Memorial of Saint Anthony. Abbot
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
MONDAY, JANUARY 17th Mk. 2: 18-22 “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?”
We meet the Bridegroom in the pages of the Gospels. We receive the Bridegroom in every Holy Communion. We adore Him exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. We will meet Him face to face when we enter heaven.
Some few are blessed to close their eyes on earth and open them in Heaven to be received in the arms of their Loving Lord and Savior Jesus. Others of us will spend time in Purgatory and who will be there to visit us and bring us some relief? Our loving Mother Mary!
Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord! “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Today let us see how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exalted Mary, the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and our loving Mother!
MARY AS QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
When Christopher Columbus went to Queen Isabela about travel to the New World, the powerful Queen endowed him with three gifts, three powerful means of transport, huge ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
The Queen had power, prestige, and almost limitless economic resources, and she willingly decided to give the sailor and his crew three enormous vessels to facilitate the long voyage to what was considered the “New World”.
The last of the Ships was actually named to honor the person that we would like to honor in a special way in our exposition—Santa Maria—Holy Mary—that is to say, Mary, the Mother of God.
The titles given to Mary, the Mother of God, are many. Like a diamond exposed to the sun, through the process of refraction various colors emanate and radiate from the diamond, so it is with respect to Marian titles. Each title reflects some resplendent glory of Mary. In the words of Saint Louis de Montfort: Mary is the Daughter of God the Father, she is the Mother of God the Son, and she is the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Also, Mary is the Masterpiece of God’s creation.
One of the most exalted and sublime titles given to Mary is that of MARY AS QUEEN. Now if an earthly Queen, like that of Queen Isabel, could enrich Columbus with three majestic and powerful ships to cross over to the New World, how much more powerful is Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven and earth, the Queen of the entire universe.
In the traditional Litany of the Blessed Virgin, among the many Biblical, Mystical, and Poetic titles attributed to Mary are those related to her Queenship. And there are many, manifesting the diversity, multiplicity and richness of Mary’s relationship to the angels as their Queen. In the traditional Litany there are twelve in total… They are the following:
1. Queen of angels; 2. Queen of Patriarchs; 3. Queen of prophets; 4. Queen of Apostles; 5. Queen of martyrs; 6. Queen of Confessors; 7. Queen of virgins; 8. Queen of all saints; 9. Queen conceived without Original Sin; 10. Queen assumed into Heaven; 11. Queen of the most Holy Rosary; 12. Queen of peace. Two others could be added: Queen, beauty of Carmel, and Queen of all of our hearts.
No doubt Mary’s Queenship is universal, all-embracing, extensive and indeed sublime. Let us meditate briefly on these Marian titles related to Mary as QUEEN. Be keenly aware of the immense power that Mary has in heaven, on earth, and in the wide expanse of the world, in time and extending into eternity.
1. QUEEN OF ANGELS. Contemplate Heaven and all of the angels, from the simple angels, the choirs of angels, to the highest rank of angels, the Seraphim, honoring Mary as their Queen for all eternity.
2. QUEEN OF THE PATRIARCHS. By the word Patriarch is meant our spiritual Fathers… Mary is Queen even of our spiritual Fathers. In the Old Testament they would be Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Saint Joseph is indeed a spiritual Father. Also, in Patristics, we have the Fathers of the Church among which would be: St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great. These great men of God lift up their gaze to Mary and honor her as their Queen.
3. QUEEN OF PROPHETS. By Prophet is meant the person who preaches the Word of God. In the Old Testament, Elijah would be one of the most prominent. John the Baptist, who was sanctified in his mother’s womb by the word of Mary and the presence of the Incarnate Jesus in her womb, was the greatest of all the Prophets. Mary teaches the Prophets to preach by word, but also by the example of her life.
4. QUEEN OF APOSTLES. Jesus chose the Apostles as His intimate friends and preachers of the Gospel message. Jesus would ascend into heaven but leave His Mother Mary to pray for, as well as assist, accompany, support and strengthen the Apostles in their work of saving souls. Now the Apostles in Heaven contemplate Mary as their Queen, whom they honor with the greatest of reverence and love.
5. QUEEN OF MARTYRS. Mary did not shed her blood as Jesus did on Calvary, but Mary suffered intensely in her soul. When the lance pierced the side and Heart of Jesus from which blood and water came gushing forth, that lance spiritually pierced to the very depths, the Heart of Mary. For that reason, according to St. Alphonsus, Mary is given the title of Martyr. What Jesus suffered in His Body; Mary suffered in the depths of her soul.
6. QUEEN OF CONFESSORS. By confessor is not meant simply the priest hearing confessions and reconciling sinners, but rather a confessor is a person who valiantly confesses their faith by word and deed. Our Lady as Queen inspires men and women of all ages to be valiant confessors of their faith, even children, as we see in the children of Fatima and St. Bernadette of Lourdes.
7. QUEEN OF VIRGINS. The history of the lives of the saints points out with utmost clarity that to attain a life of great purity, the presence of Mary with her powerful prayers and intercession is a key motivating force. Saint Faustina was endowed with the gift of perfect chastity by Jesus giving her the sash of purity, but only after this saint had been begging Mary for a long time for this great gift. Mary, Queen of Virgins, can help us to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.” (Mt 5:8)
8. QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS. Saint Dominic Savio, after he had died and gone to heaven, appeared to Saint John Bosco and said that his greatest joy while on earth was his great and tender love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. The young saint exhorted Bosco to promote love for Mary far and wide.
9. QUEEN CONCEIVED WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN. Among the many privileges granted to Mary is that of her Immaculate Conception. That is to say: Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, without the stain of Original Sin. As the English poet Wordsworth penned (even though he was not Catholic), “Mary is our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Those who approach Mary as Queen, distance themselves from the poison of sin—the one true evil in the world!
10. QUEEN ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN. Another one of the Marian dogmas and privileges is that of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, which the Church celebrates every year on August 15th. The meaning? At the end of Mary’s earthly pilgrimage on earth, Mary was taken up into Heaven in body and soul by the power of God. This title encourages all those dedicated and consecrated to Mary to respect their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and to use their bodies, not for sin, but to glorify and praise God, and to save souls.
11. QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY. When Our Lady appeared to the children of Fatima—Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta—six consecutive times, each time she told them to continue praying the Holy Rosary every day. She gave us her title in Fatima as OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY!!! Every Rosary prayed is a crown placed on the head of Mary.
12. QUEEN OF PEACE. Once again, Our Lady appeared at Fatima during the First World War. She said unequivocally that war is a consequence of sin. That to stop wars we would have to strive to stop sinning and pray more, especially the Holy Rosary. In the immortal words of the Rosary-priest, Ven. Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays, together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”
In conclusion, an earthly King or Queen has much power. This power extends to the economy, the social milieu, the family, arts and music, literature and poetry, as well as military defense. Queen Isabel bequeathed Columbus with three enormous and majestic ships to sail to the New World.
In the spiritual realm, Mary has many beautiful titles as prayed in her Litany. Her power, her dominion, her presence, her majestic aura are beyond compare to any earthly King or Queen. Indeed, she is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the living Tabernacle of the Blessed Trinity. God can deny nothing to Mary, Queen and Mother, nothing in the least. Even all the devils in hell tremble simply at the Holy Name of Mary.
Let us resolve then to form the habit of praying fervently the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and at times let us focus on the various invocations to Mary as QUEEN.
Let us pray:
May Mary who is the Beauty of Carmel enrapture our hearts, minds and souls by her beauty and grace. And let us beg for the very special grace that Mary will be the Queen of all hearts, but most especially, the Queen of your heart and my heart!
