Advent Continues: The Mary Connection, Part 2

St. Therese wrote that Mary is Queen of Heaven, but that she is more Mother than Queen. True. But I don't want to pass over her queenship so quickly. As I mentioned last time, I'm frequently asked why we need Mary, a question often accompanied by bewilderment over the idea that the Blessed Mother is a queen. We are use to queens who either reign in their own right, like Elizabeth II, who are married to men who accept a lesser title, or else she is the wife of the king. In ancient Israel, especially at the time of David and Solomon, the king often had multiple wives and concubines. To choose a queen from among them might cause jealousy and dissension within the household. To avoid this, the queen was mother of the king. This was no ceremonial position. The queen was a key advisor to her son, often exercising great influence over policy.  

Jesus is King of the universe. Unlike the monarchs of today, he is no figurehead. He came to proclaim the presence of the Kingdom of God, over which he was given sovereignty by the Father. The Kingdom and his Kingship, as spiritual realities, are not of this world but it doesn't mean that they are metaphorical, either. Jesus is an absolute monarch who nonetheless invites rather than orders. He respects the freedom of his subjects, even to the point of risking eternal rejection. He has His plan, and it will be fulfilled. Yet how that plan gets accomplished is, to a certain extent, fluid. Since He wants us to cooperate with Him, Jesus takes into account out sinful nature. He lets us stumble and fall, patiently prodding us to get back up to do His will. He will even speed things up when we are quick to cooperate, and even plead with Him. This was the case with Mary, when our Savior took the council of our Queen at the wedding feast at Cana.

Mary, with few words, pointed out the predicament of the embarrassed couple who ran out of wine. Even when Jesus protested that this wasn't the moment for some grand display of power, she instructed the waiters to follow Jesus’ orders. It wasn't His time, the plan called for a different strategy, but Jesus changed His plans. The King was persuaded by the Queen to move ahead of schedule and revealed in this simple, charitable act, that a new covenant was being initiated. The Old, which was a sign of Heavenly grace, was being supplanted by its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.

So, Mary is Queen of heaven and earth. She isn't proud. She doesn't try to push in and overshadow her Son. She points the way. She nudges and suggests. She is the humble handmaid who has been raised up on high.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This means that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin as a way of preparing her to be mother of Jesus. This liberty from original sin wasn't just a physical preparation, but also helped form her will and intellect. She was free to see the good, and respond positively to God's will. She wasn't forced or coerced. She was free to say yes. That "yes" wasn't just a one time consent. She continues to hear the word of God and follows it. She continues as Queen of heaven calling us to follow Christ the King. Tuesday we will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I'll have more to write about that soon. For now, it's enough say that in Guadalupe, and all her apparitions, we see that Mary continues to be our Queen, heralding the presence of the Kingdom. But she is also our Mother, who tenderly gathers us together, prompting us on, bringing us to her Son. 

Whether we speak of Mary as Mother or Queen, she is above all a gift from God. Is she, or any of the saints necessary for our salvation? I'm not sure it's a question of necessity. As I've said before, God could have secured our salvation in any number of ways. Just as it is argued that the Immaculate Conception, for instance, wasn't necessary but fitting, I would say the Mary as our Queen and Mother may not be necessary, but it is fitting and gracious.