At the annunciation the Angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that the son to
be born of her was of the royal line of David and would inherit his throne
forever. We also acknowledge that Christ is King of heaven: “King of
kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). It follows in the Giberah tradition
that His mother should be Queen of Heaven. St. Elizabeth acknowledged
this queenship when greeting Mary not by her name but by saying, “Why is
this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (St. Luke
1:43). St. John saw the woman clothed with the sun wearing “on her head a
crown of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1). All the saved in heaven will wear
crowns of glory, as is gathered from the words of St. Paul: “Henceforth
there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, will award to me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4:8). The Virgin
Mary, having fulfilled the greatest of all vocations, being Mother of God,
has been rewarded with the greatest crown; hence, her queenship over all
other creatures in heaven.
Christ Himself crowned His mother as Queen of heaven and earth after her
Assumption. Pope Pius XII officially proclaimed the universal queenship of
Mary on October 11, 1954. He stated that the “maternity of Mary is without
doubt the principal argument on which her royal dignity is based.”
4
Thus
was realized the dream of St. Catherine Labouré: “Oh, how beautiful it will
be to hear Mary is queen of the universe, especially of France, and each
person in particular. She will be carried in procession and will go around
the world.”
The Queenship of Mary is not only a title and honorary distinction but also
a “power of action and a principle of government.” However, in the mind
of God no one is ever raised to greatness for their own good but only that
they may serve others. The Queenship of Mary is not a sinecure but a noble
bondage. In co-operation with the Most Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary
plays an invisible and wondrous role in the government of the universe.
She has a word to say in the divine counsels and this word, without being a
command, is a queenly prayer capable of intimately moving the Most High.
Cana is the first place where the Virgin Mary publicly performed her
intercessory role (St. John 2:3). Such is the will of God who exalts the
humble in reward for their fidelity. As Son and Mother were united in
4
Ad Coeli Reginam, Oct. 11, 1954.
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