By Leon Bent –
Queen of Heaven (Regina Caeli, in Latin) is a title given to Mary, mother of Jesus, by Christians mainly of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic teaching on this subject is expressed in the papal encyclical “Ad Caeli Reginam”, issued by Pope Pius XII. It states that Mary is called Queen of Heaven because her son, Jesus Christ, is the king of Israel and heavenly king of the universe; indeed, the Davidic tradition of Israel recognized the mother of the King, as the Queen Mother of Israel.
The title “Queen of Heaven” has long been a Catholic tradition, included in prayers and devotional literature, and seen in Western art in the subject of the Coronation of the Virgin, from the High Middle Ages, long before it was given a formal definition status by the Church.
With the certainty of faith we know that Jesus Christ is King in the full, literal, and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ, and Christ is God; and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies, and in the triumph He won over them all.
From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that, she stands high above all created things; and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege enabling her to distribute the treasures of the Kingdom of the Divine Redeemer. And lastly, this same union with Christ is the fountain of the inexhaustible efficacy of her motherly intercession in the presence of the Son and of the Father.
Pius IX, of blessed memory, wrote in his Bull “Ineflabilis Deus”: “More than all the angels and all the saints has God ineffable freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury; and she, preserving herself ever immaculately clean from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness so great as to be unthinkable apart from God Himself, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess”. Spurred on by piety and faith, may we glory in being subject to the rule of the Virgin Mother of God; she bears the royal sceptre in her hand, while her heart is ever aflame with motherly love.
Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary’s Queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, angel Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “Mother of my Lord.”
As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her Queenship is sharing in Jesus’ Kingship. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court.
In the fourth century Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as Queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican Rosary and the Franciscan crown, as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany, celebrate her Queenship.
Now this gold nugget! The faithful have ever recognized the queenly dignity of the Mother of “The King of kings and Lord of lords”. The crowning testimony to this common belief is expressed in the wonders of art and in the profound teaching of the liturgy. In their turn, theologians have shown the fitting nature of this title of Queen as applied to the Mother of God, since she was so closely associated with the redemptive work of her Son and is the Mediatrix of all graces.
And, this final flourish! The Queenship of Mary is very closely associated with the dogma of her Assumption into heaven. One of the most beautiful and universal titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary is her title as Queen, honoured on August 22nd, feast of the Queenship of Mary, the octave day of the feast of her Assumption. Catholic Tradition holds that once Mary, the Mother of God was assumed into heaven at the end of her earthy life, she was then crowned Queen of both, heaven and earth, to reign alongside her Son, the King.
The last word! May all hearts and all homes willingly proclaim you, Mary, as their Immaculate Queen!
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.