Quote/s of the Day – 8 June – The Queenship of Mary
“She is the eldest daughter of the Great King. If you enjoy her favour, she will introduce you to the Monarch of the Universe. No-one has so great an interest with Him than Mary, who was the occasion of His coming down from Heaven to become man, for the redemption of mankind.”
St John the Merciful (c 552-c 616)
“And as Queen, she possesses, by right, the whole Kingdom of her Son.”
Rupert of Deutz OSB (c 1075- c 1130) Benedictine Abbot
“The Angels rejoiced to see their Queen, the Apostles rejoiced to see their lady and both obeyed her, with loving devotion. … Therefore, when the Virgin of virgins was led forth by God and her Son, the King of kings. amid the company of exulting Angels and rejoicing Archangels, with the Heavens ringing with praise, the prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled, in which he said to the Lord: At your right hand stands the Queen, clothed in gold of Ophir.”
St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)
“So Mary is a Queen. And, for our consolation, we ought to remember that she is a most tender and kind Queen, eager to help us in our miseries. So much so, that the Church wants us to call her in this prayer, a Queen of Mercy. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-17
“O Queen of Angels and of Saints, my most powerful and most loving Mother, have pity on me, for I am surrounded by such great perils and need so much to advance in virtue. Although I am weak and weary, I desire ardently to imitate the shining example of thy holidness. Obtain for me, from thy Divine Son, the grace to imitate thee, as far as I am able on earth, so that one day I may share thy happiness in the Presence of God for all eternity. Amen.”
One Minute Reflection – 8 June – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ecclesiasticus 24:5; 14:7; 14:9-11; 24:30-31; Luke 1:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Hail, full of grace!”– Luke 1:28
REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then, at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.
Now, was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself, had supernaturally prepared as His temple…
In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise He had taken a little clay, out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely this pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45) that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop, Father (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).
PRAYER – Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we who keep the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Queen, safe under her protection, may be worthy to have peace now and glory, in the future. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
All praise, honour and glory to the divine HEART of JESUS. – Indulgence 50 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.
Our Morning Offering – 8 June – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Hail Mary, Queen of Our Hearts, Our Mother Prayer in Honour of Mary By St Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)
Hail Mary, Daughter of God the Father! Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son! Hail Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit! Hail Mary, Temple of the Most Holy Trinity! Hail Mary, our mistress, our wealth, our mystic rose. Queen of our hearts, our Mother, our life, our sweetness and our dearest hope! We are all Thine and all we have is thine. O Virgin, blessed above all things, may thy soul be in us, to magnify the Lord, may thy spirit be in us, to rejoice in God. Place thyself, O faithful Virgin, as a seal upon our hearts, that in thee and through thee, we may be found faithful to God. Grant, most gracious Virgin, that we may be numbered among those, whom thou art pleased to love, to teach and to guide, to favour and to protect, as thy children. Grant that with the help of thy love, we may despise all earthly consolations and cling to heavenly things, until through the Holy Spirit, thy faithful Spouse and through thee, His faithful Spouse, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, be formed within us for the glory of the Father. Amen
The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Queen of Heaven and Earth, Holy Queen: Pope Pius XII established this Feast in 1954 with a Feast Day of 31 May. However, this year, 31 May fell within the Corpus Christi Octave and, therefore, the Feast has been transferred until today, a week later. In his 1954 Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam – To the Queen of Heaven, Pope Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection and because, of her intercessory power HERE: https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/31/the-queenship-of-mary-and-memorials-of-the-saints-31-may/
Blessed Armand of Zierikzee OFM (Died c1524) Friar of the Order of the Friars Minor, renowned Scriptural Scholar. St Bron of Cassel Bishop, Spiritual student of Saint Patrick. St Calliope St Clodulf of Metz Bl Engelbert of Schäftlarn St Eustadiola of Moyen-Moutier St Fortunatus of Fano Bishop
St Gildard of Rouen (c 456-c 545 Bishop of Rouen, Confessor * Twin Brother of St Medard below. The Roman Martyrology states of St Medard and his twin brother, St Gildard, today: “At Soissons, in France, the birthday of St Gildard, Bishop of Rouen, whose life and precios death are illustrated by glorios miracles – at Rouen, St Gildard, Bishop, twin brother of St Medard,who was born with his brother on the same day, Consecrated Bishops at the same time and being taken away from this life, also on the same day, they entered Heaven together!” About St Gildard: https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/08/saint-of-the-day-8-june-st-gildard-of-rouen-c-456-c-545/
Bl Giorgio Porta Bl Giselbert of Cappenberg St Heraclius of Sens Blessed John Davy O.Cart. (c1490-1535) Deacon of the Carthusian Order, Martyr Bl essedJohn Rainuzzi Bl Maddallena of the Conception
St Medard (c 456-545) Bishop and Confessor * Twin Brother of St Gildard above. About this iluustrious Saint: https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/08/saint-of-the-day-8-june-saint-medard-c-456-545-bishop/ The Roman Martyrology states of St Medard and his twin brother, St Gildard, today: “At Soissons, in France, the birthday of St Medard, Bishop of Novon, whose life and precios death are illustrated by glorious miracles – at Rouen, St Gildard, Bishop, twin brother of St Medard,who was born with his brother on the same day, Consecrated Bishops at the same time and being taken away from this life, also on the same day, they entered Heaven together!”
St Melania the Elder St Muirchu St Pacificus of Cerano Bl Peter de Amer Bl Robert of Frassinoro St Sallustian St Syra of Troyes St Victorinus of Camerino
Mary is Queen by grace, divine relationship, right of conquest and singular election. Coming as a crowning event in the beautiful month of May, the Queenship of Mary, we welcome this Feast with spiritual affection and experience a sense of deep interior peace, as we gather in her presence, to rededicate ourselves to our loving Mother and Queen. The Introit of the Mass for the day tells us: “Let us all rejoice in the Lord as we celebrate the feast in honour of our Queen, the Blessed Virgin Mary, on whose solemnity the Angels rejoice and join in praising the Son of God. Alleluia, alleluia.”
The Queenship of Mary is not an empty title or an honourary distinction, showing forth her excellence of virtue, of grandeur, sanctity or glory. Mary is truly a Queen as can be seen in the Gospel of the Mass – the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary with the most startling words ever addressed to a child of Adam: “Hail thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women.” Then he continues, “Do not be afraid; thou hast found favour in the sight of God. And thou shalt bear a son and call Him Jesus. He shall be great and men will know Him for the Son of God, the Most High; the Lord will give Him the throne of his father David and He shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; His kingdom shall never end.” Here is the foundation of our belief in the Queenship of Mary – her Divine Motherhood; – she conceived a King, the King!
Mary is “Queen by grace” because she was immaculately conceived, preserved from the slightest taint of sin, while her soul was literally inundated with divine grace. “Hail, thou art full of grace.”
She is “Queen by divine relationship” for she is related in the first degree of consanguinity in the direct line to Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. A Queen Mother is one, whose son later becomes king. Mary’s Child, however at the moment of His conception and then His birth, was already a King, the King of the world. Spiritual writers point out for our consolation, that Mary’s maternal relationship to Jesus was more exclusive than any other mother, since He had no human father.
Our Lady is Queen also “by right of conquest;” Our Lord by His Passion and Death recaptured the human race from the slavery of Satan, conquering all as a King. Calvary was the scene of this conquest. Mary, at the foot of the Cross, shared intimately with Him in His Sacrifice and the fruits of the Redemption.
At first it may be somewhat difficult to picture Mary as a Queen, since we think in terms of royalty of the world; yet, when we think of the souls who preceded us in the household of the Faith and glance at Christian art, as it sings of her Queenship, it is not difficult at all.
Majestically, Christ said to Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world,” so, too, Our Lady acknowledges herself in humility as a Queen whom all generations call blessed but she, too, would add, “my kingdom is not of this world.” In the Litany of Our Lady, we address her as Queen of Angels, Patriarchs, Prophets, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins; of Peace, of the Most Holy Rosary; conceived without original sin and, Queen assumed into Heaven. Catholic art represents her, crowned with a diadem holding a scepter, seated on a throne.
The purpose of this Feast, the Queenship of Mary, is to stir up renewed love and devotion to her, to gather before her throne in Heaven and humbly offer her our homage, unreserved, totally, prayerfully and with the simplicity of abandonment, which characterises a devoted child – “Reign over hearts and minds of men that they seek what is true; over their wills, to follow solely the good; over their hearts, to love nothing but what you love…that man may seek and know the truth and follow what is good, Oh Queen!”
St Crescentian of Sassari St Donatian of Cirta St Felice of Nicosia St Galla of Auvergne St Hermias of Comana Bl Jacob Chu Mun-mo Blessed James Salomoni OP (1231-1314) Priest of the Order of Preachers St Juan Moya Collado Bl Kasper Gerarz St Lupicinus of Verona St Mancus of Cornwall Bl Mariano of Roccacasale St Mechtildis of Edelstetten St Myrbad of Cornwall Bl Nicolas Barré Bl Nicholaus of Vangadizza Bl Nicholaus of Vaucelles St Nowa Mawaggali St Paschasius of Rome St Petronilla of Rome Bl Robert Thorpe St Silvio of Toulouse Bl Thomas Watkinson Bl Vitalis of Assisi St Winnow of Cornwall
Martyrs of Aquileia – 3 Saints: Three young members of the imperial Roman nobility and who were raised in a palace and had Saint Protus of Aquileia as tutor and catechist. To escape the persecutions of Diocletian, the family sold their property and moved to Aquileia, Italy. However, the authorities there quickly ordered them to sacrifice to idols; they refused. Martyrs all – Cantianilla, Cantian and Cantius. They were beheaded in 304 at Aquae-Gradatae (modern San-Cantiano) just outside Aquileia, Italy.
Martyrs of Gerona – 29 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together in Gerona, Catalonia, Spain, date unknown. No details about them have survived but the names – • Agapia• Amelia• Castula• Cicilia• Donatus• Firmus• Fortunata• Gaullenus• Germanus• Honorius• Istialus• Justus• Lautica• Lupus • Maxima• Paulica• Rogate• Rogatus• Silvanus• Tecla• Teleforus• Tertula• Tertus• Victoria• Victurinus• Victurus
Martyrs of the Via Aurelia – 4 Saints: Four Christians Martyred together. No information about them has survived except their names – Justa, Lupus, Tertulla and Thecla. The martyrdom occurred in 69 on the Via Aurelia near Rome, Italy.
Thought for the Day – 22 August – Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Queen of the World and of Peace
Saint Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop
An excerpt from a Sermon
Observe how fitting it was that even before her assumption, the name of Mary shone forth wondrously throughout the world. Her fame spread everywhere even before she was raised above the heavens in her magnificence. Because of the honour due her Son, it was indeed fitting for the Virgin Mother to have first ruled upon earth and then be raised up to heaven in glory. It was fitting that her fame be spread in this world below, so that she might enter the heights of heaven on overwhelming blessedness. Just as she was borne from virtue to virtue by the Spirit of the Lord, she was transported from earthly renown to heavenly brightness.
So it was, that she began to taste the fruits of her future reign while still in the flesh. At one moment she withdrew to God in ecstasy, at the next, she would bend down to her neighbours with indescribable love. In heaven angels served her, while here on earth she was venerated by the service of men. Gabriel and the angels waited upon her in heaven. The virgin John, rejoicing that the Virgin Mother was entrusted to him at the cross, cared for her with the other apostles here below. The angels rejoiced to see their queen, the apostles rejoiced to see their lady and both obeyed her with loving devotion.
Dwelling in the loftiest citadel of virtue, like a sea of divine grace or an unfathomable source of love that has everywhere overflowed its banks, she poured forth her bountiful waters on trusting and thirsting souls. Able to preserve both flesh and spirit from death, she bestowed health-giving salve on bodies and souls. Has anyone ever come away from her troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because his request had been granted by the Mother of God?
She is a bride, so gentle and affectionate and the mother of the only true bridegroom. In her abundant goodness, she has channelled the spring of reason’s garden, the well of living and life-giving waters, that pour forth in a rushing stream from divine Lebanon and flow down from Mount Zion, until they surround the shores of every far-flung nation. With divine assistance, she has redirected these waters and made them into streams of peace and pools of grace. Therefore, when the Virgin of virgins was led forth by God and her Son, the King of kings. amid the company of exulting angels and rejoicing archangels, with the heavens ringing with praise, the prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled, in which he said to the Lord:
At your right hand stands the queen, clothed in gold of Ophir.
Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – The Memorial of The Queenship of Mary, Holy Mother of God
“Let Heaven sustain me in its embrace, because I am honoured above it. For heaven was not thy mother but Thou hast made it thy throne. How much more honourable and venerable than the throne of a king is His mother.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Doctor of the Church
“Be enthroned, Lady, for it is fitting that you should sit in an exalted place since you are a Queen and glorious above all kings.”
St Germanus (378-448)
“O my Lady, my Sovereign, You who rule over me, Mother of my Lord . . . Lady among handmaids, Queen among sisters.”
St Ildephonsus (607-670)
“Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) – Doctor of Light – Mellifluous Doctor
One Mi nute Reflection – 22 August – The Memorial of The Queenship of Mary, Holy Mother of God – Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:26–38
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me, according to your word.” And the angel departed from her...Luke 1:38
REFLECTION – “With the certainty of faith we know that Jesus Christ is king in the full, literal and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ and Christ is God and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies and in the triumph He won over them all. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege, enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer. And lastly, this same union with Christ is the fountain of the inexhaustible efficacy of her motherly intercession, in the presence of the Son and of the Father.
Without doubt, then, does our holy Virgin possess a dignity that far transcends all other creatures. In the eyes of her Son, she takes precedence over everyone else. In order to help us understand the pre-eminence that the Mother of God enjoy,s over all creation, it would help to remember that from the first moment of her conception, the holy Virgin was filled with such a plenitude of grace as to surpass the graces, enhancing all the saints. Recall what our predecessor Pius IX, of blessed memory, wrote in his Bull Ineflabilis Deus: “More than all the angels and all the saints has God ineffable freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury and she, preserving herself ever immaculately clean, from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness, so great, as to be unthinkable apart from God Himself, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess.”…Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) – Excerpted from Ad Caeli Reginam
PRAYER – Almighty God, our Father, You have given us Mary, the Mother of Your Son, to be our Mother and our Queen. Grant that, supported by her prayers, we may come to the kingdom of heaven and to the glory destined for Your children. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offring – 22 August – Celebrating the Queenship of Mary
Salve Regina Hail Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve,
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟ that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Almighty, everlasting God,
who by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit
didst prepare the body and soul
of the glorious Virgin-Mother Mary
to become a dwelling-place fit for Thy Son,
grant we pray,
that as we rejoice in her commemoration,
so by her fervent intercession,
we may be delivered from present evils
and from everlasting death.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen
The Hail Holy Queen or Salve Regina is a choral anthem going back to the eleventh century. Since the thirteenth century it is the last evening chant in many religious communities. The authorship is not clearly defined. The Salve is first mentioned in a meditation by Anselm II, Bishop of Lucca, 1073-86 (PL 184, 1078-98) and (erroneously) to Hermannus Contractus (1013-54) of Reichenau.
The “Hail, Holy Queen” is a salutation deprecatonia, a greeting of petition and intercession. Mary is called mother of mercy because Christ her Son, is the incarnation of God’s love and mercy. Giving us Christ, she gave us, sinful humans, the life and hope we need (as baptised children of Eve) to survive in this vale of tears. This antiphon is not part of the rosary but represents the same spirit. It is part of the official prayer of the Church (Liturgy of the Hours: Vespers and/or Compline) and thus is even more precious than the rosary. Sung, it becomes a wonderful expression of our spiritual intimacy with Mary.
It is interesting that it was a Domenican (like today’s Saint Giacomo Bianconi), Blessed Jordan of Saxony OP (1190-1237) who initiated the custom of singing the Salve Regina in procession each night after Compline in the Dominican Order, to ask Our Lady’s protection of the brothers against temptations from the devil. This is a custom still practised by Dominicans throughout the world and by our community each night.
Queenship of Mary (Memorial): On 22 August, the Church celebrates a Feast in honour of the Queenship of Mary. The Queenship can be considered a prolongation of the celebration of the Assumption. The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary – 22 August – A Marian feast day decreed by Pope Pius XII on 11 October 1954, in his encyclical Ad caeli reginam to recognise and celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of the world, of the universe, of the Angels, of Heaven, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, all Saints,of Families, Queen conceived without original sin Queen assumed into Heaven, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Peace. Amen, Holy Queen and Mother! Here too: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/the-memorial-of-the-queenship-of-mary-22-august/
St Andrew of Fiesole
St Anthusa of Seleucia
St Antoninus of Rome
St Arnulf of Eynesbury
St Athanasius of Tarsus
Bl Bernard Perani
St Dalmau Llebaría Torné
Bl Élie Leymarie de Laroche
St Epictetus of Ostia
St Ethelgitha of Northumbria
St Fabrician of Toledo
St Felix of Ostia Bl Giacomo/James Bianconi OP (1220–1301)
St Gunifort
St Joan Farriol Sabaté St John Kemble (1599 – 1679) Martyr Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/22/saint-of-the-day-22-august-st-john-kemble-1599-1679-martyr/
St John Wall
St Josep Roselló Sans
St Julio Melgar Salgado
St Maprilis of Ostia
St Martial of Ostia
St Maurus of Rheims
St Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
St Philibert of Toledo
Bl Richard Kirkman
St Saturninus of Ostia
Bl Simeon Lukach
St Sigfrid of Wearmouth
St Symphorian of Autun
St Thomas Percy
St Timothy of Rome
Bl William Lacey
_
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Dalmau Llebaría Torné
• Blessed Joan Farriol Sabaté
• Blessed Josep Roselló Sans
• Blessed Julio Melgar Salgado
• Blessed Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
Thought for the Day – 22 August – The Memorial of The Queenship of Mary, Holy Mother of God – Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:26–38
As St Paul suggests in Romans 8:28–30, God has predestined human beings from all eternity to share the image of his Son. All the more was Mary predestined to be the mother of Jesus. As Jesus was to be king of all creation, Mary, in dependence on Jesus, was to be queen. All other titles to queenship derive from this eternal intention of God. As Jesus exercised his kingship on earth by serving his Father and his fellow human beings, so did Mary exercise her queenship. As the glorified Jesus remains with us as our king till the end of time (Matthew 28:20), so does Mary, who was assumed into heaven and crowned queen of heaven and earth.
In the fourth century St Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany celebrate her queenship.
The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power. (Fr Don Miller OFM) “Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?” (St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) – Doctor of Light – Mellifluous Doctor)
Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Pray for your children!
Your eyes opened to a new kind of light Wide pools that gaze with merciful love upon the world Your sword-pierced heart, immaculate,
Strong-walled as a cathedral
In the holy city of God.
Angels surround your throne Holy Blessed Virgin, Mother of God Star-crowned Queen of heaven and Queen of angels
We, though sinners, are yours, Every tribe on earth, every race Beckoned to enclosure In deep mantle-folds of grace.
One Minute Reflection – 22 August – The Memorial of The Queenship of Mary, Holy Mother of God – Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:26–38
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me, according to your word.” And the angel departed from her...Luke 1:38
REFLECTION – “With the certainty of faith we know that Jesus Christ is king in the full, literal and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ and Christ is God and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies and in the triumph He won over them all. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege, enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer. And lastly, this same union with Christ is the fountain of the inexhaustible efficacy of her motherly intercession, in the presence of the Son and of the Father.
Without doubt, then, does our holy Virgin possess a dignity that far transcends all other creatures. In the eyes of her Son, she takes precedence over everyone else. In order to help us understand the pre-eminence that the Mother of God enjoy,s over all creation, it would help to remember that from the first moment of her conception, the holy Virgin was filled with such a plenitude of grace as to surpass the graces, enhancing all the saints. Recall what our predecessor Pius IX, of blessed memory, wrote in his Bull Ineflabilis Deus: “More than all the angels and all the saints has God ineffable freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury and she, preserving herself ever immaculately clean, from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness, so great, as to be unthinkable apart from God Himself, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess.”…Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) – Excerpted from Ad Caeli Reginam
PRAYER – Almighty God, our Father, You have given us Mary, the Mother of Your Son, to be our Mother and our Queen. Grant that, supported by her prayers, we may come to the kingdom of heaven and to the glory destined for Your children. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 August – Memorial of The Queenship of Mary
Mary our Queen, Holy Mother of God By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
Mary, our Queen,
Holy Mother of God,
we beg you to hear our prayer.
Make our hearts overflow with divine grace
and resplendent with heavenly wisdom.
Render them strong with your might
and rich in virtue.
Pour down upon us the gift of mercy
so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins.
Help us to live in such a way
as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven.
May this be granted us by your Son Jesus
who has exalted you above the angels,
has crowned you as Queen,
and has seated you with Him
forever on His refulgent throne.
Amen.
Queenship of Mary (Memorial):
On 22 August, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates a memorial in honour of the Queenship of Mary. This memorial is placed an octave, that is, eight days after celebrating Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. The Queenship can be considered a prolongation of the celebration of the Assumption.The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary – 22 August – A Marian feast day decreed by Pope Pius XII on 11 October 1954, in his encyclical Ad caeli reginam to recognise and celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of the world, of the universe, of the angels, of heaven, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, all Saints,of Families, Queen conceived without original sin Queen assumed into Heaven, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Peace.
St Andrew of Fiesole
St Anthusa of Seleucia
St Antoninus of Rome
St Arnulf of Eynesbury
St Athanasius of Tarsus
Bl Bernard Perani
St Dalmau Llebaría Torné
Bl Élie Leymarie de Laroche
St Epictetus of Ostia
St Ethelgitha of Northumbria
St Fabrician of Toledo
St Felix of Ostia
St Gunifort
St Joan Farriol Sabaté
St John Kemble (1599 – 1679) Martyr
St John Wall
St Josep Roselló Sans
St Julio Melgar Salgado
St Maprilis of Ostia
St Martial of Ostia
St Maurus of Rheims
St Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
St Philibert of Toledo
Bl Richard Kirkman
St Saturninus of Ostia
Bl Simeon Lukach
St Sigfrid of Wearmouth
St Symphorian of Autun
St Thomas Percy
St Timothy of Rome
Bl William Lacey
_
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Dalmau Llebaría Torné
• Blessed Joan Farriol Sabaté
• Blessed Josep Roselló Sans
• Blessed Julio Melgar Salgado
• Blessed Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
Thought for the Day – 22 August – The Queenship of Mary
As St. Paul suggests in Romans 8:28–30, God has predestined human beings from all eternity to share the image of his Son. All the more was Mary predestined to be the mother of Jesus. As Jesus was to be king of all creation, Mary, in dependence on Jesus, was to be queen. All other titles to queenship derive from this eternal intention of God. As Jesus exercised his kingship on earth by serving his Father and his fellow human beings, so did Mary exercise her queenship. As the glorified Jesus remains with us as our king till the end of time (Matthew 28:20), so does Mary, who was assumed into heaven and crowned queen of heaven and earth.
In the fourth century St Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany celebrate her queenship.
The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power. (Fr Don Miller OFM) “Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?” (St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) – Doctor of Light – Mellifluous Doctor)
Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth Pray for your children!
Your eyes opened to a new kind of light Wide pools that gaze with merciful love upon the world Your sword-pierced heart, immaculate,
Strong-walled as a cathedral
In the holy city of God.
Angels surround your throne Holy Blessed Virgin, Mother of God Star-crowned Queen of heaven and Queen of angels
We, though sinners, are yours, Every tribe on earth, every race Beckoned to enclosure In deep mantle-folds of grace.
Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – The Queenship of Mary
“She has surpassed the riches of the virgins, the confessors, the martyrs, the apostles, the prophets, the patriarchs and the angels, for she herself is the first-fruit of the virgins, the mirror of confessors, the rose of martyrs, the ruler of apostles, the oracle of prophets, the daughter of patriarchs, the queen of angels.”
…St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor
“Mary has the authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven. As a reward for her great humility, God gave her the power and mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride. Such is the will of the almighty God who exalts the humble, that the powers of heaven, earth and hell, willingly or unwillingly, must obey the commands of the humble Virgin Mary. For God has made her queen of heaven and earth, leader of his armies, keeper of his treasure, dispenser of his graces, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his enemies and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs.”
…St Louis Marie de Montfort
“To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
…St John Marie Vianney
“Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God’s heart.”
…St Maximilian Kolbe
“No one has access to the Almighty as His mother has – none has merit such as hers. Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks and herein lies her power. While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us – for human life is short but Mary reigns above, a Queen forever.”
One Minute Reflection – August 22 – The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
My fruit is better than gold, yes than pure gold and my revenue than choice silver………….Prv 8:19
REFLECTION – “Mary is the stem of the beautiful flower on which the Holy Spirit rests with the fullness of His gifts. Hence, those who want to obtain the seven gifts of the Spirit must seek the flower of the Holy Spirit on the stem (Mary).
We go to Jesus through Mary and through Jesus we find the grace of the Holy Spirit.”…St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, You made Mary the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Help me through Mary and Jesus to reach the Spirit and obtain His surpassing gifts. Holy Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, be my companion and my guide. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 August – The Queenship of Mary
Mary our Queen, Holy Mother of God By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
Mary, our Queen,
Holy Mother of God,
we beg you to hear our prayer.
Make our hearts overflow with divine grace
and resplendent with heavenly wisdom.
Render them strong with your might
and rich in virtue.
Pour down upon us the gift of mercy
so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins.
Help us to live in such a way
as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven.
May this be granted us by your Son Jesus
who has exalted you above the angels,
has crowned you as Queen,
and has seated you with Him
forever on His refulgent throne.
Amen.
AnaStpaul 
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