“Let the entire body of the faithful pour forth persevering prayer to the Mother of God and Mother of men. Let them implore that she who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers may now, exalted as she is in heaven above all the saints and angels, intercede with her Son in the fellowship of all the saints. May she do so until all the peoples of the human family, whether they are honored with the name of Christian or whether they still do not know their Savior, are happily gathered together in peace and harmony into the one People of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 69).
On this octave day of the Marian feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, we are reminded once again of the unique role that this simple young woman carried following the day that the angel Gabriel visited her during her prayer.
It is fitting, as Pope Pius XII stated when he proclaimed her to be honored as the Queen of the Universe as well as of God's heavenly kingdom, that we in our Church should have a special Marian feast day to honor the Queenship of Mary.
In the 1954 encycllical, Pius XII built his thinking her position as Mother of Jesus, Mother of God, she should be honored by the faithful as Queen. He stated that as the New Eve in heaven, Mary is closely link to the redemptive work of her Son. As well Pius XII believed that her perfection as a human being, her freedom from any sin, even Original Sin, should be a reminder to us of the special graces God the Father entrusted to her when he chose her from all eternity to be the mother of his Son.
Furthermore, Pius XII remarked, Mary should be honored as our Queen because she has a privileged position with her Son and the court of God Kingdom to serve as an intercessory individual for all of us and for all eternity.
Let this day when we honor the Mother of Jesus as Queen of Heaven and Earth be a reminder to us of the special gift that has been given to each of us in the person of this most holy woman. Perhaps in our own times, Mary should become once again a person to whom the Church in its prayers turns with stronger attention to our Queen.
In the period of time between the 11th and 13th centuries, there was the development in our Church of several significant hymns which have been used since their writing to help us lift our hearts and minds to Mary in song. "Hail, Holy Queen" is one such hymn that is often sung today in many of our churches.
Hail, Holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria.
Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,
Heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!
Our life, our sweetness, here below, O Maria!
Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria!
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,
Heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!
Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,
Heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!
Our life, our sweetness, here below, O Maria!
Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria!
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,
Heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!
