OCTOBER DEVOTION: DAY 26 – IS THERE A QUEEN IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?

DAY 26 PRAYER INTENTION: Today, pray for the intentions of the Holy Catholic Church – those of the Holy Father, the Pope; for Cardinals and Bishops; Priests and deacons, the consecrated religious, and the lay faithful. May Our Lady of Fatima continually assist and be with the Church in these turbulent times, and grant us all the gift of faith intact to continue to propagate the message of the gospel and persevere till the end, so that after our life’s journey here on earth, we may reassemble in the Kingdom (Heavenly Church) of her beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the greater glory of God. Amen (Also add your own intention…)

Now, say the 20 decades of the Rosary…

At the end of the 20 decades, say the following Prayers:

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Litany of Loreto

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us (Repeat after each invocation)

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,

Holy Mary,
pray for us (Repeat after each invocation)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Mercy,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother of Hope,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Saviour,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Solace of Migrants,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most Holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Prayer to Saint Joseph after the Rosary

To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently ask your patronage also. Through that sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength.

O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness. And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, die a holy death, and obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

 

DAY 26 REFLECTION: IS THERE A QUEEN IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?

As we journey towards the end of our devotion in this month and having contemplated our Lady as a queen (under various titles) in her Litany, it becomes important to reflect on her queenship today, being the 26th day of our devotion.

Apparently, “many” tend to accuse the Catholic Church of “pagan worship” whenever She refers to Mary as the queen of heaven, owing to the claim that the title “Queen of Heaven comes from an old pagan idolatrous cult condemned in the Bible (cf. Jer. 7:18). However, this is ABSOLUTELY WRONG and has no connection with honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of heaven. The aim of this post, therefore, is to refute this erroneous claim, and illustrate with Biblical explanations how the term “Queen of Heaven” applies to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven, what do we mean? Does this belief have anything to do with the pagan worship condemned by Jeremiah? NO, ABSOLUTELY NO. This has nothing to do with that passage of the Scripture. Let me briefly explain that context. In that passage, the prophet Jeremiah talks about alien gods and condemns their worship. He says: “The children collect the wood, the fathers light the fire, the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the Queen of heaven, and to spite me, they pour libations to alien gods…” (The New Jerusalem Bible; Jer. 7:18). This contextual “queen of heaven” is referred to Ishtar (Astarte), goddess of fertility in the Mesopotamian pantheon; she was identified with the planet Venus. The Hebrew word “shamayim” (שָׁמַיִם) is translated to mean “sky/firmament” or “heavens” in English. Many a time, when the Jews want to refer to the sky/firmament, they equally use the same word “shamayim”; although we know that the firmament and heaven are related, they don’t really mean the same thing. For instance, in some of our African Traditional worship, some deities are represented as “goddess of the sky”, “goddess of rain”, “goddess of the sea” etc. This was just the similar issue Jeremiah condemned in his time; thus, this has nothing to do with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen-mother of Jesus Christ, King of kings who reigns on earth and in the Kingdom of heaven. Thus, Jeremiah condemns the adoration of the Mesopotamian goddess Astarte; she is in no way related to Mary. In fact, the goddess did not and does not exist in reality. Mary, on the other hand, is a real historical person, who is a queen by virtue of the fact that her Son (our Lord Jesus Christ) is the King.

Many fundamentalists believe that the mere fact of Jeremiah condemning the pagan worship of Ishtar (Astarte), goddess of fertility which was referred to as the queen of the sky, eliminates the possibility of Mary being the true Queen of Heaven. This simply does not follow. The existence of a counterfeit queen does not mean there can’t be an authentic one. This reasoning followed to its logical end would lead to abandoning the entire Christian Faith! Does it mean we could not call Jesus “Son of God” because Zeus (the pagan god) and Hera had Apollo as a son? Does it mean we could not have a Bible because Hinduism, Islam, and many other religions have their “holy books?” The fact that there was a false “queen of heaven/sky/firmament”, worshipped in ancient Mesopotamia does not negate the reality of the true queen in the kingdom of heaven.

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As per offering sacrifices to the “queen of heaven”, which Jeremiah later condemns in chapter 44:17-25. The Catholic Church does not teach “offering of sacrifices” to any other being apart from God, not even to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Offering sacrifice is tantamount to the adoration that is due God alone, and this is precisely what Jeremiah was condemning. The Catholic Church does not teach—and has never taught—that we should adore Mary (see CCC 2110-2114; Lumen Gentium 66-67; CCC 971). Catholics offer sacrificial worship exclusively to God, and this is known as the Holy Mass (the true Sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, which He commanded us to do in memory of Him. Lk. 22:19, 1Cor. 11:23-27 – St. Paul adds, whenever we do this, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death {sacrifice} until he comes again).

Having said these, another question to be addressed is: “When we refer to Mary as the Queen of Heaven what do we mean?”

1. Does her title “Queen of heaven” diminish the “Kingship” authority of Jesus Christ? ABSOLUTELY NO. The Queen has absolutely no authority whatsoever, except the quiet whisper in the king’s ear to influence a decision. This we see in Mary’s maternal role at the wedding feast at Cana. In the end, Mary asked them to do whatever Jesus tells them; and Jesus had to obey his mother even as he said that “his hour had not yet come”. That is a simple and humble role of the Queen, subjecting to the Will of the King. (cf. Jn 2:1-12).

2. The angel Gabriel at the Annunciation gives us a clue to the queenship of Mary when he said to her: “chaire kecharitomene” (from the original Greek text of the New Testament – Lk. 1:28), meaning “HAIL, full of Grace”. The word “HAIL” was exclusively used to address people of royal backdrop, that is Kings, Queens etc (in those days). In this context, God, speaking through the angel honoured Mary by addressing her as a queen.

3. The Psalmist, when speaking about the Kingdom of God, also speaks of the Queen: “Your throne, O God, shall endure forever. A sceptre of justice is the sceptre of your kingdom. Your love is for justice; your hatred for evil…From the ivory palace, you are greeted with music, the daughters of kings are among your loved ones. On your right stands the QUEEN in gold of Ophir” (garments of gold). (Ps. 45:9)

4. Also, from the book of Revelation chapter 12, we read: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and ON HER HEAD A CROWN OF TWELVE STARS. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with an iron rod, and the Child was taken up to God and his throne…” In as much as the identity of the “woman” is referred symbolically to a selected group of people, that is “Israel” and also the “Church” at war with the dragon; it is also referred to the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary (threefold interpretation). Notice that according to the text, the “Woman” was crowned with twelve stars, to give birth to a Son destined to rule the nations with an iron rod. It was indeed Mary that gave birth to Christ the Lord and Ruler. She is indeed the Mother of the Church – the new Israel. She received the crown of “unfading glory” when she assumed into heaven, little wonder the psalmist makes an allusion to her as the Queen – “On your right stands the Queen in garments of Gold” (Ps. 45:9). Given the qualities of Mary above, who else could the psalmist be referring to, if not in allusion to the Blessed Virgin Mary?

Therefore, we pray that our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Heaven would continue to exercise her queenship role by interceding for us to Christ her Son, just as she did at the wedding feast at Cana, and that, by honouring her as the Queen of heaven, we may come to a perfect and intimate friendship with Christ the King. Amen.

Blessing
Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, may Almighty God bless + you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Great job reflecting on Day 26! Click here for Day 27 – “How is Mary the Mother of God”