Posted on 05/12/2006 8:43:03 AM PDT by MILESJESU
Wednesday August 22, 2001
Queenship of Mary
Reading (Isaiah 9:1-6)
Gospel (St. Luke 1:26-38)
As we celebrate today the queenship of Our Lady, we recognize also that we are in the octave day of the solemnity of the Assumption; the Church is making very clear the connection between Our Lord bringing His mother up to Heaven and now seating her right next to His own throne. This is something that is also in line with what they did in Israel. We read in Scripture, for instance, about Solomon and his own mother being seated next to the royal throne.
When Bathsheba came into the royal throne room, Solomon had a throne set right next to his and his mother sat upon the throne. Here, the King of Israel bowed down to the ground before his own mother. She was the queen mother, and that is precisely the role of Our Lady.
Queenship of Mary
Reading (Isaiah 9:1-6)
Gospel (St. Luke 1:26-38)
As we celebrate today the queenship of Our Lady, we recognize also that we are in the octave day of the solemnity of the Assumption; the Church is making very clear the connection between Our Lord bringing His mother up to Heaven and now seating her right next to His own throne. This is something that is also in line with what they did in Israel. We read in Scripture, for instance, about Solomon and his own mother being seated next to the royal throne. When Bathsheba came into the royal throne room, Solomon had a throne set right next to his and his mother sat upon the throne. Here, the King of Israel bowed down to the ground before his own mother. She was the queen mother, and that is precisely the role of Our Lady.
In the Gospel reading today we hear the angel Gabriel telling Our Lady that Jesus, the Son to be born of the virgin, is going to have the throne of his father David, and he will reign forever. And so, seated next to the throne of the King is His mother, who is the queen. In ancient Israel, the queen mother was looked to not only as the queen, but truly as the mother. She was considered the mother of the whole country. It was the mother's heart that the king would look to, as he would make decisions about what needed to happen. He would seek out his own mother's counsel; he would look to her for guidance so that with her heart and the love of a mother he would make the decisions that he had to make. He honored her, as I mentioned, bowing down even to the ground; the King of Israel, before whom everyone else bowed down, bowed down to his own mother. So the honor and the role that was hers was both as queen and mother.
This is what we see happening today: Our Lady exalted above all the angels and saints, rightly has the position of queen. Remember that in Heaven that position of exaltation and glory is not the one of who is going to be served, but rather it is who serves. So the fact that Our Lady is the queen shows us that she serves. At every single instant (if there was such a thing in eternity) she is there to serve us. She has not stopped being our mother; but, in fact, beyond being our mother she has been exalted as the queen: the Queen of all Heaven and Earth.
As we look at all the other saints and all the angels, we rightly give them the proper veneration because of their holiness; but none even comes close to Our Blessed Lady. They pale in comparison to the glory that is due to her. What a wonderful thing it is for us to know that she is our mother; that she is right there next to the throne of Our Lord with her maternal heart; that she is the one who is praying for us, interceding on our behalf, obtaining the mercy of God for us because of that beautiful Immaculate Heart.
We glorify and honor our mother and in so doing we glorify and honor our God because it is He who has exalted her, it is He who has chosen her. Truly, for all of those "who walked in darkness," as Isaiah said, "a light has shone" and a Son has been given us. Because of the glory of that Son who is God, a mother has been given to each one of us. She intercedes on our behalf before the throne of God as only a mother and a queen is able to do.
Note:Father Altier does not write his homilies in advance, but relies solely upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
Thursday August 22, 2002
Queenship of Mary
Reading (Isaiah 9:1-6)
Gospel (St. Luke 1:26-38)
Today is the octave day for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady. Consequently, it is the feast of the Queenship of Mary. As we look back over these last eight days to ponder Our Lady's triumph as God brought her to Heaven - crushing the devil's head as she goes, destroying death underneath her - she now is crowned as Queen of all of Heaven and Earth, higher than the angels even, because she loved more than they. We think, just for a moment, about Our Lady's love. When we think of the word "seraph" - the seraphim, the highest order of angels - what that means is one who is on fire, one who is burning with love for God. Our Lady loves God even more; therefore, she is exalted even beyond the seraphim, who bow down before her as she bows down before God.
Now, one could ask, "What does it mean to call Our Lady Queen of all of Heaven and Earth?" She is not the queen because she is the glorious one who reigns above all. It is true; she is that, but that is not why she has the title. She is not the queen merely because she is the mother of the King. We heard in the Gospel reading that He was given the throne of His father David. We heard in the first reading also from the prophet Isaiah that there was going to be this child who would be born for us and that "a son is given to us". It says of Him that "upon His shoulders dominion rests" and "His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David's throne and over His kingdom, which He confirms and sustains". So we know that, as the Son of David, as the One who was promised to David that a son would be seated upon his throne forever, Jesus is the One who is the true Son of David, the One who is King forever. And so, of course, the mother of the King is going to be the queen. But that is not the reason why we celebrate this feast either.
It is because of that little line at the end of the Gospel reading: "Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy word." It is because Our Lady spent her entire life, and now she spends her eternity, in service to her children. Because she is our mother and because all that she does and all that she has ever done is to serve, to pour herself out for her Son and for all of those who would be saved by Him, she prays for us before the throne of Almighty God. Remember that the royal office is one of service; it is not one who is served by everyone else. Jesus said, "I came into this world, not to be served, but to serve; and to give My life as a ransom for the many." Mary, who is the most perfect imitator and follower of Jesus, did exactly the same. She served. She did not seek to be served, but she gave - and she continues to give. She is a mother before she is anything else. And because she is a mother she is the queen, because she is the one who intercedes for her children. She continues to serve each one of us in Heaven through her intercession for us before the throne of God. That is why she is the queen.
It is also fitting, if we look at it from an historical perspective, because in ancient Israel, from the time of Solomon, the son of David, until the time that the kingship ended in Israel, there was a Queen Mother, the mother of the king who sat down on a throne next to the king. She was there as the one who would be the merciful one, tempering the judgment of the king. The king could sometimes be a little harsh, but his mother was right there pleading on behalf of the people. When Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, came into the royal throne room, it was not she who bowed down before the king - rather, the king stood up and bowed down before his mother and ordered that a second throne would be brought out and would be seated right next to his. And it was upon that throne, next to the throne of the king, that she would be seated. Until she died, she remained as the Queen Mother of the whole kingdom.
So too, Our Lady is now seated before the throne of God. She is seated next to the throne of her Son. James and John asked for the throne next to the Lord, but Jesus said, "That is for those for whom God has already determined." And the one that God had determined was His mother. She is seated at the right hand of the throne of her Son, and it is there that she pleads for us, that she begs for the mercy of God for each one of us so that her children will all be gathered around her. Remember always that she is a mother first, and a mother likes nothing more than to have all of her children gathered right around her. Our Lady is no different. As queen, she wants us to be with her so that we, with her, will be able to worship and glorify her Son for all eternity around the throne of God at the table of the eternal banquet. That is where she wants each one of us, and that is the way she is spending her eternity: praying for us, serving us, and helping us to be able to get to Heaven where we will be able, with her, to glorify God forever.
*This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
Friday August 22, 2003
Queenship of Mary
Reading (Isaiah 9:1-6)
Gospel (St. Luke 1:26-38)
In the first reading today, we hear from the prophet Isaiah about this king who is going to be raised up, and we hear about the child born for us: His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne and over his kingdom, which he sustains and confirms by judgment and justice, both now and forever. And so this child who is to be the king is going to be entirely different from any of the other kings that had been raised up in Israel. He is going to be the one who will be forever on the throne of David. When the angel Gabriel appears to our Blessed Lady, he says to her about the son to be born of her: He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. So we see that we are talking about the same king in both of these situations.
Now the importance of the feast that we celebrate today must be understood in conjunction with the Kingship of Christ. As Jesus is King, so our Blessed Lady is Queen. In Israel, recall that, from the time of Solomon on, the mother of the king was seated on a throne right next to the king. And recall that all the people who would come to the royal throne room were supposed to bow down before the king. In this case, when Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, walked into the royal throne room, the king got up from his throne and bowed down before his mother and ordered that a second throne would be set up right next to his at his right hand, and that would be the throne where his mother would be seated. From that point on, the queen mother would be seated right next to the king. She was to intercede for the people as they came through. And so any case that would come up, she had a right to intercede before the king, as he had to make his judgment with regard to the case of the particular individual.
And so as today we celebrate the octave day of our Blessed Lady’s Assumption into Heaven, and along with that octave recall that she has been exalted and glorified above all the angels and saints and has indeed become the very place of the dwelling of God because it is in her Immaculate Heart that God has found the most perfect glory and the most perfect love, therefore, it is the place in all of Heaven and earth that He has chosen to dwell in the greatest glory that can be offered to Him. That is the Queenship of our Blessed Lady.
It is there to glorify God, but her queenship is there for us as well – to intercede for us as she is seated on the throne right next to her Son. She is also our mother, which is a pretty wonderful thing for all of us. It is one thing to have a queen interceding for you who has no idea who you are and what your case is. It is a whole different matter when the queen happens to be your mother. She is going to be rather tenacious in defense of her children – thanks be to God! – because she wants us to be with her. She wants us to be with her Son so we can glorify Him with her forever. And so she is interceding before the throne of God for us. The fact of being queen is, on one hand, the position that we can recognize as her exaltation, higher than all of the angels and saints. But her position as queen is not about being exalted; it is about service; it is about worshiping God and serving the people. The royal office is one of service. And so Our Lady, while we exalt her above all else and so does God, recognizes that as mother and as queen that exaltation is so she can serve her children even more perfectly. And that is what she does for us, constantly intervening before the throne of God and interceding for her children.
This is a glorious day for each one of us. If we just think what we would do if our earthly mother was given a position of great honor and glory, how honored we would be and how we would rejoice for her, well, in this case, it is our heavenly mother, and because of the glorification that God has given to her, we rejoice in Him and we exalt Him, and we rejoice with her and what He has done for her, because indeed the Almighty has done great things for her and holy is His Name. He has indeed looked upon the lowliness of His servant and He has exalted her above all creation. The only person that she is lower than is God Himself. And God in His mercy has chosen to make her our mother, to make her our queen, and to give her the greatest exaltation so that she can exalt us and we will be able to be with her in glorifying Him in heaven and dwelling in her Immaculate Heart next to the throne of God for all eternity.
*This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
Monday August 22, 2005
Queenship of Mary
Reading (1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10)
Gospel (St. Matthew 23:13-22)
In the first reading today, Saint Paul speaks to the Thessalonians and reminds them of the way that they were chosen, that it was not in word alone but it also in conviction and by the power of the Holy Spirit; and it is in these two manners, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, that they turned from idols to serve the living God. Today as we celebrate Our Lady’s queenship, we recognize that it is precisely by these two means, by the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit, that she is who she is. It is the Holy Spirit, in fact, Who conceived within her the Word of God so that He became flesh and dwelt among us. As our Blessed Lady then lived her entire life with conviction and in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring into this world the Word of God, so then when the end of her life came, which we celebrated eight days ago with the Assumption, the final victory of our Blessed Mother over death, so now on this octave day we celebrate her queenship, that it is through her Son, the Word of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit that God has taken her to heaven.
This idea that our Blessed Mother is the queen of heaven and, of course, the queen of earth as well, we need to consider because it comes from the Old Testament monarchy. There is a passage (I think it is in 2 Chronicles, but I am not positive) about Solomon who is just made the king in place of his father, David; and Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, comes into the royal throne room. In the ancient times, even the king’s mother would have to bow down before the king. In this case, the king, Solomon, got up from his throne and bowed down before his mother and ordered that a second throne be set up right next to his. From that moment until the end of the monarchy in Israel, the mother of the king always sat on a throne right next to her son and she became the queen mother.
The idea of the queen mother is one who would always intercede for the people. If she thought the king was too harsh in his judgment, she would intervene. She would plead for the sake of the person whom she thought might have been treated too harshly. With a mother’s heart, she would be able to seek the good of the people. She would also intervene for different things that she thought were necessary within the country and within the situation that the people were dealing with. She would pray for the people, in essence, and ask the king for certain things on behalf of the people.
Well, if we listen again to what Our Lord condemned in the Gospel reading today, He condemns the scribes and Pharisees and calls them hypocrites because they lock the kingdom of heaven and not only do they not enter there themselves but they block anyone who would want to enter. Our Lady does just the opposite. She has entered heaven and she prays before the throne of God for all of her children so that they too will be able to enter. We see that what Our Lady is doing then is precisely what we see the queen mother doing in ancient Israel. She is seated on a throne right next to her Son, and there she intercedes for those who are in need, for those who come to her, and even for those who do not, because they are her children. She will pray for them. She will intercede and seek mercy. She will look for the grace and the favors that her children need and pray to obtain them from God for her children. She will seek their salvation, their conversion, and so on. This is precisely what all of us are supposed to be doing.
It is in this way that Our Lady is the Mediatrix of all graces, that as she intercedes for us before the throne of God, every single grace that God gives to the world is given through Our Lady – every last one. So she exercises her queenship not in some sort of selfish power, but just the opposite: in service to those entrusted to her care. This is exactly how Jesus exercises His kingship, so too, Our Lady exercises her queenship in this way. We need to recognize, once again, the favor that has been given not only to Our Lady but to us, that our mother is also the queen. That puts us in a pretty good position. If your mother has all this authority then you know that you can go to her, and whatever it is that you need, she will obtain for you. It is wonderful not only to look at Our Lady objectively as the queen, but how much more wonderful that we can look at her subjectively as our mother who is the queen, knowing that she is right there at the throne of God interceding for us, obtaining for us the grace and favors that we need to be able to live a holy life, to be able to convert ourselves completely to her Son, and praying for the salvation of our souls so that we can spend eternity with her in glorification of her Son, in union with the holy angels and saints to praise the favors of the Lord given first and foremost to His mother, and then through her intercession and through the mercy of God to allow us to share in that glory.
*This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY PING!
PLEASE FREEPMAIL ME IF YOU WANT ON OR OFF THIS LIST
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY BUMP
Please pray for the Spiritual Well Being of Father Altier in your charity. This must be taking a toll on his Physical Health at least.
ping = later
That Mary was extraordinary is not in doubt. She should be greatly admired and greatly respected, more so than any other woman who ever lived.
But this article has raised alarm bells for me. In my opinion, it comes dangerously close to making Mary co-equal with God. Mary is not part of the Trinity. She should not be worshiped.
None of us have it completely right, especially me. But one thing I am sure of is that making Mary into a God is wrong.
Exactly. Your judgment is 100% correct. To say otherwise is an abominable heresy.
That Mary was extraordinary is not in doubt. She should be greatly admired and greatly respected, more so than any other woman who ever lived.
Here, I think, your judgment is also spot on--and it speaks volume for you, because even though this is "not in doubt" to you, this small admission some Christians are almost afraid to make--as if they lost something theologically by conceding it.
I think there is little that separates us, my friend. So let me ask a question in the theoretical. If it could be shown to your satisfaction that titles such as "Queen of Heaven and Earth" are indeed Scripturally prefigured, would you have any problem with your fellow Christians using them?
Let me ask you a question. Are you CATHOLIC ?
Because, this is a Catholic Thread. If you are not Catholic, you need not read what I have posted here.
There is no compulsion. But,let me address your query.
I cannot understand at all why you have alarm bells.
Father Altier has never said at any point of time that Our Lady or Mary, Our Mother is "God" or is to be worshipped.
Where has he said that ? He has only said that Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth and that is a part of "Traditional Catholic Christian Spirituality".
If you disagree with that point of view, fine. But, he has not said that she is God to be worshipped.
Also, We Catholics do not worship Mary. We venerate her as I do.
I am a 34 year old Guy who uses Mary as an Intercessor with Jesus Christ, who is My King, My Savior, My Lord, My Master, and My Redeeemer.
Jesus Christ is my Personal Lord and Savior in the Blessed Sacrament where he is present -- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
I do not worship Mary nor have I ever worshipped her.
Finally, please respect this Thread. It is a CATHOLIC/WORSHIP/PRAYER Thread.
I have stated the following above at the beginning of the thread.
QUEENSHIP OF MARY HOMILIES BY FATHER ALTIER BUMP
Thanks for posting these, MILESJESU. A wonderful way to remember Mary our Mother just before Mother's Day and the day before the 89th anniversary of her first appearance at Fatima. Mary is no "goddess", indeed, she would quickly correct any such notion. She is the one worthy enough in the eyes of the Blessed Trinity to be the mother of the Word Incarnate in the plan for our redemption. She is loved and honored as the wonderful and blessed lady the Lord Jesus graciously gave to all of us to be our spiritual mother and queen; for every family needs a mother and every royal court needs a queen. But as St. Louis Grignon de Montfort put it in one of his books, Mary does not even have one atom of glory compared to the Holy Trinity, and every gift, grace, and power given to her is given to her by the Holy Trinity.
Thanks for posting these, MILESJESU. A wonderful way to remember Mary our Mother just before Mother's Day and the day before the 89th anniversary of her first appearance at Fatima. Mary is no "goddess", indeed, she would quickly correct any such notion. She is the one worthy enough in the eyes of the Blessed Trinity to be the mother of the Word Incarnate in the plan for our redemption. She is loved and honored as the wonderful and blessed lady the Lord Jesus graciously gave to all of us to be our spiritual mother and queen; for every family needs a mother and every royal court needs a queen. But as St. Louis Grignon de Montfort put it in one of his books, Mary does not even have one atom of glory compared to the Holy Trinity, and every gift, grace, and power given to her is given to her by the Holy Trinity.
She was found (and miraculously preserved) worthy to carry God Himself in her body for nine months, and to raise Him, teach Him, and guide Him until His public ministry. She could have said "No" to the Annunciation, but she freely accepted that momentous and awesome responsibility.
And as Father Altier says, the Queen Mother does have an advisory or ministerial role in the reign of the King her son, a long-standing role in Judaic tradition. "The Queen sits at his right hand, arrayed in gold." Of course she does not reign herself, but her son listens to her.
Consider the Gospel story of the marriage at Cana. Jesus did not feel the time was right to begin his public ministry, but the Blessed Virgin gently requested His help so that the bridegroom and his family would not be shamed in front of all their relatives and friends. And He did listen to her - and notice what she told the servants - "Do whatever he tells you." And that is her role with us as well - she is not to be worshipped, but honored and asked for her help. In return, she reminds us to follow her son and "do whatever He tells you."
Amen -- Sister from Atlanta,Georgia and AMEN Brother from Virginia.
Both of you are spot on with regard to the Homilies that I have posted.
To Freepers AnAmericanMother and CONVERT FROM ECUSA --
Since, tomorrow is the Feast or Solemnity of Our Lady of Fatima, a Few weeks back i had posted a Thread on all the Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
If you want to you could access them here on FR, by keyword Homilies or else you can wait till tomorrow when I post them on Salvation's Daily Catholic Caucus Thread.
They are really good and awesome.
All I can do is use that old Southern expression....you preach it, sister! Right on!
Thanks! I'm usually not online on weekends, but I'll catch them on Monday.
Our new Parochial Vicar must be catching .. .
:) He must be super! Though you've always done right well on your own!
And it doesn't get a whole lot more personal than that!
Absolutely right. Anyone doing that is VERY wrong!
Thing is, I don't see anyone doing that. Certainly not on this thread.
Thanks for that comment.
You know I started using that phrase that you just quoted in this post to me when I got to know a Friend who was a Baptist from Atlanta and later converted to Catholicism.
He said to me let me incorporate my meaning his-- "Baptist" Spirituality into Traditional Catholic Spirituality since as Catholics we truly believe that Jesus Christ is really present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
I have been using that phrase quite often for the past 4-5 years and I get a lot of strength from that.
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