  

Footnotes

[1] Lib. Gratiæ spiritualis, c. 53.

 5   The Blessed Virgin also spoke about the Ave Maria to St Gertrude, as may be seen in the book of her Revelations. 

She told her that when she said the words Hail Mary she should pray for the relief of those in suffering, whether this be physical or spiritual. At the words full of grace, she should pray for Mary to soften the hearts of those who do not have the necessary desire to receive divine grace. Then at the words the Lord is with thee, she should ask her as Mother of mercy to obtain pardon for sinners. When she says Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, she should pray for her to take special care of the spiritual advancement of predestined souls. At the sacred name of Jesus, she should pray for a perfect knowledge and a heartfelt love of her beloved Son. Finally, she should always add these words : Jesus splendor paternæ claritatis, figura substantiæ ejus[1], which mean : Jesus, the brightness of His Father’s glory, and the figure[2] of His substance.

   

Footnotes

[1] splendor gloriae, et figura substantiae ejus / the brightness of his glory, and the figure of his substance: Hebr. i. 3.

[2] figura in Hebr. i. 3  has been variously translated as figure, stamp, expression and imprint.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 3.1-3

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 3. Third sign of devotion : to offer the Ave Maria frequently to the Blessed Virgin

 1   After the most holy and noble Sacrifice of the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament, we would seek in vain any devotion more pleasing to the MOTHER OF GOD than the Ave Maria. It is a form of words composed by the most adorable Trinity, uttered by one of the greatest Princes in Heaven, addressed to the foremost and most worthy of creatures, destined to conclude the most elevated and most divine undertaking, filled with mysteries in each one of its syllables and honoured by Heaven with countless miracles.

Each time someone says this prayer, says the pious Alain de la Roche[1], Heaven rejoices, the earth is filled with astonishment, Satan takes flight, Hell is made to tremble, all that is worldly suffers displeasure, the heart is enraptured with holy love, devotion grows stronger, hope rises, consolation is increased, the mind is refreshed and is strengthened in goodness.

Each time we repeat this prayer, says St Bridget[2], the Angel Gabriel receives a new ray of heavenly light. 

It may be taken as assured that this prayer never is never offered up to Heaven without bringing some new favour, either for the body or for the soul. The books[3] are full of the miracles associated with this short but most effective prayer and it is not my intention to dwell upon these but here are a few examples.

Let us remember that time when St Gertrude was ill in bed very upset at not being able to pray in the way she normally did[4]. She was only able to utter a few words from the Ave Maria, more in her heart than from her lips. During this time, however, she merited a vision of the MOTHER OF GOD clothed in a precious robe embroidered with several beautiful flowers in gold thread, showing the satisfaction and pleasure she derived from this prayer.

Let us remember too that lay Brother[5] in the Cistercian Order who had certain learning difficulties which meant that he was unable to learn any prayer apart from the following four words: Ave Maria, gratia plena; but he took such delight in saying them as often as he could that after his death a tree grew out of his tomb which had these same words written in letters of gold on its leaves. This tree was seen by countless people and the local Bishop eventually came to witness the miracle for himself. He ordered the tomb to be dug up and it was found that the tree came from the mouth of the lay brother. After this discovery, the tree immediately withered in the sight of all those present.

Let us also remember St Elzear, Count of Ariano, who used the Ave Maria as a golden key making it easy for him to open the door to mental prayer and to gain all that he asked for. 

Let us remember St Catherine of Sweden, daughter of St Bridget, who performed miracles with this prayer[6]: she restored health to the sick, she brought the wayward back onto the path of righteousness, she gave strength to the weak and encouraged the fervent still more. In short, with these few words she judged that nothing was impossible for her. This shows how she had truly imbibed the milk of her holy Mother, which is what Pope Urban VI repeated several times when he introduced the process for the canonisation of St Bridget[7].

Let us picture the almost infinite number of people[8] who, armed with these few words as though with the five pebbles of David, have vanquished the proud enemy of their salvation, rejecting his temptations and overcoming the obstacles he placed in their path.

Finally, let us consider the graces that these devout servants of the Virgin have obtained by this means.

 

Footnotes

[1] Alanus de Rupe, in Psalter. Beatæ Virg., c. 17.

[2] Lib. IV Revel., c. 12.

[3] Cæsar., lib. VII Exempl., c. 27, etc. ; Thomas Cantiprat., lib. II Apum.

[4] Speculum exempl., dist. 3, nº 32 ; Blosius, in Monitis.

[5] Thomas Cantiprat., lib. II Apum.

[6] Vitæ ipsius, c. 17, etc.

[7] Urban VI died in 1389 and Bridget was canonized on 7th October 1391 by Boniface IX, Urban’s successor.

[8] Cæsarius, lib. V, c. 45 ; lib. III, c. 13 ; lib. VII, c. 26 ; Speculi exemplorum., dist. 9, nº 107, et dist. 6, nº 60.

 2   It is important to remember that Heaven has on several occasions shown through miracles its delight at hearing this beautiful little prayer. This is clearly demonstrated in what happened to Fr Ignacio Martinez S.J.[1] who gave up his honourable position of preacher to Sebastian King of Portugal in order to devote himself entirely to Christian doctrine.

He was teaching one day in Coimbra and asked if there was any one who wanted to say the Ave Maria out loud but no one was willing to do so. Then a little infant aged six months who had been feeding at the breast of his mother sat up on her lap and said the prayer in a distinct voice, without making any mistakes and without any hesitation whatsoever. This astonished everyone present and led to many amongst them overcoming the effects of the shame that had prevented them from speaking in public. 

Footnotes

[1] Dontrem., in Annal., an. 1598.

 3   Here are some more examples of people moved to show their ardour in this devotion.  

I have already mentioned how this prayer was on the lips of St Catherine of Sienna even when she was a tiny infant; how Saint Albert, a monk in the monastery of St Crispin, used to recite it 150 times each day; St Margaret of Hungary would say it 1000 times every day of the Octave immediately preceding the principal feasts of the Holy Virgin; Blessed Romée of the Order of St Dominic would say it as many times as this every day throughout the year; the devout lay brother Renaud Aggel, a monk in the same Order, also recited this number, genuflecting each time; blessed Bienvenue, a nun in the same order, followed the same custom starting from the age of seven. Each Saturday she would double this number and on the feast of the Annunciation she would say up to three thousand because of the great devotion she had to this ineffable mystery. 

There is a most charming story told about her when she was small, namely that one day in Church she noticed a little infant who was extraordinarily handsome. She went over to speak to him as little children often do and she asked him if he knew the Ave Maria. The little boy replied that he did and he asked her whether she knew the prayer. When she said she did he asked her to recite it. She did this most willingly and when she came to the words : Benedictus fructus ventris tui, the little child said to her: “I am the fruit of this blessed womb.” So saying, He disappeared.

St Mary of Oignies used to say this prayer on certain days up to eleven hundred times and there are many other similar instances which we do not have time to recount here. 

This is why the Holy Fathers, the successors of St Peter, have opened the treasures of the Church so generously in favour of those who adopt this pious exercise. Pope Urban IV granted thirty days of indulgence to all those who would devoutly recite the Ave Maria and invoke the Holy Name of Jesus, a grace which John XXII doubled shortly afterwards. In our own day, we rarely see an indulgence granted to anyone where this prayer is not graced with some apostolic favour.  

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 2.10-11

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. Second sign of devotion : to approach the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar frequently and with every tender affection

 10   The third point about making a good Communion comes from the same Blessed Virgin. It was prohibited under the old law[1] to cook a young goat in the milk of its mother. Under the new law, however, there is no better seasoning for this divine meat – where we eat Him who, making himself like unto us, was compared to a goat[2] – than taking the milk of devotion from the breasts of His own Mother. For this very reason we should first and foremost seek her favour and her help. St John Chrysostom reminds us of this in his Liturgy when he requires the following prayer to be said before Communion

Lord, through the intercession of the Immaculate and ever Virgin Mary Mother of God, make me worthy of receiving thine immaculate gift; let it be unto the remission of my sins and for life everlasting, and not turn to my condemnation.

I feel certain that a humble and heartfelt invocation of this blessed Mother, by virtue of the merits she received when God first prepared her to receive His Son at the Incarnation, will be far more effective than anything else we could do in preparation for Communion.

Footnotes

[1] Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of his dam. Exos. xxiii. 19.

[2] See Lev. xvi & Isai.liii.

 11   So much for the proof of this truth that we have this sovereign gift of the most august sacrament thanks to the Holy Virgin and that all those who have a devotion for her must bear witness to it here. Let us now say a few words about the practice of receiving Holy Communion and the first is that we should never approach this sacrament without a feeling of loving gratitude towards her from whom and through whom we have received it. 

Please consider, dearly beloved, says Blessed Peter Damien[1], just how much we are obliged to the Blessed Mother of God and how grateful we should be to her, after God. For we receive at the Holy Altar the same body this Blessed Virgin engendered, the same that she bore within her womb, that she wrapped in swaddling clothes and that she fed at her breast; we drink her blood in the sacrament of our redemption. 

No : not all the praise we could muster would ever equal the singular benefit of having received from her flesh and from her womb this nourishment for our souls, namely Him who said of Himself[2]: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. Let us therefore say with love and affection: 

Blessed be the womb that hath given us such fruit; blessed be the tree which bore for us this food of eternal life; blessed be the Mother who feedeth us with such wholesome bread. In truth, dear Mother, having engendered us all spiritually when thou didst engender the Son of God physically, thou didst not assign us to be fed by someone else as other mothers often do, but thou didst prefer to serve us thyself as our nursing mother, giving us the milk and honey of the children of God; and, what surpasseth all in goodness, thou didst nourish us with the flesh of thine own Son – and with thine own – so as to unite us more intimately to thee and to perfect the heavenly generation, by this means communicating to us thy spirit and thy life, which is none other than the spirit and life of thy Son. What mother has there ever been who would go so far as to do this? What greater witness could we want of thy tender affection and love!  

Footnotes

[1] Tom. I, Serm. 61.

[2] Joann. vi. 51.

 11   Next, we should try to imitate her virtues in our preparation. As the venerable Peter Damien says[1], 

It is no less a miracle to receive Jesus Christ so many times as to receive Him only once; 

and since, as St Thomas remarks[2],

a person who receives Communion is made like unto the Virgin Mother, receiving in the womb Him whom she didst conceive,

who cannot see that all those who receive Communion have a special obligation to mirror as closely as they can her preparation and disposition to conceive Him in a worthy manner? Come, ye dear infants of the Virgin, come and learn from your Mother how to provide a home within you for the Saviour! 

To begin with, what shall we say of her wondrous purity? Alas! It took so many centuries to make her to be more pure than the Seraphim. It was necessary to go beyond the ordinary laws of nature and grace in order to exempt her from every stain and imperfection. It was necessary for the Holy Ghost to come in person in order to prepare her body and her soul with the graces that He held especially for her. After all this, the Church thought to offer high honour to the Holy Virgin through approval of the words : God didst not disdain the Virgin’s womb[3]. Does her purity not make you aware of your own great unworthiness? Or does it not rather serve as a powerful stimulus for you to seek out the purity appropriate to such a sublime mystery? Before God, we feel constrained to ask what holiness would a person need in his heart, what innocence in his gaze, what integrity in his hearing, what probity in the works of his hands, what purity in his understanding, what rectitude in his will – in order to join himself so closely to the principle of all holiness, of all innocence, of all probity and of all doctrine? 

After you have tried to imitate the purity of the peerless Virgin, consider next her humility. Take heed that she who was chosen to be MOTHER OF GOD as well as Princess of Heaven and Earth, and to whom power was given over His Majesty’s entire realm, calls herself His little handmaid, places herself beneath the feet of everyone, and esteems herself the lowliest of all His creatures. Take heed of this and, if you cannot come near her wondrous purity, try at least to lower yourself to the depths of your nothingness in order to reflect in some measure her incredible humility.

Proceed now from these thoughts to the celestial fervour of divine love consuming her chaste breast, to the sighs she sends up to Heaven and to the ardent desire she has for the Incarnation of the eternal Word. Fix your eyes upon this Phoenix of holiness burning in the flames of her charity; and following her example, be filled with a holy patience to see yourself soon united to Him whom your hearts desire. From your holiest sentiments bring forth acts of love so fervent as to make Him hasten on his way in answer to your longing. 

As for the act of receiving Communion, stir up your faith as much as you can so as to be first in line to pay homage to the King seated on His couch of repose[4]. Following the Virgin Mother’s example, may all the divine graces in her retinue – meaning all the holy habits and virtues, especially those found infused within your soul – come forward to adore Him. Above all, may your gratitude and acts of thanksgiving produce such a sweet harmony as to captivate the Angels of Heaven ; may they, alongside the Holy Virgin, sing with the various choirs the celestial Magnificat which she sang in the hill country of Juda; and may they call upon the musicians of the Chapel Royal in Paradise to accompany them. In short, let everything within you strive to receive in a holy manner the King of Glory who is also the Son of the Virgin. These are ideas and suggestions of the gentle ways which will help you to honour the Son and the Mother, and to be pleasing to both of them. You will soon learn through your experience the benefits of gaining their friendship and love.    

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Nativit. Virg.

[2] Opusc. de S. Sacram.

[3] See the Te Deum, the Ambrosian Hymn, now accredited to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana (4th century) : Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum. / Thou, having taken it upon Thyself to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin’s womb. 

[4] Cant. i. 11-15.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 2.7-9

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. Second sign of devotion : to approach the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar frequently and with every tender affection

 7   Be that as it may, I think we can regard it as certain that the Saviour in the sacred Host truly and really has some part of the substance of the Mother which He obtained from her virginal body. In the first place, because this is the general view of Physicians, namely that there remains a small part of their mother in all men until their death. as I have just been explaining. In the second place, because even though this were not so amongst the majority of men, it would nevertheless be reasonable to believe it about the Saviour of the world, out of respect for the hypostatic union which is so perfect and so faithful that it never abandons anything which it has once taken; and even though some fine scholastic minds may raise objections over some points of detail in this, I nevertheless set great store by the common way of speaking found among the Holy Fathers who declare quite simply that the Saviour retained, even after His Resurrection, the same flesh that He had received from Mary and that He gives us this same flesh in Communion. St Augustine speaks of this in a Sermon he gave on the Virgin[1]. In another place, he says[2]: 

He received His flesh from Mary and he has given us this same flesh as food for our salvation.

Peter of Blois says[3]: 

The same flesh born once of the Virgin , is now consecrated in bread by the word of life. 

St Bernardine of Siena, cited above, expressly declares that: 

The flesh taken from the Virgin to form a body for the Eternal Word was united to Him by such a close and strong bond that whilst death had the power to separate the flesh from its own form, namely the soul, it could not separate it from the person of the Word. 

In the third place I would add that even were it true that through the power of natural heat or other similar causes He had lost this first substance that He received from the Virgin, we would nevertheless have to say that He still has it in the Blessed Sacrament because this has the same body which He took unto Himself again after His Resurrection. It is in fact the teaching of St Thomas[4], St Bonaventure[5] and other great Doctors[6] that every man must take up again at the Resurrection the matter and substance from which he was first formed, whether he lost it before his death or whether he always retained it.  

Footnotes

[1] Caro Christi, quamvis gloria Resurrectionis fuerit magnificata, eadem tamen mansit quæ suscepta est.

[2] In Psal. 98 : De carne Mariæ carnem accepit, et ipsam carnem Mariæ nobis manducandam ad salutem dedit.

[3] Tract. de Euchar., c. 1.

[4] VI p., d. 44, q. 1, a. 2.

[5] II p., d. 30, q. 2, a. 3.

[6] Hug. a S. Vict., p. VI de Sacram., c. ult. ; Ricard. IV, d. 44, q. 4, a. 1, etc.

 8   So much for the proof of this truth that we have this sovereign gift of the most august sacrament thanks to the Holy Virgin and that all those who have a devotion for her must bear witness to it here. Let us now say a few words about the practice of receiving Holy Communion and the first is that we should never approach this sacrament without a feeling of loving gratitude towards her from whom and through whom we have received it. 

Please consider, dearly beloved, says Blessed Peter Damien[1], just how much we are obliged to the Blessed Mother of God and how grateful we should be to her, after God. For we receive at the Holy Altar the same body this blessed Virgin engendered, the same that she bore within her womb, that she wrapped in swaddling clothes and that she fed at her breast; we drink her blood in the sacrament of our redemption. 

No, not all the praise we could manage to give her would never equal this singular benefit of having received from her flesh and from her womb this nourishment for our souls, namely Him who said of Himself[2]: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. Let us therefore say with love and affection: 

Blessed be the womb that hath given us such a fruit; blessed be the tree which bore for us this food of eternal life; blessed be the Mother who feedeth us with such wholesome bread. In truth, dear Mother, having engendered us all spiritually when thou didst engender the Son of God physically, thou didst not assign us to be fed by someone else as other mothers often do, but thou didst prefer to serve us thyself as our nursing mother, giving us the milk and honey of the children of God ; and, what surpasseth all in goodness, nourishing us with the flesh of thine own Son – indeed with thine own – so as to unite as more intimately to thee and to perfect the heavenly generation, by this means communicating entirely to us thy spirit and thy life, which is none other than the spirit and life of thy Son. What mother has there ever been who would go so far as to do this?  What greater witness could we want of thy tender affection and love!  

Footnotes

[1] Tom. I, Serm. 61.

[2] Joann. vi. 51.

 9   The second thing I would say to you is that since our dear Mother has prepared this heavenly bread for the nourishment of our souls, she desires most strongly that we should partake of it frequently. It seems to me as if I see her on fire with motherly love, in a way that once caused divine Wisdom to cry out in a loud voice to all the corners of the universe[1]: 

Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you. Your souls have great need of it for here is all your life, it is what your Mother wants most for you and she wants your hearts to be devoted to it more than all other exercises of devotion. For if you have placed your hearts at my service, what greater service can you render me than to thank and glorify the Almighty for the great things He hath done to me? And what gratitude could be more noble than that which you offer through His own Son, when after you have received Him you offer your thanks to Him in my name? What more pleasing service could there be than to honour my Son – your God and mine – and how could you honour Him more than in His own body that He has left you in this most august Sacrament? You show your devotion towards the other Saints by visiting their relics, kissing them and honouring them, and you lament that Paradise has taken from you the relics of my own body; but you must cease to complain, for here you have the living body of my Son, who is flesh of my flesh, a part of my substance and the focus of all my love and affection; make Him the centre of all yours too. If you would unite your hearts to mine, then come to my Son with whom I am but one and in whom you partake of my own substance too, so that you may receive more abundantly my Spirit. 

Finally, you should know that I desire nothing so much as to purge your souls of all sin in order to perfect them and to unite them with a sovereign good: and where can that be done better than in the sacrament of union and love? This is why, if you wish to please me, you should approach the Blessed Sacrament frequently. If it is a great sorrow for a mother to see her children dying for want of bread or for having no desire to eat it, then think what a great sorrow it is for me to see your souls dying for want of receiving the bread of Heaven. When I consider the great and loving desire of my Son to give himself to you, how saddened I am to see that you have so little desire to receive Him with all the treasures of grace and the blessings that he brings with Him.

Footnotes

[1] Prov. ix. 5.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 2.4-6

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. Second sign of devotion : to approach the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar frequently and with every tender affection

 4   The second reason relates to how it was love of His Mother that first caused the Saviour to think of instituting this wonderful Sacrament. It may well be the case that another reason He instituted the Sacrament was for the consolation of His disciples whom He was leaving in this world, and to mitigate their sorrow arising from His absence after His Ascension into Heaven. This is how all the Holy Fathers understand those words which are reported by St Matthew[1]: Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. I am nevertheless in no doubt that He was more motivated to provide consolation for His Mother than all the others since His absence would be more distressful to her alone than all the rest together. From this it follows that we are extremely indebted to her since it was out of consideration for her that the Sacrament was instituted. We might add here the devout and holy reflection of a contemporary Doctor[2], who said that: 

When for love of us the Son of God took up His abode for the first time within the womb of the Virgin and she showed Him such honour and love, He was so delighted that, in order to experience this joy again He introduced a way of returning there and of renewing in a certain manner the mystery of His Incarnation which had given him such satisfaction and pleasure. Through this means He would make possible that which Nicodemus had considered to be impossible : for a man when he is old to enter a second time into his mother’s womb[3].

For He entered therein as many times as His Mother received Communion and no one, I believe, can doubt that she received Communion every day in accordance with what was then the custom of the Church. We are told this expressly by an anonymous author quoted by Metaphrastes[4]:

She approached the divine mysteries every day, he says, and frequently received in Communion the same body of her Son that she had borne in her womb before giving birth to Him. 

Footnotes

[1] Matt. xxviii. 20.

[2] Salazar in 9 Prov., nº 133.

[3] Nicodemus saith to him: How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born again? John iii. 4.

[4] Symeon Metaphrastes: the principal compiler of the legends of saints in the Menologia of the Byzantine Church; active in the second half of the 10th century.

 5   We now come, however, to a third reason which will make us realise how our dear Mother is linked to this divine Sacrament in a special and fitting way, obliging us to show her our grateful devotion : it is because in the Sacrament we truly receive her own substance, so that what we receive is her flesh and her blood. This follows since, as we have said so many times, the flesh of the Son is the flesh of the Mother. This is what St Bernardine of Siena[1] meant when he said that: 

All the beauty and dignity of the Church’s Sacraments have their perfection in the flesh of the Virgin inasmuch as all the other Sacraments look towards the Sacrament of the Eucharist as towards their final end and for this reason it is known as the Blessed Sacrament par excellence.

Now, the Blessed Sacrament contains the precious body of the Son of God, a body formed from a part of the Mother’s substance. The Greeks in their Liturgy have a ceremony which is slightly different to our own in relation to the Host which is to be consecrated. They do not carry Hosts onto the Holy Altar already prepared and divided, as we do, but they take one from a loaf in the middle of which you can see a small image of the crucified Saviour, almost the same size and shape as our Catholic hosts. They call this image the mark and seal of the oblation, because it is this part alone which the priest cuts and removes for use in the offertory and consecration. The rest of the bread is kept until the end of Mass for distribution to those who have not received Communion (just as we distribute blessed bread) and they call this the Benediction or Blessing, when this unconsecrated bread is distributed in place of the sacred Body to those who have not received it. The Patriarch St Germanus[2] was inspired to say in this connection that:

The loaf from which the host is taken may be seen as a figure of the Virgin Mary, from whose womb was taken this divine body having the substantial form of God made man.   

Even though through this separation may result in a hypostatic change in which He subsists separately, the flesh and the substance are nevertheless the Virgin’s, no more nor less than the host’s substance is part of the loaf. Our glorious Patriarch St Ignatius received a sweet grace of consolation whilst he was reflecting upon this truth, which we can read about in certain notes where he recorded the graces and heavenly illuminations that he received. 

I was considering, he says, how the Son and the Mother share naturally the same flesh and the same blood, or at the least how the Son is a part of the Mother’s substance; and consequently how at Communion I receive the most sacred flesh not only of the Son but also of the Mother; and how he who approaches the Sacrament in a holy and worthy manner is united with and is made one flesh with the Son and with the Mother, since according to the maxim of the Philosophers : Things which are identical to a third one are identical to each other[3]. 

Footnotes

[1] Tom. I, Serm. 61.

[2] De Mystic. contemplat. rerum Eccles.

[3] Quae sunt eadem uni tertio, sunt eadem inter se.

 6   This third reason has a very solid foundation not only because this adorable body with which we are nourished in the Blessed Sacrament was originally formed from the flesh and blood of the Virgin Mother (constituting its prime matter) and by virtue of her action (operating as efficient cause), but also because of what certain learned Doctors[1] teach with a high degree of probability, namely that : 

The Saviour never lost this first and original substance which He received from His Mother at His conception; He still has it in Heaven and this is what they give us in Holy Communion, along with what was added after conception through nourishment and natural growth. 

Philosophers and Physicians agree that natural heat and other causes acting upon our body from without all gradually use up what they call its radical moisture[2], meaning that first and original substance for the replenishment of which we have to take food. They nevertheless add that this substance is so strong and enduring that it is never entirely lost except perhaps in extreme old age, which seems more or less certain in the case of bones and cartilage with their firm constitution. Indeed there are certain reputable Doctors who deny completely that, under the effect of natural heat or other similar causes, man can ever lose the first flesh which he receives from his father and mother. Concerning the opinion of such writers, my own view is that this continual destruction of the radical moisture, of which so many Philosophers and Physicians speak, should not be regarded as a destruction of substance but as an alteration of the accidents associated with the qualities proper to life’s operations. Accordingly, the food which we consume serves only to repair these accidents or to enable man to grow to his natural size.

Footnotes

[1] S. Bernard. Senens., sup. citat. ; Suar., t. II, 15, III p., d. 1, sect. 3 ; Spin., c. 8, nº 23 et 24, etc.

[2] radical moisture (‘humidum radicale’) was understood to be the ‘natural moysture’ or ‘fundamental juyce of the body, whereby the natural heat is nourished and preserved, as the flame in a Lamp is preserved by oyle’. For more, see S.T. Pt.I. Q119.

 

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

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.