Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 7 : § 2.3-4

Chapter 7 : Acts of thanksgiving – a sixth 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. The second characteristic of Thankfulness : making known favours received (as far as propriety allows) and making use of all the people we can to offer her thanksgiving with us

 3   Amongst all those who took this idea of gratitude to heart, it seems to me that St Anselm was particularly blessed in the way his natural simplicity and innocence expressed his tender-hearted feelings. Just consider how this devout man addressed his holy Mother[1].

Most holy Lady, whom I desire to love with my whole heart, to honour with my whole soul and to praise to the utmost of my power: art thou not this great Mary of whom so much is said, the paragon of women and the wonder of creation? Yes, indeed thou art and since this is so it is my desire and my intention that there should be nothing in me that doth not offer homage to thy Greatness. Alas! Who am I? And how can I make so bold as to present myself to thee? How can I love and praise worthily her from whom I seek help daily, and who supplieth me unceasingly with her prevenient graces? Dear Mother of my life! Thou who didst nourish my Saviour at thy breast, what wouldst thou wish me to say to thee? I am lost for words, my wits fail me and my mind goes blank at the thought of speaking and conversing with thee who art the Mother of Him whose holiness wipeth away all stain of sin, whose virtue delivereth me from my corruption and whose purity rendereth me worthy of eternal union with God. Even were I able to distil all my feelings of gratitude, what could I do for thee, whose blessed fruitfulness engendered me, delivering me from eternal death, and whose Son brought me back into the good graces and friendship of my God? Thou art the living spring of my life, the gate of my salvation and the path of my reconciliation. Thou art the Mediatrix re-establishing me in Christ[2].

But wherefore do I constrain and limit thy benefits within myself like this? Why do I not rather say that thou art the great chamber of the Estates General[3] where the peace of the whole world hath been concluded, the living Temple of the Divinity where we have all received life, and the authentic instrument of the covenant God hath made with men? If we have been privileged to see a God conversing in a familiar manner with us, this was the result of thy incomparable virginity, thy wondrous fruitfulness and thy indescribable holiness. It was the fragrance of thy divine virtues which drew Him down from Heaven to earth, so as to deliver the captives, to heal the sick and to raise the dead to life. If my thoughts focus mainly on men, this is not to say that they alone are obliged to thee and at thy disposal. The heavens with their twinkling stars, the earth and all the elements, day and night – in a word, everything in creation doth own itself indebted to thy Majesty, avowing that it was thee who didst restore creatures to the degree of honour they had lost through the wicked idolatry of men who had been cruelly deceived. When I say that the whole world is indebted to thy Majesty, I make no exception for either those in Heaven above or those held captive in the centre of the earth. For just as the Blessed Spirits above experience extraordinary joy in seeing their vacant seats repopulated thanks to thee, in the same way those held captive below are given reason to rejoice at being restored to their former liberty. 

Thou art forsooth a woman singularly wondrous and wondrously singular, through whom warring elements are reunited, men are saved, Angels given cause for joy, hell deprived of denizens, demons vanquished and the whole world renewed! Most holy Virgin, thou who dost possess the perfection of graces and blessings, and from whom all creatures obtain graces and blessing, why dost thou soar to such heights that my mind and heart cannot attain them to praise thee and thank thee as I should? Why dost thou bury thyself out of sight in the depths of the divine perfections? Why dost thou hide thyself from my gaze? Why dost thou deprive me of any means of following thee and praising thee? Yet since my prayers and wishes find thee so approachable, please make thyself accessible to the duties I owe thee in love and gratitude; and since I am unable to draw near thine excellent qualities with my thoughts, be so good as to allow my will to make up for what is wanting in my mind and my tongue; and do thou receive all the thanks that my will desireth to render unto thee, not only on its own behalf, but generally in the name of all those who would declare themselves forever obliged to thee for thy graces and favours.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. ad B. Virg.

[2] Eph. i. 10.

[3] Estates General:In pre-Revolutionary France: a legislative assembly representing the three estates, i.e. the Clergy, Nobility, and Commons, convened occasionally by the King as an advisory body.

 

 4   Let us not forget at this point one particular sign of Gratitude which love inspired in some of the best of the Virgin’s servants. Consider how there are some persons who, motivated by good nature, choose to take the name of a benefactor as a sign of their deeply felt gratitude. One example is Blessed Peter Damian who should really be called Peter of Damian because he did not want to be known by any other name than that of Damian, his elder brother, who raised him and helped him achieve success in his studies. There are others who have chosen Mary as their own name, or added it to the name they received at Holy Baptism, so as to make known to everyone that they come from her (after God) in a singular manner and that all the graces they possess are held by them in fee[1] from her as their Lady. We should never fail to esteem persons of such good heart since they have made known to everyone that feelings of grace do not yield in any way to those of nature; on the contrary, they are all the stronger forasmuch as their condition raises them above the others. 

   

Footnotes

[1] fee: Under Feudal Law, an estate in land held on condition of homage and service to a superior lord (or lady), by whom it is granted and in whom the ownership remains. 1587 Sith wee hold all things of him [sc. God] in fee, wee owe him fealtie and homage.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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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.