The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 7 : § 5. 1-2

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

§ 5. On the other graces of the Holy Virgin, especially the free graces

 1   I am using the term free graces to apply to those graces that are not conferred mainly for the particular sanctification of the recipient but which have as their first and particular aim the well-being and progress of others. Even though, strictly speaking, the Holy Virgin did not possess them, she was not any the less holy for all that. Now these are ornaments most in keeping with the excellence of the MOTHER OF GOD, used by His favour and especial tenderness to reward His best friends. It is scarcely to be thought that the Mother of Grace would be deprived of them; on the contrary, we are forced to acknowledge that they shone within her to a degree proportionate to the way her title overshadowed that of all other saints. I am well aware that St Paul[1] teaches that God has distributed these favours in such a way that in very few people are they found all together, but to one is given the spirit of prophecy, to another the gift of working miracles, this one has spoken in diverse tongues, that one has an understanding of Scripture, and so on. However, when it comes to the MOTHER OF GOD, we must clear our thoughts of any division for her case is specially privileged : being everywhere, taking everything before everyone else and sharing with no-one. This is what all the Saints declare, this is what reason requires and this is in keeping with the ordinance of the Father.

All the graces radiate from Mary, says St Bonaventure[2], as from someone whose heart has the capacity to receive them all : this why we can give her the name Grace[3].

Among the Tabernacles of Grace, there is none greater nor more excellent than Mary’s, says St Andrew of Jerusalem[4].

St Peter Damian[5] says she is the maison de plaisance (a place of rest and recreation) for His Majesty; enriched and adorned with every imaginable grace.

I have no hesitation in saying that she had the right to all the graces of God, says St Bernardin[6], since fountains of grace poured from her heart as though from an Ocean of Divinity. 

Consequently, say St Bernard, Albert the Great and several others, just as at the world’s beginning God gave the name of Maris (sea) to the great mass of waters, in the same way He gave to the mass of all the graces the name of Mary.

 

Footnotes

[1] I Cor. xii.

[2] In Psalterio.

[3] Speculi B. Virg., c. 13.

[4] Serm. 1 de Dormiente B. Virg.

[5] Serm. de Assumpt.

[6]T. I, Serm. 61.

 2   Let us consider some examples, beginning with the gift of prophecy. The opinion of several ancient Fathers is that the Prophetess referred to in Isaiah[1] is none other than the Blessed Virgin. This is the teaching of St Basil[2], St Cyril[3], St Gregory Nazianzus[4], St Gregory of Nyssa[5], St Epiphanius[6], St Jerome[7] and many others. Amongst the records of the Holy Ghost’s gifts of prophecy, the only example of such a gift to Mary is Magnificat which she sings after greeting her cousin St Elizabeth[8]. St Ambrose takes and develops this example by explaining that insofar as she who pronounced this Canticle surpassed all those who had received the gift of prophecy, to the same extent the gift she received was of greater excellence than theirs. The learned Fr Rupert[9] calls her on this occasion the Prophets’ Prophetess because it was for her merit that the Prophets were inspired of God and because she served as focal point for all the Prophets.

Footnotes

[1] And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. Isai. viii. 3.

[2] In verba Isaiæ citata.

[3] Lib. I, in Isaiam.

[4] Orat. 42.

[5] Lib. de testimoniis ex Veteri Testamento contra Judæos, c. de Nativit. Christi.

[6] Hæresi 78..

[7] In locum Isaiæ citatum.

[8] Luc. 1.

[9] Lib I in Cant.

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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 7 : § 4. 11

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

The additional graces merited by the Holy Virgin

§ 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits

How the Holy Virgin merited to be Mother of God

 11   As for her other graces, I will offer a summary here. Through her daily progress, the Holy Virgin came to merit (in the way I have described) the following titles : Lady and Queen of the universe, the Mother of those chosen by God, co-operatrix in their salvation, Spouse and companion of the Saviour in the work of our redemption. Through her merits, the predestined received of her graces; particular vocations, namely of the elect, came to fulfilment by her favour and on account of her holiness; all the graces from God were channelled through her hands. In short, she merited everything that could be obtained from God without the grace of personal union. The reasoning here is that she who merited more than all this cannot be rejected for something that is less. Note that everything I have just mentioned is much less than the title MOTHER OF GOD. Consequently, those great Fathers who so frankly and respectfully granted the first title would never question the others. We shall near them speak on all these matters in the Treatises that follow. Nevertheless, let us admire for a moment the incomparable greatness of her heart, so outstanding in merit that Mary’s sole aim was to render herself pleasing to God. She was indifferent to all other matters, big or small. It was St Bernard[1] who made me aware of this :

Mary does not go looking for merit but her desire is simply to please God.

This is a heart truly worthy of His Majesty and with such a disposition it is little wonder that Mary should have received the most exquisite favours from Heaven.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. de Nativit. Mariæ.

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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 7 : § 4. 9-10

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

That Mary is peerless in her graces and merits

§ 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits

How the Holy Virgin merited to be Mother of God

 9   We may regard condign merit (or merit in justice) as being brought forth not by virtuous or praiseworthy actions but by the elevated qualities of the person we say is worthy of some honour or of some duty. Following on from this, there are estimable authors who have no difficulty in arguing that the Holy Virgin was a worthy MOTHER OF GOD, that in this way she merited the glorious title and that she had every sort of quality necessary to discharge this office in a worthy manner. In short, this is the sense in which we must understand the Holy Fathers when they describe the wonders of the most glorious Virgin.

 10   For my part, I see no way of stopping at this point because I feel the need to go further and say, along with reputed Theologians[1], that if the Holy Virgin did not deserve to be MOTHER OF GOD through condign merit (or merit in justice) this was not for want of actions proportionate to the sublimity of this title but only because God did not accept them for this purpose, as far as we understand. If God had wanted to place a value on this degree of honour, Mary would without any doubt have won this honour through the sheer heights of her merit. What gives me confidence in advancing this proposition is, first of all, what has been said so far about the incomprehensible greatness of Mary’s merits. 

Secondly, even though the title MOTHER OF GOD is quite beyond our power of understanding, it is not absolutely infinite like the title Son of God. It has a limitation by reason of the term it encloses, in the same way as the glory of the Blessed, but proportionately much more. This leads me to say that there is nothing beyond the reach of a creature’s merits provided only they are ordained and accepted by God to this end. 

Thirdly, it seems to me that the most holy Trinity loved the holy Virgin with an ineffable love and wanted to be generous to her in every possible way. For this reason, the Trinity had an obligation arising from propriety to give her this title in the noblest way possible, which is to say in the way we have been discussing, assuming the absence of any question of indecency or impossibility, which would be difficult to find here. 

Fourthly, it is important for us to consult the opinion of at least several reputable Doctors on this point. We find that they actually go further and say without qualification that in strict justice Mary merited the title MOTHER OF GOD. 

Finally, holy Church and the holy Fathers speak in such high terms of her dignity and her merit that it is not possible to add to what they say. For at the time of the Resurrection we tell her that He whom she did merit to bear hath arisen.[2] The beautiful thing about the Hymn from which these words are taken is that it was not a human but an angelic voice which was heard first in Heaven.[3] At another time we say to God that by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, He did prepare the body and soul of the glorious Virgin-Mother Mary to become a worthy dwelling for His Son[4]. 

St Basil promises that[5]: 

the flesh she gave was worthy of being united to the divinity of the only-begotten Son of God.

St Epiphanius[6] could not tolerate the insolence of several heretics who had dared to attack this Virgin:

What! Are they so far gone as to take against her who was chosen from millions and found worthy to be the abode for the Son of God?

The great Pope St Gregory[7] declared emphatically that :

she raised the peak of her merits even unto the throne of the Divinity.

St Augustine[8] recognizes so much holiness in the Virgin that he proclaims that she deserved to be chosen among all other women. Blessed Cardinal Peter Damian[9] gives the same privilege to the grace found within her. I could produce countless quotations from valiant and irreproachable witnesses such as these, but I hesitate in over-extending my proofs and in making devout readers suspect that I doubt their affection for the MOTHER OF GOD. I will say only this : given that the Saints speak so highly and without qualification of the most sacred Virgin’s merits, it would be most imprudent not to give their words the widest possible interpretation in accordance with all right reason.

Footnotes

[1] Suarez, loco cit., concl. 3.

[2] Quia quem meruisti portare, resurrexit. From the Regina Caeli : O QUEEN of heaven rejoice! Alleluia: For He whom thou didst merit to bear, alleluia, Hath arisen as he said, alleluia.

[3] Perhaps a reference to the following: The legend has it that in the year 596, during Easter time, a pestilence was ravaging Rome. St. Gregory the Great requested a procession be held to pray that the pestilence be stopped. On the appointed day of the procession he assembled with his clergy at dawn at the church of Ara Coeli. Holding in his hand the icon of our Lady that was said to have been painted by St. Luke, he and his clergy started out in procession to St. Peter's. As he passed the Castle of Hadrian, as it was called in those days, voices were heard from above singing the Regina Caeli. The astonished Pope, enraptured with the angelic singing, replied in a loud voice: "Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia!" At that moment an angel appeared in a glorious light, sheathed the sword of pestilence in its scabbard, and from that day the pestilence ceased. In honour of this miraculous event, the name of the castle was then changed to Sant' Angelo and the words of the angelic hymn were inscribed upon the roof of the Church of Ara Coeli. [Taken from Treasury of Latin Prayers. ©copyrighted by Michael Martin]

[4] From the Salve Regina.

[5] Homil. de humana Christi generatione.

[6] Hæresi 78.

[7] I Reg. 1.

[8] Serm. 14 de Tempore.

[9] Serm. 2 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 : Chapter 7 : § 4. 6-8

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

That Mary is peerless in her graces and merits

§ 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits

How the Holy Virgin merited to be Mother of God

 6   Having set out these truths in the previous paragraphs, I think that we now need to make clear before anything else that the Blessed Virgin’s interior disposition to become the MOTHER OF GOD contained within itself so many graces and extraordinary favours that she would not object if we were to write that she could not have merited them all. 

May what we have just said be to the glory of Him who prevented[1] her with so many sweet blessings, who gave her from the beginning her first grace in such great abundance, who freed her from all sin, conferred upon her original justice with a perfect regulation of all the movements of her soul, strengthened her so many times with the stimulus of graces much more efficacious than her pre-existing merits might have warranted, graces which are freely given and come from the generous heart of Him who, as the Church sings[2], elected her, and pre-elected her before any consideration of merit. With this in mind, we can understand the Holy Fathers when they say that the honour of the MOTHER OF GOD went far beyond the merits of our Lady. St Augustine makes it clear that :

in this context she is said to be blessed not through her own merit but through the goodness of Him who chose in her His dwelling.

St Fulgentius[3] maintains that :

she merited to be the abode of the Word incarnate not through human merit but only through the dignity of God whom she conceived and bore.

 7   Following on from the above proposition, I am able to say[4] that the freely given graces I have just mentioned had for their aim an increase in the value of her actions by means of her co-operation. Accordingly, she merited in strict justice her admirable disposition to become one day the MOTHER OF GOD. The reason is not difficult to understand, granted that all her dispositions are part of her own sanctification and consequently they do not in way surpass the principle from which they take their origin, to which they are indebted in terms of their value – which is the grace and the holiness found in this blessed soul.

 8   Insofar as we need to go further in our discussion and draw closer to the glorious title of MOTHER OF GOD, I say that in absolute terms Mary did not merit this title in strict justice[5]. Condign merit cannot subsist without the particular favour of God requiring and accepting our good works as meritorious actions, as has been said. Because of this, we find that He would not have granted them if they were not worthy of an increase in graces and of all that is necessary to lead the soul to enjoyment of the sovereign good, which is the crowning reward promised for all our merits. Because the status of Mother of God is completely in excess of the value that His Majesty attaches to actions of holiness, we cannot say that it may be sought, or given, as a requirement of justice.

Footnotes

[1] prevent: I.3. c1450–transitive. Theology. Of God, God's grace, etc.: to go before (a person) with spiritual guidance and help; (a) So as to anticipate a person's actions or needs; (b) so as to predispose (a person) to repentance, faith, and good works. Complete OED. 

[2] Elegit eam Deus, et præelegit eam. God elected her, and pre-elected her. 

[3] Dial. 1 contra Pelagianos.

[4] De Incarn. et gratia, c. 7.

[5] D. Th., III p., q. 2, art. 11 ad 3 ; Suarez, t. I, sect. 27, vel puncto 8, q. 2.

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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 7 : § 4. 4-5

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

That Mary is peerless in her graces and merits

§ 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits

Two kinds of merit

 4   In the fourth place, it seems to me that condign merit[1] should not be restricted to actions which have in themselves a natural relationship with the reward granted. It ought to include, for example, merits which do not have this relationship by nature but which arise purely from the will that gives them such a value – provided that they have an equivalence, as we discussed earlier. The reason for this derives from the freedom that God and every other person has to place a value on a given action. It would be quite unreasonable to tie their hands so that a merit had to be given to one sort of action without any flexibility to grant the same reward to a different sort. This may be illustrated in the example I have already used : the King purely by his own will promises the diamond to someone who deserves it in the Ring Race, even though the only relationship between the diamond and the action of winning the race comes from the King’s good pleasure. He would be free to reward some other action with the same prize, provided only that it were worthy.

 5   Finally, we must remember that notwithstanding God’s promises and the equivalence of the good works we are able to offer in order to establish the strict application of justice, we have no way of doing without God’s generosity. In the succession of graces and good works there always has to be a first grace to set things in motion and be a lead for the other graces. The first grace is so far beyond our own powers that it must of necessity be considered as a pure gift and a grace freely given. This, however, in no way takes anything away from the grace that follows or from the requirement in justice of a reward. The holy Council of Orange clarifies this in concise and clear terms :

It is true that God owes a reward for the good works that we do : but it is also true that there is one grace which He does not owe, namely the grace that precedes these actions and so enables them to be performed.

Footnotes

[1] condign : 3.a. 1413–1683 Worthily deserved, merited, fitting, appropriate; adequate. Complete OED. con-dignus, a, um, adj., wholly deserving, very worthy, LewisShort. For explanation, see Cap. 7 § 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits. 

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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 7 : § 4.2-3

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

That Mary is peerless in her graces and merits

§ 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits

Two kinds of merit

 2   In the second place, we must accept that for every merit required by justice there are two conditions to be met. The first is that the action must share a certain sort of equivalence to the reward granted; failing this, God’s response in consideration of the service rendered would be more akin to courtesy and propriety than something required in justice. The second condition is that God needs to accept the good deed performed as a meritorious action and to promise a reward in consideration. As our sovereign Lord is completely independent of us and our actions, He cannot be under any obligation except one which He places on Himself. This means that through His exceptional and limitless goodness He consents to this obligation, voluntarily granting a reward for those of our little works (performed with His grace and not otherwise) which He deems to be meritorious. In effect, the Lord in His greatness comes down to the level of binding Himself under a contract with us, with His royal word serving as proof of authenticity and His truth as an irreproachable witness. Under this contract, God gives His promise (which alone can bind Him) in return for the performance of a significant action on our part. From this, we make so bold as to say that He is under an obligation and owes something to us, even though this is to speak in terms humans employ with each other. 

Consider, for example, a case where these contractual formalities have been set up and a party has given his word. Once the other party has discharged his part as agreed by both in the contract, we say that the first party is under an obligation to reciprocate by doing or giving what he promised; should he refuse to do so, he may be taken to court for justice to be done, for failing to deliver what he owes in justice, being in breach of what justice requires. In the same way, God wants us to perform good works with the aid of His grace; He promises us a reward each and every time we present our good works to Him. On the basis of this, we say that He owes in justice what He promised and what we have merited ; but we should remember that if this promise is not fulfilled, we for our part have no right to seek justice in court.

 3   In the third place, we should note[1] that the equivalence between an action and its reward is not such that it comes to an end even if reduced by only a little, as is the case with two quantities where one does not exceed the other by a single point. Depending on the circumstances which accompany the action, it is sufficient morally speaking if the proportion between the action and the reward is such that it may truly be said the action is worthy of such a price. We might say, for example, that the gentleman who in the Ring Race[2] wins some rich diamond merits it in justice even though he won it with very little effort and work. If this were otherwise, we should have to say that through our good works we would not merit glory and the possession of God which Sacred Scripture[3] and the Holy Fathers[4] proclaim as infinitely surpassing all the meritorious actions of the just.

Footnotes

[1] D. Th., I-II, q. 114, art. 3 ; Bellarm., lib. V de Justificat., c. 14.

[2] la course de la bague : An annual horse race in Semur-en-Auxois dating from the 17th century. The prize is a gold ring.

[3] II Cor. 4.

[4] S. Athanas. in vita S. Antonii.

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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 7 : § 4.1

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour in the Crown of Excellence of 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)

That Mary is peerless in her graces and merits

§ 4. On the greatness of Mary’s merits

Two kinds of merit

 1   Since it is the case that a simple creature can ascend no higher than to be deemed worthy of being the MOTHER OF GOD, I am inclined to make this subject a priority and explore it fully to see if the Holy Virgin was able to merit such honour. Now this question is on the one hand very important but on the other is by no means easy to approach. For this reason it seems a good idea to clarify some points at the outset, so as to avoid any subsequent misunderstandings. 

In the first place, I will take it as given that Sacred Scripture and the Fathers have provided material from which Theologians are able to make a distinction between two sorts of merit : one may be called condign[1] merit (merit in justice) and the other congruous merit. With the first of these, God is obliged in justice to do or to give[2] something in consideration of a service rendered to Him. Failure to do so would be an offence not only against His goodness but also against His justice. With the second, He recognizes the virtuous actions of His creatures without any obligation in justice but only out of courtesy and propriety. Just as the first type of merit is based on God’s justice, the second relies upon His generosity[3], and each of these in its own way entails an obligation of some sort. Apart from these two kinds of merit, which are taken in proportion to what is found among men, there is a third which attracts far less attention from Theologians and which they also, albeit improperly, call merit. Properly understood, this third merit is based on nothing actually done by a person in consideration of the reward to be given but only on that person’s good qualities. We commonly say, for example, that someone merits the office of Councillor or that he is worthy of being President, even though he might never have done anything with this aim in mind, nor even wanted the role, but solely because he had all the qualities desirable in a person suited for such an office.

 

Footnotes

[1] condign : 3.a. 1413–1683 Worthily deserved, merited, fitting, appropriate; adequate. Complete OED. con-dignus, a, um, adj., wholly deserving, very worthy, LewisShort.

[2] D. Th., I-II, q. 114, art. 2, et 161. DD.

[3] D. Th., in II, dist. 27, art. 2 ; D. Bonav., in IV, dist. 15, p. 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