Hail Holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria!
Today is the Feast Day of the Queenship of Mary. Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954, but Mary’s Queenship has roots in Scripture.
Mary is our gentle Mother and she is a powerful warrior against evil. Turn to Mary in all your needs. She will console you in your sorrows and she will protect you against evil.
At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “Mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, Mary is closely associated with Jesus: Her Queenship is a share in Jesus’ Kingship.
In the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court. In the fourth century, Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen” and Church Fathers and Doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.”
The feast is celebrated on the octave day of the Feast of the Assumption. In his encyclical "To the Queen of Heaven" Pope Pius XII pointed out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with the redemptive work of Jesus, because of her perfection and her intercessory power.
Mary was assumed into Heaven by Jesus and the angels. That means she was carried. Jesus ascended into Heaven, which is a different word. He went up to Heaven by His own power. Mary doesn't have that kind of power, so Jesus carried her. After she was assumed into Heaven, Jesus took His Mother to a throne next to His own. Since He is King and Lord of all, then as His Mother, she was to become Queen. Jesus, God our Father and the Holy Spirit placed a beautiful crown of twelve stars on her head.
All the angels and saints sang wonderful songs praising her as their Queen. The Blessed Virgin Mary shares in the glory of her Risen Son, because shares in His work of saving souls. As His Mother, she carried Him in her womb, gave Him birth, raised Him through childhood and into adulthood and stayed with Him at the Foot of the Cross.
Mary is Queen to all of us. She obtains all graces for us through her prayers. As our mother and as Jesus's Mother, she will always intercede for us to her Son, and lead us closer to Him. Let us bring all our needs and prayers to her. O Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us and for all those we pray for.
August 22, 2019
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