HAIL! HOLY QUEEN ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Tuesday, 22^nd August 2017,

Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Is 9: 2-7;

Ps 113: 1-8;

Lk 1: 26-38;

HAIL! HOLY QUEEN

Pope Pius XII in his Papal Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, proposed the traditional doctrine on the Queenship of Mary and established this feast for the Universal Church. But Mary's Queenship has roots in Scripture. 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. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king had great influence in court. "The Queen is always vigilant to intercede with the king whom she bore" said Pope Sixtus IV. The feast is a logical follow up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast.

It is fitting then that the Gospel text chosen for the feast is the Annunciation of the birth of the Lord to his mother. Through his mother and her courageous YES, Jesus became a human being. God “needed” the co-operation of human beings to complete His plans for the world. One of the most beautiful examples of co-operating with God is that of Mary and her unconditional Amen. God lavishes his grace upon all who believe in him and shows his favour to the lowly, humble and those receptive to his word. Her question "how shall this be" is not prompted by doubt or scepticism but by amazement. She is the true hearer of the Word, willing to do his will, even if it seemed difficult or costly. God gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands, he also gives us his assistance, strength, and means to respond. All that we need is "our goodwill" to yield to his grace by giving our unqualified "yes" to his will and plan in our life. Let his will and his word take flesh in our personal lives.

God is the source, but Mary is the instrument. And she is the instrument because God wanted it this way. She can do nothing by herself, but she doesn’t have to do it by herself. She is not the Savior. She is the instrument. Devotion to her is a way of simply acknowledging what is true. It’s not just some honor we bestow upon her by thanking her for cooperating with God’s plan. Rather, it’s an acknowledgment of her continual role of mediation of grace in our world and in our lives. From Heaven, God does not take this from her. Rather, she is made our Mother and our Queen. And a worthy Mother and Queen she is!

Prayer: Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! O most gracious Advocate, after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Mary, I love You. Amen.