Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 10 : § 2.1-2

Chapter 10 : Mortification – a ninth 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. Various practices of Mortification

Fasting

 1   Firstly we need to recognise the value of fasting and abstinence as a means of honouring the Holy Virgin. Reason requires that since she practised this continually throughout her life then her dear children too should participate in it for love of her.

The Emperor Frederick III fasted on bread and water on all the vigils of the Assumption. St Charles Borromeo, that luminary among the Prelates of our day, and the valiant Walter of Birbeck[1] (whom we mentioned earlier[2]) both did this on all the vigils the Holy Virgin’s feasts. The Saviour of the world expressly commended this very practice in the rule that He dictated from His own lips to blessed St Bridget[3]; and the same Saint said as much on God’s behalf to an ecclesiastic who had asked her to prescribe some rule of life for him by which he could regulate all these actions. St Nicholas of Tolentino[4] (an Augustinian friar) and St. James of Alcalá (a Spanish lay friar) added all the Saturdays throughout the year. St Francis observed an uninterrupted period of fasting in honour of the Virgin from the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul up to that of the Assumption. This was also one of the six fasts that St Peter Celestine[5] observed every year. The Jesuit Francisco de Toledo observed the same practice[6], not to mention Saturdays throughout the year when he fasted on bread and water alone. St Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal observed this fast from the feast of St John, living for the whole period on bread and water, just as she did on Saturdays and on the vigils of the Blessed Virgin’s feasts. Many others, whose names are written in Heaven, have followed the example of these great servants of God and His Holy Mother, and those who today imitate their example in various ways are almost without number.  

Footnotes

[1] Cæsar., lib. VII, c. 39.

[2] Chap. 4, § 1.

[3] Cap. 4 Reg. S. Salvatoris.

[4] Apud Surium, t. V.

[5] Vitæ ipsius, c. 11 ; Apud Benedictum Gononum, lib. VI de Vitis Patrum Occidentis.

[6] In Viris illustribus Societ. Jesu.

 2   Should that day ever come when we imagine the Mother of love having no more feelings for what has been done for her, then perhaps we will be able to believe that she has forgotten all these good services offered up for her sake. On the contrary, let what I am about to recount enable us to judge what she will be like for her best friends.  

In the vicinity of the city of Trent[1], there was a notorious criminal who had committed countless murders, not to mention a host of lesser crimes. These had all thrown him into a state of despair concerning his salvation but God wanted to save him and, without his being aware, He sent a little spark of hope into his soul. As He could not hope to make him abandon his bad life entirely, He asked only that in honour of the most sacred Virgin he would fast one day a week and on that same day abstain from doing harm to anybody. The ruffian promised he would willingly comply with this request and he actually kept it even more faithfully than he had promised. He not only did what he could to prevent his fellow criminals from committing theft on Saturdays (which was the day he had chosen) but when he found himself being pursued by the Provost’s archers, he preferred to allow himself to be to be captured and led as a prisoner into the city of Trent

rather than running the risk of spilling human blood that day through attempts to defend himself, .

God alone knows how many people gathered to await his arrival. He was immediately condemned to be executed by beheading but, whilst preparations for the execution were under way, the Mother of Mercy went to work in the heart of her prisoner, disposing him to die a holy death. This is in fact exactly what he did, accusing himself publicly of all his crimes, whilst begging forgiveness with many tears and protesting publicly that (with the exception of what I have just recounted) he had never done anything good in his whole life.

The following night, there came to pass something even more unusual which greatly astonished those who were keeping guard on the walls of the city. Near the place where this man had been buried (next to the site of his execution), they saw a bright light surrounding five Ladies of extraordinary beauty. Four of them opened up his grave and took out the body which they then proceeded to carry, holding in one hand a lighted candle and supporting his coffin with the other. They were followed by a fifth Lady who surpassed the others in greatness and in majesty. Once they arrived at the City gates, the latter called out to the guards and spoke to them as follows: 

“Go and tell your Bishop that he is to bury this chaplain of mine in Church.”

She then gave details of the place where he was to be laid. At daybreak this news spread everywhere and the Bishop decided to summon his clergy. Accompanied by them and a great crowd of people, he made his way in procession to see the coffin. When this was opened, not only did he find the head joined perfectly back to the neck but he saw the man’s body was lying on a fine scarlet shroud decorated with embroidery which could not have been made by merely human hands. People’s astonishment increased as together they witnessed more and more miracles and no one tired of looking upon his body and his coffin, offering thanksgiving to the Mother of mercy. Everyone felt such love and affection towards her that it was almost impossible to find anyone in the Province who, in order to gain such a wonderful Mother’s favour, did not want thenceforth to fast on Saturdays in her honour. 

Footnotes

[1] Cæsarius, lib. VII, c. 39. Vide alia exempla apud Antonium de Balinghem in Kalendario B. Virg., 2 Februarii.

© 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.