The Queenship of Mary
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Rv
12:1)
Who is this that comes forth like the dawn, as beautiful as
the moon, as resplendent as the sun? (Sg 6:10)
On October 11, 1954, on what was then the Feast of the
Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (later moved to January 1), Pope Pius XII
established the Feast of the Queenship of Mary in his encyclical To the Queen of Heaven. It would be
celebrated on the octave day of the Assumption, August 22. In the words of Pius
XII, “ Mary deserves the title because she is mother of God, closely associated
as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent
perfection and because of her intercessory power.”
While it was a new feast on the liturgical calendar at the
time, the honoring of Mary as queen has very deep roots in tradition and
Scripture. In the Old Testament the mother of a king had great influence in
court. As Von Balthasar wrote, (as quoted in Magnificat) “A queen enjoys full
power, even with regard to the king. Mary’s fullness of power is expressed in
her intercession for us and her mediation of graces, so that we receive all
personal graces from God.”
Elizabeth, at
the Visitation, asked, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” And
as early as the fourth century St. Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” And hymns as early as the 11th
and 13th centuries included “Hail Holy Queen,” “Queen of Heaven,”
and “Hail Queen of Heaven.” (franciscanmedia.org)
From: https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/marya6.htm:
“The solidly theological
reasons for her title of Queen are expressed splendidly by Pius XII, in his
Radiomessage to Fatima, Bendito seja (AAS 38. 266): "He, the Son of
God, reflects on His heavenly Mother the glory, the majesty and the dominion of
His kingship, for, having been associated to the King of Martyrs in the
unspeakable work of human Redemption as Mother and cooperator, she remains
forever associated to Him, with a practically unlimited power, in the distribution
of the graces which flow from the Redemption. Jesus is King throughout all
eternity by nature and by right of conquest: through Him, with Him, and
subordinate to Him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of
conquest, and by singular choice [of the Father]. And her kingdom is as vast as
that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion." (Excerpted and adapted
from Theology 523: Our Lady in Doctrine and Devotion, by Father William G.
Most.)
Truly,
how could the mother of God, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, not be a queen? She
is the mother of the eternal King of Kings. St. John Damascene wrote, “When she
became mother of the creator, she truly became queen of every creature. (https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/is-there-a-queen-in-the-kingdom-of-heaven)
As the spouse of the Holy Spirit of God she is indeed a queen. As the Lord our
God reigns, so must she in both of these capacities.
The
Church proclaims Mary’s status as queen in the numerous titles with which we
address her:
Queen
of Angels, Queen of Heaven, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of
Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of All Saints, Queen of
the May, Queen of the Universe, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Queen Conceived Without Original Sin, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of
Peace
On
the Feast of your Queenship and every day, Oh Mary, our heavenly queen, pray
for us who have recourse to thee.
