Friday 22 August 2025 – Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth
Mass
Readings:
Is 9:1-6 Ps 113 Lk 1:26-38
Key
Verse to Meditate: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born
will be holy; he will be called Son of God (Lk 1:35).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
The Feast of the Queenship
of Mary is celebrated on the eighth day after the Solemnity of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast was instituted in 1954 by Pope Pius XII,
who, in his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (To the Queen of Heaven),
formally proclaimed Mary as “Queen of Heaven.”
In this encyclical, Pope
Pius XII explains that Mary deserves the title “Queen” because she is the
Mother of God, because she is closely associated with Christ’s redemptive work
as the New Eve, because of her preeminent holiness, and because of her powerful
intercession for us. The Pope states that the primary foundation of Mary’s
royal dignity is her Divine Motherhood.
Mary shares this dignity
with her Son, Jesus Christ—her God and King. As Jesus is King of Israel and
King of the Universe by nature and by His saving work, so too Mary is Queen: by
grace, by her unique relationship to Christ, by her cooperation in His redemptive
mission, and by the Father’s singular choice. As St. John Damascene beautifully
wrote: “When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of
every creature.” Mary is rightly venerated as Queen of Heaven, for she is
the Mother of the “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace” (Is 9:6).
Gospel Reflection
In today’s Gospel, we hear
the account of the angel’s visit to our Blessed Mother. Her becoming the Mother
of God was a singular privilege granted to Mary: “Hail, O favoured one, the
Lord is with you!” She became the woman “full of grace” because of the
fullness of God’s presence in her life. We too are given this grace, but it is
up to us to recognize and live it. We are also blessed, for God is present in
our lives. The question is: can we truly become a place where God’s action
takes root?
Mary allowed God to rule
her life and her will. The angel reassured her not to be afraid, for she had “found
favour with God” (Lk 1:30). To find favour with God means receiving a
special call, a consecration, and an invitation to cooperate with God’s will.
God granted Mary the grace to remain holy from the moment of her conception,
making her the fitting and humble dwelling place for His Son.
Mary did not know the
future course of her life. Her only assurance was that God would be with her: “Greetings,
favoured one! The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). Again, the angel confirmed: “Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God” (Lk 1:30). That
was enough for her. In our liturgy, we often say, “The Lord be with you.”
It is a reminder that God’s presence gives us light for the next step. Having
the Lord on our side gives courage and responsibility: “The LORD is with me;
I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side; He is my
helper” (Ps 118:6–7). If we live in this awareness, we become joyful
people. This does not mean we will be free of problems, but we will have the
light and strength to carry on with hope.
Mary, too, had her
questions: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34). The angel
explained her mission—that she was called to bear the Son of God, not through
human effort, but through the power of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God”
(Lk 1:35). When God calls, He also anoints with His Spirit, giving wisdom and
strength to carry out His work. Empowered by the Spirit, Mary was able to say
“yes” and remain faithful to that “yes” until the end.
Points for Personal
Reflection
The Queenship of Mary reminds us that we, too, are filled with God’s
grace to fulfil a specific mission in life. First, it is God who chooses us to
live a life of grace. Second, it is up to us to respond. We are responsible for
the gifts and graces we have received. As St. Paul says, “The gifts and the
calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). Like Mary, we are invited to
discern, to cooperate with God’s grace, and to say our wholehearted “yes”: “Here
am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”
(Lk 1:38).
Mary’s perfect obedience is what distinguishes her from us. Her
commitment was total, never divided. Half-hearted commitment is no commitment
at all.
- Do I
live my “yes” to God joyfully and serenely?
- Am I
committed to God’s promises?
- Do I
bring my fears to God in prayer?
- Do I
recognize that the mission entrusted to me is God’s, not mine?
- Do I
experience God’s accompaniment in my daily life?
- Can I, like Mary, live out my “yes” with fidelity?
