The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 8 : § 1. 8-9

Chapter 8 : The Seventh 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)

Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD was exempt from original sin

Second proof : drawn from the person of the Holy Virgin

 8   Let us now consider Mary in her capacity as Redemptrix, Companion and Coadjutrix of the Saviour in the work of our redemption. I will discuss this at greater length in the second Treatise. 

You may have noticed already that God gave Adam a woman as helper who was made like unto himself[1] and that both possessed original justice. This woman was a preparatory sketch for Mary. Now, Adam and Eve were to be the progenitors of our race in a physical sense but the Creator in His infinite goodness could not allow them to be created other than in a state of innocence and holiness. If this was true for them, then what do we think would be the case with the Saviour and His Holy Mother who came to bring redemption for the sin which Adam and Eve had committed and which at the same time affected us? St Bernardine of Siena[2] considers this is a very powerful argument according to reason. It was put forward by the eldest of the Saviour’s Apostles, Blessed St Andrew, according to Abdias of Babylon[3] who quotes him as saying:

Just as the first Adam was formed from the virgin earth which had not yet been cursed as a result of sin, so too the second Adam was born from the Virgin mother who had never been under such a curse. 

Footnotes

[1] Gen. ii. 18.

[2] T. IV, Serm. 49...

[3] Lib. IV Hist.

 9   But what could be said in response to the Holy Doctors who teach she was chosen with her Son to deliver us from the evils caused to us by original sin; and to bring this about, would it not have been better if she herself had experienced the stain of this sin? 

The ancient poet Sedulius wrote lines so highly prized by the Church that some of his work was included in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Here is an example of what he wrote about Mary[1]:

For Mary purest flower from Eve did spring,

From rotten stem came forth a rose of grace,

A Virgin new ennobled all our race

But Eve through sin she death to us did bring.

In this regard, Hesychius calls Mary[2]:

most excellent adornment of our nature, glory of the earth, destined to cover over the shame of our first mother, to clean away the stain of our first father and to take down the pride which had led to the downfall of them both.

I shall say no more now for I aim to cover this specifically in the second Treatise[3]. What response can there be to the teaching of St John Damascene who says that :

the Blessed Virgin began this wondrous work at the very instant of her conception and at this blessed moment she raised our fallen nature and restored it fully?

After this, how could anyone say that Mary suffered from the same illness that she came to cure in us? Now, the Holy Fathers (whom I shall quote later) advance a conclusive argument that Mary was free from all actual sin because it was her destiny and that of her Son to fight against and conquer this very kind of sin. This being admitted, why would find any difficulty in saying the same thing about original sin? St Ildephonsus, a devout Chaplain of the Virgin, understood the power of this argument which he included in the excellent Treatise he wrote to defend our Lady’s honour :

Let the matter be considered settled beyond doubt : Mary was free and unencumbered by any original sin; she not only protects us from the curse but also brings us the blessing.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. II.

[2] Orat. 2 de B. Virg.

[3] Cap. 6.

👑       👑       👑

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 8 : § 1. 6-7

Chapter 8 : The Seventh 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)

Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD was exempt from original sin

First proof, taken from the person of the Saviour

 6   Let us therefore consider this point has now been resolved to the glory of the Saviour of our souls. Let everyone accept He was so holy that He could not tolerate any sin in His flesh and He was such a good son that He could not permit any sin in His Mother. Remember how the virtuous Bethsabee once spoke to King David, her Lord and husband : my lord O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldst tell them, who shall sit on thy throne, my lord the king, after thee. Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king sleepeth with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders[1]. These words had such an impact upon David, the best King the world had seen, that he commanded the Prophet Nathan and the High Priest Abiathar to proceed immediately with the anointing and crowning of Solomon. Is it really to be believed that the Eternal Father would have been less sensitive to the dishonour of His only-begotten Son and His Blessed Mother than David was to the reproach that would fall upon Bethsabee his dear wife and his good son Solomon? 

Once again, how could anyone imagine that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, could have been a sinner and that the stain of sin at her conception could not fail to be shameful for Jesus the Son of Mary! Let this be spoken of no more since the very thought is odious.

Footnotes

[1] III Reg. i. 20-21.

[2] Lib. III de Libero Arb., c. 5..

[3] For the glory of a man is from the honour of his father, and a father without honour is the disgrace of the son. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) iii. 13.

Second proof : drawn from the person of the Holy Virgin

 7   Let us move now from the Son to the Mother. It seems we only have to study the plans and destiny God had in mind for her in order to realize she would be free of all sin. I have no intention of revisiting the title MOTHER OF GOD which we have already considered. Perhaps we should be happy with the words of St Augustine[1] which though few in number speak most forcefully on this point: as is the Son, so is the Mother. This is to be understood in terms of the relationship between the one and the other : just as the Son is separated from all sin because of His own divinity, in the same way the Mother is free from sin through the grace of her beloved Son. Note too how Mary's cousin St Elizabeth joins them together in blessings from Heaven when she says[2] : Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 10 ad Fratres in eremo. .

[2] Luc. i. 42...

👑       👑       👑

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 8 : § 1. 4-5

Chapter 8 : The Seventh 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)

Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD was exempt from original sin

First proof, taken from the person of the Saviour

 4   I can already hear people arguing that by the time the King entered His Palace, grace had already been in possession of it for a long time and had cleansed it of everything malodorous. If this is allowed to be the case, this means I have to imagine a situation where a woman could become the immaculate and worthy Mother of the most worthy and immaculate Son of God, to use the words of Origen, even though she could be reproached for having once been so filthy and stained with sin .[1] 

You who are reading this discussion, you are nowhere near God’s purity and holiness which give Him an infinite aversion to sin – is that not true? Now, according to St Augustine[2], God never fails to do what right reason tells us is the best thing to do. So if God were to have asked your advice on whether it was proper for Him to unite His divinity to flesh which had previously been damaged and infected by sin (because the flesh of the Son is that of the Mother), would you honestly have answered in the affirmative? Taking this idea further, if it had been possible for you to create a mother according to your own wishes, would you have shown her so little respect and so little affection on your part? Remember the wise words of Solomon[3] : the glory and the dishonour of the father and the mother redound unto their children. Do you really think God in His infinite wisdom and incomparable goodness would have done something which you with your tiny spark of reason would have rejected? This would mean either that He showed less honour to His mother than you would to yours or that He paid less attention to what was fitting for Him than you did in relation to yourself. This would be contrary to reason.

Footnotes

[1] Homil. 1 ex Variis.

[2] Lib. III de Libero Arb., c. 5..

[3] For the glory of a man is from the honour of his father, and a father without honour is the disgrace of the son. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) iii. 13.

 5   Be so good as to read what the Saints say on this question:

When I speak of sin, says the incomparable St Augustine[1], do not for one moment imagine that the Virgin Mary had any involvement whatsoever with sin; for we know that she received graces   proportionate to the honour she had of conceiving and bearing Him whom we know to have been without sin and by these she was able to overcome every kind of sin.

Note the serious declaration of St Cyprian : 

 

No, no… God’s justice would not allow this chosen vessel to be tarnished with common insults - this says it all and there is nothing more to add. There was a most remarkable difference between Mary and all others, for although she shared the same nature she had nothing whatsoever in common when it came to sin. The fulness of grace was due to the Mother, producing in a superabundant glory which rendered her peerless in regard to the purity of her body and her mind.

St Anselm said no less[2] : 

It was entirely reasonable for the Virgin to have a purity so excellent that it is impossible to conceive of any greater beneath God.

Now, who could claim this purity for the MOTHER OF GOD whilst accepting she had been tarnished by the repulsive stain of original sin (which I shall cover shortly)? I do not really see how there could be any doubt about this, in view of the principle[3] accepted by all the Holy Fathers and Theologians on this question. As soon as they come across anything improper attributed to the MOTHER OF GOD, they will not hear it spoken of in any manner. Now, supposing we wish to show that Mary did not suffer from concupiscence in any way whatsoever, that her body was not subject to ordinary laws, was exempt from corruption and that she never experienced the labour-pains and mess of child-birth – the above principle comes into play straight away and there is no argument more convincing than the simple statement that this would have been most unbefitting for the Mother of the divine Word and unworthy of the flesh most pure with which eternal Wisdom was to be clothed. This consideration alone makes any well-constituted mind pause, for the conclusion cannot be rebutted. The opprobrium of original sin is vastly more shameful and repugnant than all the imperfections mentioned above which subsist without sin; so who would not believe that there is less impropriety in burning away original sin? If Mary were given a choice between freedom from sin and freedom from being reduced to dust after death, there can be no doubt that Mary would have preferred the common lot suffered by human bodies to sin, and that the saintly and innocent Mary[4] would have chosen to plunge in the flames of all natural failings rather than to be stained by sin and become even for a single instant the enemy of her creator.

Footnotes

[1] De Natura et Gratia, c. 36.

[2] Lib. de Conceptu Virginali, c. 18...

[3] That Mary was exempt from sin.

[3] Poiré’s text uses the word hermine (ermine or stoat) which I have translated as Mary. The ermine featured as a symbol in various ways during the Middle Ages. Here is one example: Pureté morale, agilité, intelligence et innocence sont associées à ce petit animal au pelage blanc… selon l’une des légendes les plus célèbres, c’est lors d’une partie de chasse qu’Anne de Bretagne (1477 – 1514) aurait gracié l’animal prêt à se laisser tuer par des chiens plutôt que de traverser une étendue boueuse. La devise de la Bretagne serait ainsi née : “Kentoc’h mervel eget bezan saotret” (”Plutôt la mort que la souillure”). Moral purity, agility, intelligence and innocence are associated with this little animal with white fur... According to one of the most famous legends, Anne of Brittany (1477-1514) is said to have spared this animal in the course of a hunt because it preferred to be killed by her hunting dogs rather than cross an expanse of mud. This is said to be the origin of the Brittany motto : Death before dishonour. Taken from Les symboles de la Bretagne. 

👑       👑       👑

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 8 : § 1. 2-3

Chapter 8 : The Seventh 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)

Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD was exempt from original sin

First proof, taken from the person of the Saviour

 2   I am going to link the first proof to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, for any stain on the Conception of the Virgin would unquestionably redound to the dishonour of Christ Himself. When speaking of men’s Redeemer, the Apostle Paul says[1] it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest who so plentifully endowed with qualities that He was holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners. This idea must be carefully pondered, for there is nothing that this spotless Lamb omitted to do in order to separate Himself from the general contagion suffered among sinners. Note how from the very beginning He chose out of all the nations a particular people to whom He gave His livery and sign lest with the passage of time they would intermingle with the rest. Within this people, He sifted out certain persons of outstanding virtue so that He would be born from their posterity. He left to His people thousands of symbols and figures representing the purity (both exterior and interior) which would be realized in Him. 

He left the imprint of His purity in every part of the Temple, in the persons of His ministers, in the sacrifices, in the vessels and in everything pertaining to His worship. Now, what man of any intelligence could believe that He would take so much care of shadows and figures only to be neglectful of their true fulfilment in reality? Who could accept that having created so many wonders to adorn His royal city, having guided crystal-clear spring waters to flow through its streets and having watched over it so carefully to keep it safe – that after preparing from all eternity the city where He would be received, that He would permit His Mother to remain unrefreshed by a single drop of grace, that He would have fallen asleep at the very moment of His Blessed Mother’s Conception when the enemy was at the gates with scaling ladders in a surprise attack?

 3   Who would say that He chose a physical throne more dazzling than the Sun only to accept a living throne stained and filthy with sin? Who would imagine that He would cause His corruptible temple to be covered with purest gold and built without a single hammer-blow being heard, making it all holy and divine just to house the golden Ark of the covenant – whereas the living temple where He would be received in person would be caked with mud and dirt, built with all the hurly-burly and disorder of sin? The great St Cyril fought in defence of this divine Temple at the Council of Ephesus and asked:

Who has ever heard of an architect who builds a dwelling for his own use but then is stopped from taking up residence and has to surrender this right to his enemy?

Could any reasonable mind admit the idea that God forbade under pain of death any person other than the High Priest to set foot in the Sanctuary of a Temple which was only figurative – but that He would willingly yield His true and unique Sanctuary to the spirit of filth and corruption? If he could not prevent it, how can He be omnipotent? If He could have prevented it, why did He fail to do so? Especially in view of what St Jerome says[2], all honour given to the mother redounds to the son, no more nor less than is the case with dishonour. Finally, what would be the point of requiring so much purity for the earthenware and wooden vessels meant only for the use of servants whilst allowing filth and muck in the golden vessel destined for use by the King?  It is just as if there were a great prince who built a palace for his future use and to display his magnificence; and with a view to taking up possession, he caused the streets in the town to be paved well in advance with white marble, the walls to be hung with rich tapestries and the route he would take to be decorated right royally; but at the very entrance of the Palace he left a stinking quagmire which he would be obliged to cross, sinking to his armpits.

Footnotes

[1] For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Hebr. vii. 26.

[2] Ad Eustoch.

👑       👑       👑

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 8 : § 1. 1

Chapter 8 : The Seventh 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)

Mary’s soul was unique in being totally free of any sin

My desire to discuss the privilege of the MOTHER OF GOD whereby she was exempt from every sort of sin gives me more cause to be fearful than the pious St Bernard[1]. Granted that what I am considering for discussion relates to a purity which surpasses anything in creation, I could indeed say with greater reason than St Anselm[2] that this makes me painfully aware of my shortcomings and the enormity of my faults. I am with good reason afraid that I will be rejected as being unworthy of seeing God’s glory which shows itself in an extraordinary manner through Mary’s exemption from all sin. On the other hand, I feel encouraged by the words of St Bonaventure[3] who says that in a certain sense we have a duty to speak of Mary’s excellence lest our silence renders us guilty of ingratitude. If indeed it were permissible for someone such as myself to handle such a subject, then there is no better time to do so than now after I have just covered the graces of the Holy Virgin. This is because of the close relationship between these two privileges and because it is difficult to have a good understanding of one without the other. 

Now, there are two sorts of sin, namely original sin and actual sin; in order to avoid confusing these, I shall begin by showing how Mary was exempt from the first and then do the same in regard to the second. Finally, I shall conclude the discussion by considering the source from which this blessing of Mary is derived.

Footnotes

[1] Homil. 3 in Missus.

[2] De Excellentia Virg., c.1.

[3] Prolog. ad Speculum B. Virg.

§ 1. The MOTHER OF GOD was exempt from original sin

 1   You may think that I have a particular reason, along with David[1], for holding dear to my heart the spotless beauty of God’s house and for loving to defend this prerogative. The Holy Virgin was pleased to make a revelation to one of her faithful servants named Alphonse Rodriguez. He was a lay brother in our Company[2] who died on the island of Majorca in 1617 aged eighty-seven years. She revealed to him that one of the main reasons her beloved Son had for launching the little Company and honouring His Name had been to defend her immaculate Conception. In view of this, would I not have to die of shame if I remained silent on this subject when I had undertaken in terms to cover Mary’s Splendours and her Great Dignities? 

In fact, the courageous efforts of a large number of brave soldiers have done much to establish the truth of this revelation. God has lent His support to more than a hundred Writers in this same Company who have fought in defence of this truth, without mentioning countless others who have added their voices to the discussion. As a result, this privilege has been so firmly established that there are few now who doubt its truth and I do not therefore believe I will be criticized if I deal with this matter briefly. I shall therefore content myself with adducing several good and powerful proofs to establish the truth, drawing from the not inconsiderable Arsenal that the Church possesses.

Footnotes

[1] I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house. Psal. xxv. 8.

[2] La Compagnie de Jésus (Latin : Societas Jesu, S.J.) : The Society of Jesus.

👑       👑       👑

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

Assumpta est Maria in cælum

I am republishing last year's post as a gift to Our Blessed Mother, to celebrate her feast day by sharing images of a painting : The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin by Fra Angelico. I have added a few notes.

The images below are reproduced with thanks to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. 

Here is the first image showing the painting in its entirety.

    The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin by Fra Angelico. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Dimension Notes

Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 61.8 x 38.3 cm (24 5/16 x 15 1/16 in.).

Provenance

Possibly commissioned for the church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence by its sacristan Fra Giovanni di Zanobi Masi as one of four reliquaries around 1430, the painting remained at the church until at least 1754.
Collection of Rev. John Sanford (d.1855), Nynehead, Somerset by 1816. Exhibited at the British Institution, London in the same year.
Bequeathed by Rev. John Sanford to Frederick Henry Paul Methuen (d.1891), 2nd Baron Methuen, Corsham Court in 1855.
By descent to Paul Sanford Methuen (d.1932), 3rd Baron Methuen, Corsham Court around 1891.
Purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the art dealers Colnaghi & Co., London on 23 February 1899 for £4,000 through Bernard Berenson (1865–1959), American art historian.

Notes on the lower register

In the lower register, Our Lady's body lies on a stretcher covered in golden drape; her head rests upon a small pillow and the whole is supported by a low bed or mattress, also covered in golden material. Framed by a halo, her head is slightly raised. Her eyes are closed and we are given a glimpse of her right hand clasping her left. Her skin is pale but her lips show a natural colour. She wears a blue cloak and hood, edged with gold.

Her bier is surrounded by four lighted candles of unbleached wax, traditionally used for a Requiem Mass. 

Fifteen bare-footed figures surround Our Blessed Lady. Is it fanciful to catch an echo of the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary?

In the centre stands Our Lord, gazing down at His mother. His tunic is unique amongst those of the other figures - does it suggest Christ as the High Priest? The symbols appear to include the Greek letters Alpha and Omega.

He holds in His arms a small figure whose hands are joined in prayer. This is believed to represent Our Lady. This mirrors in scale but in reverse the traditional image in icons that show the Holy Mother of God holding her Divine Son in a protective embrace. 

Peter, James and John. Fra Angelico. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The cross in the Redeemer's halo finds an echo in the pallium worn by the man on the left of the painting. The modern pallium is a circular band about two inches wide, worn about the neck, breast, and shoulders, and having two pendants, one hanging down in front and one behind. The use of the pallium is reserved to the pope and archbishops, but the latter may not use it until on petition they have received the permission of the Holy See. Bishops sometimes receive the pallium as a mark of special favour, but it does not increase their powers or jurisdiction nor give them precedence. The pope may use the pallium at any time. [Catholic Encyclopedia]. This is evidently Peter, the first Pope, who is reading or singing from a small volume. Perhaps it is a Psalter, or perhaps he is chanting the In Paradisum...

To Peter's left is a figure holding a bucket (aspersorium) and a sprinkler (aspergillum), still used in today's Requiem Mass.

The palm frond.  Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

On the extreme right of the picture, a man is holding what may be a palm frond. Brian G. Svoboda identifies him as St John the Evangelist: see the Catholic Thing. St John, however, is traditionally portrayed as a clean-shaven young man and I suspect that he is the one with hands clasped in prayer next to St Peter. This would suggest that the man with the aspergillum may be St James, as Peter, James and John are frequently grouped together in the New Testament.

Notes on the middle register

In the middle register, Our Blessed Lady is rising Heavenwards, drawn aloft by the power of her Divine son. her cheeks and her complexion are no longer pale. Her eyes are now open and she is looking upwards. Her hands are raised in what the Abbé Fouard observes is the traditional Oriental manner of praying: in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. 

Her sky blue tunic and robe, edged with gold, with diaphonous and translucent scrolls, dazzle the eye. The golden motifs on her garments suggest tiny winged angels bearing her to Heaven; or perhaps a shower of gifts from the Holy Ghost, in the form of tongues, as it were, of fire. They are echoed in the robes of the Angels around her.

The Angels are portrayed in three groups. The lowest group are four in number and are kneeling before the Queen of Angels. The one on the left seems to be shielding his gaze from the dazzling brightness.

The Angels in the middle group are holding hands as though executing a celestial dance; their movement shows in the flowing pleats of their garments. Music is provided by the uppermost group, an angelic sextet, featuring two trumpets, a tambourine, a psaltery, a fiddle and a lute.

Notes on the upper register

The upper register features Christ in Heaven gazing down towards His mother as she is assumed by His Divine power into His Royal Court. The triangular cutaway in the frame suggests the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 

Assumpta est Maria in cælum: gaudent angeli, laudantes benedicunt Dominum.

Mary was taken up into Heaven, the angels rejoice, and with praises bless the Lord. 

[Antiphon from Lauds, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary]

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. 

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 7 : § 5. 3-7

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

On the discerning of spirits

 3   Mary was supremely gifted in the matter of discerning spirits. Several writers have said this gift may be compared to a ray of heavenly light that can penetrate even the most secret thoughts and reveal the feelings in people’s hearts. The consensus among the Fathers and Theologians is that this gift is never found habitually and possessed in a stable and permanent manner in any other person except the Son of God. Considering that so many Saints have been so frequently and generously favoured by God with such insights, we may be sure that the Blessed Virgin’s own soul received such illuminations on multiple occasions. 

Some prefer to understand this gift as referring to an interior illumination which enlightens the soul so that it can discern whether particular thoughts, desires and movements of the heart come from a good or a bad spirit. We would indeed need to have lost our senses to deny this grace to the MOTHER OF GOD. We may note in her case that no spirit ever entered into her heart apart from the Holy Ghost. Her questions and lively responses to the Angel Gabriel caused St John Damascene[1] to observe :

All her words were taken from the treasury of Wisdom and were dictated by the Holy Ghost.

As for others, we may note that since Mary was to be the Mistress and Teacher of the Church as well as the Queen of the Apostles, it is entirely reasonable that she enjoyed this gift in abundance. The holy Archbishop of Florence recalls what was spoken to St Anthony when he saw the air filled with a cloud of demons and was told only the truly humble could escape their snares. He then goes on to say : 

if we had no other proof than her incomparable humility, we would have to say that she had received from God an altogether perfect discernment of spirits and a truly excellent light enabling her to see the traps and ambushes of the enemy.

 

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 1 de Assumpt.

 

The gifts of Faith, Wisdom and Knowledge

 4   There can be no doubt that Mary was most liberally provided for when it comes to all the graces which make it possible to explain in words the hidden mysteries of our Religion, including the gifts of Faith, Knowledge, Wisdom and others related to these. By the gift of Faith, I mean the adamantine quality of holding and embracing everything the Church proposes for us to believe, conjoined to the ability and skill of proclaiming it to others and accommodating it to their understanding in a way that shows them that the witness God has given, namely the mysteries of our Faith authorized by divine revelation, are entirely worthy of belief. This is a favour that we must grant to Mary who, after her dear Son, has been the principal buttress of our Faith. I would say as much concerning the grace of Knowledge and Wisdom since there is little difference between them and the gift of Faith that I have just explained.

The gift of tongues

 5   The same holds true with regard to the gift of tongues. Mary was present with the Apostles and the Disciples on the day of Pentecost and there seems little probability that the Holy Ghost would have passed her over when He was distributing gifts to the others. At the birth of the Church this gift was communicated quite frequently with the Holy Ghost coming down visibly, even to those who were not destined by office to be Doctors or Preachers. Consider too that various people came to Mary from all parts, not only for the honour of seeing the Mother of Him who was the object of their belief and about whom they had heard so many wondrous things, but also to have their faith confirmed by her. There would be little point in this unless she had been gifted by all kinds of grace and extraordinary favours.

The gift of miracles

 6   I cannot say less concerning the power granted to Saints enabling them to perform wondrous works which provoke astonishment in the souls of those who see or hear them and which we call the gift of miracles. In fact, for the reasons already given earlier, I agree with Fr Rupert[1], with Albert the Great, with St Antoninus[2] and with several others that God granted this gift to her. This is apparent after the Ascension of her Son, and God made use of her as well as the Apostles and Disciples to spread the fame of the Church by such actions. It is not possible to contradict this in view of the fact that this power was made available so widely to the faithful servants of God that few among them will be found who did not perform miracles. St John Damascene[3], for example, calls her a deep well of miracles and St Andrew of Candia (Crete)[4] gives her the name of Miracle-Worker, by virtue of a power which cannot be disputed. I shall discuss this at greater length elsewhere[5].

 7   Finally, I conclude along with St Athanasius[6] that she possessed all the graces that God’s generosity could bestow on a soul to adorn and enrich it. As such, I echo the Paranymph’s[7]  angelic salutation of Mary as being full of grace, since she was the mother of grace and, by a miracle of grace, she gave life to the author of grace.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. III in Cant.

[2] IV p., tit. XV. c. 19 § 5 et 6.

[3] Serm. 1 de Nativit.

[4] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[5] Tract. II, c. 13.

[6] Serm. de Deipara, c. 7.

[7] Eng. paranymph: 1. perhaps: a person who ‘gives away’ a bride. 1602 Our blessed Ladies paranimphe Saint Gabriell. 2. a spokesperson or orator who speaks on behalf of someone else. Now historical and rare. Complete OED.

👑       👑       👑

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