Our Lady as Queen and Mother
Summary of Headings
- Crowning Our Lady as Queen
- Faith and Works in Devotion
- The Role of the Rosary
- Transformation Through Devotion
Crowning Our Lady as Queen
Well, today we get to have the blessing. Sorry for no high mass, but more standing is a bad idea. But we have the idea. We have the blessing of being able to pray. We have the blessing of being able to crown Our Lady as Queen. And to process her out into the street, whether permitting. To declare before the world that she is our Queen. So, that is a very beautiful, very important thing. She is our Queen. And what does that mean? Her to be our Queen? It means that she has full power over us. That we give her all power. But it's not ours to give. She has it. We just have to accept her reign.
We have to fall down and obey her.
Faith and Works in Devotion
Because she is our Queen. She is our Mother. She is our everything. She is the only creature that is as perfect as can possibly be. Today we get to read from the epistle of Saint James. That thing which is so very much hated by the Protestants in the world. Because it declares that faith is not the only thing. The only thing that works is dead. Well, and so it is. If we have faith, it isn't just to have. It is the treasure that we are supposed to invest. So that we can get more out of it. It is something that we are supposed to work. It is a seed that is supposed to bear fruit.
And it's supposed to bear fruit in practicality. In a real way. In a real sense. It isn't just simply something that we have. So it is with our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. If we truly love our Mother as our Queen. If we truly believe that she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then we recognize her as Queen by that simple fact. She is Queen because she is his Mother. And so therefore as we obey him, we must obey her. And that means in practical terms. We must dedicate ourselves to the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In our everyday lives. Now for many people that just signifies.
Well I say my daily rosary and so therefore I am devoted to Our Lady. Or I have a miraculous medal. Or whatever it may be. I have the scapular. These things are important. But they are supposed to represent something in us that changes. And that adapts. It is not supposed to be just simply a talisman. Or a practice that we have. Just because. If we have a miraculous medal. It is because we are recognizing Our Lady. As someone who has the power to grant miracles in our lives. And so therefore we ask her for the miracle. Of changing our lives to become more his. To belong to her Son more completely.
That we go to her to receive the miracle of conversion. Each and every day of our lives. So that we can actually belong more entirely to her. To belong entirely to him. That is the purpose for the miraculous medal. The purpose of the scapular. Is so that we can clothe ourselves. In the grace. In the garb of Our Lady. That we can accept her. As being our Blessed Mother. That we can wear her livery. We can wear her uniform. Her habit. And by doing so mark ourselves as hers.
The Role of the Rosary
When a priest wears a cassock. When a religious wears a habit. It is supposed to symbolize something. It is to separate them from everybody else. When we wear a scapular. We are supposed to be effectively separating ourselves from everybody else. Declaring ourselves religious. Not just simply having the scapular. But consecrating ourselves to Our Lady. In which the scapular represents that. It is supposed to be a religious habit. It is a part of a religious habit. The fact that we wear it under our clothes. Doesn't change what it is supposed to be for ourselves. An absolute complete change of ourselves.
To be in service. Absolute service to our Blessed Mother. To live to serve her. The rosary. It isn't supposed to be just simply a practice. Where we are chaining our cassock. Or bringing our kids to the couch. So that they can be able to sit still long enough. To say the rosary. And then letting them free again. It isn't supposed to be something that is painful and onerous. That we just have to carve out those 15 minutes a day. To be able to say it. It isn't supposed to be a devotion. To which we just extend and prolong. And add more and more devotions to. It isn't supposed to be anything of the sort.
It is a meditation tool. It is a tool for us to be able to meditate. To be able to find the mysteries of the life of our Lord. And the life of our Lady. It is something that is supposed to give us. A separation in our day. A reminder during our day. Of what it is we live for. We live to serve Christ. And in order to do that. We have to follow his example. In order to do that. We have to go to our Mother. So the rosary is for crown. But it is for crown because it draws us closer to God. It reveals God to us. It reveals our path of salvation to us. It reveals the virtues we are supposed to practice to us.
It gives us all this education. All this formation. But so many times we are so focused on just getting through it. Or adding our own little devotions and intentions to it. Or doing any number of other things other than meditating. Or just saying the rosary as slow as possible. Or as fast as possible. As late as possible. Because we have too many other things going on. Or as early as possible just to get it over with. Or while we are doing something else. But the rosary is supposed to be one of the most powerful tools. To help us free our mind. So that we can be able to freely contemplate the mysteries.
That are given to us to contemplate. So that we can be able to understand and appreciate. The impact of Our Lady in our lives. So that we can be able to trust her entirely with our lives. So that we can serve her. This is why we have these things. It is not enough to just simply possess these items. It is not enough for us to just simply say the rosary. These things are supposed to transform our lives. Not by themselves. But by what they are supposed to give to us in our spiritual life. We are supposed to change by the mere fact of saying the rosary. We are supposed to be able to appreciate and understand the life of our Lord better.
And know more of what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to be able to dedicate ourselves more perfectly. To the service of our Queen. Because of what we say in the rosary. Because of what we contemplate in the rosary. We are supposed to be more grateful to her for all the gifts that she gives us. Remember that monarch. Aren't simply people who receive from their subjects. They are the ones who give to their subjects. They are the ones who give the jobs to the laborers.
Transformation Through Devotion
They are the ones who give land to the people who need to work it. They are the ones who give power to those who need to wield it. They are the ones who give everything to their subjects. Security, safety, protection, help, support, jobs, everything. So of course we should be grateful for everything that we receive. Hence the miraculous medal. Recognition of the countless miracles that have been given to us by the intervention of our Lady. By our Queen. And we give thanks to her for it. And in the act of service we serve her first and always. Because serving her is serving our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no distinction in that. Adies un per Maria. To Jesus through Mary. We always serve her because we want to serve him. We want to know the King. We must go through the Queen. She is, as Archbishop Sheen called her, the world's first love. Because she is the creature that is the model of all creation. She is the singular perfect creature that completely and totally served our Lord Jesus Christ. And served God. As she was supposed to. That consecrated herself to that in every instant of her life. There was no separation between her will and the will of God. None of us can say the same.
Not one single other person. She is the only one. Therefore, she is the one we are supposed to learn from. She is the one we receive gifts from. She is the one we receive wisdom from. And she is the one we must turn to with absolute confidence. So that we may be able to learn how to live to serve her. How to consecrate ourselves to her. So that we may be able to live faithfully with her. And we may be able to find our way to heaven through her. And be eternally happy. And eternally serving her in heaven. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Summary
The homily begins with the significance of crowning Our Lady as Queen and the implications of her reign over us. It emphasizes the importance of accepting her power and dedicating ourselves to her service. Drawing from the epistle of Saint James, the preacher highlights the necessity of works alongside faith. This is likened to our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, where practices such as wearing the miraculous medal or scapular should lead to a transformation in our lives. The homily concludes with the role of the rosary as a meditation tool, not just a routine practice. It is a means to draw closer to God, understand the mysteries of faith, and live a life of service to Our Lady and, through her, to Christ.