The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 11 : § 2.6-7

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 2. The wondrous singularities in her Assumption and the glory of her triumph 

The third remarkable feature of Mary’s triumph

 6   While we have been discussing the Assumption, the Holy Virgin has continued her progress and, almost without our noticing it, she makes her entrance into Heaven. So here we are now observing the reception she received from the most blessed and glorious Trinity – the last remarkable feature. St Ambrose once noted that[1]:

when the Emperor Theodosius entered into Heaven, the Angels deputed to receive him asked him what he had done on earth.

Consider in truth how wonderfully the Holy Virgin would have been able to answer this question, had decorum not rendered it unseemly to ask her; or, to put it better, had her own modesty not prevented her from answering! Consider what manner of Panegyric her beloved Son might have delivered in her honour! Imagine what He might have said of her who was alone judged worthy to draw Him down from Heaven, to give Him our human nature, to raise Him and to serve Him for so long? Of her who, after Himself, had been the principal instrument for the reparation of men, to whom all men therefore are obliged for being re-established in grace and their eternal happiness? 

It was not however fitting for someone of her status to be asked such a question and her merits were in any case sufficiently known. In the very instant she entered Heaven, one of the foremost Archangels in Paradise called out as best he could in the language of Heaven, echoing how the Herald once spoke when the King of the Scythians came out of his palace on the occasion of major solemnities : Let everyone prostrate himself before the sovereign’s Majesty.

After this first act of homage, she was led into the presence of the most holy Trinity. It was then that the Father of eternal mercy lowered His Royal head towards His beloved daughter and opened the barriers which had until then held back the floods of His love, inundating her blessed soul with indescribable happiness and sweetness. It was then too that the loving kindness of the glorious Holy Spirit, having no longer any reason to hold back, revealed to His chaste Spouse what blessed happiness was hers to have such a Lord for her Spouse. It was then that Her dear Son revealed to her there was no longer anything preventing Him from honouring His Mother exactly as He would wish. It was then that the Trinity in all its immensity revealed to the heavenly court the treasures of glory prepared though all eternity for her who was to be the Miracle of Glory and the Wonder of Grace. It was then that she was shown to her Royal throne, as I shall describe later, and first of all the Angels, and after them the dear souls forming the flock of the first fruits of Jesus Christ, approached in orderly files to do her reverence, to lay their crowns at her feet and to recognize her as their Lady and their Sovereign.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. in funere Theodosii.

 7   It is perhaps possible, however, that Heaven would find offensive my stammering attempts to describe that of which it is presumptuous for me to speak, inasmuch as I am using human words to present those things which partake of divine honour and to rely upon my limited human understanding of the majesty of this triumph.

Most Holy Virgin, I beg pardon of thee if my efforts have here been found wanting. If it pleaseth thee, do thou blame the weakness of my mind which hath sought to convey all the magnificence of which it is capable despite its shortcomings, so as to offer thee a footstool[1] for thy glory and in honour of thy greatness.

Footnotes

[1] footstool: the French text has marchepied, a synonym for escabeau, which is used to translate the Vulgate's scabellum, which the Douay-Rheims translates as footstool. See. e.g., Ps. CIX. 1. & Isai. LXVI. 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 11 : § 2.4-5

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 2. The wondrous singularities in her Assumption and the glory of her triumph 

The second remarkable feature of Mary’s triumph

 4   Now although I have not yet mentioned it, the time has now come to consider her glorious Assumption, which is the second but perhaps the most remarkable feature of Mary’s death.

You would have seen Mary with her dear Son in the midst of the heavenly host, looking for all the world like the Moon in the midst of the stars, but a Moon brighter than a thousand suns. In comparison with the unique Sun of Justice, there was nothing to compare with His brightness and glory. I say that she was with her Son because it would be contrary to reason for us to think He did not honour in person the triumph of His holy Mother. He once revealed to blessed Angela of Foligno[1] that He would be happy with just the Angels forming an escort for her but that He would come Himself to take her and lead her into Heaven as His dear Spouse. If it is the case, as is most credible, that He did not refuse this favour to several other beautiful souls, I leave you to conclude whether He refused it to His most venerable Mother, to His peerless Spouse and to her who was the honour of earth and Heaven, especially granted that Sophronius maintains this has always been the view of the Church.

It is the common belief, says this Doctor[2], that the Saviour appeared before her and His countenance and demeanour were suffused with happiness, that He led her to her own throne where he seated her close to His own. If this were not so, how could He have observed the law He had issued to man and its commandment to honour father and mother? 

He adds[3] that even were the Redeemer of the world not to have had the inclination which he had to a far higher degree than the children of men to fulfil this duty to such a Mother, He would have to do so out of consideration for Himself, since His honour was involved and any honour He rendered to the Virgin would redound to Himself, granted that the glory of the father and the mother is also that of the children.

St Bernard[4] goes further for he says that:

this incomparable Son was not content with being like an ornament, or the Sun lighting up the triumph of this wondrous day; He wanted to serve as Squire and personal attendant to His blessed Mother so that she might accept his offering of support with her blessed hand.

Footnotes

[1] Vitæ Ipsius, cap. ultimo.

[2] Serm. de Assumpt.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Serm. 4 de Assumpt..

 5   St Augustine says[1] that the Son held His Mother’s hand, giving this sense to the verse in Psalm LXXII : Thou hast held me by my right hand; and by thy will thou hast conducted me, and with thy glory thou hast received me. This tender gesture was hitherto unheard of and was reserved for her who was to be unique in all the special favours she received. The sight of her made such an impression on all the blessed Spirits that they began to call out[2]: Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved? And again[3]: Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer? 

Who is she, asks St Bernard[4], and where for a mortal person can be found the source for such a great abundance of delightful adornments? What can it signify that we, who are inundated by the torrents of sweetness that pour forth from the presence of God, have nothing that compares with this? How can is it even possible that such rich adornments can be found anywhere under the Sun, where there is nothing except toil and afflictions of the spirit? What are these diamonds and sparkling gemstones are the gift of fruitfulness mounted in the golden setting of virginity, this rose of charity, this necklace of mercy, all the riches of grace and glory gathered so as to adorn a creature that cometh up from the desert? 

Who is she that goeth up ...as a pillar of smoke? Asks St Ildephonsus[5]. It is the rod out of the root of Jesse, who is like a fragrance composed of all the aromatical powders of the perfumer, and she is ablaze with the fire of charity. Behold her rising up just like smoke from burning incense and like a holocaust wholly divine, carrying up to Heaven the fragrance of her incomparable virtues.

This shows that the astonishment of the Holy Angels is not only based on the virginity of the MOTHER OF GOD, even though it is unparalleled, but also on the sheer immensity of her grace and all her virtues taken together, which make her like a fragrant pomander[6]. Now just as the Angels make public their wonderment, the Heavenly Heralds respond: She is the beautiful one among the daughters of Jerusalem. This is as if to say: Do not be unduly astonished for this is something without precedent and will never happen again. It is an honour which belongs only to her for whom God is willing to empty the coffers of His glory and to deploy Heaven’s magnificence in its entirety. 

O God, how cordially thou doth show Thyself to them who love Thee and how faithfully to them who serve Thee! How thou dost honour them who honour Thee! How cometh it to pass that our hearts are so hardened and cold, having so little feeling for a God who is so gracious and so great?

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 35 de Sanctis.

[2] Cant. viii. 5.

[3] Cant. iii. 6.

[4] Serm. 6 de Assumpt.

[5] Serm. 3 de Assumpt : Quæ est ista quæ ascendil per desertum, etc.

[6] The French text has une pomme de senteur (lit. an apple of fragrance), translated here as pomander : originally: a mixture of aromatic substances, usually made into a ball, and carried in a small box or bag [OED].

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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 11 : § 2.1-3

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 2. The wondrous singularities in her Assumption and the glory of her triumph 

 1   St John Damascene was not quite sure what name to give to the death of the blessed Virgin. He calls it variously a sweet repose, a journey to the Kingdom of peace, and a drawing nigh unto God. Having selected the sweetest words he could find, he addresses the same Virgin with the following words:

Holy Lady, the Angels have honoured thy Coronation, escorting thee with indescribable magnificence. The Princes of darkness could not bear thy arrival and fled to their dungeons, like the true creatures of the night that they are. The very air was blessed and sanctified by thy presence and Heaven rejoiced with all the Angels who came to meet thee with Canticles of joy, saying[1]: Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun? 

These words of the Holy Doctor may serve as an introduction to what I now have to say on the greatness of the Virgin’s triumph. This was unique and quite extraordinary but I have chosen to discuss only three of its remarkable features.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormitione B. Virg.

[2] Sophron., Serm. de Assumpt. ; Gregor. Turon., lib. II de Gloria mart., c. 4; Ildefons., Serm. 3 de Assumpt. ; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. B. Virg. ; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

[3] Damasc., Orat. 2 de Dormit. Virg.; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. Virg.; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

The first remarkable feature of Mary's triumph

 2   The first is that all the inhabitants of Heaven came forth and began preparing an entrance for Mary which was befitting the Majesty of their Queen. St Bernard[1] and St Andrew of Crete[2] are quite clear on this point, saying that all the legions of God’s heavenly host were arrayed in formation to lead and to accompany her. Following St Gregory of Tours[3], we can picture how the overall command of this magnificent parade was vested in the glorious St Michael, being the first Prince of the Heavenly Court. In order to make Mary’s triumph an unforgettable event, he divided Heaven into two formations, one of Angels and the other of men. Each of these was subdivided into orders, according to the liveries they were to wear and the qualities of the Lady which they were to represent.

The Angels came first marching under the banner of innocence, each of them carrying a device symbolizing the total purity of the MOTHER OF GOD : some showed this in pure gold; others with the unicorn[4] or the ermine[5], which detested anything unclean; others with one of those figures mentioned by the Holy Fathers when we were discussing her freedom from every kind of sin. Next came the Archangels who, as rulers over provinces in this world, carried the signs of those committed to their care and by this means let it be understood that they acknowledged they were all tributaries of the Holy Virgin. The Principalities did the same in respect of the Kingdoms that were subject to them. They presented to Mary ahead of time the Princes and Monarchs who would one day with a happy heart offer their Crowns and their Nations to her, acknowledging that all came from her and was held in fief from her goodness (as will be discussed more fully later[6]). 

The Virtues displayed in various ways the prodigies she had performed and was yet to perform in the world to advance the glory of God. The Dominations showed the victories she had already gained and those she was yet to gain. By this means they identified her as the unique scourge of vices and the terror of God’s enemies. With their crowns, sceptres and other insignia of Sovereignty, the Powers made it quite plain that they were honouring her as Queen of earth and of Heaven. Between these and the Thrones, Mary was accompanied by an entourage which cannot be explained here, but we will consider it fully below after we have gone through the remainder of the procession. 

The Thrones showed in various ways the principle and origin of her blessedness, communicating without words that she was the Father’s Throne, the Son’s royal Palace and the Holy Spirit’s Sanctuary. It was easy to see that the Cherubim and the Seraphim, with a brightness surpassing the other orders, aimed to highlight her eminent knowledge and her fervent charity. By means of their emblems and banners they made a public acknowledgement that theirs was nothing in comparison with Mary’s.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 4 de Assumpt.

[2] Orat. 1 de Dormit.

[3] Lib. I de Gloria Martyrum, c. 4.

[4] The unicorn, according to the venerable Bede, drives away from its home every sort of poison purely by the sweetness of its natural odour. In Psal. LXXVII.

[5] 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 which 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.  

6] Tract. III, c. 6, et Tract. IV, c. 8.

 3   After these winged Spirits, we see the arrival of the other procession : the first fruits of the nascent Church marching in beautiful order. These are the souls already ascended into Heaven who had begun to fill the seats emptied by the fallen Angels in the ancient rebellion. At their head came the Virgins because of their closeness to the Virgin par excellence, every one carrying white lilies as their insignia. The Martyrs all wore laurel wreaths as their crowns and carried palms in their hands. The Confessors could be identified by their haloes and other symbols of their confession and perseverance. The Patriarchs and the Prophets were distinguished by their olive branches as well as by faithful proofs of their long-suffering. All in the procession lowered their ensigns and banners as though laying them at the feet of their Queen and through their submission acknowledging her as the mirror of Virgins, the crown of Martyrs, the glory of Confessors and the honour of Patriarchs and Prophets. Apart from all these companies, there were also choirs and musicians with every kind of instrument, producing melodies and polyphonies so sweet that people thought they were hearing harmonies from Heaven to salute and welcome the entrance therein of the MOTHER OF GOD.

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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 11 : § 1.10-13

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 1. The great privileges of the death of the MOTHER OF GOD

The fifth privilege of her blessed death

 10   But take heart, for here comes the Saviour Himself, whom the learned Bishop of Marseille calls the powerful Magnet from Heaven who will reconcile the discordant groups. This is the fifth privilege of her blessed decease, for which we have the authority of St John Damascene[1], venerable tradition[2], and arguments based solidly on reason.

As soon as this chaste and innocent dove saw Him come to receive her soul into His own hands, her love strengthened her so as to make one last effort and she spoke to Him as follows:

It is into Thy hands, my most venerable Son, that in truth I must surrender my soul; accordingly, please receive it, since through Thy mercy it was preserved from all sin. It is also to Thee and not to the earth that I entrust the token that was my body which Thou didst condescend to make Thy Sanctuary. Take me with Thee, I implore Thee, for I can no longer live without Thee, the fruit of my womb and the only life of my heart. Do Thou take care of these poor orphans and be for them a father and a mother. Strengthen them in the spirit so that they may accept at Thy hand my departure. In consideration of me, do Thou pour floods of blessings upon them and all the new fruits of Thy Church.

When she had said these words, she stretched out her sacred hands and gave her blessing[3] to everyone. Then she turned her face sweetly towards her beloved Son and surrendered to Him the spirit she had received from Him. For those in the nascent Church, this was a blow which made them feel like dying of grief. It was heart-breaking to hear the lamentations of those who thought that with her loss they would lose everything;  for she was their unique relief in the midst of the evils surrounding them, and a consolation in their afflictions. So, on one side there was mourning; and the deep sadness which this death had brought showed in their weeping and in their wailing. Amongst the others, however, there were hymns of joy. The blessed companies of Heaven called out, saying: Come, most holy Lady, to thine abode of eternal happiness, where they have been waiting for thee since the beginning of the world. Come, thou who art the joy of Heaven, for winter is now past, the rain is over and gone, frosts and snow have melted away and the season of bliss and triumph hath come. Come, for thou art all fair and there is no spot in thee; the sweet scent of thy fragrance surpasses all the perfumes of the world.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormitione B. Virg.

[2] Sophron., Serm. de Assumpt. ; Gregor. Turon., lib. II de Gloria mart., c. 4; Ildefons., Serm. 3 de Assumpt. ; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. B. Virg. ; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

[3] Damasc., Orat. 2 de Dormit. Virg.; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. Virg.; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

The sixth privilege of her blessed death

 11   It is with some regret that I leave these rapturous acclamations, but as we are discussing the privileges of the happy death experienced by the most sacred Virgin, we must now move on to the sixth, which is indescribable gentleness of her passing on[1]. Now, there can be no doubt that to die in God and with God is the beginning of a bliss which is unquantifiable. To die with the death of the MOTHER OF GOD, however, is the realization of the highest hopes in all the world. St John Damascene[2], whom I have quoted so many times, adds:

It is entirely in accord with reason that she who conceived without sensual pleasure and who gave birth without labour pains, should experience death in a corresponding manner, putting the seal on all the previous graces she had received from God.

Let us, dear friends, stay for a while this spirit which has just left her body so that we may present her with our prayers and wishes, and offer her the eloquent words of the pious Andrew of Jerusalem[3]:

Do thou depart, therefore in peace, since God hath so ordained it, leaving the earth with a valiant heart to take up thine abode in Heaven. Do thou rise higher than Elias and Enoch into the Kingdom of life, where thou wilt rejoice throughout eternity with the Angels. Feast thine eyes on the beauty of Him whom thou didst bear within thee; take thy fill of the happiness which hath no end; take time to savour the flowing torrents of heavenly delight and press thy sacred lips against the source of life, the Lord God Himself. Take possession of that for which thou didst once wait in hope. Gaze upon that which thou didst believe, and receive that which thou hast merited. Enter into the joy of Paradise where the Father is adored, the Son is glorified and the Holy Spirit praised and honoured. 

And ye Holy Angels, transfer the City of the great King into the Kingdom of happiness, and carry the true ark of the covenant into the Sanctuary of the heavenly Jerusalem; make ye a dwelling in Heaven for the gate of Heaven and do ye set the Mother by the side of her Son.

Footnotes

[1] Ildefons., Serm. 9 de Assumpt. ; Metapbrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. B. Virg. ; Nicephor., lib. II Hist., c. 21.

[2] S. Joann. Damas., loc. cit.

[3] Orat. 2 de Dormitionc S. Mariæ Deiparæ.

The seventh privilege of her blessed death

 12   Let us conclude our discussion of these privileges by considering where Mary is said to have died. According to St John Damascene[1] as well as several serious-minded Doctors[2], it was in Holy Sion, in the noble chamber where the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world was Himself immolated and roasted on the fire of love so as to provide food for His dear children; where He gave the law of love and charity, where He gave an example of incomparable humility, where He met with His own after His Resurrection, where He allowed Himself to be touched by St Thomas to strengthen his faith with His glorious life; in short, it was in the mother Church, the first in the world where the Saviour had Himself taught and sacrificed, where the Holy Ghost had come down on the Teachers and Doctors of the world, where the Holy Apostles had offered so many and so fervent prayers; and where the beloved Disciple had served the Queen of Angels, in accordance with the commission he had received from his master.

 13   It is only right that St John Damascene should close this discussion since he has supplied most of the important points and I am happy to join my voice to his when he says:

Who will grant me the favour of entering this Royal chamber, nobler and more magnificent than all the chambers of the great, so that I may be free to prostrate myself on the floor whereon did walk the Word Incarnate, His most holy Mother and all those greatest in Heaven; so that I might hold in my embrace this holy couch which served the Queen of Angels as a walkway to immortality! If only I might have the good fortune to slip unnoticed in between those mourning and those rejoicing, so as to kiss the feet of my gentle Mother and bathe them with my tears – what blessings I might draw from the living fount of grace! Try to picture someone who might have found himself in that holy gathering, his heart on fire with love for the things of eternity and stripped completely of everything low and mean!

Well, that will have to be enough for now concerning her body, but we shall return later to pay our last respects to this sacred repository. Let us now make ready to follow her blessed soul as she is going to make her entry into Heaven.

Footnotes

[1] ibid.

[2] Andr. Cretens., Orat. 1 de Dormit. B. Virg. ; Beda, Lib. de Locis sanctis, c. 3 ; Metaphrast., Orat. de Vita et Dormit. Deiparæ ; Niceph., lib. II Hist., c. 23 ; Nazianz. seu Apollinaris, Tragoed. de Christo patiente, etc.

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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 11 : § 1.8-9

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 1. The great privileges of the death of the MOTHER OF GOD

The third privilege of her blessed death

 8   This leads us on to the third privilege of her death. Now, it is scarcely possible to find any Saint who before dying was not warned of the day and time of their death. How much more reason do we have for saying this favour was not denied to her who surpassed them all in holiness? This is particularly so since it is the pious belief of all those who, through even the slightest degree of affection, wish to preserve the honour of the peerless Virgin. This was the view of Albertus Magnus[1] and the whole of venerable antiquity taught the same. As for identifying the person chosen to deliver this message, it is difficult to do so with certainty. Those, however, who give this honour to St Gabriel have a strong case[2], not only because of his elevated status as being one of the seven Spirits who stand before God and receive the most important commissions for the government of the world, but also because he was always preferred to the others in matters which concerned the MOTHER OF GOD. Besides this, the same Virgin told St Bridget[3] that the Angel in question revealed himself to her just as he was on the other occasions when she saw him. It is, therefore, not difficult to suppose that it was none other than St Gabriel who served her as Chamberlain. It is also a possibility that the blessed Archangel, at the commandment of God, showed her the crown prepared for her on high. This should not strain our belief since the same grace was granted to many others. There are accounts showing this privilege was accorded to the soldier St Victor and to his wife St Corona[4], who suffered death in Syria on the 15th of May under the emperor Antoninus. The same is true for the forty Martyrs who died of cold in an icy lake in the town of Sebasteia in Armenia[5] under the Emperor Licinius. This being so, why would such a privilege be denied to the MOTHER OF GOD? In fact, no rain ever fell on a thirsty earth more propitiously than did this message reach the ears of Mary, whose sighs longed only for Heaven and for the dissolution of her body, which is the unique way leading thereto.

Footnotes

[1] Super Missus, c. 149.

[2] Metaphrastes, in Orat. de Vita et Dormit. B. Virg., etc.

[3] Lib. VI, c. 62.

[4] Martyrol. Rom., 15 maii.

[5] Hist. Passionis ipsorum.

The fourth privilege of her blessed death

 9   The fourth privilege is one which is mentioned by St John Damascene[1], by Nicephorus[2], by Metaphrastes[3], by Glycas[4], and by others after St Denys in the place I cited earlier : namely, that in attendance at her death was the most noble and honourable company ever assembled. Without counting the Blessed Spirits who surrounded her deathbed in their millions[5], and without mentioning the goodly number of Saints whom the Saviour took with Him up to Heaven on the day of His Ascension and who all came down to pay their last respects to their liberatrix (according to St John Damascene), those men whom David calls the Princes of the earth, St Paul the Pillars of the Church and St John the Gates of Heaven (i.e., the Holy Apostles) found themselves led there, probably through the office of Angels, and with them, all those who helped in spreading the Gospel.

Who could imagine the Canticles of praise sung by this holy gathering, asks Andrew of Candia, the thanksgiving they offered to the most holy Trinity, the fervent desire to serve God which lit up their hearts, the acclamations made to the Holy Virgin and – especially – the rejoicing of some and the weeping and lamentations of others? 

I cannot here pass in silence over the holy and loving contrast between the Blessed Spirits of those in the Church triumphant on the one side and the noble gathering of the Church militant on the other. Those in the former, inviting her to go and receive the reward for her labours and the prize for her incomparable merits, called her the glory of Jerusalem and the honour of the heavenly city. They showed her the commandment from their Lord and Master not to return without her. 

Those poor people in the early Church, however, wept floods of tears and filled the air with their sighs and sobbing. They called her their stay and their support, their refreshment, their joy, their life, their teacher, their consolatrix, their refuge, their mother, their all. They pressed her warmly not to abandon them, knowing this was in her power; or if she was resolved to depart, then to take them with her. 

The contrast between these two groups reminds me of an antique painting entitled Love, pictured by the ancients as a a figure suspended midway between Heaven and earth, drawn equally upwards and downwards by golden chains. Such, it seems to me, was the Queen of Love’s heart when Heaven and earth were vying with each other for her presence.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormit. B. Virg.

[2] Lib. II Eccl. Hist., c. 21.

[3] Orat. de Vita et Obitu B. Virg.

[4] III part. Annalium S. Brigitta, loc. cit.

[5] S. Brigitta, ibidem ; Sophron., Serm. de Assumpt. ; Ildefons., Serm. 1 de Assumpt. ; Arnoldus Abbas, Tract. de Laudib. Virg.

[6] Orat. de Dormitione S. Mariæ Deiparæ.

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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 11 : § 1.5-7

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 1. The great privileges of the death of the MOTHER OF GOD

 5   The time has now come to consider in greater detail the manner of Mary’s extraordinary death and the various degrees of love which prepared her for it. With this in mind, try to recall what we said earlier[1] about how exceptional the level of her charity was and to what inordinate heights it had arisen by the time she came to the end of her life. Up to this moment, she was accustomed to receiving regular visits and loving embraces from her dear Son, but she had a persistent yearning to be completely united with Him. She fully understood that her body was preventing this, being the only barrier separating her from her beloved, and so she longed unceasingly for its dissolution. I am well aware of the fervent desire for death which may be found in the lives of David, St Paul, St Augustine, St Martin, St Gregory and many others, and the frustration they felt at the prolonging of their lives. I am also aware that St Catherine of Genoa[2] spent two whole years seeking death, moved by a spirit of love. Sometimes she would call death cruel and inhuman for turning a deaf ear to her wishes and desires; at other times she used different language and made use of flattery by saying how beautiful death was, how sweet and pleasing, how enriching and restful, the source of her contentment, delight and love. In short, she said that death had only one fault, being so ready to come seeking those who fled death and so unwilling to help those who desired it so greatly.

I have read how the Blessed Teresa of Jesus suffered death daily because she was unable to die and that one of her greatest consolations was to hear the sound of the clock as this seemed to show her that she was approaching the end of her life. She could not hold back from asking God for death because she could find no remedy in living, and (what amounted to the same thing) she asked to die so as to be delivered from the evil besetting her. Now, I am aware that these longings the Saints had for death came only from the great love they had for God and the impatience they felt at being separated from Him. It was quite different, however, in the case of the Holy Virgin’s desires to be united with her beloved since there was so little equivalence between their love and hers. How many times did she say with the Spouse in the Canticles[3]: Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday ? How many times did her wishes become the yearnings of a lover, which is the second degree of love preparing her for death?

Footnotes

[1] Cap. 8, § 3.

[2] Vitæ ipsius, c. 7.

[3] Cant. i. 6.

 6   How many times did she address the blessed Spirits visiting her with the tender words from the Canticles[1]: I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love ? How many times did she say with the Spouse who was dying of love: Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples[2] (or as it says in the Septuagint, Strengthen me with perfumes, stay me with apples; or according to the original text, Bring me wine), because I languish with love ?  

Picture someone who is ill with a raging fever who is repulsed by his meat and whose illness makes him reject all the food that once gave him pleasure. We make a special effort to provide him with relief and consolation such as vases full of flowers and greenery, with the best fruit according to the season and with wine we always have in reserve ready for illness and problems of the heart. In the same way, we can picture this holy soul doing all she could :

    • to win the hearts of her enemies; 

    • to take delight in the beauty and fragrance of holy speech[3], especially in the recollection of those she heard coming from the sacred mouth of her beloved Son;

    • to try and take pleasure in the fruit of good deeds, especially visits to those sites imprinted with the marks of His terrible Passion[4];

    • to strengthen her sorrowful heart with the pleasing fragrance[5] spread everywhere by the announcement of the Gospel of peace and good news she received regularly from the Apostles; and finally,

    • to mitigate the pain of her yearning heart with the wine that fructifies Virgins, namely by making frequent visits to the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Footnotes

[1] Cant. v ; v. Guerricum Abbatem, Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[2] Cant. ii. 5.

[3] Rupertus, lib. V in Cant.

[4] Ildefons., Serm. 5 de Assumpt. ; et Brigitta, lib. V Revel., c. 61.

[5] Rupertus, sub finem lib. I in Cant.

 7   It sometimes comes to pass, however, that something taken by people to quench their thirst makes it even worse. This is what happened in the case of the Queen of Angels, for the very things she used to console her inner yearnings were like so many matches that increased the ardour of her longing[1], so that she would fall into a swoon of love. This is the last degree of that gentle violence which the same love caused her to undergo and the last application of force given her to separate her blessed soul from her body. 

Now, in order to make this easier to understand, it should be noted that in the order of nature the strong overtakes the weak and converts it into itself through the imprinting of its qualities, just as we see when fire takes hold of physical thing because it is more powerful. The same principle holds true in the supernatural order for, as there is an infinite distance between the Creator and a mere creature, when God goes to work in a person’s soul so that he feels His impact He simultaneously draws the soul to Himself on high, so that the soul is transmuted. This means that, with God drawing the soul from one side and the body holding it back on the other, the poor soul finds itself as though in a state of suspension and it feels as though it is time to quit the body at all costs. 

It is illuminating to read how St Ephrem, St Francis Xavier, St Teresa of Jesus and many more describe the pressure of these feelings of love that made them want to be united with God. The effect was such that they prayed with insistence to God asking Him to be so gracious as either to moderate their yearnings or to sever the ties binding them to their bodies because it was no longer possible for them to withstand this martyrdom of love. 

Now if one spark of love was able to set the hearts of these Saints so on fire that they could no longer bear to continue in their bodies, what are we to think would be the case with the Queen of Saints, with her who in the fervour of her contemplation, the sublimity of the colloquy she had with the most holy Trinity, in her ecstasies and swoons of love, was like a volcano[2] giving forth flames of divine fire capable of causing a conflagration in heaven and on earth? Without any doubt, if God had not lent His miraculous strength to Mary, then her heart would long before have burst so as to achieve that for which she yearned. In the end, however, God had to yield to the gentle assaults made upon Him by this holy love, and it became impossible to turn a deaf ear any longer to the unceasing cries she sent up to Heaven.

Footnotes

[1] Sophronius, Serm. de Assumpt. ; Rupertus, lib. V in Cant.

[2] volcano: the French text uses the word Montgibel, translating the Italian Mongibello which is another name for Mt Etna.

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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 11 : § 1.3-4

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of 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 is the Miracle of Glory

§ 1. The great privileges of the death of the MOTHER OF GOD

The second privilege of her blessed death

 3   The second privilege of her death is the proximate cause of the separation of her blessed soul from her body. I am going to suggest this was the result of a most powerful act of love. In order to proceed in the right manner on a subject of such importance, it must be understood that there is a very great difference between the following three expressions:

    • to die in love;

    • to die for love; and 

    • to die of love or through love.

To die in love, correctly understood, means nothing other than to die in the habit of charity, or at most, to die whilst practising an act of love. To die for love is to die in defence of the love of God or of thy neighbour, so as to give one’s life for this love. Now, some risk death for the defence of the faith, others to preserve their own or others’ chastity, and so on with the other virtues–which we properly call dying for the sake of justice, since that includes all the other virtues generally. If this is the case, why should there not be found those who willingly risk death in order to preserve the virtue of charity, either in themselves or others? Now why would this not refer to those of whom the Saviour of the world was speaking when he said greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his enemies [sic]? To die of love or through love means to have no other proximate cause of death than love itself; it is not only to die in love’s embrace, but through love’s efforts and ruses, so as to die at love’s hands. This is the privilege which I am saying was granted to blessed MOTHER OF GOD. In this, I am not suggesting readers accept my personal opinion on this but rather that of a goodly number of Doctors and irreproachable witnesses. This was the opinion of St John Damascene[1], Abbot Rupert[2], Abbot Guerric[3],  Albertus Magnus, Denys the Carthusian[4] and the greater number of Theologians[5], who are supported by the Revelations[6] of the Blessed St Bridget.

I call this a privilege because in the first place, it is my estimation this death was the sweetest, the most honourable and the most enrapturing that may be imagined. I confess that I personally cannot go along with those[7] who are so fearful of allowing that the physical body of the Blessed Virgin could suffer any change that they almost make it impassible. Far from her those emotions of impatience and irritation that encourage the growth of vices! Far from her those feelings of fear and dread, of venomous hatred, of tragic anger; those frenzies of desire, those explosions of fury, those moments of enraged despair and other similar monstrosities of nature which can not only twist and disfigure the face but can also shatter the heart! But why would we find is strange to hear her say with the Prophet[8]: My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God? Why would we make any difficulty in accepting that her body, through its natural affinity with her soul, experienced the powerful attraction and tender forcefulness of holy love? How could we imagine anything immodest in the feelings aroused by these innocent and divine flames which are sometimes aroused in the pure hearts and sacred breasts of Saints? What could be more worthy of undoing the link between the soul of the glorious Virgin and her body than divine love?

In the second place, I call it privilege because although this favour may not have been unique to Mary, it was at the very least shared with very few other persons. The words found in the Septuagint version of the book of Proverbs[9] may not apply uniquely to Mary but they are extremely applicable to her : For my outgoings are the outgoings of life. This is not only because she has departed this life to enter into a better one, which generally applies to all the Saints, but also because her death was brought about by a true principle of life, namely divine love. The following words are taken from the original text of the first chapter of the Lamentations of Jeremiah and they apply most aptly to Mary in this context: From above he hath sent fire into my bones, and in this way He hath separated me and drawn me to Himself. It was through the tender impetus of a holy love that her soul was separated from her body.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormit. B. Virg.

[2] Lib. V in Cantica.

[3] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

[4] Lib. IV de Laudibus Virginis.

[5] Suarez., t, II in III p., disp. 21, 1, etc.

[6] Lib. VI Revelat., c. 62..

[7] Peza Elucidarii B. Virg., trac. XVI, c. 2.

[8] Ps. LXXXIII. 3.

[9] αἱ γὰρ ἔξοδοί μου ἔξοδοι ζωῆς  Prov. VIII. 35.

 4   When we go more deeply into the proof of this truth we find that, all things considered, there are two ways that death can assail us: of necessity, the attack must either come from within ourselves or from the outside. Concerning the first, I well remember reading in St Isidore[1] and the venerable Bede[2] that there have been people so rash as to teach that the MOTHER OF GOD died a violent death; but I am also aware that this has been rejected by all. They may have sought to rely on Simeon's prophetic reference to a sword, but this can in no way support a doctrine with such an extreme conclusion. Now, concerning attacks from the inside, they can all be grouped under three possibilities: illness, violence attributable to some passion, or the natural process of ageing and growing weaker. 

With regard to illness, I am confident that anyone 

    • who recalls what we said earlier about the sound constitution of the most sacred Virgin’s body; 

    • who reflects on the fact that there is no mention of any illness in the account of her life and her death, and that all the Doctors hold that she was exempt form such; and 

    • who recalls how Moses[3] and his brother Aaron[4] went to their graves only at the command of God, never having suffered from any illness or disease during their lifetimes, 

    then such a person will have no difficulty in accepting that the same favour was granted to the MOTHER OF GOD.

Similarly, we cannot claim that she died of old age for there is no reason to suppose that a body constituted like hers would have become worn out and weak by the age of 63 or 72, which the most commonly accepted estimates5 of how many years she had on earth.

The story is told of the Cumaean Sibyl who was uniquely beloved of Apollo and was invited one day to to ask for any favour she wanted. As they were at the seaside, she grabbed a handful of sand and asked that she could live for as many years as there were grains of sand in her hand. This favour was immediately granted her, but on condition that she never look upon the land of her birth, otherwise she would lose her life before the time was up. Having obtained her request, she returned to Cumae where she lived for such a long time that her life started to become a source of suffering. Then she received a letter on which someone had put chalk from her native land. She had scarcely begun to open the letter when her soul escaped from her body where it had been forcibly detained as in a prison. Now I know this is only a gracious courtesy such as Poets use, meaning here that this virgin who had a sound constitution and lived a healthy life-style had finally arrived at extreme old age. This would have been a privilege that the most holy Virgin would have enjoyed too had not Heaven, patiently awaiting her arrival, authorised the fixing of her final day, so as to grant the fervent desire she had to be swiftly united with her sovereign good. 

Concerning the possibility of dying as a result of some disordered passion, it is sufficient to recall what we have said earlier. 

All that remains to say now is that holy love won the day and this beautiful soul was infused with such a sweet yet powerful attraction that, unable to resist, the soul flew to her Beloved.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. de Vita et Morte sanctorum, c. 68.

[2] In c. ii. Lucæ.

[3] Deut. xxxii, xxxiv.

[4] Num. xx. ; Deut. x.

[5] V. Christophorum a Castro, in Hist. Deiparæ, c. 20, nº 18.

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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