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To: delchiante
Dear delchiante, I think there are usually two areas that need more reflection -- one Biblical, and the other cultural --- in order for us to make sense of the queenly role which we see in Mary, the mother of our King.

First, the Biblical: one must carefully consider the unique position of the queen-mother in the Kingdom of Judah, which provides the foreshadowing, type and model for Mary in all those various queenly titles.

The major queenly figure in a Jewish royal court was not the king's wife (because he may have had many) but his mother (because he only had one.) To see this illustrated, you might want to look at how Solomon related to his mother, Bathsheba:

1 Kings 2:19
"When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand."

We should be well aware that when a king actually bows to another, and graciously grants that person to be enthroned at his right hand, this indicates a place of unique honor and of powerful advocacy.

If you were to get a concordance and write down all he queenly references in the OT --- especially in the Psalms --- you would find the source all the titles and honors applied to Mary, since she is the fulfillment of all the royal-queenly imagery in the OT, just as Jesus her Son is the fulfillment of the royal-Kingly imagery.

Do not make the mistake of thinking this puts Mary on an equal footing with her Son. She is human, a creature, a handmaid; He is the Lord God Almighty. But as it is His pleasure to exalt the humble, all the glory redounds to Him, since as Mary said, "He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid," and "He who is mighty has done great things for me."

The second consideration, the cultural: We, 21st Century Americans, have almost no exposure to, or natural affinity for, the kind of court-language which was natural to the Jews of Biblical times, as well as to our own European ancestors. Courtly language is foreign to us; it strikes us as strange because it is no longer part of our world.

However our ancestors, in their great artist and poetic expressions of the Kingship of Jesus, liked to portray His royal court with all kinds of devotional attention. This is perfectly valid because Jesus applied all the attributes of Judaean kingship to Himself, in accordance with all the expectations fond in OT precedent and prophecy.

It seems strange at first: but we should be careful to appreciate a culture diferent from our own, one with a far more elaborate and in-depth understanding of kingship and the relationships of royal persons.

37 posted on 03/01/2013 6:17:08 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o (May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He turn to you His countenance, and give you peace.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
Great explanation. Amen.

 photo onegrazinglambbyEucharist.gif

42 posted on 03/02/2013 12:59:43 AM PST by johngrace (I am a 1 John 4! Christian- declared at every Sunday Mass , Divine Mercy and Rosary prayers!)
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