17 October, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

The Fifth Glorious Mystery

The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

1. When the Virgin Mary was borne into Heaven, soul and body, by the Angels, she was received with great rejoicing by the entire company of the blessed. A halo of light surrounded her as her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, placed her on His right hand and proclaimed her Queen of Heaven and Earth. It was fitting that this supreme dignity should have been accorded her, for she was the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the mother of God, the Word made man and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Mary is Queen of the Angels because, even though she is inferior to them by reason of her human nature, she is superior to them by reason of her dignity as Mother of God. What Angel could say to the Incarnate Word: “You are my son”? What Angel could command Him as she could in her role of Mother?

Mary has yet another claim to her title which no Angel could ever have. She participated in the passion of her Son Jesus, offering herself along with Him as a victim of expiation. She made a contribution in the supernatural order of the Redemption which neither Angel nor Saint could have made. With Jesus, through Jesus, and in Jesus, she is the co-redemptrix of the human race. Let us bow low before such greatness and join with the choirs of the blessed in paying homage to her.

2. Mary is also styled Queen of the Patriarchs because it was through her that they came to possess the object of their desires, the divine Redeemer, Who released them from Limbo and brought them to Heaven. She is Queen of the Prophets because their prophecies were realised through her. She is Queen of the Apostles whom she assisted and encouraged after the departure of her divine Son. She is the Queen of Martyrs because her maternal heart was pierced by a sword  of sorrow. She is Queen of the Confessors because nobody else was capable of so deep and lively a profession of the faith. She is the Queen of Virgins because her virginal purity was crowned by the supreme dignity of Mother of God. She is Queen, moreover, of all the Saints, for no other human creature could ever surpass, or even dream of the summit of holiness to which she attained. Above all, however, she is our Mother and our most powerful Queen. She loves us because we have been redeemed by the blood of her Son, Jesus Christ, and she desires to obtain God’s favours for us and to take us under her maternal protection.

We children of Eve, in exile in this vale of tears, should turn to Mary with confidence and trust in her power to save us.

3. Mary’s reign extends even to the powers of hell, which were vanquished through her instrumentality as Mother of God. We should not lose courage when the devil tries to trap us into sinning. Instead, we should ask Mary, humbly and perseveringly, to save us. Besides praying to her, however, let us take care to imitate her virtues. We must endeavour to become more like Mary if we wish her to regard us as her children and to take us under her maternal protection.