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Join Autom in the celebration of the Queenship of Mary.

In 1954 Pope Pius XII established today’s feast in honor of the Queenship of Mary, affirming what had been held by the faithful from the early days of the Church. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he prophesied of Jesus, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). After this incredible experience, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leapt in her womb. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth proclaimed, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” - (Luke 1:42-43 - emphasis added).

Surely if the Son is King, the mother shares in His dominion. As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, Mary’s heart is intimately and indissolubly united with her Son. Mary’s queenship is thus a share in Jesus’ kingship.

In the fourth century Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen” and Church Fathers and Doctors continued to use the title. Hymns such as “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven” honor Our Lady as queen throughout the centuries.

Today’s feast is celebrated on the octave day of the Assumption, and is a completion of that feast. In his encyclical, Ad Coeli Reginam, Pope Pius XII teaches that Mary deserves the title of Queen first of all because she is Mother of God, secondly because she is the New Eve who shares with Jesus in His redemptive work, and finally because of her preeminent perfection and her intercessory power.

But there’s more. Because Mary is the first among the disciples and is our Mother, this feast is also about us! As Saint Paul teaches, God has predestined us from all eternity to share His Son’s image:

For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? - (Romans 8:29-31).

We might add, if Mary is for us, who can be against us? She will defend us, she will always help us, and she will not rest until all of her children are with her in heaven, giving honor and glory through her Son to our one heavenly Father in the power of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, Amen!

As the Church Fathers teach us in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church:

“Let the entire body of the faithful pour forth persevering prayer to the Mother of God and Mother of men. Let them implore that she who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers may now, exalted as she is in heaven above all the saints and angels, intercede with her Son in the fellowship of all the saints. May she do so until all the peoples of the human family, whether they are honored with the name of Christian or whether they still do not know their Savior, are happily gathered together in peace and harmony into the one People of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity.” Amen!