THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY

On October 11, 1954, four years after the proclamation of the Assumption, Pope Pius XII instituted the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary with his encyclical letter, Ad Caeli Reginam (The Queen of Heaven). 

This memorial was first assigned the date May 31, which followed the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, in 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the date to August 22, eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In large part, this was done to create an octave of anticipation and to show that the Assumption necessarily results in the Mother of God being also the Queen Mother of Heaven and Earth.

As Queen, Mother Mary not only intercedes on our behalf, she also acts as her Son’s mediator. From her heavenly throne, the Queen Mother of Heaven and Earth is entrusted with the grace of God. She is not the source, but she is privileged to be the instrument of distribution. As a loving mother, nothing pleases her more than to lavish every good thing upon her children on earth. She longs to gather all of her children together in Heaven, with and in her divine Son.

Though the liturgical and theological evolution of today’s memorial might seem complex, the heart of it is simple. We not only have a mother in Heaven, we also have a Queen Mother. As Mary is the Queen Mother of God, we must turn to her with childlike faith and simplicity. As a young child runs to a loving mother in time of need, never questioning her love, protection, and care, so we must run to her. She is our protectress, our refuge, our hope, and our sweet delight. Her affection is perfect and her motherly love unmatched.

As we honor the Queen of Heaven today, ponder the Church’s ever-deepening understanding of her role. As the Church has increased its comprehension of Mary’s exalted role through the centuries, so we must individually make this discovery throughout our lives. Turn to her, seek her prayers, rely upon her intercession, and honor her as your mother and your queen.

Prayer: Mother and Queen of Heaven, this day I run to you as a child with confidence and trust. You are the glorious Queen Mother, reigning over all of your children with love and mercy. Please pray for me, and bestow upon me all that I need. I open my heart to the grace of your Son, which you are entrusted to dispense. Make me holy and free from sin, so you can present me spotless and pure to your beloved Son, the King of the Universe. Queen of Heaven, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Adoration Reflection by Amy

As i kneel at Adoration today, I take in the statue of Mary affixed to the wall. 

It has a simple curvature to it, made out of sleek wood, and Mary cradles her pregnant belly lovingly, vessel of the Son of the Lord God she longs to worship and adore through her fiat. 

That’s the kind of queen Mary is: one of humility, one of simplicity, and yet still one of purity and one of holiness. She can be both things as she brings Christ to us in the living flesh, and she didn’t waver from standing by her Son’s side in his hardest moment, no matter how much it pierced her heart. 

May we emulate the holy royalty of Mary in our lives — humble and simplistic, yet resolute in the ways we stand by Jesus’s side, no matter how the world tries to shake us