Mary's title of "Mary Queen of all Creation" which is the name of my church down the street does not mean that Mary is the creator of all Creation. It only means that she is the Queen Mother of All Creation. In the Old Testament, the mother the King was called the Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth is Queen Mother; her mother was called Queen Mother. Bethsheba, mother of Solomon, was Queen Mother.
Fr. Nick [Beloved Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Creation Parish] said at Mass today said: So, today, we understand Mary's title as Queen of all Creation as a Feast Day to honor her role which first celebrated on May 31, `954 by Pius XII. Pope Paul VI moved this feast day to August 22 because since Pope Pius XII created the Feast Day of Mary's Assumption in 1950 for August 15, 1950, then it was fitting that her Coronation - the culmination of her life - would take place 7 days later. This put her Assumption and Coronation in chronological order.
The Gospel reading for this Feast Day today is taken from Luke's account of Mary's Annunciation: The Angel Gabriel coming to her to obtain her consent to be the Mother of God - the beginning of her co-redemptive role with Jesus. So, Mary's Annunciation [which is the first joyful mystery of her rosary] is fulfilled in her Coronation as Queen of heaven and earth - all creation - [which is the fifth glorious mystery of her rosary.]
Why do we Catholics make so much about Mary? Is that not taking away the Glory of Jesus. Not at all for the following reasons:
1) Without Mary's consent to the Angel, how would Jesus come to this world as a God-man?
Without Jesus' coming to die for us, there would be no redemption. Hence, she is a co-redeemer in the sense that she was the necessary mother of Our Redeemer. Yes, since He did ascend back to heaven after His Resurrection, He could have descended from Heaven directly - body and soul. But how would He then be truly human? He had to be fully human to offer Himself as atonement for all the sins of manking. He was th new Adam to do it right this time. God wanted Jesus to be His son by a conception that was caused by the Holy Spirit and a human mother. I am not sure how God would have handled Mary's "No thank you." But God knew that Mary had NEVER ever said "No" to God. She because of her Immaculate Conception had never sinned. She was free to sin; but she freely chose NOT to sin. She was and is the best of us...who are only human. Her being Mother of God and Queen of Heaven of Earth and Immaculately Conceived -- all -- do not in any way elevate her above "human". She remains human always and for all eternity. Because of that the Protestant belief that Catholics worship Mary is totally unfounded. Jesus told told the devil, "You shall worship God alone." Those words are to all of us lest we worship money, sex, power or posessions [which actually possess us more than we possess them.]
2) Mary was a free agent. She could have politely said, "No thank you." Her hesitancy after the Angel's announcement was not "doubt" like Zachariah who leanred from an Angel that John the Baptist was coming as his son. Zachariah said "How can I know this?" He doubted. Mary did not do that at all. She asked "How can this be since I do not know man." She had made a vow of virginity; angel or no angel, she was not going to break that vow. The Angel assured her tha what would be conceived in her was by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. As soon as she hears that explanation, she says: "Let it be done to me according to your word." Her response is immediate after she understands her body would always remain virginal before, during and after the birth of Jesus.
3) Mary is more devoted to each one of us, her children, than we are of her. There have been many saints who have honored and been devoted to Mary: St. Bernard, St. Lewis de Montfort, St. Francis, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Bernadette. But all those saints devotion rolled into one person cannot begin to equal the incredible devotion of Mary for each one of us. She stood under the cross and heard her son tell St. John: "Son, behold your mother." "Mother, behold your son." It was Jesus, Himself, who established Mary as "Mother of all the living" as was Eve. But Mary was even more so because she is now our Spiritual Mother whom Jesus Himself created for not only Himself but for us. He knew we all would need a "Mom" like Mary, His mother.
4) All the great saints knew Mary's love for them: Blessed Pope John Paul II the Great surely did.
Our Lady of Fatima saved his life when he was shot in St. Peter's square. St. Juan Diego and the children of Fatima - all - were directly chosen by Mary to be saints. She is the maker of saints. Her greatest joy in heaven is bringing her children home to heaven to be with her as her children forever. Taking imperfect us and making us saints is quite an undertaking. She often has to change our poopy diapers [in confession to Jesus through a priest], wash us up [forgiveness of our sins by the Holy Spirit], feed us [in Holy Communion with Jesus], heal us [by anointing of the priest], and encourage us with the truth [by reading the Word of God] and being there for us when we die [by all those Sacraments above.]
5) We simply cannot get to heaven without Mary. We would have no Jesus without her. She instructs all of us as she did at the Wedding Feast of Cana. She said to the head waiters and to us: "DO whatever He tells you." She is the greatest evangelized on the planet and in heaven. She did go with St. Paul to the sea in ships. No; she sat home knitting. But her holiness reached to the ends of the earth.
6) Mary is not only Queen Mother of All Creation, she is Mother of Faith. St. Elizabeth said of Mary who came to help her in her six month-pregnancy: "Blessed is she who believed that what was promised to her would be fulfilled." At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary tells Jesus "they have no wine." she simply tells the waiters: "Do whatever He tells you." She said this after getting an apparent "no" from Jesus ["How does that concern us?"]. Mary does not need to wait for an answer. She has faith! Under the cross, her heart breaks but she believes His words that on the third day He would arise. His disciples were surprised at his resurrection; Mary was not. She was a Woman of Faith. She is Queen of Faith! She will lead us to all faith in her Son, Jesus.
"Hail Holy Queen, our life, our sweetness and our hope", pray for us. "Holy Mary, Mother of God, Mother of Faith. pray for us now and at the hour of our death." Keep us close to Jesus, Mary, as close as He was when He nursed at your breasts and heard your heart beating. Amen.
Love, Pio
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