Reflection on the Daily Readings for 8/22/09 by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Today’s Readings


Scripture for Feast of Mary Queen of All Creation, August 22, 2009: Isaiah 9:1-3, 5-6. Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17, 18.Luke 1:26-38. Taken from Collection of Masses honoring Blessed Virgin Mary, # 29:

Just a week ago we celebrated the Assumption of Mary. Today that feast is complemented by the Queenship of Mary. This was initiated by Pius XII in 1954, but Paul VI, the author of the great encyclical on Mary called "Marialis Cultus" connected the feast with the Assumption in 1963 during the Vatican II Council. His theological interest as well as his devotion to Mary led him to help us with the complementary. The Queenship of Mary was formerly celebrated on May 31. The Collection of Masses honoring Mary have 46 separate memorials for Mary and among them is the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of All Creation. This Mass fits well the purpose for our liturgical celebration of Mary as Queen. Isaiah has some great texts on the messiah and the choice of today's is perfect. It shows us that all the titles and privileges that Mary enjoys in our Catholic Tradition always need to be connected with Christ, the Anointed Son of God, the Messiah. As such Jesus is both priest, prophet, and king. He is thus the Son of Mary by birth and she as his mother is associated with him in the titles that he enjoys. She being mother of the king is a queen, but as he stated, "My kingdom is not of this world." Neither is hers! The Isaiah citation helps us to see the Davidic lineage of Jesus and the text proclaims the king as just, as Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, and God-Hero. This is to be seen for us in the realm of the spirit and in light of the proclamation of Kingdom of God among us in the person of Jesus. His dominion is boundless and Mary, his Queen Mother supports him and confirms him in this just as David's wife was also a queen mother who helped her son Solomon to be the next king after David. The response is from Psalm 45 which is also honoring the King and then the chosen Queen. The part chosen for the Mass is the second part of the Psalm which is a song for the Queen who is to be crowned on her wedding day. It is one of the most beautiful of psalms honoring both the king and his bride, the queen. The Gospel passage is the great Annunciation narrative which also complements what Isaiah proclaimed about the messianic king. Mary has been chosen to be the mother of the messiah. She accepts the call with a hearty "yes" and becomes the mother and the queen in the spiritual realm. "The Holy Spirit shall overshadow you and the one born of you will be called holy. the Son of God." On this day we may be led to give some reflection time to the Angelus--a devotion promoted by the encylical of Paul VI in Marialis Cultus. Amen.

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