Introduction to Lauds - Queenship of Mary.

Memorial of Our Lady, Queen and Mother - August 22To draw out the connection between Mary’s role as Queen of heaven and earth with the Assumption, Pope Pius XII instituted this Liturgical Feast of Our Lady, Queen and Mother 4 years after defining the Dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady. Notice too that today is the eight day after the Liturgical Celebration of the Assumption. We remember also that in the glorious mysteries of the rosary the coronation follows the Assumption.

The two go together and it is helpful to think of the Assumption as Exaltation, as the dazzling ‘reward’ so to say, of Mary who gave herself totally to her son and to his saving work. That is why I believe the Church in its wisdom has chosen the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah as the 1^st Reading for the Mass (Mass of the Memorial). Even the Benedictus antiphon suggests so: “Hail, O Queen of all the world, ever virgin Mary. You bore Christ the Lord, the Saviour of all creation.”

We pray, that we too like Mary, may share in Jesus’s saving work and when we reach our life’s end we can joyfully echo the canticle this morning ( Psalter: Week 4, Wednesday) which comes again as the scripture reading (Common of BVM): “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness…” (Is.61:10)