Today I had the joy of celebrating Mass for the students of my alma mater, Aquinas High School. School Masses now take place in the air conditioned new cafeteria, the days of Mass in the gym, sitting on the bleachers, are long gone. My homily below.
“From this day all generations will call me blessed.” Did you hear closely to these words Mary was inspired to say by the Holy Spirit when she visited her cousin Elizabeth?
God reveals something big to us here through Scripture: “From this day all generations will call me blessed.”
The Virgin Mary prophesied what would be in the future: that all generations, meaning all Christian believers (us included), would call her blessed. That we would recognize and rejoice over the unique role she plays in God’s plan of salvation.
God has taught us that the Virgin Mary is more than just a special woman in the life of Jesus.
She is more than just an instrument to bring about the incarnation.
She is more than just an example of faithful discipleship.
Scripture teaches us that “all generations will call her blessed.” How come?
Because she is the Mother of God, she is full of grace, meaning she was created free of sin, and she is chosen from among women to bear the Son of God. Scripture teaches us to call her blessed, to acclaim her and sing her praises recognizing the great things God has done in her.
The woman Saint John saw in the sky giving birth is a sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus, the devil attacks the newborn because he knows Jesus will bring about his defeat. We read the woman is wearing a crown with twelve stars, a crown being an ancient symbol of royalty… after all , kings and queens are the ones who wear crowns.
The vision of Saint John reveals even more about the Virgin Mary, not only is she blessed, but she is a Queen since she wears a crown.
In Old Testament times as in most ancient civilizations, the kings of Israel had several wives. The queen of Israel was not a fortunate preferred wife, but the queen was the mother of the king.
At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that her son would be given the throne of his father David, David having been the greatest king of Israel. This meant Jesus would be the king of a new Israel, the kingdom of God.
Mary knew that if Jesus her son was the King of a restored Israel, she as the mother would be the Queen. The early Christians understood that by recognizing and proclaiming Jesus as their king, they also recognized and proclaimed the Virgin Mary, His Mother, as their Queen.
Mary is the Queen of all of us who claim Jesus as our King. She has been made Queen of heaven and earth not by her own merits, but because God chose her to be the mother of Jesus Christ the King.
This is the heart of what we believe about the Virgin Mary. This is the heart of what God has revealed to us about her. This is what early Christians understood and believed; this is what we are called to understand and believe.
As our Queen, we can turn to the Virgin Mary in times of need; we can turn to her asking for prayers and protection. God chose her for this unique role in the plan of salvation, so the more she shines in our lives, the more Christ’s love and salvation will be present in our souls.
She does not compete with Jesus Christ for our prayers and attention, but rather directs us to Him. Can the moon compete with the sun when all the moon does is reflect the sun’s light? No.
The moon is beautiful because it reflects the light of the sun, and the more sunlight it reflects, the more beautiful it is. Likewise the Virgin Mary, she radiates the light of Christ into our lives.
At this Mass, may our love and devotion for Mary, Our Mother and Our Queen, be strengthened. May the Lord grant us the grace to always call her blessed and always call out to her in our need.
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