On August 22nd, the Church celebrates the feast of the Queenship of Mar, honouring Mary’s unique role as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven.
It was the venerable Pope Pius XII who, inspired by the Holy Spirit and the longstanding Marian devotion for the Queenship of Mary, instituted this feast. By instituting this feast day Pope Pius was helping us to appreciate Mary’s most special place within salvation history, something which Christians of all epochs greatly revered. On this holy day where we are celebrating God’s wonderful work as shown in the life of Mary let us meditate on His great He gave to his Church and humanity thanks to Mary, the Mother of His Son and Our Mother whom Jesus gave us on the Cross.
First, Mary as our Queen means that we can go to her in our hour of need. No one is better able to take us to Jesus better than she, thanks of course through her maternal prayers. In his encyclical by which he proclaimed the Marian Dogma of the Immaculate Conception Blessed Pope Pius IX wrote:
Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth, and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.
Second, Mary is our Queen because her prayers before her Son Jesus are really those of a loving Mother who would do everything for her sons and daughters. In his Meditation on the Assumption, St John Henry Newman writes:
This is why the Blessed Virgin is called Powerful—nay, sometimes, All-powerful, because she has, more than anyone else, more than all Angels and Saints, this great, prevailing gift of prayer. No one has access to the Almighty as His Mother has; none has merit such as hers. Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks; and herein lies her power. While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us; for human life is short, but Mary reigns above, a Queen for ever.
Third, Mary is our Queen because thanks to her companionship we are consoled as children would be through their mother’s constant caring support. St Alphonsus Liguori writes in The Glories of Mary: So Mary is a Queen. And, for our consolation, we ought to remember that she is a most tender and kind Queen, eager to help us in our miseries. So much so that the Church wants us to call her in this prayer a Queen of Mercy. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
Fourth, Mary is our Queen because teaches us the highly human and divine virtue of virginity. St Bernard of Clairvaux, in his Sermons on Advent and Christmas, tells us: No one, surely, will doubt that in the kingdom of God the Queen of virgins will join nay, rather, will take the lead in the canticle which only virgins sing. Further than this, I think she will gladden the City of God with a yet sweeter and more thrilling melody, whose enrapturing strains not one among the virgins will be worthy to utter. This song will be reserved to her who alone could glory in her child-bearing a Divine child-bearing. In thus glorying, she glories not in herself, but in Him Whom she brought forth; for God would certainly enrich with singular glory in heaven that Mother whom He prevented with the surpassing grace of bringing Him into the world without prejudice to her virginity.
Fifth, Mary is our Queen because she has always been a committed servant towards God and our faithful Mother in her relationship towards us. St John Damascene in Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, says: Assuredly she who played the part of the Creator’s servant and mother is in all strictness and truth in reality God’s Mother and Lady and Queen over all created things.
Finally, Mary is our Queen because she is our mirror of holiness. The Franciscan St Anthony of Padua, in his Sermon for the Feast of the Assumption highlights this important point when he writes: We ask you then, our Lady, great Mother of God, lifted high above the choirs of angels, to fill the cup of our heart with heavenly grace; to make it gleam with the gold of wisdom; to make it solid with the power of your virtue; to adorn it with the precious stone of virtues; to pour upon us, O blessed olive-tree, the oil of your mercy to cover the multitude of our sins. By you may we be found fit to be raised to the height of heavenly glory, and to be blessed with the blessed; by the power of Jesus Christ your Son, who this day has raised you above the choirs of angels, crowned you with the diadem of his kingdom, and set you upon the throne of eternal light. To him be honour and glory through endless ages. Let the whole Church say: Amen. Alleluia.
Obviously there are many other reasons why Mary is our Queen. Perhaps today, after praying your Rosary, you can enlist these reasons and put them in front of the statue or the image of Our Blessed Mother. May these reasons help you and your loved ones, to always call her in the hour of need. A beautiful prayer which you can pray and share with others is the one St Teresa of Calcutta used to pray to Mary in her hour of need and distress: Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.