MARY QUEEN AND DISCIPLE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

20150822 MARY QUEEN AND DISCIPLE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Isa 9:1-6

1 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on the inhabitants of a country in shadow dark as death light has blazed forth.

2 You have enlarged the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest time, as they exult when they are dividing the spoils.

3 For the yoke that weighed on it, the bar across its shoulders, the rod of its oppressor, these you have broken as on the day of Midian.

4 For all the footgear clanking over the ground and all the clothing rolled in blood, will be burnt, will be food for the flames.

5 For a son has been born for us, a son has been given to us, and dominion has been laid on his shoulders; and this is the name he has been given, 'Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace'

6 to extend his dominion in boundless peace, over the throne of David and over his kingdom to make it secure and sustain it in fair judgement and integrity. From this time onwards and for ever, the jealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this.

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.'

29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,

30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.

31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.

32 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;

33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'

34 Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'

35 The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 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.

36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,

37 for nothing is impossible to God.'

38 Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.

MARY, QUEEN AND DISCIPLE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 9:1-6; LK 1:26-38

The Feast of the Queenship of Mary comes in the octave of the Assumption.  This is appropriate because on the Feast of the Assumption, we celebrate the glorification of Mary, both of body and soul.  Of course, we remember that the Feast of the Assumption is celebrated as a crowning of the gift of holiness given to Mary at the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

In order to celebrate the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, we should situate this feast in the context of these two dogmas; the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.  This is because the Immaculate Conception proclaims Mary’s victory over sin, whereas the Assumption proclaims Mary’s victory over death.  Of course, sin and death are theologically related, since the wages of sin is death.  In the same breath, we must not forget that this victory over sin and death is not simply the result of Mary’s efforts, but by the pure grace of God given to Mary on account of her divine motherhood and on account of her sharing in the salvific role of Christ in the redemption of the world.

Thus, to call Mary the Queen of Heaven is to recognize Mary’s transcendence over sin and death.  By addressing Mary as Queen of Heaven, this title must be seen in reference to Christ.  We must be careful not to over exalt Mary’s queenship and compare it with that of Jesus’ kingship.  The queenship of Mary is not synonymous with the kingship of Christ, differing only in gender.  On the contrary, Mary’s queenship is only analogous to both that of the functions of earthly queens, and in her relationship to that of Christ’s kingship.

Mary’s queenship must be understood metaphorically in the sense that like the word “king”, it symbolizes primacy, prominence and excellence with reference to others.   But Mary is queen not in the sense of her having her own powers and ruling like a king over a kingdom.   Her queenship is not to be spoken of in absolute terms, but rather in relative terms as an earthly queen who shares the dignity and office of a king in her capacity as the king’s mother.  We are acknowledging that Mary has a formal and active share in the work of redemption by Christ our King.  It was through the cooperation of Mary that Christ could complete His work of redemption, and win victory over sin and the kingdom of Satan.

And indeed, it is certainly fitting to call Mary ‘Queen’, since the whole mission of Jesus was to establish the Kingdom of God.  Both readings today draw us to this reality.  In the first reading from Isaiah, we have the prophecy that, “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.”

So the future Messiah would establish peace in the kingdom.  Of course in the light of faith, we realize that Jesus is the Promised Messiah, as the gospel tells us that He comes from the house of David.  The Angel said, “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.’”  Jesus is the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God.  By His life, passion, death and resurrection, He has conquered sin and death and won for us a kingdom for the Father.

Mary, as reflected in the gospel, is a true disciple of the Kingdom.  The life of Mary demonstrated that she has shared in the victory of Christ.  She cooperated actively and fully in the mission of Christ.  Her saying “yes” at the Incarnation was lived out throughout her life in the ministry of Jesus, climaxing in His death.

Indeed, Mary is our model of discipleship in the kingdom.  She is the true disciple and perfect Christian for all time.  She is the highest point of the ecclesiology of the Church.  She is that woman who has responded fully to the grace of God given to her.  Indeed, in the gospel, her faith in God, her obedience and humility is extolled.  Mary was so completely docile to the Holy Spirit and the will of God that she emptied herself, and was filled with the grace of God.

For that reason, Mary is the prototype of the Church.  She is both virgin and mother in one person.  As virgin, she teaches us the true meaning of dedication, consecration and devotion to God.  A virgin life is a call to holiness and purity by allowing ourselves to be at the service of God and His will totally.  As mother, Mary teaches us to be cooperators with Christ in giving life to others.  The motherhood of Mary speaks of her tender care and compassion for the world.  Indeed, in Mary, the Church as both virgin and mother finds a source of consolation and hope.  The Church, like her, is called to be devoted to the Lord under His grace so that the holiness of the Church is manifested.  For holiness is the other side of our conquest over sin and evil.  As mother, the Church continues to extend her maternal care for her children by instructing them in the faith and by bringing others to come under the Kingship of Christ.

As we celebrate this feast today, we are invited to join Mary by being a perfect disciple of the Kingdom.  A true disciple of the King is one who is like Mary, totally dedicated to the Kingdom.  Like Mary, we are called to be virgin in our total dedication and consecration to Christ and His Kingdom. Like Mary in her virginal motherhood, we are called to be life-givers to others, especially imparting the life of faith.  Like Mary, we must struggle against sin by growing in grace and virtue.  We are called to be imbued with the values of the Kingdom and the fruits of the Spirit.  Finally, like Mary, we are called to transcend death by dying to ourselves in Christ, so that God can truly reign in our hearts.  Only those who have conquered sin and death are true disciples of the Kingdom.

If Mary is called Queen, it is also because Mary is often said to be the dispenser of grace.  But this must be correctly understood, lest we make Mary the throne of grace, which belongs to God and specifically to Christ alone.  To say that Mary is able to give us grace, we simply mean that because of her intense intimacy with the Lord, those who honour Mary will also imitate her life and virtues.  By so doing, we too will receive the grace of a deepening relationship with the Lord.  The consequence of such a relationship with the Lord is that of transformation.

So, to speak of Mary as the Queen of heaven from the perspective of grace, we are claiming that Mary can lead us to Christ effectively by being in solidarity with us in prayer and most of all, by her example.  Hence, if we want to grow in grace and win victory over sin and eventually death, we must come to Mary, who is queen by her relationship with Christ the King.  We must ask Mary to teach us to grow in faith, in humility and obedience to God’s will.  Most of all, let us ask from her an increase of grace, that is, in a deepening of our relationship with Christ.  For in the final analysis, only grace can transform us and give us the power to overcome all temptations and sin, just as it was done for Mary.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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