Rooted in Sacred Scripture and professed in prayers and hymns, the Catholic Church considers the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
The mother of God should be honored at least as much as the Old Testament kings honored their mothers by making them queens instead of their wives. King Solomon’s mother even wore a crown and sat on a throne at his right hand.
The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that Jesus would reign on the throne of David forever, and Elizabeth addressed Mary as the mother of the Lord.
Mary is highly honored in a special way, more than any other saint, but although she is the queen of Heaven and Earth, she is never the subject of worship or adoration. The humble Virgin is venerated as a queen only because of her Son’s kingship.
Mary’s coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth is meditated on as the Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary.
Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Queenship of Mary and established a feast in 1954, although the Catholic Church has acknowledged Mary’s queenship as a share of her Son’s kingship since its earliest days.
The Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary each year on August 22, on the Octave of her Assumption into Heaven.
Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth:
A unique role in salvation history:
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
A woman in Heaven wearing a crown of twelve stars:
The queen mother in the midst of a great battle:
The child is Jesus and the woman is Mary:
“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 966
The queen is the mother of the king:
Scripture mentions the queen mother along with the king:
Mary, full of grace, also exerts a fullness of royal power:
In particular, the image of the Virgin Mary as Queen finds important confirmation in today’s Gospel, where Jesus declares: “Behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last”. This expression is typical of Christ as it clearly reflects a theme dear to his prophetic teaching, because the Evangelists recorded it several times although differently formulated. Our Lady is the perfect example of this Gospel truth, namely that God brings down the proud of this world and raises the humble. The small and simple young girl of Nazareth became Queen of the world! This is one of the marvels that reveal God’s Heart. Of course, Mary’s queenship is totally relative to Christ’s kingship.
Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, 22 August 2010
The mother of Jesus must play a role:
Implications of Mary’s role as Queen:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
The way of God more fully:
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