Christ the Cornerstone

Mary’s ‘yes’ leads to Christ’s birth and her glory

Tomorrow, August 22, we celebrate the Memorial known as The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is not a major Marian feast, but it has important connections to The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed

Virgin Mary, which we celebrated on August 15, because Mary reigns as Queen of the Universe by virtue of her privileged position as Christ’s Mother in heaven.

Mary was assumed into heaven—body and soul—because her Immaculate Conception freed her from the burden of human sinfulness. This is what God intended for all human beings: a seamless transition from earthly life to heavenly joy.

Our first parents’ original sin changed things radically and made death something that must be endured—often painfully. Mary’s experience not only shows us the way things were meant to be, it also prefigures the way things will be at the end of time.

We Christians believe “in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” In the Nicene Creed, we profess our belief that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Mary accompanies her Son as his Mother. She has no authority of her own, but she shares in the Divine Power of her Son, and she participates in his glory just as our moon reflects the light generated by the sun.

This principle is reflected in the biblical pattern of the Davidic monarchy, in which the king’s mother held a distinctive position of honor. The Church sees Mary as the fulfillment of this pattern: she is the mother of the Messiah, the Son of David, and the woman whose consent enabled the Incarnation.

Mary’s royal dignity is also witnessed in her great song of praise, the Magnificat: “All generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48). Mary does not claim this honor as self-exaltation. She immediately directs all praise to God: “the Almighty has done great things for me” (Lk 1:49). Her queenship, like every grace bestowed upon her, magnifies God rather than herself. It is her profound humility that allows her to be raised up beyond all ordinary expectations.

This is a great Christian paradox. The humble young woman from Nazareth (an obscure village in a far corner of the ancient world) becomes Queen of the Universe because of her response to God’s messenger, her fiat: “Let it be done, in accordance with God’s will” (Lk 1:38).

The result is the greatest miracle imaginable. God becomes man. The Lord of the Universe takes on Mary’s human nature and is irrevocably united with all humankind. Mary’s role is not insignificant. She first gives her free consent, and then she bears God’s Son in her womb becoming in the process the Mother of God (Theotokos) and the new Eve, the mother of all the living.

Mary’s queenship is like the authority of a mother within a family: personal, compassionate, protective and directed toward the good of her children. Her royal dignity is expressed through intercession and service rather than domination.

Mary’s queenship is connected with her role in salvation history. She did nothing by her own power, independently of Christ. He alone is the Savior of humankind. But God chose to involve Mary uniquely in the mystery of the Incarnation and, in a subordinate and dependent way, in the unfolding of Christ’s saving work.

The clearest biblical image associated with Mary’s queenship appears in the Book of Revelation:

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)

The woman gives birth to a child “destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod,” a reference to the Messiah’s royal rule (Rv 12:5). The passage presents the woman as glorified, crowned, and involved in the cosmic conflict between the child and the dragon.

Mary’s queenship means that she stands with Christ in the triumph of grace over sin and death. Revelation 12 portrays the woman in conflict with the dragon, symbolizing the struggle between God’s kingdom and the powers opposed to it. Mary’s queenship prefigures the ultimate destiny of the Church: victory through fidelity to God and participation in Christ’s triumph.

We venerate Mary because she shows us in practical ways how to be faithful missionary disciples of her Son. She was the first to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, including on the Way of the Cross. And, when the time was right, she followed him to his heavenly homeland, where she serves as the Queen of the Universe.

In Mary’s honor, let us pray together the Salve Regina: Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. … Amen. †