20260822 THE NATURE OF MARY’S QUEENSHIP
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.
22 August 2026, Saturday, Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
THE NATURE OF MARY’S QUEENSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 112:1-8; Luke 1:26-38]
A week after the Solemnity of the Assumption, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary. It is significant that whereas the Assumption is a dogma and is celebrated as a solemnity, the Queenship of Mary is only a memorial. This provides us with a guideline as to how this memorial should be celebrated. The Assumption speaks of Mary’s glorification in heaven, body and soul, sharing in the resurrection of Christ. In celebrating this solemnity, the Church assures us that Mary is the sign of our hope–that we, too, will share in the resurrection of Christ as she did, though for us it will be at the end of time.
Furthermore, this feast of the Assumption reminds the Church of the Ascension of our Lord, when He was glorified by the Father and given the power of Kingship. Being “seated at the right hand of the Father” is a term that describes Jesus assuming the powers of His heavenly Father to be the King and universal judge of the world. Consequently, the first manifestation of Christ’s kingship and power was to bestow the Holy Spirit upon the Church: “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) (Eph 4:8-10).
Hence, even though we are celebrating the Queenship of Mary, the Scripture readings focus on Christ’s Kingship so that we view her Queenship in proper perspective. In the First Reading from Isaiah, the prophet spoke of an extraordinary king who would come to save Israel from her enemies, liberate them from slavery, and bring them peace and justice. He will remove the yoke from His people, increase their gladness, and multiply their joy. Scholars historically thought this king was Hezekiah, but in truth, no one could fulfil the prophecy except Jesus Christ: “For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders. 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.” This is why this same text is used in the Christmas liturgy. The Messiah-to-come is the Son of the Father, and He would be called “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Only Jesus–who sends us the Advocate, who is the Prince of Peace, and who is the Divine Son of the Father–can truly bring peace to the world.
This truth is reiterated in today’s Gospel as well. The Son to whom Mary would give birth is no ordinary child. The angel told her, “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 forever and his reign will have no end.” In saying this, the angel affirmed that Jesus would be the Messiah promised to King David–the one who would ensure that David’s dynasty lasts forever. While not explicitly stated, it also implied that Joseph, who belonged to the House of David, would be the foster father of Jesus so that He could legally claim descent from David. However, at that point in time, although Jesus was announced as the Messiah, it was not yet clear to Mary and Joseph that this Messiah would be divine. At the time, the Messiah was understood to be a human descendant of David and, therefore, a “son of God” in the same way all the kings of Israel were titled. It took time for Jesus’ disciples to reach the conviction that Jesus was not just the Messiah, but also the only-begotten Son of God and the Son of Mary.
It is within this context that we draw the significance of Christ’s kingship for Mary. Mary is called Queen, but not in a sense parallel to Jesus’ kingship. Her queenship does not imply that she possesses the authority and sovereignty of Christ’s kingship. In fact, her Queenship is more like that of a queen consort. As a consort, she shares in Jesus’ social rank and status, holds the royal title, and is crowned alongside the King, but she does not possess the King’s independent power. Furthermore, in calling Mary the consort of our Lord, we must qualify that she is not His spouse, as is the case with most monarchical consorts. Hence, Mary’s queenship is limited and only analogous to Christ’s kingship. She is not divine, nor does she possess the power that belongs to Christ alone. Her power is expressed through influence–by her intercession and by serving as a mentor and exemplar for us in the Christian life.
Mary is a creature, albeit the most eminent of all creatures blessed by the Lord. Indeed, her election to be the mother of our Lord was purely by grace, not earned by her good works or virtues. The angel came to her and said, “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.” Thus, her divine motherhood is truly a grace from God. She herself reiterated this in the 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).
Nevertheless, she was fully aware of what she was called to do: to support her Son in His Messianic role. Again, this was articulated in the Magnificat: “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Lk 1:50-55).
And that is precisely what Mary did. Her entire life was lived in service to supporting Jesus in fulfilling His Messianic mission. Even in the Temple at the tender age of twelve, when Jesus said to her, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”, they did not understand what He said to them. Yet, “he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:48-51). Later, when Jesus was ready to enter His public ministry–and although Joseph had died by then–Mary did not stop Him. When Jesus was misunderstood by His relatives, who thought He had lost His mind, Mary was there to support Him. When Jesus was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you,” He replied, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:20-21; cf. Mk 3:21).
Most of all, Mary stood at the foot of the Cross. When practically all of His apostles abandoned Him, Mary remained faithful to her Son:“Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” (Jn 19:25-27). At this moment, Mary assumed the motherhood of the universal Church, fulfilling the promise made at Cana in Galilee when Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” (Jn 2:4).
Now that His hour had come–the hour of His glorification through His Resurrection and Ascension–Mary was called to assume her divine motherhood over the disciples of Christ. In this sense, after her Assumption into heaven, it is fitting that Mary is called Queen of Heaven in an analogous way: by her victory over sin, her life of holiness, her humble service, and above all, her steadfast support of our Lord in His ministry.
She continues to fulfil this role as our model and intercessor for the universal Church. She is Queen by sharing in Christ’s reign over us through her influence–inspiring us by her example to build up Christ’s kingdom by uplifting the poor and walking in holiness and humility. She is also our intercessor, pleading before God on our behalf when we are in need, just as she did at Cana. Mary, therefore, is our Queen because she leads us to share in Christ’s Kingship.
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.
