Suy Niệm Lễ Nhớ Mẹ
Maria là Nữ Vương Thiên Đàng (Aug 22, 2013)
Tại sao chúng ta mừng lễ kính Đức Maria là Nữ Vương Thiên Đàng? Chính vì những dòng chữ nhỏ: " tôi đây là nữ tỳ của Chúa, xin Chúa cứ làm cho tôi như lời sứ thần nói". (Lk 1:38).".
Đức Maria được tôn làm Nữ Vương Thiên Đàng là vì chính Maria đã dành hết cả cuộc đời của mình để pục vụ Chúa Giêsu con mẹ, và cho tới bây giờ mẹ lại còn dành sự vĩnh cửu của mẹ để phục vụ cho con cái của mẹ. Maria là mẹ của chúng ta và vì tất cả những gì mẹ làm và tất cả những gì mẹ đã từng làm là phục vụ, Mẹ đã dâng trót cả cuộc đời của mẹ cho Chúa, cuộc đời mẹ cũng có quá nhiều đắng cay, đau khổ hơn là sự sung sướng. Nhìn lại cuộc đời mẹ, Mẹ đã mang thai Chúa Giêsu khi tuổi còn trẻ, trước khi thánh Giuse cưới làm vợ, Mẹ đã bị thánh Giuse định bỏ trốn ra đi vì mẹ đã tin và vâng theo ý Chúa. Mẹ đã sinh ra Chúa Giêsu trong hang chiên Lừa hôi hám, giữa mủa đông giá lạnh, giữa đồng không, Mẹ đã phải theo thánh Giuse đem trốn trốn sang Ai cập khi Chúa Giêsu còn bé nhỏ, còn non ngày non tháng giữa đêm khuya,. Mẹ đón nhận lời tiên tri Simeon như những lưởi dao đâm qua lòng mẹ, Mẹ cũng đã phải chịu một cơn lo sợ, mất hồn khi lạc Chúa Giêsu trong đền thánh... Chính mẹ đã chứng kiến cảnh Chúa Giêsu chịu đóng đinh trên Thập giá... còn nỗi đau nào đau hơn thế nữa?.
Mẹ là mẹ Chúa Giêsu và cũng là mẹ nhân loại... Chúa là Chúa các Chúa các Vua thì mẹ rất xứng đáng là Nữ Vương của Thiên Đàng và của cả trần gian. Thế nhưng Mẹ Maria không đến để được người khác phục vụ, giống như Chúa Giêsu: "Ta đến thế gian này, không phải để được phục vụ, nhưng để phục vụ; và để ban chính cuộc sống của ta như là một giá để cứu chuộc cho mọi người" Hôm nay Mẹ ở trên Thiên đàng luôn luôn tiếp tục cầu bầu cho chúng ta trước khi ngai toà Thiên Chúa Đấng Toàn Năng.
Đức Maria là một gương sáng giá và hoàn hảo nhất cho mọi người chúng ta bắt chước để theo Chúa Giêsu. Mẹ Maria không sinh ra để tìm kiếm sự giàu sang, quyền qúy, để được phục vụ như những nữ hoàng, nhưng Mẹ Maria đã cho đi, và Mẹ tiếp tục ban phát những hồng ân của Thiên Chúa cho những ai đang chạy đến cùng Chúa và Mẹ. Maria là một người mẹ trước khi Maria có tước vị nào khác. Và bởi vì Maria là một người mẹ, Mẹ là nữ hoàng vì mẹ là người cầu bầu cho con cái của mẹ trước Thiên Chúa. Mẹ Maria tiếp tục phục vụ mỗi người chúng ta ở trên thiên đường trong các lời cầu bầu của mẹ cho chúng ta trước tòa Thiên Chúa. Đó là lý do tại sao mẹ là nữ hoàng trên Thiên Đàng và dưới Thế
August 22:
Queenship of Blessed Virgin Mary—Memorial
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. ~Revelation 12:1
Reflection:
The twentieth century saw a great resurgence in devotion to the Mother of God. Several decades prior to that century, on December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Four years later, the Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old peasant girl, in Lourdes, France. In this apparition, when Bernadette asked who the Heavenly Lady was, she responded, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” This mystical confirmation of the papal dogma sparked great devotion to the Mother of God, and Lourdes became a frequent pilgrim site where many miracles have taken place.
In 1916, three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal received three apparitions from the Angel of Peace, the Guardian Angel of Portugal. Then, in 1917 they received six apparitions from the Lady of the Rosary, as she called herself. On the day of her final apparition, some 70,000 had gathered and all witnessed the promised miracle. A pouring rain immediately stopped, the sun danced and plunged to the earth, and everything and everyone were immediately dry. This apparition and miracle continue to fuel devotion to the Mother of God.
In 1950, Pope Pius XII issued an apostolic constitution by which he declared as a dogma of our faith “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” Since Jesus is the King of Kings, and since He sits on His throne at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, and since his mother was assumed into Heaven, body and soul, then the logical conclusion flowing from these truths necessarily leads us to today’s memorial.
Early Church Fathers used what is referred to as “typology” to clearly establish the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. For example, though King Solomon sinned, he is also a prefigurement, or “type” of Christ because he was a peacemaker, filled with wisdom, and built the Temple. Saint Augustine, in his commentary on Psalm 127, states that our Lord is “the true Solomon” and that “Solomon was the figure of this Peacemaker.” The true Peacemaker is Christ, and just as Solomon built the Temple, so our Lord built the true Temple of His Body, the Church.
Following this form of typology, the Book of 1 Kings states, “Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right. She said, ‘There is one small favor I would ask of you. Do not refuse me.’ The king said to her, ‘Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you’” (1 Kings 2:19–20). If King Solomon, an Old Testament type of Christ, honored his Queen Mother’s requests and sat her on a throne next to his, then so much more does our Lord, the true King of Kings, do so with His mother. Therefore, today’s memorial celebrates the fact that, in Heaven, Jesus’ mother is seated on a throne next to His, and like Solomon, Jesus says with certainty to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
As Queen, Mother Mary not only intercedes on our behalf, she also acts as her Son’s mediator. From her heavenly throne, the Queen Mother of Heaven and Earth is entrusted with the grace of God. She is not the source, but she is privileged to be the instrument of distribution. As a loving mother, nothing pleases her more than to lavish every good thing upon her children on earth. She longs to gather all of her children together in Heaven, with and in her divine Son.
Though the liturgical and theological evolution of today’s memorial might seem complex, the heart of it is simple. We not only have a mother in Heaven, we also have a Queen Mother. As Mary is the Queen Mother of God, we must turn to her with childlike faith and simplicity. As a young child runs to a loving mother in time of need, never questioning her love, protection, and care, so we must run to her. She is our protectress, our refuge, our hope, and our sweet delight. Her affection is perfect and her motherly love unmatched.
As we honor the Queen of Heaven today, ponder the Church’s ever-deepening understanding of her role. As the Church has increased its comprehension of Mary’s exalted role through the centuries, so we must individually make this discovery throughout our lives. Turn to her, seek her prayers, rely upon her intercession, and honor her as your mother and your queen.
Prayer: Mother and Queen of Heaven, this day I run to you as a child with confidence and trust. You are the glorious Queen Mother, reigning over all of your children with love and mercy. Please pray for me, and bestow upon me all that I need. I open my heart to the grace of your Son, which you are entrusted to dispense. Make me holy and free from sin, so you can present me spotless and pure to your beloved Son, the King of the Universe. Queen of Heaven, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you called Mary to
be the Queen Mother. She has been exalted through her Assumption as Queen of
Heaven and Earth. Listen to her as she intercedes with maternal care for us
before her Son.
1. Mary as Queen: Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth and our Queen because she is the Mother of our Lord and because she cooperated in Christ’s redemptive work of salvation. “Since she was uniquely associated with Christ’s suffering on the Cross, she was uniquely associated with His triumph and royal reign in the kingdom” (Sri, Queen Mother, 9). Assumed into heaven, Mary entered the royal court of heaven and sat at the right hand of her Son, Christ the King. As our Queen, Mary directs us, protects us, and intercedes for us. Mary is a most excellent queen because of her Immaculate Conception by which she possessed a fullness of innocence and holiness, as well she is a most efficacious queen as she shares in Christ's influence over humanity, distributing graces through her motherly intercession. “With a heart that is truly a mother’s ... does she approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and saints, and standing at the right hand of her only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains what she seeks and cannot be refused” (Pius XII, Ad caeli reginam, 42). John Paul II developed three aspects of Mary's queenship by which she was more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords, and conqueror of sin and death (Lumen Gentium, 59). First, Mary’s royal office is understood in relation to Christ's self-emptying and royal exaltation. “Christ himself humbly served even to the point of death, and was therefore raised and entered into the glory of His Kingdom, exalted as Lord over all.” Christ’s true disciples reign because they serve: To serve means to reign! Mary, then, is the model disciple. The handmaid of the Lord, “she is the first disciple who served Christ in others and led them to Him. This is the basis of her queenship (Sri, Queen Mother, 18). Second, Mary continues to serve as Queen in heaven. In heaven she does not cease her saving service, which expresses her maternal mediation “until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 41). Third, Mary is clothed by the Communion of Saints. Her union with the Son in glory is wholly oriented towards the definitive fullness of the Kingdom, when “God will be all in all” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 41).
2. The Queen Mother in the Old Testament: The Queen Mother had a special place in the royal court, for she shared in the king’s royal authority. She was an advocate for the people and a counselor to her son, the King. For example, King Solomon honored Bathsheba, his queen mother, by bowing before her, having her sit at his right hand, and saying that he would grant her any request she made (see Sri, Queen Mother, 37). The sign of Isaiah 7:14 looks forward to a queen mother who will conceive and bear a future Davidic king and name him “Immanuel.” Because Mary is the mother of the messianic Davidic King, Mary can be seen as the queen mother in the kingdom of her Son. Not only is there a parallel between Solomon (the son of David) and his mother Bathsheba (the queen-mother) and Jesus (the Son of David) and his mother Mary (the Queen Mother), but there is also one between Adam and Eve, on the one hand, and Jesus, the New Adam, and Mary, the New Eve, on the other. In Genesis 1, man and woman were given the mission to rule over all creation. God gave them dominion over all the creatures of the earth. Created in the image of God, man and woman were called to serve as God's royal representatives (Sri, Queen Mother, 59). Adam was lifted from the dust to a royal office. The serpent was condemned to the dust under the feet of the king. The woman’s child in Genesis 3:15 will strike the head of the serpent’s offspring. The passage points to a future king who will crush the head of the serpent in a way that Davidic kings would subdue their enemies (see Sri, Queen Mother, 62). In Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, five women stand out: Tamar, the mother of Perez through Judah, to whom the monarchy was promised; Rahab, the great-great-grandmother of King David; Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David; Bathsheba, the wife of King David and the mother of Solomon; and Mary, the mother of Jesus, a descendant of David. When the magi visited Bethlehem, they saw the child, the newborn King of the Jews, with Mary his mother. Mary stood beside her royal child as the magi paid him homage.
3. How Mary Exercises Her Queenship: In today’s Gospel (Luke 1:26-38), we are told that Joseph was of the house of David. The angel declares not only that Mary’s child will be the royal Son of David, but is also the Son of God. As Son of David, God the Father will give Jesus the throne of his father David, and Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32-33). Mary’s child is associated with the covenant of David, when God promised that one of David’s sons would receive a great name, sit on a throne in an everlasting kingdom, and be called God’s son (2 Samuel 7:9-16). In the Annunciation, Mary is given the vocation to be the queen mother of a Davidic king. In the Visitation (Luke 1:39-45), Elizabeth calls Mary “the mother of my Lord.” In doing this, she greets Mary as the mother of the Messiah-King. In Revelation 12, the “woman clothed with the sun” refers not only to God’s people (Israel and the Church), but also may be seen to refer to Mary. The woman’s Son rules all nations, sits on a heavenly throne, inaugurates the Kingdom of God, and conquers the enemy, the ancient serpent (Revelation 12:5). The woman herself is crowned and has royal status. She is related not only to the twelve tribes of Israel, but also to the Church, founded on the twelve Apostles. Just as Isaiah 7:14 involves the sign “as high as heaven” of a queen mother who gives birth to a Davidic son, the woman in Revelation 12 is a heavenly sign, involving a royal woman giving birth to a royal son. As Queen Mother, Mary has no authority on her own, but rather depends entirely on her royal Son, Christ the King. Jesus is a King of humble origins, who washes the feet of his own disciples, who rejected the temptation of Satan to a false messiahship, who reigns through humility, and who became a servant even to the point of giving his life. Because of his humble service, Jesus is exalted by the Father and enthroned over all things, and is victorious over sin, death, and the devil. “The abasement-exaltation of Christ is seen especially in Philippians 2:5-11, which describes how every knee shall bend to Christ and every tongue shall confess Him as Lord, but also emphasizes that His supreme exaltation flows from His abasement - becoming a slave, being obedient unto death, death on a Cross” (Sri, Queen Mother, 111). Likewise, Mary is the humble servant of the Lord, who perseveres even unto suffering. She is exalted because of her lowliness as the Lord’s servant. Mary’s life, then, is an eloquent witness to the kingdom of God and “it is through her humble, obedient service that she has a share in Christ's reign, reigning with Him over the powers of sin and death” (Sri, Queen Mother, 112). In Mary, we contemplate the fulfillment of the promise that all Christ’s disciples, those who listen to him and follow him, will share in his reign. Those who give up everything to follow him will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28-30). Those who follow Christ through trials will rule over the new Israel (Luke 22:28-30); those who die with him will reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11-12) (see
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you reign in heaven and have your mother, Mary, at your right hand as the Queen Mother. She is
Suy Niệm Lễ kính
Đức Maria Trinh Nữ Vương
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng lễ Ðức Maria Trinh Nữ Vương . Đức Giáo Hoàng Piô XII năm 1954 đã nói: "Mục đích của Lễ này là để tất cả chúng ta có thể nhận ra rõ hơn về quyền của Đức Mẹ và tôn kính sốt sắng hơn về lòng thương xót của Mẹ Maria, người mà đã mang Thiên Chúa trong cung lòng của Mẹ . " (Piô XII, Ad Coeli Reginam).
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Trong Ngày lễ kính đức Mẹ lên Trời, mẹ đã vào thiên đàng, Mẹ đã được Chúa Kitô đăng quang và Mẹ đã được toàn thể Thiên Thần và các thánh trên Thiên đàng đón nhận Mẹ làm Nữ Vương
Đức Maria là mẫu gương của người môn đệ. Đức Maria là "người phụ nữ của sự im lặng và sự chú tâm." Chúng ta đã bao giờ có thế nghĩ rằng cái sức mạnh của tiếng "Xin Vâng (Yes)" cua Đức Maria với Thiên Chúa đã đươc đưa vào lịch sử cứu độ nhân loại của chúng ta? Tiếng “Vâng” của Mẹ đã cho phép Thiên Chúa thực hiện và mở ra con đường cho người Con duy nhất của Thiên Chúa để trở thành con người như chúng ta và sống như chúng tanhưng theo ý muốn của Chúa Cha để chúng ta, tất cả được trở nên những con cái của Ngài, và cho chúng ta có thể được sống với Ngài trong Nước vĩnh cửu của Ngài trên Thiên đàng.
Chúng ta không nên bao giờ nghi ngờ về tình yêu của Thiên vì Thiên Chúa chỉ muốn điều tốt nhất cho chúng ta, ngay cả những khi chúng ta không thể hiểu được hoàn toàn lý do tại sao mà những điều đang xảy ra trong cuộc sống của chúng ta theo cách của chúng mà không như ý của chúng ta mong ước. Cũng như Đức Maria, Mẹ đã không hiểu tất cả và đầy đủ về những thông điệp của thiên sứ mang đến cho Mẹ, Mẹ chỉ biết rằng Thiên Chúa muốn và đang sử dụng Mẹ cho một mục đích cao cả và vỹ đại hơn và Thiên Chúa sẽ không bao giờ muốn làm gì hại đến Mẹ. Chúng ta hãy trở nên giống như Đức Maria, chúng ta hãy đặt niềm tin của chúng ta hoàn toàn vào Thiên Chúa, chúng ta hãy làm theo ý muốn của Chúa và phục vụ Ngài với tất cả lòng chân thành với tất cà tâm hồn, lòng trí, trái tim và thân xác của chúng ta.
Reflection:
Today is the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954: "The purpose of the Feast is that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and motherly sovereignty of her who bore God in her womb." (Pius XII, Ad Coeli Reginam).
On her Assumption into heaven, Mary our Mother was solemnly crowned by Christ and received by the whole court of Heaven as Queen.
Mary is our model of discipleship. Mary is "a woman of silence and attentiveness." Have we ever thought what the power of Mary's "Yes" to God had on our salvation history? Allowing God's will to be done to her opened the way for God's only Son to become human and live out the will of the Father so that we, his adopted sons and daughters, may be with him in his everlasting kingdom.
Let us never doubt that God only wants the best for us, even when we do not fully understand the reason why things are happening in our lives the way they are. Just as Mary had no full comprehension of the Angel's message to her, she knew that God was using her for a greater purpose and God will not wish harm on her. Like Mary, let us put our full trust in God, follow his will and serve him with all our heart, soul, mind and body.
REFLECTION
While the notion of the Queenship of Our Lady is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture, the Responsorial Psalm today offers a suggestion for the appropriateness of the thought of Mary as Queen. The Psalm praises God: “the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high.” All the rest of us are “servants of the Lord”.
Mary was a very special servant of the Lord, chosen before the ages to be the mother of Jesus, and so rightfully called “Mother of God” for her son, Jesus, was true God and true Man. Mary’s Magnificat echoes verses 7 and 8 of the Psalm, when she acknowledges that in her God had raised up the lowly.
The Psalmist can acknowledge that God has raised up the poor and the lowly “to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.”
How much more true is this of
the humble and lowly Virgin of Nazareth, who surrendered her whole life to God
as the “handmaid of the Lord”! She who was the Mother of Christ the King is
surely above all the princes of the earth and is most fittingly honoured as
Queen.
Tại sao chúng ta mừng lễ kính Đức Maria là Nữ Vương Thiên Đàng? Chính vì những dòng chữ nhỏ: " tôi đây là nữ tỳ của Chúa, xin Chúa cứ làm cho tôi như lời sứ thần nói". (Lk 1:38).".
Đức Maria được tôn làm Nữ Vương Thiên Đàng là vì chính Maria đã dành hết cả cuộc đời của mình để pục vụ Chúa Giêsu con mẹ, và cho tới bây giờ mẹ lại còn dành sự vĩnh cửu của mẹ để phục vụ cho con cái của mẹ. Maria là mẹ của chúng ta và vì tất cả những gì mẹ làm và tất cả những gì mẹ đã từng làm là phục vụ, Mẹ đã dâng trót cả cuộc đời của mẹ cho Chúa, cuộc đời mẹ cũng có quá nhiều đắng cay, đau khổ hơn là sự sung sướng. Nhìn lại cuộc đời mẹ, Mẹ đã mang thai Chúa Giêsu khi tuổi còn trẻ, trước khi thánh Giuse cưới làm vợ, Mẹ đã bị thánh Giuse định bỏ trốn ra đi vì mẹ đã tin và vâng theo ý Chúa. Mẹ đã sinh ra Chúa Giêsu trong hang chiên Lừa hôi hám, giữa mủa đông giá lạnh, giữa đồng không, Mẹ đã phải theo thánh Giuse đem trốn trốn sang Ai cập khi Chúa Giêsu còn bé nhỏ, còn non ngày non tháng giữa đêm khuya,. Mẹ đón nhận lời tiên tri Simeon như những lưởi dao đâm qua lòng mẹ, Mẹ cũng đã phải chịu một cơn lo sợ, mất hồn khi lạc Chúa Giêsu trong đền thánh... Chính mẹ đã chứng kiến cảnh Chúa Giêsu chịu đóng đinh trên Thập giá... còn nỗi đau nào đau hơn thế nữa?.
Mẹ là mẹ Chúa Giêsu và cũng là mẹ nhân loại... Chúa là Chúa các Chúa các Vua thì mẹ rất xứng đáng là Nữ Vương của Thiên Đàng và của cả trần gian. Thế nhưng Mẹ Maria không đến để được người khác phục vụ, giống như Chúa Giêsu: "Ta đến thế gian này, không phải để được phục vụ, nhưng để phục vụ; và để ban chính cuộc sống của ta như là một giá để cứu chuộc cho mọi người" Hôm nay Mẹ ở trên Thiên đàng luôn luôn tiếp tục cầu bầu cho chúng ta trước khi ngai toà Thiên Chúa Đấng Toàn Năng.
Đức Maria là một gương sáng giá và hoàn hảo nhất cho mọi người chúng ta bắt chước để theo Chúa Giêsu. Mẹ Maria không sinh ra để tìm kiếm sự giàu sang, quyền qúy, để được phục vụ như những nữ hoàng, nhưng Mẹ Maria đã cho đi, và Mẹ tiếp tục ban phát những hồng ân của Thiên Chúa cho những ai đang chạy đến cùng Chúa và Mẹ. Maria là một người mẹ trước khi Maria có tước vị nào khác. Và bởi vì Maria là một người mẹ, Mẹ là nữ hoàng vì mẹ là người cầu bầu cho con cái của mẹ trước Thiên Chúa. Mẹ Maria tiếp tục phục vụ mỗi người chúng ta ở trên thiên đường trong các lời cầu bầu của mẹ cho chúng ta trước tòa Thiên Chúa. Đó là lý do tại sao mẹ là nữ hoàng trên Thiên Đàng và dưới Thế
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. ~Revelation 12:1
Reflection:
The twentieth century saw a great resurgence in devotion to the Mother of God. Several decades prior to that century, on December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Four years later, the Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old peasant girl, in Lourdes, France. In this apparition, when Bernadette asked who the Heavenly Lady was, she responded, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” This mystical confirmation of the papal dogma sparked great devotion to the Mother of God, and Lourdes became a frequent pilgrim site where many miracles have taken place.
In 1916, three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal received three apparitions from the Angel of Peace, the Guardian Angel of Portugal. Then, in 1917 they received six apparitions from the Lady of the Rosary, as she called herself. On the day of her final apparition, some 70,000 had gathered and all witnessed the promised miracle. A pouring rain immediately stopped, the sun danced and plunged to the earth, and everything and everyone were immediately dry. This apparition and miracle continue to fuel devotion to the Mother of God.
In 1950, Pope Pius XII issued an apostolic constitution by which he declared as a dogma of our faith “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” Since Jesus is the King of Kings, and since He sits on His throne at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, and since his mother was assumed into Heaven, body and soul, then the logical conclusion flowing from these truths necessarily leads us to today’s memorial.
Early Church Fathers used what is referred to as “typology” to clearly establish the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. For example, though King Solomon sinned, he is also a prefigurement, or “type” of Christ because he was a peacemaker, filled with wisdom, and built the Temple. Saint Augustine, in his commentary on Psalm 127, states that our Lord is “the true Solomon” and that “Solomon was the figure of this Peacemaker.” The true Peacemaker is Christ, and just as Solomon built the Temple, so our Lord built the true Temple of His Body, the Church.
Following this form of typology, the Book of 1 Kings states, “Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right. She said, ‘There is one small favor I would ask of you. Do not refuse me.’ The king said to her, ‘Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you’” (1 Kings 2:19–20). If King Solomon, an Old Testament type of Christ, honored his Queen Mother’s requests and sat her on a throne next to his, then so much more does our Lord, the true King of Kings, do so with His mother. Therefore, today’s memorial celebrates the fact that, in Heaven, Jesus’ mother is seated on a throne next to His, and like Solomon, Jesus says with certainty to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
As Queen, Mother Mary not only intercedes on our behalf, she also acts as her Son’s mediator. From her heavenly throne, the Queen Mother of Heaven and Earth is entrusted with the grace of God. She is not the source, but she is privileged to be the instrument of distribution. As a loving mother, nothing pleases her more than to lavish every good thing upon her children on earth. She longs to gather all of her children together in Heaven, with and in her divine Son.
Though the liturgical and theological evolution of today’s memorial might seem complex, the heart of it is simple. We not only have a mother in Heaven, we also have a Queen Mother. As Mary is the Queen Mother of God, we must turn to her with childlike faith and simplicity. As a young child runs to a loving mother in time of need, never questioning her love, protection, and care, so we must run to her. She is our protectress, our refuge, our hope, and our sweet delight. Her affection is perfect and her motherly love unmatched.
As we honor the Queen of Heaven today, ponder the Church’s ever-deepening understanding of her role. As the Church has increased its comprehension of Mary’s exalted role through the centuries, so we must individually make this discovery throughout our lives. Turn to her, seek her prayers, rely upon her intercession, and honor her as your mother and your queen.
Prayer: Mother and Queen of Heaven, this day I run to you as a child with confidence and trust. You are the glorious Queen Mother, reigning over all of your children with love and mercy. Please pray for me, and bestow upon me all that I need. I open my heart to the grace of your Son, which you are entrusted to dispense. Make me holy and free from sin, so you can present me spotless and pure to your beloved Son, the King of the Universe. Queen of Heaven, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Mary as Queen: Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth and our Queen because she is the Mother of our Lord and because she cooperated in Christ’s redemptive work of salvation. “Since she was uniquely associated with Christ’s suffering on the Cross, she was uniquely associated with His triumph and royal reign in the kingdom” (Sri, Queen Mother, 9). Assumed into heaven, Mary entered the royal court of heaven and sat at the right hand of her Son, Christ the King. As our Queen, Mary directs us, protects us, and intercedes for us. Mary is a most excellent queen because of her Immaculate Conception by which she possessed a fullness of innocence and holiness, as well she is a most efficacious queen as she shares in Christ's influence over humanity, distributing graces through her motherly intercession. “With a heart that is truly a mother’s ... does she approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and saints, and standing at the right hand of her only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains what she seeks and cannot be refused” (Pius XII, Ad caeli reginam, 42). John Paul II developed three aspects of Mary's queenship by which she was more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords, and conqueror of sin and death (Lumen Gentium, 59). First, Mary’s royal office is understood in relation to Christ's self-emptying and royal exaltation. “Christ himself humbly served even to the point of death, and was therefore raised and entered into the glory of His Kingdom, exalted as Lord over all.” Christ’s true disciples reign because they serve: To serve means to reign! Mary, then, is the model disciple. The handmaid of the Lord, “she is the first disciple who served Christ in others and led them to Him. This is the basis of her queenship (Sri, Queen Mother, 18). Second, Mary continues to serve as Queen in heaven. In heaven she does not cease her saving service, which expresses her maternal mediation “until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 41). Third, Mary is clothed by the Communion of Saints. Her union with the Son in glory is wholly oriented towards the definitive fullness of the Kingdom, when “God will be all in all” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 41).
2. The Queen Mother in the Old Testament: The Queen Mother had a special place in the royal court, for she shared in the king’s royal authority. She was an advocate for the people and a counselor to her son, the King. For example, King Solomon honored Bathsheba, his queen mother, by bowing before her, having her sit at his right hand, and saying that he would grant her any request she made (see Sri, Queen Mother, 37). The sign of Isaiah 7:14 looks forward to a queen mother who will conceive and bear a future Davidic king and name him “Immanuel.” Because Mary is the mother of the messianic Davidic King, Mary can be seen as the queen mother in the kingdom of her Son. Not only is there a parallel between Solomon (the son of David) and his mother Bathsheba (the queen-mother) and Jesus (the Son of David) and his mother Mary (the Queen Mother), but there is also one between Adam and Eve, on the one hand, and Jesus, the New Adam, and Mary, the New Eve, on the other. In Genesis 1, man and woman were given the mission to rule over all creation. God gave them dominion over all the creatures of the earth. Created in the image of God, man and woman were called to serve as God's royal representatives (Sri, Queen Mother, 59). Adam was lifted from the dust to a royal office. The serpent was condemned to the dust under the feet of the king. The woman’s child in Genesis 3:15 will strike the head of the serpent’s offspring. The passage points to a future king who will crush the head of the serpent in a way that Davidic kings would subdue their enemies (see Sri, Queen Mother, 62). In Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, five women stand out: Tamar, the mother of Perez through Judah, to whom the monarchy was promised; Rahab, the great-great-grandmother of King David; Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David; Bathsheba, the wife of King David and the mother of Solomon; and Mary, the mother of Jesus, a descendant of David. When the magi visited Bethlehem, they saw the child, the newborn King of the Jews, with Mary his mother. Mary stood beside her royal child as the magi paid him homage.
3. How Mary Exercises Her Queenship: In today’s Gospel (Luke 1:26-38), we are told that Joseph was of the house of David. The angel declares not only that Mary’s child will be the royal Son of David, but is also the Son of God. As Son of David, God the Father will give Jesus the throne of his father David, and Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32-33). Mary’s child is associated with the covenant of David, when God promised that one of David’s sons would receive a great name, sit on a throne in an everlasting kingdom, and be called God’s son (2 Samuel 7:9-16). In the Annunciation, Mary is given the vocation to be the queen mother of a Davidic king. In the Visitation (Luke 1:39-45), Elizabeth calls Mary “the mother of my Lord.” In doing this, she greets Mary as the mother of the Messiah-King. In Revelation 12, the “woman clothed with the sun” refers not only to God’s people (Israel and the Church), but also may be seen to refer to Mary. The woman’s Son rules all nations, sits on a heavenly throne, inaugurates the Kingdom of God, and conquers the enemy, the ancient serpent (Revelation 12:5). The woman herself is crowned and has royal status. She is related not only to the twelve tribes of Israel, but also to the Church, founded on the twelve Apostles. Just as Isaiah 7:14 involves the sign “as high as heaven” of a queen mother who gives birth to a Davidic son, the woman in Revelation 12 is a heavenly sign, involving a royal woman giving birth to a royal son. As Queen Mother, Mary has no authority on her own, but rather depends entirely on her royal Son, Christ the King. Jesus is a King of humble origins, who washes the feet of his own disciples, who rejected the temptation of Satan to a false messiahship, who reigns through humility, and who became a servant even to the point of giving his life. Because of his humble service, Jesus is exalted by the Father and enthroned over all things, and is victorious over sin, death, and the devil. “The abasement-exaltation of Christ is seen especially in Philippians 2:5-11, which describes how every knee shall bend to Christ and every tongue shall confess Him as Lord, but also emphasizes that His supreme exaltation flows from His abasement - becoming a slave, being obedient unto death, death on a Cross” (Sri, Queen Mother, 111). Likewise, Mary is the humble servant of the Lord, who perseveres even unto suffering. She is exalted because of her lowliness as the Lord’s servant. Mary’s life, then, is an eloquent witness to the kingdom of God and “it is through her humble, obedient service that she has a share in Christ's reign, reigning with Him over the powers of sin and death” (Sri, Queen Mother, 112). In Mary, we contemplate the fulfillment of the promise that all Christ’s disciples, those who listen to him and follow him, will share in his reign. Those who give up everything to follow him will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28-30). Those who follow Christ through trials will rule over the new Israel (Luke 22:28-30); those who die with him will reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11-12) (see
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you reign in heaven and have your mother, Mary, at your right hand as the Queen Mother. She is
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng lễ Ðức Maria Trinh Nữ Vương . Đức Giáo Hoàng Piô XII năm 1954 đã nói: "Mục đích của Lễ này là để tất cả chúng ta có thể nhận ra rõ hơn về quyền của Đức Mẹ và tôn kính sốt sắng hơn về lòng thương xót của Mẹ Maria, người mà đã mang Thiên Chúa trong cung lòng của Mẹ . " (Piô XII, Ad Coeli Reginam).
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Trong Ngày lễ kính đức Mẹ lên Trời, mẹ đã vào thiên đàng, Mẹ đã được Chúa Kitô đăng quang và Mẹ đã được toàn thể Thiên Thần và các thánh trên Thiên đàng đón nhận Mẹ làm Nữ Vương
Đức Maria là mẫu gương của người môn đệ. Đức Maria là "người phụ nữ của sự im lặng và sự chú tâm." Chúng ta đã bao giờ có thế nghĩ rằng cái sức mạnh của tiếng "Xin Vâng (Yes)" cua Đức Maria với Thiên Chúa đã đươc đưa vào lịch sử cứu độ nhân loại của chúng ta? Tiếng “Vâng” của Mẹ đã cho phép Thiên Chúa thực hiện và mở ra con đường cho người Con duy nhất của Thiên Chúa để trở thành con người như chúng ta và sống như chúng tanhưng theo ý muốn của Chúa Cha để chúng ta, tất cả được trở nên những con cái của Ngài, và cho chúng ta có thể được sống với Ngài trong Nước vĩnh cửu của Ngài trên Thiên đàng.
Chúng ta không nên bao giờ nghi ngờ về tình yêu của Thiên vì Thiên Chúa chỉ muốn điều tốt nhất cho chúng ta, ngay cả những khi chúng ta không thể hiểu được hoàn toàn lý do tại sao mà những điều đang xảy ra trong cuộc sống của chúng ta theo cách của chúng mà không như ý của chúng ta mong ước. Cũng như Đức Maria, Mẹ đã không hiểu tất cả và đầy đủ về những thông điệp của thiên sứ mang đến cho Mẹ, Mẹ chỉ biết rằng Thiên Chúa muốn và đang sử dụng Mẹ cho một mục đích cao cả và vỹ đại hơn và Thiên Chúa sẽ không bao giờ muốn làm gì hại đến Mẹ. Chúng ta hãy trở nên giống như Đức Maria, chúng ta hãy đặt niềm tin của chúng ta hoàn toàn vào Thiên Chúa, chúng ta hãy làm theo ý muốn của Chúa và phục vụ Ngài với tất cả lòng chân thành với tất cà tâm hồn, lòng trí, trái tim và thân xác của chúng ta.
Today is the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954: "The purpose of the Feast is that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and motherly sovereignty of her who bore God in her womb." (Pius XII, Ad Coeli Reginam).
On her Assumption into heaven, Mary our Mother was solemnly crowned by Christ and received by the whole court of Heaven as Queen.
Mary is our model of discipleship. Mary is "a woman of silence and attentiveness." Have we ever thought what the power of Mary's "Yes" to God had on our salvation history? Allowing God's will to be done to her opened the way for God's only Son to become human and live out the will of the Father so that we, his adopted sons and daughters, may be with him in his everlasting kingdom.
Let us never doubt that God only wants the best for us, even when we do not fully understand the reason why things are happening in our lives the way they are. Just as Mary had no full comprehension of the Angel's message to her, she knew that God was using her for a greater purpose and God will not wish harm on her. Like Mary, let us put our full trust in God, follow his will and serve him with all our heart, soul, mind and body.
While the notion of the Queenship of Our Lady is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture, the Responsorial Psalm today offers a suggestion for the appropriateness of the thought of Mary as Queen. The Psalm praises God: “the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high.” All the rest of us are “servants of the Lord”.
Mary was a very special servant of the Lord, chosen before the ages to be the mother of Jesus, and so rightfully called “Mother of God” for her son, Jesus, was true God and true Man. Mary’s Magnificat echoes verses 7 and 8 of the Psalm, when she acknowledges that in her God had raised up the lowly.
The Psalmist can acknowledge that God has raised up the poor and the lowly “to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.”
Lord, like Mary, may we always be aware of the great things You have done for us, and respond in gratitude all the days of our life.
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