Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 11 : § 2.1-2 > § 3.1

Chapter 11 : Imitation – tenth 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. How everyone in general should try to imitate the excellent virtues of the glorious Virgin

 1   If I were to say that all the Saints on high are like so many stars in the firmament who shine upon us with their light, causing us to rejoice at their beauty and providing guidance for us amongst the shadows of this mortal life, then I would only be following St Paul[1] who has already spoken in this way about the virtuous and deserving people who could be found in his day amongst the Philippians. When I go on to add that amongst these resplendent stars Jesus and Mary are like the Sun and the Moon, the two great luminaries of the universe, then this would be nothing new but only what countless Saints have observed before me. If they have said this, then it is with good reason since in fact the Sun and the Moon do not outshine the stars in their brightness and range so much as Jesus and Mary surpass all the other Saints in their excellence, in their admirable virtues and in their far-reaching effects. In the first place, although the Saints give us important advice about always keeping in mind some great idea of perfection, so too is it fitting and beneficial for us, after the divine virtues of Jesus, to have our eyes continually fixed upon those of Mary, because of their eminence.

This is precisely the reason why, says the pious Abbot Rupert[2], the Beloved Virgin– indeed she who is the most beloved of all the Beloved – should be the rule and model for the others.

Concerning this point, however, I shall say no more since when we were discussing her virtues in general in Part I, I explained how she was Queen of the highest virtues and what will be said shortly concerning her particular virtues will demonstrate how they surpass those of everyone else.

Footnotes

[1] among whom you shine as lights in the world / inter quos lucetis sicut luminaria in mundo: Philipp. ii. 15.

[2] Lib. in Cant.

 2   In a general sense I can say firstly that all sorts of people find themselves powerfully attracted to taking the MOTHER OF GOD for their Patronness and the reason is that she is endowed with every sort of heroic virtue.

Do you want to know the difference between the glorious Virgin and the other saints? asks the Angelic Doctor[1], it consists principally in this, that the Saints are normally noteworthy for some particular virtue. One may excel in devotion, another in charity; this one may be famous for his mortification, that one for his meekness; some may be admired for their abstinence, some for their humility, some in this way and some in another; but the MOTHER OF GOD possesses all these virtues to a most high degree, both in terms of their range and the level of each virtue, so much so that it is as if she possesses only one virtue.

Next, I might say that many of the Saints resemble certain stars which may be seen from a particular beach or shine upon a certain province or a particular country. By this I mean that there are some Saints who are known only in Italy, others in France, others in Spain or in Germany, and so on with other countries. The gentle and wondrous influences of the Virgin, however, spread generally and equally over all empires and over all places on the earth; and, as the Church sings, her illustrious life shines its light on all the Churches of the world, without exception. The splendour of her incomparable virtues  penetrates both the hemispheres of our world and there is no spot under heaven where the rays of her holiness have not been felt.  

In the third place I might say that, just as the majority of stars are limited to certain particular effects, in the same way many saints seem to be suited for certain types of persons. In this way God, who has provided His Church most generously with everything she might require, has given us certain Saints to serve as a rule and model for hermits, others to instruct those who live in community; some Saints provide a good model for those who are married, others for virgins or for widows. There are Saints for Princes, for Prelates, for the various Orders in the Church, for members of Religious Orders, for the lay people in Orders, for those present at Court, or for those involved in commerce – in short,  there is no one, even of the lowliest position in our world, for whom some Saint has not shown the way of Virtue and demonstrated by example that saintliness is achievable by people of all ages and conditions.  

With regard to the MOTHER OF GOD, says St Ambrose[2], her life can serve as a mirror for every sort of person. The high and the lowly, novices and masters, men and women, young and old, will find in her something for their benefit; and whoever wants to draw close to her through imitation will find his mind enlightened and his heart set aglow.

This is what I aim to elucidate during the remainder of this Chapter.

Footnotes

[1] Opusc. 8.

[2] Lib. II de Virginibus : Talis fuit Maria, ut ejus vita omnium sit disciplina.

§ 3. On her lively faith and how it should be imitated by all

 1   St Paul calls faith the foundation of things to be hoped for[1] and St Paulinus calls it the nourishment and sustenance of all good deeds[2]. The Holy Virgin’s faith is so perfect that the great Bishop of Ávila went so far as to call her the head of all the faithful[3], notwithstanding that this title belongs principally and most properly to her beloved Son who is the head of all the elect par excellence and, in consequence, of all the faithful. The Holy Virgin, however, has a special right to this prerogative for, as faith had no place in the Saviour’s soul, it was she who took it to its highest point of perfection. Specifically, my understanding is that her faith had three eminent qualities : it was most clear-sighted, simple and constant.

Footnotes

[1] Hebr. xi. 1.

[2] Epist. 4.

[3] Paradox. I, c. 31.

© 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.