For this Immaculate Heart Saturday, I’ll connect Mary’s title of “Queen of Heaven” to tomorrow’s Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. According to Wikipedia:
The Catholic teaching on this subject is expressed in the papal encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, issued by Pope Pius XII in 1954. It states that Mary is called Queen of Heaven because her son, Jesus Christ, is the king of Israel and the heavenly king of the universe; indeed, the Davidic tradition of Israel recognized the mother of the king as the queen mother of Israel.
To me, that makes perfect sense. Pius XII said,
Hence it is not surprising that the early writers of the Church called Mary “the Mother of the King” and “the Mother of the Lord,” basing their stand on the words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold that the Son of Mary would reign forever, and on the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with reverence and called her “the Mother of my Lord.” Thereby they clearly signified that she derived a certain eminence and exalted station from the royal dignity of her Son.
In that encyclical, the Piux XII wrote,
We are instituting a feast so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the pledge of a covenant of peace?
The Heart is the emotional center of our consciousness. It was often said in Scripture that Mary ‘pondered’ in her heart something about her Divine Son, Jesus. Mary was contemplative; pondering in her Immaculate Heart the teachings of her Son as well as what others were saying about Him. We can take this as an example: in our moments and times of prayer, just ponder, or meditate on Jesus. Think of something from the Gospels, or an inspiring homily you have heard, or whatever. As always, ask Mary’s help, for she more than anything wants to lead you to her Son.
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