Fr. Augustine Vallooran, VC
October is the month of the rosary. With great joy, families and
parishes gather to celebrate this beautiful prayer. It is with the
confidence of children that the generations of Catholics pray the rosary
calling out to Mother Mary. What we celebrate in the prayer of the
rosary is the queenship of mother Mary.
In 1954, Pope Pius XII of blessed memory called on the universal
Church to venerate the queenship of Mother Mary. This declaration
came in an encyclical titled ‘Ad caeli reginam’ ‘To the Queen of Heaven’.
Even in the 4th 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.” However, with this papal announcement, the entire
Church took up the celebration of this feast in earnest as an exercise of
faith.
“Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20)
There is a historical setting which helps us understand the great
message Pope Pius XII sought to convey through this decision. The year
1954 was an extraordinary time in the world, very specially in Europe.
World War II had just ended. Many of the families in Europe were
orphaned. The men, some old but mostly young members of every
family, had enlisted in the war. Many were killed. Those who survived
the war were wounded and mostly severely wounded. To this day, when
you visit any church in England, France or Germany or Italy, you would
find in the cemetery there, lines of tombs of men killed in war. What is
striking is that it includes many young men even from the age of
twenty. The post war community counted many widows and orphans.
Young girls had not much prospects for a family life because there were
no young men to marry them. The terrible memories of the war were
haunting the minds of the people. The massive human tragedy this war
had caused and the new levels of evil had shocked the human race.
There was also a severe financial crisis across the nations, because the
coffers of the countries were all emptied for the expenses of war. There
was not much cultivation anywhere, and consequently there was
scarcity of food. Much of the food supplies was taken to the war front.
People who had employment had to labour almost day and night to
eke out a meagre living. There was starvation. To this day, the elderly
would recount how they had to wait for trucks and helicopters that
would bring rationed quantities of food. Added to this, there was a
staggering number of 60 million European refugees and for many years
they remained homeless.
Apart from this human and financial crisis, the morale was broken down
because the great churches, institutions, many of the big houses were
broken down. The cruelty of the war was now being taken over by the
cruelty of the Communist blocs. It was a bleak period of grief,
emptiness and despair.
“She is clothed with strength and dignity” (Prov 31:25)
It was in this setting that Pope Pius XII presented to the world and the
Church, Mary as Queen of Heaven. This celebration is in no way mere
sentimental piety but an important dimension of our faith. We
understand this as we study how the Blessed Virgin Mary
’s queenship is
deeply steeped in scriptural tradition.
In Jewish history (specifically in the southern Kingdom of Judah), as we
read in the Old Testament passages, the Queen was always the mother
of the King. Kings had many wives, who had no role in the
administration of the kingdom. Gebirah or Queen mother was an
official position held by the mother of the Davidic kings. She was clearly
the most important and influential woman in the royal court, being the
king’s chief counselor. The Hebrew word ‘gebirah’ is found 15 times in
the Old Testament and can be translated as “Queen Mother,” or “Great
Lady.” Scripture indicates that the Gebirah assumed a throne alongside
her son and exercised her role as counselor and intercessor to the king.
In times of conquest, both the king and his mother represented royal
power. She would suffer the same fate alongside the king.
The Queen mother had a very special place in the decision making. The
Queen mother had a crown and her throne was on the right side of the
king’s. She was the right hand of the king, so to say. Cloaked in golden
robes, she had a share in the royal authority of her son, so much so that
it is written that when the Queen mother enters the court, the king
would rise from his throne to welcome her. Similarly, when she leaves
the court the king would again have to stand in respect. The Queen
mother had the ultimate authority, second only to the king.
This high respect, dignity, status and authority of the Queen mother in
the Old Testament, was an indication of the extensive role she played.
The queen mother had two functions. Firstly, she was with the people.
She would go across the kingdom to be in touch with them. She was
there to listen to and understand the problems, struggles and situations
of the people who otherwise had no access to the king. The queen
mother also counselled the people, instructing them to be faithful to
the king. While the king would be busy in the warfront or with high
level administrative work, the queen mother was the royal authority
available to the people, deeply connected to their hearts.
We get a glimpse of this unique and premier role of the queen mother
in the court of King Solomon. In one Biblical account we read of a noble
man who comes to Bathsheba and tells her, “There is one favour I
would ask of you. Do not refuse me.” And she said, “Speak on.” He said,
“Please ask King Solomon, who will not refuse you” (1 Kgs 2:16,17).
Bathsheba replied, “Very well, I will speak to the king for you.” We get
to understand here the confidence people had in the Queen Mother. It
is amazing how they turn to her in every need of their life. The Queen
mother was with the people, training them, instructing them, and caring
for them.
The second role of the Queen mother was being the advocate for the
people. It was impossible for the King to know all that was happening
with the common man in the kingdom. He relied on the Queen mother
for this understanding. The account in the Book of Kings continues to
describe how Bathsheba, the Queen mother approaches with love and
reverence, and this respect is reciprocated by the king. “Bathsheba went
to King Solomon to speak to him… and the king stood up to meet her
and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne
was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right. She said,
“There is one small favour I would ask of you. Do not refuse me.” The
king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you” (1 Kgs
2:19,20). She was indeed the effective advocate of the people, their
sufferings and needs before the mighty king Solomon.
With this background, we can see precisely why Pope Pius XII declared
this Feast of the Queenship of Mary in a time overshadowed by a mood
of anxiety and despair. The Holy Father was presenting to the people
the mother we have, at the right side of God, who will understand our
tribulations and place all our requests before the King, our Lord. He was
reminding generations to come that there is no need to despair. We are
not to settle for hopelessness. Whatever the circumstances may be, we
have a reason to trust in God, because we have with us the Queen
mother. This celebration ushered in hope to the Church even in that
time.
“Hail, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28)
We read in the gospel account of the Annunciation, Angel Gabriel
announcing the birth of Jesus, tells her that her Son would ascend “the
throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:32,33). At the
Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:43). As in all
the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her
queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship.
The Gebirah of the eternal Davidic Kingdom of Jesus Christ is Mother
Mary. In the final book of Revelation we see Mary appears in this role
in “A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and
on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1).
As we continue to read the gospel pages, we can identify Mother Mary
had two functions in the early Church.
Firstly, she was with God’s people. Before the Risen Lord ascended, He
would instruct the apostles to “wait and pray” (Ac 1:4-8). They neither
knew how to wait, impulsive as they were, nor were they familiar with
prayer. Here we see a significant reference “All these devoted
themselves with one accord to prayer, together with… Mary the mother
of Jesus” (Ac 1:14). In the upper room, Mother Mary taught them to
pray, to wait for the Holy Spirit. She taught them to be servants of God.
We recall the first account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the
gospel of Luke. The Virgin Mary is given the promise, “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you” (Lk 1:35). Mary immediate response was “Behold, I am the
handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”
(Lk 1:38). Here the ‘highly favoured one’, makes a total surrender of her
life to be ever at God’s disposal, as His servant. That is the way of
preparation for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Its resonance is in the
prayer of our Saviour “Not my will but yours will be done” (Lk 22:42).
That spirituality of the Servant of God is what mother Mary taught the
apostles in the upper room, preparing them, as she prepared herself to
receive the Holy Spirit. This is how on the day of Pentecost the apostles
were aflame with the Holy Spirit. From that moment, they would go out
courageously and vibrantly proclaiming Jesus as the Lord, Saviour and
King of humankind. In the first preaching of Peter, he acknowledges
that the mighty manifestations of the Holy Spirit in their life was the
inheritance of the servants and handmaids of God as he quotes
prophecy of Joel “Upon my servants and my handmaids I will pour out
a portion of my spirit in those days” (Ac 2:18).
“The mother of Jesus was there” (Jn 2:1)
In the gospels, the first miracle of Jesus was the wedding at Cana (Jn 2).
Here again we see how Mother Mary was firstly with the family. Many
guests were present, including Jesus and the disciples. Yet Mother Mary
alone knew the hidden plight of the family when there was the
imminent crisis of them running out of wine at the celebration. What
should have been a moment of joyous celebration became a tense and
dreadful situation. It was despair and helplessness for the families. The
Queen mother understood their burden and knew the solution.
It is here that we see her performing the second role of the queen
mother, being a “most gracious advocate.” She approaches Jesus with
their plaint, “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). She knew the King would not
refuse her anything. She then exercises her authority, directing the
people to obey the king, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). She
prepared them to be faithful and obedient servants. That’s when the
miracle took place. The family doomed to despair and desolation was
saved by the advocacy of the Queen mother.
This is the mission God the Father gave to Mary, to be with every family
directing them to Jesus and pleading on behalf of them to the King
who would never refuse her.
The world today has entered an orbit of despair. When we look to
Mother Mary, we would realise we have no reason to feel orphaned.
She is the cause of our trust in God.
Through the generations the Catholic families have been held together
and united with Jesus through the family prayer of the rosary. *In every
decade Mother Mary directs us to contemplate her Son. As we begin to
understand the Lord through the lens of the Mother’s eyes, we truly
come to understand the wisdom and power of God in our lives. We
experience the intervention of the Saviour. The emptiness, anxiety and
dread is replaced by salvation. Our homes and living rooms become the
new Cana.
“Behold, your mother” (Jn 19:27)
That’s why traditionally in our families we have the rosary. Our parents,
grandparents, and forefathers, they all wanted to feel the confidence of
the Queen mother being with them. This mother went through all the
trials and troubles and struggles that we could possibly go through in
our families and daily lives. She was suspected and misunderstood. She
did not have any comfort, not even a bed when she was to give birth to
her son. And she had to flee with her son from the wrath of the tyrant
Herod. Imagine a mother’s heartache. And she had to see her son dying
as a criminal, despised, condemned, abandoned, hanging from three
nails on a wooden cross. Mary had that sword cut through her heart
and yet, she held on to faith and love. In her motherly presence is the
key to remain faithful to God and to one another.
She remained faithful to the Lord. She remains faithful to us as our
advocate and instructor. To be faithful to the King, to bring every a
petition, every need, every pain to the King as a royal authority of the
Queen mother. This is the confidence for us. We have no reason to slip
into despair. We have the Queen mother. Amen.
Prayer
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of
tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Previous Post
Next Post