ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL HER BLESSED
Entrance Antiphon
The queen stands at your right hand arrayed in cloth of gold. (Ps 44:10)
Background
At the end of the Marian Year in 1954, Pope Pius XII established this feast with his encyclical, Ad Caeli Reginam. Mary is Queen because of her divine maternity and because of her association with Jesus’ redemptive mission. Today’s feast is linked with that of the Assumption, celebrated eight days earlier, and it highlights Mary’s spiritual motherhood in the Church. Her queenship is one of love, exercised in hearts, and reminds us that “if we persevere, we also shall reign with him” (2 Tm 2:12) as members of Christ’s “royal priesthood” (1 Pt 2:9). Mary as queen is the eschatological icon of the Church in glory.
Introduction
“From this day on, all generations will call me blessed,” sings Mary. What does it mean, to call Mary, the humble virgin, blessed? It means nothing else than to be filled with admiration and to adore the marvel which God worked in her, to read from her that God looks to the humble one and lifts her up, that God’s coming into this world does not seek the heights but the depths, that God glory consists in making great what is small. To call Mary blessed means, together with her to ponder admiringly the ways of God, who lets his Spirit blow where he wants, to obey him and with Mary humbly to say: “As you have spoken, so be it.” (Bonhoeffer)
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
the unpretentious mother of your Son
wanted to be nothing more
than your humble servant.
Allow us to honour her as our model and queen
of sincere, deep faith
and unassuming faithful service
of your plans with your Son and the world.
May her prayers imbue us with her spirit.
We ask this through her Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading – 2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-5, 11-12
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more, and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater. Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God regarding your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions you endure. This is evidence of the just judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering. We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsorial PSALM 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 4-5
R. (3) Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name. R.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. R.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens. R.
Alleluia – JOHN 10:27
Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel – MATTHEW 23:13-22
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”
Commentary
Being Worthy
Paul commends the Thessalonian Church for her faith, love, and endurance amidst persecutions. She has lived her faith well. However, he also prays that God may make her worthy of His calling. This is the nature of God’s calling: He calls us when we are still unworthy; in spite of our unworthiness and not because of our worthiness. God, then, keeps working in us – provided we open ourselves to His Grace – to make us worthy of the call that He had gratuitously given to us already. We are an unfinished work until our last breath and until we reach Him. Mother Mary, whose queenship we celebrate today, is our prime example of what destiny awaits us if we cooperate with God’s Grace in His work of making us worthy. And if we resist, we resist at our own peril: the woes pronounced by Jesus would then be our destiny. But far be it from us. We are his brethren and children if Mary.
Intentions
– That the Church in its leaders and members may be a strong and faithful witness in our world for the truth, truthfulness and authenticity, we pray:
– For priests and religious, that the poverty and love of Christ and people may become visible in them and make their teaching credible, we pray:
– For politicians and civic leaders, that their concern may not be honor and power but justice, dignity and the unity of those whom they honestly serve, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in this bread and this wine,
we celebrate the memory of your Son,
with his fidelity to his mission,
to you and to people.
Let this offering be
not a mere formality
but a call to commit ourselves
to his Gospel and his life,
for he is our Lord for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
it is difficult for us to be always honest
with ourselves and with you,
for sincerity demands total commitment.
God, you have encouraged us
with the Word and the bread of your Son.
Do not allow us
to put our consciences to sleep or at ease,
with beautiful words or outward practices,
but make us live as we believe,
that with the whole of our lives
we may give glory to you,
our God, for ever and ever. Amen!
Blessing
We are to be pitied as Christians if we think we can save ourselves by outward practices. What saves us, what makes us God’s sons and daughters, is our love of God and neighbour, how we live our daily life in closeness to the Lord. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!