The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 1 : § 1. 9

Chapter 1 : On the title of the Mother of God, true source of all the great Dignities of the glorious Virgin

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

 § 1.  On the excellence of the title MOTHER OF GOD

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

 9   For the devout reader who wishes to read more[1] about these same great dignities and qualities, here are some examples from discussions which are proportionately similar to the way we speak of God Himself when we say that He is higher than any height, deeper than any depth, brighter than any light, more dazzling than any splendour, stronger than any strength, more courageous than any courage, more beautiful than any beauty, truer than any truth, greater than any greatness, more powerful than any power, richer than any richness, wiser than any wisdom, sweeter than any sweetness, better than any goodness, more just than any justice[2]; that He is beyond imagining, beyond words, beyond explanation, inaccessible, incomprehensible to any other than to Himself.[3]

What do you think the great God’s envoy meant, asks St Bernard,[4] when he said to the Virgin: The power of the most High shall overshadow thee?  Perhaps She who had the joy of experiencing and of being exposed to the rays of this divine Sun who, by an unprecedented miracle shaded her from His own divine brightness, perhaps She would be able to answer. Apart from her, who merited a share in the secret of the most blessed Trinity working this mystery in her, do not look for anyone else to give an explanation, for there is no-one.  

It seems to St Augustine too that it is going too far to say that the Princess who was herself asked for her assent and who with such good reason was told about everything happening to her, would be able to give an explanation.

I will not pretend to say (these are his words[5]) that She who was herself able to enclose the divine Word within her womb, would be unable to understand and fully explain this mystery.  

I shall let you decide whether this Saint, who was so jealous for the honour of the MOTHER OF GOD, claimed to derogate from her in any way. Far from doing that, I think that on the contrary by speaking in favour of the truth he thought to honour the MOTHER OF GOD, whose merit is so elevated as to be beyond her own comprehension. No more nor less than in the case where we think we are giving offence to an extremely rich man when we say that he has so many sources of wealth that he himself does not know what they are.  In this sense, the greatness of the MOTHER OF GOD will be beyond the understanding of any mind in creation. The glory will remain with the Father who has such a daughter, the Son who prepared such a Mother for Himself, and with the Holy Spirit who so enriched and adorned His Bride. This understanding is echoed by St Bernardine[6] who applies words from Ecclestiacus to the Blessed Virgin: only He who made her is able to understand the sublime heights of His work and to Him is reserved their full comprehension.

Having heard these great minds speaking in such a fashion, what man would not hesitate before seeking to understand the great dignities of the MOTHER OF GOD? For my part, as of present I would veer away from such a task were it not that my plan is to follow those Church Fathers who have spoken so worthily on the subject rather than to flatter my own abilities and be carried away by my own inventiveness. Under the guidance, however, of such wise pilots as the Fathers, I do not believe I should fear when launching myself to explore the vasty ocean of the great Queen’s dignities and splendours. The Holy Spirit, great pilot of the barque that is the Church, prepared these same dignities and splendours in her. I have confidence that He will guide my mind and my pen on this voyage of discovery and that the beautiful Star of the sea herself, to whom I offer my labour, will not abandon me in this project I have undertaken to please her.

Footnotes

[1] Tract. II, c. 3.

[2] Tertull. sive Novatianus Presbyt. Rom., lib. de Trinit.

[3] Damasc., lib. I Fidei, c. 8 ; Trismegist. in Pimandro, etc..

[4] Homil. 4 in Missus.

[5] T. IX operum supra Magnificat..

[6] T. II, serm. 51, art. 3, c. 1 : Tanta fuit perfectio ejus, ut soli Deo cognoscenda reservetur, juxta il-lud Eccl. 1.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 1 : § 1. 7-8

Chapter 1 : On the title of the Mother of God, true source of all the great Dignities of the glorious Virgin

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

 § 1.  On the excellence of the title MOTHER OF GOD

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

 7   Other writers such as St Peter Chrysologus, Archbishop of Ravenna,[1] maintain that he who does not know how to contemplate with delight the sublimity of his Blessed Mother has little understanding of the greatness of God.

Great God! says this saint. How can this be? The heavens are afeared, the Angels tremble, all creatures lose their faculties, nature is confounded and yet in this emotion which is general one maiden alone feels no fear; not only does she provide a home for God in her womb but she confidently asks as payment for this lodging an agreement for universal peace, forgiveness for criminals on earth, life for those who have died, membership for men of the family of blessed Spirits and the incarnation wherein the Word is made flesh. What does this confidence seem like to you?

 8   Among this assembly of Saints, there are some who are more astonished than all the rest. They find themselves overcome and can only cry out in amazement: This is a wonder! A miracle! The great Patriarch of Antioch, St Ignatius,[2] calls it a celestial prodigy and a sacred sight; St John Chrysostom,[3] a great miracle; St Bernardine,[4] the miracle of miracles; St John Damascene,[5] the most profound of miracles.

 

O miracles! O prodigies! Cries St Augustine,[6]  the laws of nature are changed, God is born in man, the Virgin conceives from the word alone of God; she becomes a mother and yet remains a virgin! She is a mother, but remains undefiled; she is a virgin but has a son; she remains wholly virgin but is none the less fruitful; and the unique child who amongst all the children of men is born sinless, comes into the world not through concupiscence of the flesh but through obedience to the spirit.

Miracle! Says St John Damascene,[7] but this is the newest of all miracles; a woman is raised higher than the Seraphim just as God stoops beneath the Angels.

O most Blessed Virgin! Says St Epiphanius,[8] thou hast stopped in their tracks all the multitudes of the angelic army[9] and caused them amazement in their hearts! For in truth it is a quite extraordinary prodigy in heaven to see a woman cradling the Light of the world in her arms; to see a woman with her Son who is the Father of his Mother in the same way He has been through endless ages; to see the nuptial couch of the Virgin made ready to receive her heavenly Spouse who is both her Son and the true, only-begotten Son of God.

Let us open our ears, says St Anselm,[10] and make ready to hear how admirably the Eternal Father prepared for the Blessed Virgin, giving testimony thereby to His limitless love for her. In your opinion, could He have done any more? He had His only begotten Son, in all things and everywhere equal to Himself and of the same substance. Would you believe that His love could extend so far as to be willing to share His son with Mary, in such a way that she would have Him as a true Son by nature, as He was for His heavenly Father?

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Annuntiat.

[2] Epist. ad Joann

[3] Serm. de B. Virg.

[4] T.-I, conc. 61, art. 1, c. 11.

[5] Orat. 1 de Nativit. B. Virg.

[6] Serm. 11 de Tempore.

[7] Orat. 1 de Nativit.

[8] Orat. de Sanct. Deipara.

[9] Au même instant, se joignit à l'ange une troupe de la milice céleste. Luc ii. 13.

[10] Lib. de Excellentia Virg., c. 3.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 1 : § 1. 5-6

Chapter 1 : On the title of the Mother of God, true source of all the great Dignities of the glorious Virgin

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

 § 1.  On the excellence of the title MOTHER OF GOD

 5   Following the two writers cited above, St Andrew of Jerusalem, Archbishop of Crete/Candia, apostrophizes the Blessed Virgin in these terms:

May God keep thee safe, Temple of the Saviour, throne of life incorruptible, chariot of the blazing Sun, the only earth suitable for growing the wheat whereby we are nourished, sacred leaven for all of Adam’s race to taste and making the dough rise which becometh the true bread for our souls; ark of honour where God dwelt and where glory itself was sanctified; vessel of gold[1] containing Him who maketh sweet manna and who draweth honey from rock[2] for an ungrateful people; spiritual mirror of holy contemplation,[3] whom the Prophets inspired from heaven have set as a figure in the descent of God on earth.

He says more in another text. Here are his words:

Holy Lady, thou art the incomprehensible secret of the divine economy, whom the angels desire unceasingly to contemplate; thou art the admirable dwelling-place God chose for His descent; thou art that desirable plot of earth which made Him to come down from heaven, and which opened for Him a way amongst us; thou art the treasure of that mystery hidden through all the ages; thou art the living book wherein the Word of the Eternal Father was written by finger of the Holy Ghost; the authentic instrument of the covenant made between God and men; the august chariot laden with a thousand million that you in triumph led on high and presented to God; mount Sion, where the Lord takes His ease; the pillar of fire[4] which guideth not the captive Israelites with a perishable light but which illumineth the true Israelite on his way to the promised land; the virgin soil from which the second Adam was formed. Thou art sweet and comely as Jerusalem,[5] the fragrance of thy robes surpasseth the delights of Mount Lebanon. Thou art the box of precious ointment which never loses its fragrance, the oil of holy anointing, the never-fading flower, the purple cloth woven on high, the royal vestment, the imperial diadem, the throne of God, the gate of heaven, the Queen of the universe, the cup overflowing with divine wisdom, the surgery for healing and restoring life, the ever-flowing fount of holy examples.  

Finally, he concludes:

Words fail me and my ideas are too weak for me to follow the ardent longings of my soul. 

Nevertheless, immediately after saying this he rediscovers his courage as follows:

 

What can I say to thee, most Holy Virgin MOTHER OF GOD? Thou alone art capable of Wisdom who subsisteth in Himself and who giveth life to all others. O Blessed Virgin, origin of our life and the life of the living! Thou art the link uniting us indissolubly to God! O kingdom firmly established on the glory and the power of Him who dwelleth within thee! O sacred bastion for the defence of Christians, and divine sanctuary for all those who withdraw from the world in search of thee!

 

Footnotes

[1] Exod. xvi. 33-34.

[2] Ps. LXXX. 17 And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.

[3] For she is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God's majesty, and the image of his goodness. [Wisdom vii. 26]

[4] Exod. xiii.

[5] Cant. vi. iii.

 6   St Epiphanius[6]  is no less enraptured than this great Bishop of Candia whom we have just heard.

Hail, honour of the virtues, divine lantern containing a light that never goeth out and which is brighter than the Sun; mystical ark of glory, precious vessel of gold where thou keepest safe the manna come down from heaven; inexhaustible fount of sweetness, spiritual sea wherein was found what is truly the world’s pearl; resplendent sky, thou dost enclose Him whom the sky cannot contain; throne of God, more dazzling than that of the Cherubim; cloud shaped like a pillar, who holdest within thee the same God who guided the Israelites through the wilderness; root of glory, heaven, temple and seat of Divinity.

There is a work entitled Sermon on the Assumption of the Virgin, dedicated to St Paula and her daughter St Eustochium.  Along with several serious-minded authors, I attribute this sermon to Sophronius; but for nearly a thousand years it was associated with St Jerome, as appears in the writings of St Idelfonsus on the same subject. Ildefonsus, however, admits at the start of his eloquent piece that he was little versed in the Latin tongue. He cannot therefore claim with any authority that it was written by Jerome. Sophronius, who was a close friend of St Jerome, echoes the Spouse in Canticles[7] when he calls Mary: 

 

the enclosed orchard, the fragrant plot, the garden abundant in beautiful flowers spreading fragrance over all the earth; so strongly enclosed that no enemy would know how to gain entry; the fountain signed with the seal of the most holy Trinity, whence springs the fountain of life and light.

 

Footnotes

[6] Orat. de Sanct. Deipara.

[7] Vere hortus deliciarum, in quo consita sunt universa florum genera, et odoramenta virtutum, sicque conclusus ut nesciat violari, neque corrumpi ullius insidiarum fraudibus, fons signatus sigillo totius Trinitatis, ex quo fons vitæ manat, in cujus lumine omne videmus lumen.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 1 : § 1. 2-4

Chapter 1 : On the title of the Mother of God, true source of all the great Dignities of the glorious Virgin

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

 § 1.  On the excellence of the title MOTHER OF GOD

 2   I confess this has caused me something of a problem, especially because when studying more deeply the writings of the Saints, I have learned how little they trust themselves to speak of the excellence of this incomparable title. Some of them, such as St Anselm,[1] make plain that we can proceed no further than the thought that the Blessed Virgin is the MOTHER OF GOD. This in itself leads to the noblest understanding accessible to minds lower than God’s Majesty. Others, such as St Gregory of Neocaesarea,[2] whom we have quoted previously, are loud and clear that this one title surpasses all other praises that she could be given.

 3   There are some, says St Bernardine of Siena,[3] who make use of proportion as we do when we wish to speak of God. Because we cannot know His simple nature, we gather from all sides the perfections we perceive in His creatures and clothe them with Divinity; he adds that there is infinitely more to this than we can conceive. In the same way, they gather all the rare qualities that they find scattered here and there and say that she who possesses them to perfection and incomparably more is the MOTHER OF GOD. There are others, such as St John Damascene[4] and St Idelfonsus[5] who aim more highly. To show the origin of this singular honour of being MOTHER OF GOD by temporal generation, they adopt no less an idea than that of the eternal generation of the Word, saying that just as the Son of God takes His origin from the fruitful self-knowledge of the Eternal Father, with communication of His substance unaltered and integrally, in the same way He is born from the holy Mother in time, unaltered and integrally. Others, such as St Thomas,[6] go further still and hold discussions at an even higher level. Through the light inaccessible, they observe that the Virgin, having received the honour of being MOTHER OF GOD, is united to a term of infinite perfection and so she is thus in some ways elevated to the divine order. As a necessary consequence, she herself enters into possession of infinite perfection. But don’t wait for them to say more than that because now e have to stop there.

 4   I would be doing an injustice to several important figures with a great love for the Queen of Heaven if I were to pass over in silence a discovery they made in their tender devotion. As they found no direct opening in their attempts to unravel the Excellence of the title MOTHER OF GOD, they took an indirect approach, expressing their thoughts through various enigmatic figures and symbols. Blessed Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, gave an admirable address to the Council of Ephesus on the birthday of the Lord. He shared his own sentiments and those of all Nature, when he described the MOTHER OF GOD as follows::  

She is, he says, the purest treasure, the adornment and honour of virginity; the second Adam’s spiritual paradise, the office of the divine marriage celebrated between two natures; the great chamber of general reconciliation for the world; the nuptial couch of the eternal Word; the burning bush, unconsumed by the flames of celestial birth; the beautiful little cloud who held to her breast Him who is enthroned above the Cherubim; the fleece moist with the pleasant dew from heaven, from which was crafted the garment worn by our divine Shepherd when he put on the livery of His lost sheep; slave and Mother, Virgin and all heaven together; the bridge whereby God Himself came down on earth; the piece of cloth used to make the estimable robe of the hypostatic union, work of the Holy Ghost; the hand, the power of the Most High, the old body of Adam, the weft,[7] the immaculate flesh of the Blessed Virgin, the incense boat, God’s bounty beyond comprehension, who brought to us the ineffable person of the Word. Who has ever heard tell of such a one?

Blessed Methodius, who was firstly Bishop of Olympus in Lycia and afterwards of Phoenician Tyre, and who died a glorious martyr for Jesus Christ, greeted the Blessed Virgin as follows:[8] 

Most noble and most desired of our hearts, thou art a shining light for the faithful; thou dost shelter within thy womb Him who encloseth all and who cannot Himself be enclosed; thou art the root of the foremost and most beautiful flower in the world; the Mother of the Creator of all things, nourishing the great father and sustainer of the universe; the living carriage bearing Him who beareth all things; the gate through which God cameth down to earth; the Seraph’s tongs for a live coal;[9] the bosom for Him who encloseth all in His own bosom; the spotless robe around Him who is surrounded by light; the Holy Ghost’s pavilion; the furnace that Almighty God hath set o fire with the flames of his divine love.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. de Excellentia Virginis, c. 2.

[2] Serm. 2 in Annuntiat.

[3] T. III Concionum, serm. 1 de Nomine Virg.

[4] Orat. 1 de Nativit. beatæ Mariæ.

[5] Lib. de Virginitate, et parturitione Mariæ.

[6] I part., q. 28, art. 6, ad 4.

[7] trame, weft. Ensemble des fils tendus sur le métier à tisser et passant transversalement entre les fils de la chaîne, pour constituer un tissu.

[8] Orat. in Hipapante.

[9] Is. vi. 6.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 1 : § 1. 1

Chapter 1 : On the title of the Mother of God, true source of all the great Dignities of the glorious Virgin

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

That axiom of the Philosopher is true in which he says that, properly speaking, each thing is what is of the best and of the most perfect in itself. From this it follows that the King may also be a Duke, a Marquess, a Count or any other title but we call him simply the King. This is because his title of King is higher than the others and contains the others within its completeness. It outshines them in the same way that the sun outshines the stars. This is what appears at the outset in the case of the Mother of God. As soon we have made use of this name, it becomes the King (as it were) of her other titles which owe homage and which are dependent on it as light on the sun or a stream on its source. This consideration made me resolve before all else to address Mary’s most excellent title as MOTHER OF GOD, placing it before all her other great Dignities, of which it is the origin and measure.

 § 1.  On the excellence of the title MOTHER OF GOD

 1   What is this, O tiny mind? Thinkest thou art able to penetrate the depths of Excellence enclosed within this illustrious title? Hast thou wings strong enough to raise thee so high? And eyes able to withstand the dazzling splendour of this divine Sun? Dost thou understand that these great Dignities thou seekest are higher than the heavens, deeper than the deepest abyss, vaster than the sky and as never-ending as eternity itself? Hast thou in no way foreseen the associated risks that might confound such a presumptuous plan?  In thus approaching Majesty so boldly, hast thou no fear of being overwhelmed by its glory? Hast thou no anxiety lest thou drown in this Ocean of wonders and art swallowed up in this gulf of such great Dignities? Doth it not enter thy consideration that even the Cherubim and the most ardent of Seraphim lower their wings in the presence of her about whom thou wishest to speak, and that they dare not raise their eyes to look upon her face? Canst thou be ignorant of the fear and trembling experienced by the first great spirits and the first men who wanted to make a trial of their powers in this matter? The great bishop of Neocaeserea, St Gregory Thaumaturgus (the wonder-worker),[1] despite all his eloquence and the teaching revealed to him from on high, struggled on many occasions to find suitable words. It seemed to him that his mind would lose its edge and his eloquence become mute when it came to speaking about these things. St Epiphanius,[2] that most learned prelate [from Constance, or] from Salamis in Cyprus, declared himself an unhappy wretch for having presumed he could withstand the flashes of brilliant splendour coming from the majestic face of the Queen of Heaven. He explains that such deep thoughts and lofty contemplation filled his soul with a terrible fear and he felt almost as though the blood would drain from his heart. He maintains that this undertaking is beyond human powers and that there is no mind, however sharp, that can bring the undertaking to a successful conclusion; and no tongue capable of speaking in the manner that is required. St Bernard[3] was nourished at the breast of the most Blessed Virgin, but even he protests that it is astonishingly difficult to teach about the Mother of God. This is because there is a general belief that her great Dignities are inexplicable and those listening to him become annoyed that he is only at the stage of preparing to give his explanations. Would it not be better to abandon such a presumptuous plan, prostrate oneself on the ground and with Moses admire from a distance the Bush that burns with the flames of Divinity without being reduced to ashes; to adore from the bottom of one’s heart and in a chaste silence this sanctuary of God replete with celestial wonders?

Footnotes

[1]   Serm. 2 in Annuntiat

[2]   Serm. de Sanct. Deipara.

[3]   Serm. 4 de Assumpt

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Crown of Excellence : Introduction - Origin of Crowns

First Treatise: The Origin of Crowns

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

 1   Majesty, the Mother of Excellence, was no sooner born on earth, or rather no sooner came down from heaven, than she was immediately given Crowns. Those who decided to render honour in this way were quite right, for Crowns were only ever invented in order to serve as signs of Excellence and Majesty. As soon as conversation began amongst men and they sought to order their social and communal existence together, it was Majesty that awarded the Crown to those most deserving, causing them to wear her livery and favours. The first to receive this honour were the princes and kings on whose countenance were imprinted such signs of Majesty and Excellence that those seeing them could not but render them honour and respect. In the beginning, these Crowns took the form of twelve rays of light seeming to radiate from their faces, as may be seen with the first kings of Italy,[1] making them more worthy of veneration in the eyes of their subjects who would the more readily believe those who governed them came from heaven.

 2   Let us draw back the veil of these poetic fictions to reveal the truth. We may say with certainty that God alone is eternal Majesty and sovereign Excellence; He is the source of all Excellence and Majesty and to Him belong all the Crowns of dignity. Immediately after this Monarch of the Universe resolved to send down to earth uncreated Majesty and Wisdom, which is to say His only-begotten Son, He crowned Him with glory and honour as we learn from the Prophet-King,[2] and set him over the works of His hands, giving Him power to award the Crown to whomsoever He deemed worthy, not only here on earth but also in heaven above. Now with whom should He commence, in your opinion, other than with His Mother, who had herself crowned Him with the crown of our humanity? Among all created beings, which head could He find more worthy of wearing the Crown? He honoured her before all others with a Crown composed not of twelve beams of light but of twelve beautiful Stars, each one sending forth a thousand rays of light. According to St Augustine,[3] St Gregory,[4] and several others, twelve is a number associated with perfections. I could say that we are to understand this number comprises all the perfections with which God honoured the most Blessed Virgin by virtue of her status as Mother, Daughter and Spouse of God. Nevertheless, I wish to hold strictly to this number twelve and, from all the excellent qualities of the Blessed Virgin, to choose the twelve principal ones which show forth her dazzling splendour and her majesty. These will be twelve signs of her great Dignity which raise her above all created beings and which apply to none other beside herself. The subject will be rich in majesty and, I pray, in sweetness. Before we begin, please allow me to provide a little clarification, by way of introduction, to the glorious title: Mother of God.

Footnotes

[1]   Virg., de Latino.

[2]   Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour:  and hast set him over the works of thy hands. Ps. viii. 6-7.

[3]   Lib. III de Doctrin. Christi, c. 35, et in Psal. 86.

[4]   Lib. X Moral., c. 30.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024

The Author’s Plan for his Work

The Author’s Plan for his Work

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 edition). Footnotes are located after the main text  

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

 1  The Holy Spirit inspired the plan at two points in the Sacred Scriptures. The first is in Chapter xii of the Apocalypse where we see a woman surrounded by several mysterious symbols and wearing on her head a crown of twelve stars,1 which are the source not only of light but of wondrous miracles. The woman is a figure for the Mother of God. This was recognized by St Epiphanus,2 St Ambrose,3 St Augustine,4 St Methodius,5 Saint Bernard,6 St Bernardine of Siena,7 St Anthony,8 Denis the Carthusian9 and others.

 2  The second is found in the book of Ecclesiasticus. Chapter xxiv sets out the various privileges of Wisdom uncreated and incarnate, a title of Jesus Christ.  These privileges are also attributed by the Church and the holy Fathers to the Blessed Virgin by right of participation as Mother of the Word incarnate, who shares all His prerogatives with her.  Chapter xxv verse 1 says in the Greek version: Three things have made me beautiful and pleasing in the presence of the Lord.10

 3  In these two admirable images it seemed that the Holy Ghost had supplied me with an idea for the structure of this work. In order to provide a fuller introduction, I need to make use of the eloquent writing of St Ambrose in his book Concerning Virginity.11 There he comments on the these words from the Canticle of Canticles: Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the joy of his heart.12 He says that the Virgin crowned her Son as King of Glory when she conceived Him for in clothing Him with our humanity she placed at the same time on His head a crown of eternal goodness by which, as a result of the faith of nations, He was acclaimed as head of our race. Guerric of Igny says much the same as St Ambrose.

Now, unless I am mistaken, St Bernard13 (who was master of this priest) develops in a striking way the beautiful thought of these two remarkable men.  He says that the Prince of heaven, seeing Himself crowned in this way, did not wish to be outdone and so at the same time He placed on the adorable head of His most immaculate Mother a Crown that He had fashioned with His own hands and which was incomparably precious and uniquely rare in its design. I feel duty-bound to cite his beautiful words. Here is how he addresses the Queen of Angels:

How to estimate your worth, most Holy Lady Mary, since you have such an unshakeable union and intimate closeness with the Lord? What must it be like, this divine favour that is yours? What must your happiness be like? God dwells with you and you with Him. You clothe Him with your own flesh and He enrobes you with the glory of His Majesty. You swaddle the Sun with a little cloud and you are arrayed by this same Sun. God worked a miracle on earth, causing a woman to enwomb a man who was in His totality a Sun; in the same way, God worked another miracle in heaven by causing a woman to be enwombed by God Himself, who is brighter than a thousand suns. You crowned Him and you yourself were crowned by Him. Come, ye daughters of Jerusalem, come to hail your Queen and behold how her Son has honoured her by placing a Crown upon her head. Admire the beautiful richness of this Crown and tell us if this Royal Prince does not deserve such a Crown of Stars since He by Himself is brighter than all the Stars in the Firmament. These stars receive a thousand times more honour from Him by serving as His Crown than they confer upon Him. But why should the most holy Mary not wear the Crown of Stars as well since the Sun Himself serves for her robe? How many many marvels does this starry Crown contain, and who is there that can answer this question for us? With humility, I suggest these twelve Stars represent in a simple way the twelve Splendours or prerogatives of the Mother of God. 

 4  St Bernard, that redoubtable French Doctor of the Church, says all this and much more on the subject in a way so close to my theme that I have kept it in mind at all times. It is indeed true that I have relied on the authority of the Virgin Mother herself when she said that her perfect beauty consists of three things. I am not, however, relying on special favours such as these to determine the outline of my work but it is my aim to set out her great Dignities in three categories. These are manifest in her like so many pieces of incomparable beauty, captivating the astonished gaze of Citizens in heaven and on earth. 

 5  To be more precise, my plan is to show Mary’s rightful place in the theatre of honour,14 wearing a triple Crown on her head which points to three categories of perfection which she possesses in the highest degree, namely, her dignities of Excellence, of Power and of Goodness. The first Crown will contain the supreme qualities arising from nature, grace and glory. The second will represent her power and influence over the entire mystical body of the Church. The third consists of the exquisite and rare consequences of her peerless goodness. The Crown of Excellence, properly understood, will be crafted from the prerogatives which are uniquely hers, without considering directly their effects on us. The Crown of Power will be like a display case for the authority God has given her over the whole Church and for the wonders she has performed to maintain it and to promote its growth. The Crown of Goodness will focus more on those who have a devotion to the Blessed Virgin. These have a greater share than others in her good graces and hence a greater share in her favours.

 6  Each of these Crowns will feature twelve of her supreme Splendours, shining out like twelve stars for her Dignities of Excellence, Power and Goodness. I was all the more attached to this number because the less I deviated from the figure I had chosen, the more I could see that the Holy Ghost was pleased to honour it and, if such a thing may be said, to consecrate it. This appears quite clearly in the case of the twelve ancient Patriarchs, the twelve tribes, the twelve titles15 or altars erected by Moses, the twelve stones taken from the Jordan river bed on the orders of Josue,16  the twelve precious gemstones set in the High Priest's breastplate,17 the twelve oxen that supported the great vase of brass they called the sea18 and the majority of the vessels19 in the Temple, the twelve lions at the sides of Solomon’s throne,20 the twelve Apostles, the twelve full baskets of fragments,21 and still more strikingly in the holy City that St John beheld in the Apocalypse where he saw twelve foundations, twelve gates, foursquare measuring twelve thousand furlongs,22 twelve precious gemstones, twelve fruits of the tree of life,23 and twelve thousand of each tribe signed with the blood of the Lamb.24  These twelve great Splendours are distributed in as many Chapters, providing twelve for each Treatise. Add to these an introductory address written to shed light on what follows, together with a Conclusion which provides a summary of the duties arising for us from these Dignities to love, honour and serve the Mother of God. This means that each Treatise will be composed of fourteen Chapters. 

Finally, in the hope of promoting the praiseworthy sentiments of those who feel moved by a deep sense of obligation towards the Queen of Heaven, I have included an entire Treatise at the end containing a practical guide on how to show recognition and gratitude for her great Splendours. 

 7   I have to confess that I did not feel minded to seek out ways of embellishing this work, insomuch as I felt convinced that a simple presentation of these Dignities and  Splendours would be more appreciated by the reader rather than a version embellished with a host of stories. Besides this, I have such trust in the love the reader has for the Mother of God that I would be doing him wrong were I to present reasons for being drawn to Mary other than his own tender feelings, trying to develop a taste for praising her whom he already cherishes deep in his heart. The Queen of Heaven is already too lovable in herself and no-one needs to try and make her loved through artifice.

Accordingly, since there is no longer reason to delay and since the excellence of the subject is of itself sufficiently powerful to win hearts and captivate minds, let us now enter into our presentation of the great Dignities and beautiful Splendours of this peerless Princess.

Footnotes

 1  The Holy Spirit inspired the plan at two points in the Sacred Scriptures. The first is in Chapter xii of the Apocalypse where we see a woman surrounded by several mysterious symbols and wearing on her head a crown of twelve stars, which are the source not only of light but of wondrous miracles. The woman is a figure for the Mother of God. This was recognized by St Epiphanus,1 St Ambrose,2 St Augustine,3 St Methodius,4 Saint Bernard,5 St Bernardine of Siena,6 St Anthony,7 Denis the Carthusian8 and others.

1 Serm. de S. Deipara.

2 In c. 12 Apoc.

3 Lib. IV de Symbol. ad Catech., c. 1.

4 Apud Aretam in c. 12 Apoc.

5 Serm. in Signum magnum.

6 T. I, conc. LXI, art. 2, c. 1.

7 IV part., tit. XV, c. 20.

8 Lib. III de Laudibus Virg., art. 29.

 2  The second is found in the book of Ecclesiasticus. Chapter xxiv sets out the various privileges of Wisdom uncreated and incarnate, a title of Jesus Christ.  These privileges are also attributed by the Church and the holy Fathers to the Blessed Virgin by right of participation as Mother of the Word incarnate, who shares all His prerogatives with her.  Chapter xxv verse 1 says in the Greek version: Three things have made me beautiful and pleasing in the presence of the Lord.9

9 Eccles. 25.

 3  In these two admirable images it seemed that the Holy Ghost had supplied me with an idea for the structure of this work. In order to provide a fuller introduction, I need to make use of the eloquent writing of St Ambrose in his book Concerning Virginity.10 There he comments on the these words from the Canticle of Canticles: Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the joy of his heart.12 He says that the Virgin crowned her Son as King of Glory when she conceived Him for in clothing Him with our humanity she placed at the same time on His head a crown of eternal goodness by which, as a result of the faith of nations, He was acclaimed as head of our race. Guerric of Igny11 says much the same as St Ambrose.

10. Cap. 16.

11 Serm. 4 de Assumpt.

Now, unless I am mistaken, St Bernard13 (who was master of this priest) develops in a striking way the beautiful thought of these two remarkable men.  He says that the Prince of heaven, seeing Himself crowned in this way, did not wish to be outdone and so at the same time He placed on the adorable head of His most immaculate Mother a Crown that He had fashioned with His own hands and which was incomparably precious and uniquely rare in its design. I feel duty-bound to cite his beautiful words. Here is how he addresses the Queen of Angels:

13 Serm. in Signum magnum.

How to estimate your worth, most Holy Lady Mary, since you have such an unshakeable union and intimate closeness with the Lord? What must it be like, this divine favour that is yours? What must your happiness be like? God dwells with you and you with Him. You clothe Him with your own flesh and He enrobes you with the glory of His Majesty. You swaddle the Sun with a little cloud and you are arrayed by this same Sun. God worked a miracle on earth, causing a woman to enwomb a man who was in His totality a Sun; in the same way, God worked another miracle in heaven by causing a woman to be enwombed by God Himself, who is brighter than a thousand suns. You crowned Him and you yourself were crowned by Him. Come, ye daughters of Jerusalem, come to hail your Queen and behold how her Son has honoured her by placing a Crown upon her head. Admire the beautiful richness of this Crown and tell us if this Royal Prince does not deserve such a Crown of Stars since He by Himself is brighter than all the Stars in the Firmament. These stars receive a thousand times more honour from Him by serving as His Crown than they confer upon Him. But why should the most holy Mary not wear the Crown of Stars as well since the Sun Himself serves for her robe? How many many marvels does this starry Crown contain, and who is there that can answer this question for us? With humility, I suggest these twelve Stars represent in a simple way the twelve Splendours or prerogatives of the Mother of God. 

 4  St Bernard, that redoubtable French Doctor of the Church, says all this and much more on the subject in a way so close to my theme that I have kept it in mind at all times. It is indeed true that I have relied on the authority of the Virgin Mother herself when she said that her perfect beauty consists of three things. I am not, however, relying on special favours such as these to determine the outline of my work but it is my aim to set out her great Dignities in three categories. These are manifest in her like so many pieces of incomparable beauty, captivating the astonished gaze of Citizens in heaven and on earth. 

 5  To be more precise, my plan is to show Mary’s rightful place in the theatre of honour,14 wearing a triple Crown on her head which points to three categories of perfection which she possesses in the highest degree, namely, her dignities of Excellence, of Power and of Goodness. The first Crown will contain the supreme qualities arising from nature, grace and glory. The second will represent her power and influence over the entire mystical body of the Church. The third consists of the exquisite and rare consequences of her peerless goodness. The Crown of Excellence, properly understood, will be crafted from the prerogatives which are uniquely hers, without considering directly their effects on us. The Crown of Power will be like a display case for the authority God has given her over the whole Church and for the wonders she has performed to maintain it and to promote its growth. The Crown of Goodness will focus more on those who have a devotion to the Blessed Virgin. These have a greater share than others in her good graces and hence a greater share in her favours.

14 The theatre of honour and knighthood. Or A compendious chronicle and historie of the whole Christian world. : Containing the originall of all monarchies, kingdomes, and estates, with their emperours, kings, princes, and gouernours; their beginnings, continuance, and successions, to this present time. The first institution of armes, emblazons, kings, heralds, and pursuiuants of armes: with all the ancient and moderne military orders of knight-hood in euery kingdome. Of duelloes or single combates, with their originall, lawes, and obseruations. Likewise of ioustes, tourneyes, and tournaments, and orders belonging to them. Lastly of funerall pompe, for emperours, kings, princes, and meaner persons, with all the rites and ceremonies fitting for them. Written in French, by Andrew Fauine, Parisian: and aduocate in the High Court of Parliament. M.DC.XX.

 6  Each of these Crowns will be feature twelve of her supreme Splendours, shining out like twelve stars for her Dignities of Excellence, Power and Goodness. I was all the more attached to this number because the less I deviated from the figure I had chosen, the more I could see that the Holy Ghost was pleased to honour it and, if such a thing may be said, to consecrate it. This appears quite clearly in the case of the twelve ancient Patriarchs, the twelve tribes, the twelve titles15 or altars erected by Moses, the twelve stones taken from the Jordan river bed on the orders of Josue,16  the twelve precious gemstones set in the High Priest's breastplate,17 the twelve oxen that supported the great vase of brass they called the sea18 and the majority of the vessels19 in the Temple, the twelve lions at the sides of Solomon’s throne,20 the twelve Apostles, the twelve full baskets of fragments,21 and still more strikingly in the holy City that St John beheld in the Apocalypse where he saw twelve foundations, twelve gates, foursquare measuring twelve thousand furlongs,22 twelve precious gemstones, twelve fruits of the tree of life,23 and twelve thousand of each tribe signed with the blood of the Lamb.24  These twelve great Splendours are distributed in as many Chapters, providing twelve for each Treatise. Add to these an introductory address written to shed light on what follows, together with a Conclusion which provides a summary of the duties arising for us from these Dignities to love, honour and serve the Mother of God. This means that each Treatise will be composed of fourteen Chapters. 

15 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord: and rising in the morning he built an altar at the foot of the mount, and twelve titles according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Ex. Xxiv. 4. "Titles": That is, pillars. 

16 Josue iv. 1-3.

17 Exodus xxxix

18 2 Chron. iv.

19 2 Chron. v. 

20 2 Chron. ix.

21 Matt. xiv. 20.

22 Apoc. xxi. 16. 

23 Apoc. xxii. 2.

24 Apoc. vii. 

Finally, in the hope of promoting the praiseworthy sentiments of those who feel moved by a deep sense of obligation towards the Queen of Heaven, I have included an entire Treatise at the end containing a practical guide on how to show recognition and gratitude for her great Splendours. 

 7   I have to confess that I did not feel minded to seek out ways of embellishing this work, insomuch as I felt convinced that a simple presentation of these Dignities and  Splendours would be more appreciated by the reader rather than a version embellished with a host of stories. Besides this, I have such trust in the love the reader has for the Mother of God that I would be doing him wrong were I to present reasons for being drawn to Mary other than his own tender feelings, trying to develop a taste for praising her whom he already cherishes deep his heart. The Queen of Heaven is already too lovable in herself and no-one needs to try and make her loved through artifice.

Accordingly, since there is no longer reason to delay and since the excellence of the subject is of itself sufficiently powerful to win hearts and captivate minds, let us now enter into our presentation of the great Dignities and beautiful Splendours of this peerless Princess.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >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. 

© Peter Bloor 2024