On August 22nd, we celebrate the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Established by Pope Pius XII in 1954, this feast illustrates the fact that not only is Mary queen of heaven and earth but that, in this role, she is also our spiritual mother.
Mary’s queenship has biblical roots, with one of the most outstanding being during the Annunciation, when “Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever” (cf. Lk 1:26-38).
In addition to its biblical roots, Mary’s queenship is found in Church Tradition as well, summarized well in Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium, “The Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin, on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe” (par 59).
And in Ad Caeli Reginam (On Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary), Pope Pius XII wrote, “The Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation.” He continued, “Iconography, in representing the royal dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has ever been enriched with works of highest artistic value and greatest beauty.”
Personally, I believe that nowhere is Mary’s queenship depicted with more beauty than in “The Virgin Crowned by Angels,” painted by German artist Stefan Lochner—a distant relative of mine—in the mid-1400s. Housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art, this exquisite painting depicts Mary holding Baby Jesus and lovingly gazing at him. Above Mary, so faint that you can barely see them, are two angels crowning her as queen.
While we see a resplendent crown above Mary, we can’t help but notice that the most poignant thing in the painting is Mary’s expression as she looks upon the baby in her arms. Though her look is filled with love, it also has a hint of pensiveness or maybe even a slight sadness, as she knew that her Son would eventually give his life in reparation for our sins.
Any mother who knows of such a fate could not help but feel a sadness mixed with that deep love for a child.
And so, Mary and her baby are the focus of this painting, as Lochner probably rightly understood that Mary could never have attained that queenship if not for her Son’s kingship. Lochner understood well, I think, that Mary’s queenship points us toward Jesus. It’s all about her Son. Therefore, we can say that it’s all about motherhood.
As Catholics, we know that while Mary was Jesus’ earthly mother, she is now our spiritual mother, for as Jesus hung on the cross, he gave her to us all. Now Mary also holds us in her arms, just as she holds Baby Jesus in her arms in Lochner’s painting. And just as she gazes upon him with love and possibly a bit of sadness, so she gazes upon us with the same deep maternal affection.
This is the epitome of motherhood—a love so strong and so complete that our children’s pains are our pains, their joys are our joys, their sufferings are our sufferings. Mary knew all of this, so there is no more perfect model for mothers than she, and we need only look to her when we struggle with the trials or the fears of motherhood.
As Mother Teresa once said, “If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady, just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’”
We can learn so much about motherhood from Mary. Her unconditional love is a love we must impart not only to our own children, but to all children—born and preborn—for to do anything less would be to reject the gift of motherhood and children that God has given us.
So as we think about this special feast day, let us look at the world around us and about how the world depicts motherhood, throws it away, and sometimes holds it in disdain. Let us go to our mother Mary in prayer, asking for others to see babies through her eyes.
Mary’s loving gaze in Lochner’s painting is the gaze of motherhood that our country seems to have lost. But it’s not one that must be lost forever. Through prayer, through education, and through love, we can restore a reverence for the gift of motherhood.
Just as Mary’s gaze is on Jesus, that is where our gaze must be as well. Her eyes point us toward him. Let us allow her to guide us to her Son, our Lord and Savior.
(Editor’s note: This essay was posted originally with incorrect author attribution. We apologize for the error.)
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Your articles about Mary are wonderful, with this one providing thought for meditating on the 5th decade of the Rosary’s Glorious Mysteries, as well as other decades.
True, Mary was preserved free from all guilt of original sin, although not in any manner that she was tainted by original sin and thereafter freed. For sake of clarity the Blessed Virgin was always immaculate and free from original sin and any sin thereafter [which I believe was the intended meaning of LG].
And as Susan Ciancio headlines Mary seeks to draw us to her Son. Of that there is no question. Nonetheless her Son wills that we love his mother because she is his mother whom he deeply loves. Olson addresses this universal motherhood of Mary given to us from the cross. Her iconographic appeal draws us to her, as mother, and to her child.
There’s a commonly held belief [not formal doctrine] in the Church that Mary is mediator of all graces. I’ve heard this, as somewhat odd from priests in graduate studies, assuming otherwise. Today’s breviary office of readings cites Saint Amadeus Bishop of Lausanne. “Dwelling in the loftiest citadel of virtue, like a sea of divine grace or an unfathomable source of love that has everywhere overflowed its banks, she poured forth her bountiful waters on trusting and thirsting souls” (homily St Amadeus).
Is there a compliant scriptural reference? “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn 4:14). It appears Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well can be construed to support the elasticity of the work of grace. Grace in and from persons in whom Christ pours his infinite abundance of grace. Would Mary Queen and Mother, filled with grace, as announced by Gabriel be a preeminent proxy of Christ, the source of all grace by right – she by measured virtue of his willful gift? Christ is the exclusive mediator and source of all grace. It is reasonable to assume that all of us baptized in Christ Priest, Prophet, and King share in some measure by participation in these same virtues inherent by right in Christ.
To elaborate on the difference between what is attributed to Mary as Christ’s Queen is explained in the Latin, meritum de condigno and meritum de congruo, She through the abundance of grace gifted her by her Son de congruous, as given, whereas Christ as alluded possesses and imparts all grace de condigno, by divine right. Mary as Queen imparts to her subjects what was given her, the abundance of grace she received from her Son.
Insofar as you and I we share by participation the role as mediator, particularly priests and bishops not the possession of grace to be imparted, rather by our intercession or mediator capacity as was Moses, a mediator whom was able to convince God one way or the other usually by argument the outstanding example when Moses convinces God not to destroy the Israelites over the golden calf worship.
And finally, to put this running commentary to bed, most practicing Catholics know that we can merit grace for ourselves, and for others. Indeed intercessory prayer, sacrifice, offering our sufferings for the conversion of sinners emulates Christ’s saving sacrifice on the Cross, which merited the grace required for our salvation. We, rather than impart grace, merit it for others. This form of active, personal participation in Christ’s passion is a constant theme in all of our Blessed Mother’s appearances. She appealed to the heroic Fatima children who offered their little bodies like warriors. If we are to believe the diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, she speaks of sufferings Christ sent to her during the night, once the tearing sensation within that Christ informs her in the morning that her efforts merited as many saved souls as might fill a chalice. For some bizarre, for those who believe real. In this way the Apostle says we complete the sufferings lacking in Christ. Meaning that we as members of the Mystical Body on Earth are summoned by Christ to fulfill.
Correction: her efforts merited as many saved souls as [hosts] might fill a chalice.
Faustina’s words speak to the power that God’s grace can work through us.
I absolutely love this article and the love for our Heavenly Mother Mary. What Susan writes about and the love for our own children explains it all (“a love so strong and so complete that our children’s pains are our pains, their joys are our joys, their sufferings are our sufferings”). Thank you!!