Mary, the Mother of God, is a Queen! How many of us are aware that the Queenship of Mary is celebrated in the liturgical calendar on August 22? The Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin was established by Pope Pius XII in 1954. When we think of her role as Queen, we must also think about the Kingship of Christ. The church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgical calendar before the Advent Season.
In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1; we read the story of the Annunciation. In speaking about the child she was to conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Archangel Gabriel told Mary:
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
This is certainly a mystery in Mary’s life. As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship.
Pope John Paul II, in his July 23, 1997, General Audience, reflected:
“Starting from the fifth century, almost in the same period in which the Council of Ephesus proclaims her 'Mother of God', the title of Queen begins to be attributed to her. With this further recognition of her sublime dignity, the Christian people want to place her above all creatures, exalting her role and importance in the life of every person and of the whole world.”
During the fourth century, Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen”; he understood well, her queenship stemmed from her being Mother of God. Later Church Fathers continued to use these same titles. In the 11th to 13th centuries, there arose hymns addressing Mary as Queen. One we may be familiar with is the “Hail, Holy Queen,” among others.
Do we doubt then that Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, possesses a dignity far beyond all other creatures? Remember that from the first moment of her conception by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary was conceived without original sin and was filled with a depth of grace, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess.
In 1854, Pope Pius IX wrote an Apostolic document on Mary’s Immaculate Conception; saying:
“More than all the angels and all the saints has God freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury; and she, preserving herself ever Immaculately clean from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness so great as to be unthinkable.”
The feast of Mary’s Queenship follows that of the Feast of Mary’s Assumption, which is on August 15. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, 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 Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her known spiritual perfection, and because of her intercessory power.
In this union with Christ the King, Mary obtains a status in which she stands high above all created things.
This same union with Christ is the fountain of her motherly intercession’s infinite value for you and I. The mother of God is our heavenly mother who yearns for us to deepen our relationship with her Son, Jesus Christ. Pray the “Hail Holy Queen” prayer often. It is not a prayer of just words; it is a conversation with Mary. Implore Mary’s maternal mercy to help you grow in your Christian faith and in true charity. Mary, Our Queen, pray for us.
Originally written by Pilgrim Center of Hope for Today's Catholic newspaper.
Mary Jane Fox, D.C.H.S. is Co-Founder & Co-Director of Pilgrim Center of Hope with her husband, Deacon Tom Fox. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Mary Jane is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Dame of the Holy Sepulchre.
Pilgrim Center of Hope provides events, experiences, and media; initiating a desire in people to encounter Jesus Christ in their daily journey of life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
