Memorial of The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“At your right hand stands the queen in robes of glory” (Psalm 45:10).
The last monarch of what we now call the United States was George III. Americans, citizens of a republican democratic form of government, are unfamiliar and even uneasy around monarchy.
Nonetheless we here in “the colonies” cheered as loudly as our “cousins” across the pond upon the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Even the Irishman who writes this reflection likes the old girl.
But we Christians have a queen, the most humble of queens. Her queenship began when, as a fourteen year old nobody peasant girl in the no account village of Nazareth in the insignificant province of Galilee, she said “yes” to the request of an archangel. The magnitude of her earthquaking “amen,” unmeasurable by the most advanced seismographs, reverberates through all generations who call her blessed.
Her radical leap was the most astounding affirmation ever made, to which she praised in song our God who “lifts up the lowly” and “sends the rich away empty.” We can be so familiar with her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) that we sterilize it. Yet this young queen sings of a God who “cast the mighty from their thrones” and “scatters the proud in their conceit.” Earth shattering stuff.
Full of grace, Mary is eternal queen because of her great love.
In her honor let us pray a traditional Litany to the Queenship of Mary: Respond to each invocation with “pray for us.”
Queen of Galilee,
Queen of David’s line,
Queen of virtue,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs and prophets,
Queen of apostles and martyrs,
Queen of justice,
Queen crowned with twelve stars,
Queen of heaven,
Salve Regina
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To you do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy towards us,
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
-Blessed Herman of Richenau (d. 1054)
-Timothy J. Cronin