On Sunday, August 15th, as you saw, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We rejoiced that God has assumed her, body and soul, into the glory of heaven. Certainly, our hope for eternal life (in heaven) is encouraged and strengthened when we see how good God has been to her and how He has done mighty things through her and for her.
The Feast of the Assumption is of such importance that it moved the 20th Sunday off the calendar this year! Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Assumption’s companion Feast: the Queenship of Mary, which is observed every year on August 22nd. The Queenship of Our Lady, however, doesn’t carry the same “weight” as the Assumption, so we will join Catholics around the world in celebrating the 21st Sunday of the Church’s Year next weekend. Nonetheless, this week offers us a chance to anticipate and meditate upon the continued importance of Mary’s role in our lives and the life of the whole Church.
Since the fifth century, Christians have given Mary the title of Queen in acknowledgment of her enormous dignity as the mother of God. The Second Vatican Council, in fact, teaches that Mary “has been exalted by the Lord as Queen of all, in order that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords.” (Lumen Gentium, 59) According to St. John Paul II: “As the Queen who reigns in the glory of God’s Kingdom, Mary remains close to us at every step of our earthly pilgrimage, supporting us in our trials and sharing with us the life and love of Jesus her Son.” (Pope John Paul II, June 1997)
A reflection worth pondering this week: “When they came to her, all with one accord blessed her, saying: ‘You are the glory of Jerusalem! You are the great pride of Israel! You are the great boast of our nation! By your own hand you have done all this. You have done good things for Israel, and God is pleased with them. May the Almighty Lord bless you forever!’ And all the people said, ‘Amen!’” (The Book of Judith 15, 9-10) By calling Mary our Queen, the Church teaches us that we can put enormous faith and confidence in her ability to intercede for us. God has done mighty things through her and for her. And all the people said, “Amen!”
