Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 13 : § 2.6-7

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Worker of great miracles

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

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. The MOTHER OF GOD is, after her Son, the Omnipotent Worker of great wonders

 6   With regard to the second reason, I have shown in the previous chapter that she is in truth the Queen and Sovereign Lady of the universe, the Empress of men and of Angels, and as a necessary consequence, that she has sovereign Power over all creatures. It seems to me that this Power has been given to her in a threefold manner: 

    • firstly, when she was chosen to be the Mother of the Eternal King; 

    • secondly, by virtue of the choice her Son freely made as soon as He became Incarnate in her womb – for having honoured her so greatly as to submit Himself to her power, there can be no doubt that He would not have submitted all other things to her and that He would not have commanded all His subjects to obey her; and

    • thirdly, when she was consecrated and crowned as Queen in Heaven, when she received once more absolute power over the whole domain of her Son. 

Now, as all the titles of His Kingship go far beyond ordinary laws, in the same way the Power that she has in consequence of her Queenship is entirely out of the ordinary. In virtue of this Power, it follows that: 

    • she commands the Angels – both the good and the bad; 

    • she performs all sorts of miracles in heaven and on earth; 

    • she can modify nature and make use of it as it pleases her, in conformity with the will of her Son, whom she knows perfectly and for whose glory she works all these wonders. 

In order to make a sound judgement about this, we can say that if St Gregory[1] could write that:

the Saints, who rank only as servants or friends, are nevertheless able to perform miracles and wonders not only by impetration (asking for God’s help), but also by making use of their own authority and power to command nature,

then who could object if we were to say the same of the Queen Mother? Remembering the miracle that Joshua worked[2], is there anything that could possibly be more extraordinary and which seemed to upset the actual order of the universe more than the way he halted the course of the Sun and of the celestial spheres upon which the whole of the rest of the world depends? And if Joshua was able to do this on his own authority, are you going to say that Mary could not do the same?

Footnotes

[1] II Dial., c. 30.

[2] Josue x. 12-13.

 7   Concerning the third reason, I have already shown earlier that the Saviour of men communicated to her in a pre-eminent manner the title and office of Reparatrix[1], not only because she provided from her own substance the price of our redemption and the victim of our salvation, conjointly offering with Him the sacrifice of the Cross, but also because in the person of St John He entrusted her with all the elect as her children[2], so that she might bring them forth unto glory. Much more than all this, we have the continual experience of the tender care she shows towards them, underlining the extraordinary nature of the responsibility with which she has been entrusted. 

From this I conclude that it must be said of her what we said earlier about her Son, namely that since everything in the physical and spiritual world is for the salvation of the predestined who have been entrusted to her care, then she must have received a power which she is free to exercise not only to produce ordinary effects but also for such extraordinary miracles as may be proper to attain this end. For my part, I am quite convinced that if we were permitted a glimpse of the secret things taking place around us, we would see marvellous operations of grace that she performs in souls, not only through managing things externally through the mediation of the good Angels, but more immediately through herself, acting within our hearts and minds in an eminent manner proportionately to that of the sacred Humanity. According to learned theologians, a priest has the power to act directly on the substance of souls to produce grace in a physical manner by means of sacred words, as instruments of the Divinity. Now if this is the case with priests and the Sacraments of the Church, can we be in any doubt something similar but more elevated would be available for her who is far higher than these in dignity? 

If adequate words of explanation fail us, then let us offer honour silently within our hearts and praise God eternally that He has made it possible for us to be at the service of a Lady so mighty, to whom all power has been given in heaven and on earth, and who can work every sort of wonder in nature and in grace, whenever need arises, not only for our salvation but also for our happiness and joy.

Footnotes

[1] Reparatrix (Fr. Réparatrice) : she who restores to state of grace or innocence, restorer, redemptrix [DMLBS]. Cf. : "May the most gracious Virgin Mother of God look kindly, she who, because she gave us Jesus the Redeemer, nourished Him, and at the Cross offered Him as a victim, by reason of her mysterious union with Him and utterly singular grace, became and is piously called the Reparatrix." Pius XI, Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor (AAS 20 [1928] 178)

[2] John xix. 26-27.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 13 : § 2.4-5

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Worker of great miracles

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

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. The MOTHER OF GOD is, after her Son, the Omnipotent Worker of great wonders

The Virgin’s Omnipotence is shown thirdly when working miracles of nature

 4   As for the miracles she worked in nature, there seems little point in giving details since she performs so many every day that I could apply the words of St John[1] about the Saviour’s miracles, namely if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written. I do not think that a single Christian can be found who does not know personally of several miracles she has worked; that there is a single Church which does not offer acknowledgement and gratitude for them; that there is no sickness that she has not cured, no accident nor species in nature that she has not altered[2], no habits of action that she has not steered onto the right path – all of which are not insignificant proofs of her untrammelled Power. Do not be under any illusion that the Saviour did not have good reason for choosing to work through her means the first of his miracles at Cana in Galilee[3], for although He told her at first that His hour was not yet come, He decided to bring it forward and immediately worked the miracle, as has been noted by St Ambrose[4] St Chrysostom[5] and St Cyril[6]. He wanted to give a clear sign from this that He was placing the power of working miracles at the disposition of His Mother, including those He would work with with his own hands.

Footnotes

[1] John xxi. 25.

[2] See Part III ch.9,§ 3. 

[3] John ii. 1-11.

[4] Serm. 6 in Psal. CXVIII.

[5] Homil. 21.

[6] Lib. I, c. 23.

It is shown fourthly through the close connection she has with her Son

 5   Now if you are curious to know more about why she possesses a power so absolute, I should tell you that my opinion is that it is closely linked to the special connection she has to those reasons we considered above explaining her son’s Pre-eminent Power. Consider firstly the union that He had with the Divinity – and has not the Virgin participated in this so closely that we can truthfully say she has been personally united to the Word in her own substance, since the substance of the Son is part of the substance of the Mother? Even if there were nothing else other than this union made within her sacred womb, try to imagine the heat this furnace would have conceived from such a powerful conflagration, and what power would have been communicated to her by this personal indwelling for the space of nine months. If the Cross, from which He hung for only three hours and where He endured only torments, has nevertheless been so honoured as to become a common instrument for the working of the most remarkable miracles, what are we then to think about His Mother, in whose womb He dwelt for such a long time and from whom He received life itself? If the hem of His garment, if even a herb growing near the statue that the woman with an issue of blood erected to Him[1], passed on a supernatural power of healing as soon as she drew near to the hem of the robe of the statue – what must we think about her who did not simply touch lightly on one occasion the hem of the garment but who bore Him so long within her womb or carried him in her arms, and who gave Him the precious garment of flesh with which His divinity is covered, to imitate the way of speaking found in St Chrysostom[2] and St Isidore of Damietta[3]? If touching the bodies of the Blessed Apostles St Peter and St Paul was enough to confer upon an iron chain[4], a handkerchief[5] and a shadow[6] the power of working miracles – do you think that the intimate and substantial contact Mary had with the sacred Humanity would have communicated nothing less to the Blessed Mother? Who would believe that? Now if you move on to moral union: He who keepeth my commandments, shall abide in my love, says the Saviour[7], and shall have absolute power to accomplish all his desires. If you have only a little amount of living faith, as big as a grain of mustard then I told you in truth that you will be able to command the mountains and they will move, they will go and fall into the sea[8]. He that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do[9]. There you have the power of Christian faith. What then could be the power of her who has faith, charity and all the virtues to perfection, and who has never for even a single instant being other than perfectly united to the pure will of God?

Footnotes

[1] Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Ecclesiastical History, reports that, in his day a statue of Jesus curing the Bleeding Woman existed in Caesarea Philippi, and miraculous cures were obtained from a plant growing on it. See Book 6: CHAPTER 18.

[2] Homil. de uno legisl., et Serm. 6 in Gen.

[3] Lib. I, Epist. 248. Otherwise known as St Isidore of Pelusium.

[4] Acts xii. 6-7. The Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) was built in the 5th century in Rome to house the chains with which St. Peter was imprisoned in Jerusalem. 

[5] Acts xix. 12.

[6] Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities. Acts  v. 15.

[7] John xv. 10 et seq.

[8] Matt. xvii. 19; Mark xi. 23.

[9] John xiv. 12.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 13 : § 2.1-3

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Worker of great miracles

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

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. The MOTHER OF GOD is, after her Son, the Omnipotent Worker of great wonders

 1   Those whose hearts have once come to value and esteem the great and excellent splendours of the Virgin will have already seen and understood in their minds the following truth: that when God communicated His love to her – the Father giving her His Son and the Son choosing her for His Mother – He communicated His divine attributes and perfections at the same time. Since this communication of His love was in a certain manner infinite (when compared to all other mere creatures), in the same way it is simple to see that He communicated His perfections and attributes to her in a similar manner. This is why writers have found no difficulty in calling her all holy, all fair, all wise, all good and all powerful[1] (always after the uncreated Essence and the divinized Humanity). Let us leave to one side the other attributes, for you my rest assured that just as the status of MOTHER OF GOD surpasses in an immeasurable manner the nature, grace and glory of all the rest of Paradise, so too her Power is immeasurably above the laws of nature, grace and glory. Is anything else needed to demonstrate that she is the Queen of miracles and the worker of unimaginable miracles?

Footnotes

[1] See the authors named in Part I, ch. 13, § 3.

The Virgin’s Omnipotence is shown in the Conception of the divine Word

 2   If someone were nevertheless to ask for proof of her power by showing examples of what it could achieve, it would be simple enough to produce the masterpiece of miracles and the wonder of all the wonders of the world – which is to have conceived and brought forth a God. The masterpiece of the Son of God is His Mother, and the masterpiece of the Mother is her Son; and where could we ever find an example of the divinity showing forth the greatness of His absolute power in a manner more wondrous than in making a God? He willed that the Virgin should also be the worker of this wonder: the worker by her all powerful Fiat, and the effective cause by her physical engendering of His divine body. That which I have engendered is a Sun, Egyptian wisdom boasts in a celebrated inscription in the temple of Minerva; but it is quite another thing to say : That which I have engendered is a God. 

Do not quote Solomon’s masterpieces by way of comparison : his throne, his temple and so on, for consider how different it is to have built the living Temple and the substantial Throne of the Divinity. How may gold, silver and marble be compared to the adorable Flesh which is united to the Divinity? Neither forming new skies nor creating seraphim a hundred times more beautiful than those in heaven would show so gloriously the miracle of the Virgin’s power then she did when with two words she gave being to the King of Heaven and the Lord of Angels. There is a greater distance between man and God than between nothingness and a creature. That is why it is a more miraculous work to make a man God than to draw the whole universe from nothing, as a Doctor of the Sorbonne[1] once said. Why should we not therefore feel free to call Mary all-powerful, since the object and the measure of her power is the omnipotent, surpassing all the effects and all the wonders of nature, grace and glory?

Footnotes

[1] Mayro, Serm. de Annuntiat.

Secondly, the Virgin’s Omnipotence is shown in the work of our salvation

 3   After what we have just considered, do you think there might be anything else which might be truly worthy of wonder? Would it be the work of our salvation and the restoration of the world? Would it be grace, or glory? What! Was not all this placed under the Virgin’s power along with Him who is the salvation of the world, the principle of grace and of glory? The Saints are masterpieces of grace and are like so many  living miracles and eternal wonders of glory. Well, I am telling you that they are all works of the Virgin. Why else do you think that the first man whom the Saviour sanctified by His presence, and of whom He said that there was not a greater born of woman[1], was willed by the Saviour to be sanctified by the word of His Mother, as St Elizabeth testified[2]? What reason could there be for this if not to make known to us that it would be the same for all the others? In fact, if you run through the histories of the most famous Saints for whom we still have detailed accounts, you will see in all of them certain traits which make it known how she played a special role in each case. Add to this the remarkable conversion of so many sinners whom she daily redirects onto the path of salvation in ways which are altogether extraordinary. Are these not wondrous prodigies not only of goodness and mercy but also of omnipotence? For in order to save them she has to stop death in its tracks hundreds of times, she has to confound all of Satan’s plans, and she has to restrain the laws forming part of God’s ordinary justice. You will be reading several memorable examples at various points in Part III of this work.

Footnotes

[1] For I say to you: Amongst those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. Luke vii. 28.

[2] For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Luke I. 44.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 13 : § 1.3-6

Chapter 13 The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Worker of great miracles

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)

§ 1. Omnipotent: the eighth title of the King of glory Incarnate

The first reason for the Saviour’s Omnipotence

 3   The first is union with the Divinity, because as Euthymius says:

If iron which is placed for a time in a fire can draw from it qualities proper to the fire, can we be any doubt that flesh which is inseparably united with Divinity does not draw from it the power of working miracles proper to Divinity itself? 

The Holy Council of Ephesus[1] confirms this, as does the Blessed Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the Epistle[2] which was included in the documents of the sixth Synod. St Ambrose[3], Eusebius[4] and Theodoret[5] base themselves upon this when they call the Saviour the organ and the instrument of the divinity and the arm of the Lord, which is frequently exalted by the Prophet Isaiah[6]. St John Damascene[7] explains the theandric[8] or divinely human operations of which St Denys[9] speaks, when he says that:

These are principally the miraculous things which the sacred Humanity does as instrument of the Divinity.

St Cyril remarks[10] that:

The Saviour, in the miracles of healing that he performed, sometimes laid hands upon the persons to be healed, to let it be known that this miraculous power resided in His flesh.

Does it not seem, moreover, that this is what He wanted to show in the healing of the woman who suffered from an issue of blood, when he spoke in the following manner: I know that virtue is gone out from me[11]. Was it not to make us understand that His sacred body, which was clad in the garment touched by the sick woman, was full of miraculous and almighty virtues, and to make us realise that His sacred Humanity had received by way of a property or appanage[12] such an inherent and habitual power habitually to work all manner of miracles?

Footnotes

[1] Cant. 11.

[2] Act. 11.

[3] Serm. 90 et 91.

[4] Lib. IV de Demonst. Ev., c. 13.

[5] Dial. immutabilis.

[6] Isai. li, lii & liii.

[7] Lib. III de Fidc, c. 19.

[8] Of or pertaining to both God and man; partaking of both the human and the divine.

[9] Ep. 9 ad Cas.

[10] Lib. II in Joann., c. 5, et lib. IV, c. 14.

[11] Luke viii. 43-48.

[12] appanage: A specially appointed, and hence, a natural or necessary, adjunct, accompaniment, endowment, or attribute.

The second reason

 4   The second reason is rooted in the dignity of the King and sovereign Lord of the universe, a dignity which is proper to Him even as man. Firstly, because this man is the Son of God, and as a consequence is His legitimate heir and the Lord of all that belongs to Him, and next because all things are for Him, whether we say that He was the first in the decree of creation, or we follow what was concluded in Part I of this work[1], namely that He was made man on the occasion of man’s sin. Thirdly, this dignity is proper to Him by natural right according to which that which is nobler and higher has power and lordship over that which is lower. Fourthly, this dignity belongs to Him by acquired right as He made known to His Apostles when He told them[2] : All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Forasmuch as I have already covered the subject of Kingship in the previous chapter, I shall say no more than that His is quite different from that of temporal Kings and Lords who only had Power over the exterior of their subjects. The power of the King of glory, however, includes the depths and the effects of nature in such a way that He can stop them, change them, or alter them as it pleases Him, and make use of them to work all sorts of miracles, as He does every day, and as He will most notably in the final destruction of the world of elements in which we live and move and have our being.

Footnotes

[1] Part I, chap. 2, § 1.

[2] Matt. xxviii. 18.

The third reason

 5   The third reason comes from his title as Saviour of men. When His Father gave Him responsibility for leading them in an effective manner to their last end, which is their eternal salvation, at the same time He granted Him power over all that could help them and all that could cause them to deviate from the right path. All that happens not only in heaven but also amidst the elements and in the whole physical world, indeed in the intellectual world of the Angels as well, serves this end; following the saying of the Apostle[1], which declares that all things are for the sake of the elect, and then again for all are yours; and you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s[2], we must understand that full powers have been granted to Him over all nature, both physical and spiritual, to dispose of them as He judges best for the salvation of His own and for the glory of His Father, and that all the miracles performed for this are works of His hand, which preach the name Wonderful that the Prophet Isaiah[3] gave to Him : Wonderful not only because of the divine perfections He has in Himself, but also on account of the working of miracles that He produces outside of Himself. Add to all this the miracles of grace in the justification of sinners, and in the perfection and glorification of the Saints, each of which could with good reason be called a masterpiece of His power and without doubt proportionately more wonderful inasmuch as grace and glory surpass nature.

Footnotes

[1] Part I, chap. 2, § 1.

[2] Act. 11.

[3] For all things are for your sakes; that the grace abounding through many, may abound in thanksgiving unto the glory of God.  II Cor. iv. 15.

[4] I Cor. 3, 23.

[5] Isaiah ix. 6.

 6   If you pause and reflect for a moment on the three reasons for His title of omnipotence that we have been discussing, you will be forced to agree that He has every reason to be called the Grand Master[1], not only in nature, but also in grace and glory, seeing that He is constituted the head of all things within these three orders. God subjected all to his power, says St Paul[2], following the Prophet David[3]; now, He who uses the word all (as the Apostle does here) may be understood as allowing for no exceptions, saving only the One who subjected all to Him. 

That is enough about the King of glory and now let us come to the Queen.

Footnotes

[1] The head of a chivalric order; note the reference to the three orders (of nature, grace and glory).

[2] Hebr. i. passim..

[3] Thou hast subjected all things under his feet. Ps. viii. 8.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 13 : § 1.1-2

Chapter 13 The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Worker of great miracles

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)

There is always a greatness about God, even in the smallest of things, but He has nevertheless reserved for Himself, says St Augustine[1], certain works which are more miraculous than the rest and which go beyond the ordinary laws of nature and of grace, in order that we might have a better understanding of the greatness of His absolute power, a power for which he is called the Omnipotent, the Master par excellence and the Worker of great miracles[2].

Even though this title in its full perfection is properly His alone through nature and through essence[3], it has nevertheless been communicated through a special privilege to the sacred Humanity, and through communication to the Blessed Virgin, whom I call in this sense the Worker of great miracles, the Omnipotent and the Absolute.

Footnotes

[1] Tract. XXIV in Joann.

[2] Who is like to thee, among the strong, O Lord? who is like to thee, glorious in holiness, terrible and praiseworthy, doing wonders? Exod. xv.11.

[3] Who alone doth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever: Ps. CXXXV. 4.

§ 1. Omnipotent: the eighth title of the King of glory Incarnate

 1    When it comes to this wonderful title, once again Solomon has the honour of having prefigured the Saviour. That he was a great worker of miracles and the Thaumaturge[1] of the Hebrews I have no doubt, having read[2] that he received as a gift infused knowledge of all the secrets of nature, that he had a perfect understanding of the power of celestial influences[3], the forces operating in the elements, in rocks, metals and plants, the properties of animals, sympathy and antipathy[4], and in general the strength and extent of all natural causes. 

If we see that through applying themselves industriously in any of these areas there may be found men who can produce effects so extraordinary as to seem like miracles, whether it is in mechanical movement through the proportion of weights, line of direction, controlled breathing, through the power of vacuum and such like discoveries; or in the field of medicine by the use of untried simples[5] and distilled essences; or in nature as a whole through the modification of species – what are we meant to think about him who understood perfectly the power of all these causes, who knew how to apply them and had the necessary means to hand? This is why even though Sacred history does not specify what he did, and even though I do not accept as authentic the miraculous cures that Josephus and others attribute to him[6], (forasmuch as they are rabbinical fables, or even works of magic, which we would be ill-advised to attribute to such a great and wise Prince), nevertheless I have no doubt whatsoever that he had the knowledge and ability to work great wonders, since he said[7] that Wisdom the great worker of all things, had left none of her secrets hidden from him, whether for speculative or for practical purposes, so as to link him with the great King of wonders, of whom I am now about to speak.

Footnotes

[1] A worker of marvels or miracles; a wonder-worker.

[2] For he hath given me the true knowledge of the things that are: to know the disposition of the whole world, and the virtues of the elements. Wisd. vii. 17.

[3] The supposed flowing or streaming from the stars or heavens of an ethereal fluid acting upon the character and destiny of men, and affecting sublunary things generally.

[4] Antipathy: of substances, lacking in affinity, as in: there is an antipathy between oil and water.

[5] Herbs and medicinal plants.

[6] Lib. VIII Antiquit.

[7] Wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me. Wisd. vii. 21.

 2    I have used the word link forasmuch as even though it may be true that the Saviour possesses in a sovereign degree this practical knowledge about the secrets of nature, and also a natural power over all the most wondrous effects that can be produced through the application of sensible causes – all this is so little in comparison with the supernatural power He has even as a man that I am not going to consider it further. It must be understood that, apart from the omnipotence He has according to His divine person and nature, being equal in all things and everywhere to His Father; apart from the participation in this omnipotence that He received as man through communication of idioms[1], meaning that in the same way that we speak of a man-God we can also speak of an omnipotent man – apart from this, I am saying He received immediately in His most holy humanity a pre-eminent power so great and so absolute that it is difficult to distinguish it from omnipotence, except in its dependency upon Divinity. This power extends over all nature, which is entirely subject to Him, not only in relation to those effects which are ordinary, but also for those which are extraordinary and which we call miraculous effects; we can say the power extends in general to anything it pleases Him to do. The proof of this is so clear in the Gospels that I do not intend to produce examples; I will simply touch briefly on the three main reasons why the Holy Fathers teach that this power was given to the sacred Humanity, because my aim is to show later in this discussion how the glorious Mother has this same power at a secondary level by virtue of participation.

Footnotes

[1] Communication of Idioms (Communicatio Idiomatum): Communication of properties: A technical expression in the theology of the Incarnation. It means that the properties of the Divine Word can be ascribed to the man Christ, and that the properties of the man Christ can be predicated of the Word. See ST III 16.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 12 : § 3.3-6

Chapter 12 The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Queen of all Creation

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)

§ 3. The reason the Holy Virgin is Queen of the Universe and the extent of her dominion

 3   Along with these other Fathers, Arnold of Chartres[1] has also written words that deserve our attention, as when he says:

There is no way of separating the power and dominion of the Son from those of the Mother; both share one same flesh, one same spirit and one same love; accordingly, once the words had been spoken to her: the Lord is with thee (note how rich in meaning they are), the promise was fulfilled, the gift came into effect and Lordship over all things was conferred upon her.

He adds that:

Unity does not admit of division, and once two things have become one, that which has been made from the two can no longer be divided; in consequence (strictly and properly speaking) we must not say that the Son shares His glory with His Mother but rather that they both have one and the same glory.

This Doctor could not be closer to the truth since under civil law mothers may sometimes enjoy the rights, honours and titles of their offspring, but this will depend upon whether it was the will of the Legislators to make such a provision; under the law of nature, however, it is indeed the case that all the goods and honours of the children are placed under the power of their father and their mother and they can enjoy them as though they were their own. The Prince of Philosophers[2] reflected deeply on the world of nature and taught:

there is no opposition in justice truly understood between the father and the offspring, and this holds true with regard to the mother too, forasmuch as according to nature they are one and there is accordingly amity between them;

He goes on to say that:

This amity has a certain excellence in the person of the father which is accompanied by the dominion he has over his offspring and all that is his. 

In the preceding chapter, he had already said that:

this paternal power, which is a pre-eminent power, draws to a great extent from the royal power.

It might be said furthermore that royal power is actually an imitation of paternal Dominion, which explains by what right the Holy Virgin is called Sovereign Lady of the world. Let us give St John Damascene[3] the final word, before we go to consider the extent of this dominion.

It was necessary for the MOTHER OF GOD to possess all that pertained to the dominion of her Son and that she should be acknowledged and venerated as Queen of all created things. Even though, according to the ordinary course of things, inheritance passes from fathers and mothers to their children – the contrary is true in this case, and I need to borrow the words of a learned doctor and say that just as the waters of a fountain go back to their own source, in the same way the inheritance passed from the Son back to His Mother once He had subjected all created things to her.

There you have the words of this remarkable theologian.

Footnotes

[1] Tract. de Laudib. Virg.

[2] S. Ethic., c. 11.

[3] Orat. 1 de Assumpt.

The extent of the Holy Virgin’s power

 5   We should perhaps be satisfied with what has been said up until now without wishing to delve further into the secret archives of heaven, looking for documents and title deeds in relation to this glorious Lady:

The human mind should be more than happy, says Saint Augustine, to acknowledge the Holy Virgin as Queen of Heaven since she conceived and brought forth the King of Angels.

This notwithstanding, St John Damascene[1] tells us that this research has been carried out in a spirit of due humility and respect which redounds to the glory of the King and the Queen. Accordingly, I think it would be worthwhile spending a little time on this question. I am not going to dwell upon the power which she has over men, since she is their Sovereign Lady and Mistress for all the reasons that we have been discussing throughout Part II. I will, however, propose that the domain of her crown and her sceptre extends far beyond these, for it also encompasses the Angels and even reaches into the dark confines of hell. St Augustine[2], Saint Ildephonsus[3], and all the other writers hail her as Queen of Angels. The pious writer known as Idiota[4] and St Bonaventure[5] declare that she is Sovereign Lady of all that is in heaven beneath God, all that is on earth and also all that is under the earth. Arnold of Chartres proclaims[6] unequivocally that:

It is the will of God that those in heaven above, those who are on earth here below and the inhabitants of hell should bend the knee at the name of Mary, no more nor less than at the name of her Son; in short, everyone who bends the knee at the name of Jesus should also kneel at the name of Mary.

St Bernadine of Siena ever jealous for the honour his beloved mother, says all that might be said about this. Here is how he speaks[7]:

Just as there are creatures serving the most holy Trinity, so too there are those which obey Mary, whatever their rank or dignity might be: whether they are found amongst those who are purely spiritual beings like the Angels, or amongst those composed of body and spirit like men, or those which are completely inanimate, such as the skies and the elements; all are subject to the Dominion of the glorious Virgin, including those in heaven and those who are here on Earth, as well as those who are damned – in short, everything which is within the purview and domain of God is also subject to Mary. He who is the Son of God and of the most blessed Virgin, desirous that in some manner the extent of His Mother’s power should equal that of His Father, chose to be part of this dominion Himself and be a subject and servant of this Virgin here on earth. This means that just as all things are under the power of God, and the Virgin is included with the others – so too there is nothing which is not under the dominion of the Virgin, God Himself being no exception.

There you have an example of speech which is bold indeed, which also shows how a Saint would speak who has perfect zeal for the honour of the MOTHER OF GOD. I do not know what can be added to this except that as Mother of the King of Glory, as Queen and sovereign Lady of the universe, she holds the keys to the treasuries of Heaven and distributes graces and favours as she pleases but always with the approval of the Prince, who could never find fault with anything that she does. 

It is by means of this, says St Augustine, that the wretched receive mercy through thee, most Holy Virgin, the hard-hearted received grace, sinners receive pardon, those here on earth receive what is heavenly, men receive God, mortal men receive life and pilgrims come to their home country, which is none other than heaven.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormit. B. Virg.

[2] Serm. de Assumpt.

[3] Serm. 7 de Assumpt.

[4] Contempl. de B. Virg., c. 5.

[5] Speculi, c. 3.

[6] Tract. de Laudib. Virg., t. VI. Bibl. SS. PP.

[7] T. I, Serm. 61, art. 3, c. 36.

 6   Let us conclude with the eloquent words of the Abbot Guerric who writes as follows in the third sermon that he composed for the Assumption, commenting upon the words in chapter 24 of Ecclesiasticus[1]: and in all these I sought rest.

The Holy Virgin, he says, did indeed seek rest more carefully than any other but she finally found it on the day of her Assumption, after the persecution of Herod, after the flight into Egypt, after the ambushes and cruelties of Jewish wickedness. Finally, after so many swords of sorrow had pierced her holy soul, on this day she can say[2]: Take courage, my soul, look now upon the place of thy rest, forasmuch as the Lord hath filled thee with good things, and thou mayest hope that He who didst make thee and who was made from thee, who took His rest within the tabernacle of thy body, will not refuse thee now the rest that thou awaitest in His palace; for He who doth reward others in full measure will not refuse a dwelling to her with whom He once dwelt with such affection.

Go forward now in trust and confidence, most Holy Mother, and do thou enter into possession of all thy Son’s goods, distributing graces and favours boldly as Mother, as Queen and as Spouse. Thine own modesty would aspire to no more than rest, but Queenship and Power are due unto thee. He with whom thou didst work conjointly the mystery of Piety and Reconciliation, when thou was for Him at the same time Mother and Spouse, now doth associate thee with His Kingship and willeth that thou should have therein as much right as Him. Take thy rest henceforth, O Virgin three times happy! Embraced by thy beloved Spouse who will make known unto thee, throughout all eternity, the joy that thou didst give unto Him during the time when He didst abide in the tabernacle of thy body, and didst take His rest upon the nuptial couch of thy heart.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. 2 de Dormit. B. Virg.

[2] Serm. de Assumpt.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025