Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 12 : § 2.1-5

Chapter 12 : Association – eleventh feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 2. Various Associations founded in honour of the MOTHER OF GOD

The Congregation of Our Lady of St Anno

 1   The holy custom of forming associations of people who are united in mind and will to offer their services to the most sacred Virgin is not a new thing. Nearly six hundred years ago, blessed Saint Anno (Archbishop of Cologne) was not content with having built and endowed in his city a fine Monastery serving a Chapter in honour of the MOTHER OF GOD, but he set up in various other locations, according to an ancient author[1], several congregations named after the Immaculate Virgin Mary. He regarded these Congregations as the apple of his eye and his esteem for the members was so great that he loved nothing better than the conversations he had with them. He was always delighted to show them signs of the affection he felt towards them for the love of the Mother whose beloved children they were. 

Footnotes

[1]  Ex Historia cujusdam Coenobitæ Sigebergensis, lib. I, c. 29.

The Confraternity of the Rosary

 2   Some two hundred years after this (in the year 1213[1]), St Dominic, who was one of the great Commanders in the Church Militant, received from Heaven the devotion of the Rosary and almost immediately afterwards the idea for a Confraternity. He appointed as its generals two members of his Order, one of whom was called Juan del Monte and the other Tomás del Templo. Here is what is written about the beginnings of this holy association[2].

St Dominic had been captured by pirates and condemned to the life of a galley slave when suddenly a violent storm arose and all on board his ship feared they would drown. St Dominic, however, prostrated himself on the floor and prayed to the MOTHER OF GOD that she would rescue them from the tempest. The Holy Virgin appeared to him and promised him that they would come to no harm provided that all those in the vessel would undertake to recite the Rosary every day and to form a new Confraternity whose members were bound to do this. Everyone on board agreed to do this and the sea then became as calm as though there had never been any storm.

The little Confraternity they established soon experience such a growth in numbers that today it is found in all corners of the world and has produced remarkable fruit. The Holy Fathers Pius IV and Pius V issued Bulls expressly authorising the ancient belief which was that God had through this means given the world a general remedy for all ills, and stating specifically that this devout association would be a bulwark of the faith and vanquish heresies. In fact, it was noted that as this devotion increased and spread, the heresies of the Albigensians and  others which had reappeared such as the Berengarians, the Petrobrusians, the Henricians and others like them, were put to flight. In the process for the canonization of St Dominic it states that in Lombardy alone more than one hundred thousand heretics were converted by the courage of the Crusaders, the efforts of St Dominic’s Friars and by the continual prayers of those who were members of the Confraternity of the Rosary. The Holy Fathers esteemed this so highly that they enriched it with many privileges and indulgences, as may be seen in the Bulls issued by Urban IV, John XXII, Sixtus IV, Innocent VIII, Alexandre VI, Julius II, de Leo X, Adrian VI, Paul III, Gregory XIII, Clement VIII and Paul V.

Footnotes

[1] Bzovius in Supplemento Annal. Baron., ad eum annum.

[2] Alanus de Rupert., lib. de Dignit. Psalterii.

The Confraternity of the Holy Virgin in Florence

 3   Scarcely twenty years [1] after the institution of that Confraternity, the Holy Virgin chose the city of Florence to be especially honoured by an association of chosen people called the Congregation of those who praise the MOTHER OF GOD. Like a good tree, this was to bear very good fruit, namely the Holy Order of the Servites which we have covered elsewhere[2].

Footnotes

[1] An. 1238.

[2] Part I, ch. 12.

The Confraternity of the Disciplined in Siena

 4    At the same time[1], or perhaps a little earlier, a new group raised their standard of devotion to the MOTHER OF GOD in the city of Siena in Tuscany. This was known as the Confraternity of the Disciplined and it was established in the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in the same city. The members began to practise with great fervour all sorts of beautiful and praiseworthy actions, including the exercise of the discipline which became so highly esteemed that it gave its name to the Confraternity which soon spread throughout the majority of cities in Italy. From this holy and honourable Confraternity emerged several valiant Captains in the Church Militant who worked wonders in fighting against the devil and the world. The list includes St Giovanni Colombini (founder of the Jesuati) along with his companion Francisco Vicente, blessed Bernardo Tolomeo, Ambrosio Picolomini and others who founded the Order of Our Lady of Mt Olivet; blessed Pietro Petroni,who was later to become a distinguished Carthusian; St Bernardine of Siena and countless other heroes whose names are written in Heaven.

Footnotes

[1] In Vita S. Bernardini.

The Confraternity of the Scapular of the Blessed Virgin

 5    Soon after this, blessed Simon Stock, who was English and a great servant of the Queen of Heaven, was specially chosen by her to spread this devotion. This holy man was called Stock because he made a tree trunk his dwelling for a period of time, awaiting by divine revelation an Order dedicated to the service of the Holy Virgin, to whom he had consecrated himself a long time previously. At the same time that St Louis was bringing back to France a number of friars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, two English barons were returning to their country accompanied by some members of this same Order. Blessed Simon was notified about this by one of his servants who alone knew of his hidden retreat and immediately went to join them. As his great holiness could not remain hidden for long, he was finally in the year 1250 elected as the sixth General of the Order. In this position he felt more duty-bound than ever to procure in every way possible the advancement of the glory of God and His holy Mother, Lady and Protectress of the Order that he had received into his charge. To this end, he frequently asked if she would be pleased by some new grace to place the great Royal Seal on the letters patent of filiation which she had granted to her children. The way he prayed for this was as follows: 

Beautiful and pleasing flower of Mount Carmel, sacred vine who didst bear the royal flower,  brightest of the stars, Virgin and Mother, but Mother and peerless Virgin, Virgin most pure and Mother most gentle : do thou deign to grant a new favour to the Order thou hast chosen.    

This prayer proved so pleasing to the Holy Virgin that one night as he was praying before one of her images, she appeared to him surrounded by extraordinary brightness and accompanied by a group of Angels. She handed the scapular to him and added that this would be henceforth the hereditary pledge of her affection towards this Order, an ensign for her Confraternity, the favour that he had been requesting, a promise of safety in the midst of dangers, a sign and a mark of the eternal union her children would have with her. Immediately after this, the MOTHER OF GOD inspired several great Princes with the desire to join this holy Confraternity. Amongst the first were St Louis, King of France; Edward, King of England; Henry, Earl of Northumberland; Angela, daughter of the King of Bohemia, and many others whom it would take too long to list. Since then, this devotion has spread throughout the world and has been adopted by a countless number of people of all ages and qualities. The Holy Fathers John XXII, Gregory XIII, Sixtus V, Gregory XIV and Clement VIII were generous with their apostolic riches and blessings, and through granting many indulgences encouraged Christians to enrol in the Confraternity.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 12 : § 1.4-8

Chapter 12 : Association – eleventh feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 1. How Association is a form of gratitude most pleasing to the MOTHER OF GOD

 4   The other comparison is with the priestly ointment[1] which was poured onto the head of Aaron and it is a comparison which is very revealing for the purposes of this discussion. First of all, this ointment was not profane but sacred, destined to anoint and sanctify the High Priest Aaron and his successors, to anoint the Ark of the Covenant, the Altar of incense and the Altar of holocaust, the Candlestick, the table of the loaves of proposition along with all the other vessels used in the Sanctuary. Apart from this, it was not permitted to use the ointment for other purposes – in fact it was expressly prohibited on pain of death to use it for profane purposes. This means that this mystical ointment of God’s benediction is reserved for sacred vessels and for those consecrated to the service of His Majesty in a holy association, for only the latter are capable of receiving the sweet grace of this celestial ointment; those with carnal feelings and profane minds are lacking in unnecessary disposition to share the blessing. 

Footnotes

[1] Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, which ran down to the skirt of his garment : Ps. CXXXII. 2.

 5   Secondly, this precious oil of unction was a mysterious mixture of four ingredients specially chosen by God[1]: one was the first myrrh, namely that which oozes from the tree without any cuts or incisions being made; next was the juice of the same myrrh, melted and distilled, called stact; the third was aromatic calamus; and the fourth was cassia. These four ingredients would be soaked and boiled in oil which then permeated them, causing them to infuse into each other so as to make a liquid which could be poured. The process had the effect of communicating to each ingredient the properties of all the others and to all of them the properties of each one. What can this mean for our purposes except that all those making up a holy congregation are like the ingredients, so to speak, of a divine ointment; they are like so many aromatic substances chosen by God and His Holy Mother so that from their different natures and ways of living might be formed one sacred perfume causing God and the Angels delight and joy? This is the thinking underlying the wise words of the great St Antony who said, according to Abbot Cassian[2]:

It should not be expected that all sorts of virtues can be found in one individual. In reality, one person may be commendable for knowledge, another admirable for his discernment of spirits, another may be gifted with marvellous patience, another may be peerless in his humility – in short, virtues such as simplicity, continence, magnanimity and diligence, may be distributed amongst different individuals, some here and some there. Accordingly, the spiritual man should be like a busy bee gathering sometimes here and sometimes there, trying to profit from the good examples offered by everyone. 

St Leo[3] and St Augustine[4] actually go further than this and say something which is very relevant to our discussion, namely that :

Even though these virtues seem to be shown by particular individuals, it is nevertheless the case that the oil of charity and the holy association they all share render the good qualities of each individual available to all. In order to acquire them, all that is required is to look upon them without envy, bless each person for their virtues and then lay claim to them by right of the spiritual union resulting from their association.

This was the feeling David[5] had when from the depths of his soul he spoke the following words : I am a partaker with all them that fear thee, and that keep thy commandments. 

All ye of a miserly spirit, how can you fail to make use of such a wonderful opportunity for multiplying your spiritual goods and gaining ten thousand for one? All ye souls tied to the earth, when will you cease to be forgetful of Heaven? All ye foolish men, how long will you remain immersed in the things of this world? How long will you neglect the business of your own salvation which can be gained so cheaply? Ye men so thoughtless and unseeing, for how long will you remain blind? 

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Exod. xxx. 23-25.

[2] Lib. V, c. 4.

[3] Serm. 10.

[4] Homil. 15.

[5] Psal. CXVIII. 63.

 6   Thirdly, this precious ointment ran down from the head of Aaron[1]  and onto his beard and collar. The fact that the latter are adjacent to the head signifies the dependence owed to those whom God has chosen to govern religious associations and the close connection that their members should have between themselves and with their head; if this is missing, the precious ointment is dissipated and lost. 

Footnotes

[1] Psal. CXXXII. 2.

 7    Fourthly, this fragrance is so pleasing that it fills the Sanctuary in that part of the Temple where incense was offered, as well as the Court of the Priests, the Court of Israel and the Court of the Gentiles, even spreading outside the Temple and filling the air around with a sweet scent. In this we can see an image of the fragrant odour of virtues and good deeds given off by religious congregations and confraternities, bringing joy not only to those who have the honour of belonging to them but also affecting others who are not members and frequently inspiring them to desire a share in such good things.

 8   Finally, the Royal Prophet[1] concludes that all these privileges come from the blessing which Heaven generously confers upon such associations and which is not communicated so easily to those who are strangers. God is indeed the Master of His graces and He distributes them according to His good pleasure and since there are normally several individuals within these holy associations who attract His graces and favours, He confers them generously – particularly when they are under the protection of His most Holy Mother and have been instituted in her honour. In cases such as these, in order to please her and in gratitude for all the wondrous services she has rendered Him, He gives all that is asked of Him without being able to refuse anything. We shall form a better idea of the blessed state of those enrolled in such associations in the pages which follow.  

Footnotes

[1] For there the Lord hath commandeth blessing, and life for evermore : Psal. CXXXII. 3.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 12 : § 1.1-3

Chapter 12 : Association – eleventh feature of the gratitude we owe the Mother of God

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

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

The closer a river comes to the sea, the more its current is swollen by waters from streams and tributaries flowing into it. In the same way, the closer we draw to the end, the more our acts of gratitude are reinforced by others. Association, which is the subject of this Chapter, provides convincing proof of this.

§ 1. How Association is a form of gratitude most pleasing to the MOTHER OF GOD

 1   No one can be in any doubt about this who considers the glory that God derives from it and the way in which the Church greatly profits from it, both in a general and in a particular sense. In my opinion, no one has described the advantages of this better than the Royal Prophet in his Psalm CXXXII, where he says[1] that it is greatly pleasing to see several brothers joined together in association by the sacred bond of charity, having all one heart, one design and one intention :  to dedicate themselves to the service of God. He goes on to  proclaim how sweet and how rewarding this life of holy association is, and makes two beautiful comparisons. 

Footnotes

[1] Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity: Ps. CXXXII 1.

 2   The first is with one of the most pleasant and fertile mountains in Palestine and the gentle influences that descend upon it from the heavens. Such a company or congregation, he says[1],  may be likened with justice unto the dew which, flowing from Mount Hermon, renders fertile all the land roundabout, or that which drops down on Mount Zion, enriching the nearby valleys.    

It must be noted, says the learned Bishop of Christopolis[2], that there are two Mt Hermons : the first, which is separated from Mount Lebanon by a small valley, is situated between the land of the tribe of Nephthali and the territory of Damascus. It serves as a defensive rampart for Palestine on the northern side and is the source of the Abana and the Pharphar, two famous rivers of Damascus. On the opposite side is the silvery spring which is known as the Phiala and is the source of the river Jordan. The second Mt Hermon is in Galilee where St John used to baptise and which David calls little Hermon[3]. Both enjoy a most favourable situation and they are both rich in plants, pastures, trees and all manner of fruit, just like the beautiful Mount Sion whose greenery delights the eyes of all who see it. They are both rendered fertile by the abundance of dew falling from heaven and which also benefits the neighbouring valleys, to the joy of those who farm there. 

Are you not already able to see the remarkable points of similarity here? Just as all these mountains adjoining one another share the same dew, so too those people who are in one Congregation share the same graces which drop down from heaven like dew; and just as all these mountains are not equal in size but there are some whose summit is higher than others, so too in every Congregation there is inequality and there are always certain souls which have achieved greater heights than others. But just as the smallest, says David, benefit from the dew falling on the highest, and even the least of the valleys can also benefit, so too the less perfect Congregations are able to take advantage of the wisdom and good example of those which are more advanced. 

This is particularly well expressed in Ecclesiastes[4] in a threefold manner : If one fall he shall be supported by another who is stronger; and if two lie together, they shall warm one another; and if a man prevail against one, two shall withstand him; accordingly, woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth, he hath none to lift him up.

Footnotes

[1] As the dew of Hermon, which descendeth upon mount Sion : Ps. CXXXII 3.

[2] Jacobus de Valentia, ibi. [Bishop Jaime Pérez de Valencia, O.S.A. (1408-1490), titular Bishop of Chrstopolis]    .

[3] Hermoniim . . . the little hill : Ps. XLI 7.

[4] Ecclesiastes iv. 9 et seq.

 3   How true this proves to be in the case of Congregations and Confraternities instituted in a holy manner and maintained with care, where it is simply not possible to describe the benefits which members derive from the encounters and conversations coming from their association with each other. How many are there who after very dangerous lapses have not found themselves helped back onto the path of virtue by the help and skill of someone with whom they had formed a spiritual friendship? How many persons with a bad conscience have found themselves entirely changed by associating with others after forming a holy friendship with them? Tell me if you can think of a more wicked case than that of Saul who had gone to Ramatha with the aim of seizing David and putting him to the sword? Were there ever servants more determined to do evil than those whom he sent one after another to seize him and bring him back bound head and foot?  No sooner, however, had they arrived at the place where the Prophets had gathered along with Samuel and David than they forgot themselves and the reason for their journey and spent the whole day and night singing praises to God; for the Lord of our hearts wished in this manner to make known to everyone how much it serves those who are lacking in virtue to find themselves in the company of those who are better than they are. How many times has it happened to people who have a cold and stony heart, without any feeling of devotion or any desire to do good, that nevertheless they suddenly become fired with a desire to receive the Sacraments, to study prayer and to perform works of charity motivated just by the example and company of others?

It is no simple matter, says St Gregory[1], to explain in a few words the impact upon us of good examples shown to us by our brothers. The life of virtuous men and women is a living lesson we always have before us and their company is a source of strength and inspiration to help us accomplish all our holy intentions.

How many people are there whose prayers would never have had any effect if they had not been borne up to heaven along with those of others which God could not turn down? How many are there who would never have been able to resist the assaults of the enemy but would have been overcome and cast down by the least of his temptations were they not to have been strengthened by the help and support of others more skilled and more battle-hardened than themselves?   

What an advantage it is, declares the devout St Bernard[2], for the weak to be in the company of others, especially those who understand the tricks of spiritual warfare!  For a group of men or women gathered together is no less formidable in the eyes of the demons than the serried ranks of a company of determined soldiers is to a fearful enemy.  

I would go further, adds the great Pope St Leo, and say that even were you to be well-trained and practised in the military arts, you would be advised always to join the ranks of a company under the command of a wise and experienced captain rather than to confront the enemy alone. When you do battle as part of a group you do so with more confidence and with less danger than when on your own; you will fight with much less fear if you are not only protected by your own shield but also protected by those of your comrades around you; 

This is especially true in the last battle which is waged when we depart from this life for then the invisible powers of the air attack us with all their might, for now the time has come to win or to lose all; and how many souls could be found who would have suffered the worst if they had not received help and reinforcement by those with whom they had lived spiritually?  

If this needs to be made even clearer:

How many souls are there who would never escape divine justice, asks the devout Diego Eguia (who was Confessor to our Father St Ignatius), if they had not been presented along with others in whose company they were allowed to slip through; just as often happens when a large payment is made and the recipient does not pay so much attention to one particular coin which would otherwise have been weighed more carefully if presented alone? 

Footnotes

[1] Lib. XXIV Moral., c. 6.

[2] Serm. 6 de Circumcis.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 11 : § 14.6-7

Chapter 11 : Imitation – tenth feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 14. How she should be imitated by all those seeking to die well

Having recourse in good time to the final weapons available to a Christian ; establishing friendships with good and virtuous people during your life; leaving a pious memorial for children, friends, etc 

 6   God granted the Holy Virgin the favour of having the Apostles present at her death, not only so that she might receive their assistance and the weapons which her Son bequeathed to all Christians but to bid them a final farewell and to give them some words of advice. I can discern three exceptional lessons in this that the Mother of love is giving to all her dear children. The first is to put on the armour of salvation in good time and to request the help of the Holy Sacraments, not only to avoid being taken by surprise but also to make their subsequent actions more meritorious. They will also be given strength to repel their enemies and to bear with the afflictions of any illness, having by their side Him who overcame death and the devil, vanquishing all of our foes. 

The second lesson is for people to establish friendships during life with good and virtuous people who can offer them assistance in their final hours of need. By virtue of their friendship and their charity, these friends will feel able to visit without being asked in order to offer their services. The presence of such people also thwarts the efforts of the invisible spirits and helps to calm the anxieties of others in the house. Their words can awaken dormant senses and their prayers can obtain from God the strength necessary for the soul in this extremity. 

The third lesson is to do and to say something which can serve as a memorial for those who will live after them. The last words of the dying are like flaming arrows which can pierce and set people’s hearts on fire, frequently bringing about notable changes in their hearts and lives.

Invoking God’s help in preparing for death

 7   Having put everything in order, the MOTHER OF GOD then made diligent use of the time remaining to her. She had most gentle and loving colloquies with her beloved Son who had come down from Heaven to receive the soul of His most dear Mother ; and she made various acts of Faith, Hope, Charity and Religion in such a way as to enrapture the hearts of those present, filling them with a holy desire to follow her. 

These same acts are like the beating wings of the Christian soul preparing to take flight towards the heavens. At the same time, the soul must not forget heartfelt forgiveness for any injuries received, humble reparation for injuries done to others, tears and contrition for sins committed, the importance of embracing the Cross and having recourse to the precious blood of Jesus Christ, a firm trust in His Holy Mother, fervent invocation of those Saints to whom the soul has a particular devotion, especially to his Guardian Angel – in fact everything that might help him to show his detestation of sins against God and to unite him to his sovereign good. 

I have always been very grateful for the example of those who, taking particular pains in a matter of such importance, write down a spiritual testament well in advance, recording everything they want to do and say; things such as those considerations which are most able to move them, perhaps in the form of short verses and little prayers taken from Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Holy Fathers, or perhaps even ones they have made up themselves – and especially those which are most familiar to them, forasmuch as nothing has so great a power over people’s souls than those feelings which are most familiar and dear to them. 

I value even more the praiseworthy example of others who take whatever time is needed, perhaps a whole year, to prepare themselves to die and to perform all the aforementioned acts just as if they were about to depart this life, begging God in His infinite mercy to accept them when the hour of their death comes as their last and inviolable will and testament. This is to cater especially for the possibility they might die suddenly without having had enough time to complete their preparations. 

May God grant us the grace to die the death of the just, to surrender our soul into His arms and those of His Holy Mother and to bring our life to such a happy conclusion that the most holy Trinity may be glorified at its ending just as much as in its beginning and its course.

[End of Chapter 11]

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 11 : § 14.1-5

Chapter 11 : Imitation – tenth feature of the gratitude we owe 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)

§ 14. How she should be imitated by all those seeking to die well

 1   Consider the excellent observation made by St John Damascene who said[1]: 

Man is nothing but a mystery whose beginning is to emerge from God and whose end is to return to Him. 

This means that man’s predestination is a truly profound mystery and as his age increases the mystery sometimes reveals itself and at other times conceals itself, leaving an infinite number of mysteries in its wake. A man’s progress and his setbacks, his highs and his lows, his wanderings and his returns, his falls and his recoveries and the vicissitudes he experiences of good and evil, joy and sadness, consolation and distress, light and darkness, prosperity and adversity, favour and disgrace, health and sickness, honour and dishonour – these are all so many mysteries that can only make him revere unceasingly God’s adorable Providence. In the end, however, the conclusion of all these mysteries is for him to return to God from whom he came forth. This is the point at which the soul, entering into the splendour of the Saints, finds its eyes are opened so that it can finally behold the sequence of all the mysteries it has experienced. Death is the necessary path and gateway leading to this state – or, to put it better with the Holy Spirit – it is the moment on which eternity depends, the period which is most important of all for us, the culmination of all we have lived through on earth. No matter that everything else may have been as successful as you might wish, if this moment is lacking, then all is lost; conversely, when everything previously was ruined but this moment of transition rehabilitates the past errors, then there is nothing to fear. 

From this I conclude that what is most important of all is to learn how to die well, since if those things needed for a good death are wanting, there will be never another opportunity to put things right. Where better to learn this, after Jesus Christ who is the perfect model for our life and our death, than from her who has up to this point taught us how to live well?  With this aim in mind I am going to conclude this section on the imitation of the Holy Virgin, but without dwelling too long upon her departure from this world. I shall take as the basis of a beautiful death that which we discussed at some length in Part I[2], drawing lessons therefrom to help us approach our own death. 

Footnotes

[1] Lib. II Fidei orthod., c. 12.

[2] Chap. 11.

 

Getting used to the thought of death from an early age

 2   Before everything else, let us agree that the key to this is getting used to the thought of death, thinking about it frequently and understanding what it is. The fruit of this holy practice is that when the moment of death comes upon us, we will not fear it like a terrible disaster but it will be for us like a gateway into the freedom enjoyed by God’s children; we will not pay undue attention to ephemeral things but will treat them as what has been loaned to us and will one day have to be returned; we will not be dragged with violence from this life as though torn away from something that we cannot bear to lose, but rather it will be as though we are leaving prison with a light heart and without fear; we shall be in agreement with the servants of God for whom (according to St Augustine) life is no less troublesome than death is for the children of this world; and, more important than all these things, we shall put our affairs in order in good time, for fear of being taken by surprise. Since a good death is normally the conclusion of a good life, we must try to ensure that its end matches the beginning. Since strait is the way that leadeth to life[1], it is all important to stay on it to the very end. It would amount to disastrous blindness if people put off learning about something so important, something that can never be done twice and can never be made good once it is been done badly, especially at a time when the body and the mind may be failing and we may not be fully conscious. Those with thoughts of their salvation in mind wisely approach the end in a different manner, learning to die to the world every day and to live like citizens of Heaven and exiles on earth, following the example of the MOTHER OF GOD whose death was a sweet and most pleasing sleep because her heart, her mind and all her thoughts and feelings were on high. Good people do not take any less care when they feel that their time of departure from this world is approaching.

Footnotes

[1] Matt. vii. 14.

Putting temporal affairs in order in good time

 3   It is a sign of great wisdom for those in this world not to wait for the approach of death before putting their temporal affairs in order, but to keep them always prepared and ensure that everything is up to date. Apart from anything else, it is the first thing a person should do whilst there is still time, not because it is necessarily the most pressing matter but so as to free his mind once and for all, allowing him to focus all his thoughts on God and his salvation. One of the priorities must be to make restitution of anything sinfully acquired and to discharge any debts owed. Failure to do this often means that souls spend long years in the terrible pains of purgatory and the prayers of the living are unable to help them. 

Being generous according to one's means 

 4   What comes next is for people to do good and be generous with those things which they cannot take with them. They should not allow themselves to fall into the ways of the world which always gives to them who already have plenty, widening the way that leadeth to destruction[1]. The Queen of Heaven had only two garments of very little value, and she left them to two poor virgins or, as others report, to two widows who kept them carefully preserved for us, like two precious treasures. I consider it a very bad sign when a person of means does not include legacies for the poor and for pious works in his last will and testament; for I think that God, who answers for the poor, does not wish to take anything from them because he does not wish to owe them anything. I shall never cease to commend the example set by a good citizen from the city of Arles in Provence who, when he died a few years ago, left a sum of money which by a wise decree of the court was assigned to the local hospital in accordance with his will.

Footnotes

[1] Matt. vii. 13.

Accepting willingly from the hand of God death and all that comes with it

 5   Let us move on from these ancillary considerations and come to the main issue : the care we must have of our soul. The first thing that the Holy Virgin did when the Angel brought her the news she had long desired about her death was to sing the Nunc dimittis and to accept her death as a signal favour from her beloved Son. It is my view that this is the first sign of Virtue that God desires from a person who has been raised to believe in Him and to fear Him, when he is called upon to think about himself and prepare to leaved this world. When it comes to those who hope for no other happiness than what they experience here below; they willcomplain bitterly about having to leave this world, they will weep like those who have lost everything and will suffer pain at the mere mention of the word death; but when it comes to others who are waiting with hope for the inheritance that the Saviour has won for them in Heaven, as soon as they learn that their end is approaching, they raise their hands high and they surrender themselves to God’s will with the whole of their soul, welcoming the news of their departure and reacting as though they had received a letter from their dear Father inviting them to come and see Him. They will humbly submit themselves to His ordinances, they will make an offering to Him of all they have and all they are, and they will gratefully thank Him for having deigned to remember them. There are certain spiritual persons whose devotion leads them not only to a willing acceptance of death but also to all those things which are associated with it, such as illness, anxiety, pain, weakness of mind and body, the agony of dying, the coffin, the pains of Purgatory, and generally everything that God is pleased to ordain for them, either during their lifetime or after their death. Several theologians of repute teach that this level of devotion offers a way of gaining merit even through that which happens to us after death, which is no small thing. Even if this were not the case, however, this devotion is in itself so noble and so pleasing to God that our loving desire to omit nothing that might give satisfaction to His Majesty should be enough reason for us to make it our practice.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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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.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.