Here are a few thoughts I wrote for my weekly column at the UK’s best Catholic weekly, the Catholic Herald:
On 22 August we observe, in the traditional Roman calendar, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the newer calendar it will be the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When the angel Gabriel came to Mary he told her that her Son would have the throne of David and that His kingdom would have no end (Luke 1:32-33). If our Lord is our King, then His Mother is our Queen. In ancient Israel, the mothers of the House of David’s kings were crowned, addressed as Gebirah, “Great Lady”. They sat beside the throne of their royal sons.
Mary’s Queenship is intimately tied to the Kingship of her Son just as Her Immaculate Heart beats in harmony with His Sacred Heart, for she conceived her King within her Heart, before she carried Him below her Heart, and Her Queenship rests not on her own merits alone, but rather it rests upon the majesty of her divine Son. At the conclusion of Dante’s Divina Commedia St Bernard sings of Heaven’s Queen that she is the “daughter of her Son”. But she will always remain, as Saint Thérèse observed, “more Mother than Queen”.
Speaking of addressing Mary, we name her Queen in many prayers, such as the Salve, Regina. We invoke her in the Litany of Loreto as Queen of Angels, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, All Saints and, so important these days, Families. St John Paul, taking stock of our times, added that last title to the Litany in 1995. She is the Queen conceived without original sin, assumed into Heaven, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary and Queen of Peace.
May I suggest, dear readers, that you offer your day to the King of Fearful Majesty through our Queen’s intercession? I ask also a prayer for myself.
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with It the offering of my every thought, word, and action of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary Immaculate, that she may best apply them in the interests of Thy Most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
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The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ was itself formed in the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary!
Our parish celebrates its patronal feast today.
Since, however, God gave to the traditional calendar the gift of the External Solemnity, we will celebrate Low Mass with organ today, and High Mass on Sunday, displacing the Sunday after Pentecost.
Even short-handed because of vacations, we’re hoping to sing Byrd’s Mass for 3 Voices and a new piece (for us) Salve Virgo Virginum.