20250822 NATURE OF MARY’S QUEENSHIP
22 August 2025, Friday, Our Lady, Mother and Queen
First reading | Isaiah 9:1-7 |
A Son is given to us
The people that walked in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who live in a land of deep shadow
a light has shone.
You have made their gladness greater,
you have made their joy increase;
they rejoice in your presence
as men rejoice at harvest time,
as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.
For the yoke that was weighing on him,
the bar across his shoulders,
the rod of his oppressor,
these you break as on the day of Midian.
For all the footgear of battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
is burnt,
and consumed by fire.
For there is a child born for us,
a son given to us
and dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,
Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Wide is his dominion
in a peace that has no end,
for the throne of David
and for his royal power,
which he establishes and makes secure
in justice and integrity.
From this time onwards and for ever,
the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 112(113):1-8 |
May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
or
Alleluia!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
or
Alleluia!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
or
Alleluia!
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?
May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
or
Alleluia!
From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from the dungheap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk1:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!
Blessed art thou among women.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 1:26-38 |
'I am the handmaid of the Lord'
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.
NATURE OF MARY’S QUEENSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 9:1-7; PSALM 113:1-8; LUKE 1:26-38]
The feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary was instituted by Pope Pius XII on Oct 11, 1954, four years after the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven on Nov 1, 1950. Following the proclamation, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary grew even more, with increased visits to Marian Shrines. In 1954, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Year of Mary, and to conclude it – responding to petitions from the faithful all over the world – the Church instituted the liturgical feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Unlike the dogma of the Assumption, however, this was not the declaration of a new truth to be believed by Christians. The Holy Father simply highlighted abundant teachings already found in the ancient documents, especially the writings of the Fathers of the Church, theologians, and the texts of sacred liturgy. A text, attributed to Origen gives Mary the title domina, the feminine form of Latin dominus (“Lord”). The same title also appears in many other early writings. For example, St. Ephrem referred to Mary as the “Majestic and Heavenly Maid, Lady, Queen”, St. Gregory Nazianzen called her “the Mother of the King of the universe”, St. Andrew of Crete referred to Mary as the “Queen of the human race”, St. Germanus addressed her as “Queen of all of those who dwell on earth”, St. John Damascene called Mary, “Queen, ruler, and lady”, as well as “the Queen of every creature”.
Even in the Sacred Liturgy, the Church has always honoured Mary with the ancient prayer Salve Regina. Thus, Pope Pius XII was not inventing a devotion but making explicit the Church’s long-standing recognition of Mary’s queenship. From the earliest centuries, Christians have acknowledged that Mary–through whom the Son of God was born–was granted privileges of grace above all other creatures. As the angel said in today’s Gospel: “Rejoice, so highly favored! The Lord is with you!”
When Elizabeth greeted Mary, she recognized her divine motherhood: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Lk 1:42-43). Mary responded with her Magnificat: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Lk 1:46-49). But more importantly, Mary was acknowledged as the Mother of the Lord–Jesus, the Son of David, to whom God gave the throne of David to reign forever over the House of Jacob. As the angel announced: “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever, and his reign will have no end.”
What, then, does it mean to confess Mary as Queen of Heaven? It must be clear that her Queenship is only analogous to the kingship of Jesus. Technically, only Jesus – Son of David and Son of God – is King. Isaiah prophesied: “For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.” Jesus is proclaimed King because He preached and established the Kingdom of God on earth by His passion, death and resurrection. When Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world.” (Jn 18:33,36f) In the book of Revelation, St John wrote, “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (Rev 1:5) Christ’s kingship is by divine right; He is eternally the King of creation.
Mary’s queenship, then, is not one of power independent of Christ, much less as an “Empress Dowager.” She is recognized as Queen because of her unique relationship with Jesus: Son of God, Son of David, and also her Son. Her queenship is wholly subordinated to His. She is Queen through Him and with Him. Without Christ, her queenship would not exist. In an analogous way too, baptized Christians also share in the kingship of Christ, as the book of Revelation says: “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Rev 1:6) So Mary’s Queenship is a sharing in Christ’s kingship, but in a unique way, because of her maternal relationship with Him and her divine maternity as the “Mother of God.”
Secondly, Mary is Queen because she shares in Christ’s victory over sin and death. Jesus is truly king because He conquered sin and death. St Paul wrote, “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.'” (1 Cor 15:24-27) Isaiah had also foretold what the messianic King would bring. “Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his royal power, which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity.” Mary shared in Christ’s victory through her constant “Yes” to God – from the Annunciation, through the birth of Jesus, the flight into Egypt, His public ministry, and ultimately, His death on the Cross. Mary sought to do only God’s will. For this reason, the Church proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854; Mary was preserved from sin from the first moment of her conception and remained sinless throughout her life. Even this privilege was given in anticipation of Christ’s saving death and resurrection. It is significant that this was a hundred years before this feast was declared.
Thirdly, when we speak of Mary as the Queen of Heaven, we are saying she is Queen by grace. This is to say that Mary’s position is the result not of her merits but by the free choice of the Father in choosing her to be the Mother of His Son. She lived a life of holiness and integrity. She lived a life of faith, hope and charity. Her faith in God and in her Son was evident in her unwavering commitment to Jesus, even when He was rejected by His relatives, betrayed by His apostles, and abandoned by His people. Mary never gave up hope in God, even as she stood beneath the Cross. She never gave up hope that Her Son would be able to save her people. Her charity was demonstrated in her care for Elizabeth in her pregnancy, in her joining Jesus in praying and forgiving His enemies.
Finally, Mary is often called the Throne of Grace, but always in an analogous way. Only Christ is the Throne of Grace, as the letter of Hebrew says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:15f) She is also called the “Mediatrix of all graces”– not that she is the source of grace but as the one through whom Christ entered the world, making grace available to us. United with her Son, she continues to intercede for us and pray for us, just like all the saints in heaven and on earth. We are confident of her prayers because, as St James says: “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.” (Jas 5:15-18) If the prayer of Elijah is so powerful, how much more so the prayer of Mary! So, let us turn to Mary, the Queen of Heaven as our model and intercessor so that we can share in Christ’s kingship even more fully.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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