My dear parishioners,
Peace! On the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, 7 October, 2019, Pope Francis established the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, to be observed each year on the 10th of December. At the same time Pope Francis proclaimed a Lauretan Jubilee Holy Year to run from 8 December, 2019 through 10 December, 2020. There are fifty-one invocations in the Litany of Loreto. The following is a reflection on the thirty-ninth invocation: Queen of Angels, pray for us.
There are thirteen various forms of Our Lady’s Queenship considered in the Litany of Loreto. Here we consider specifically what it means to say that Saint Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother of God is the “Queen of Angels,”
First we consider Queenship. A Queen is the female ruler of an independent state (e.g. Elizabeth II of England b. 1926, crowned 1952). Nefertiti (+1336 BC) and Cleopatra (+30 BC) are famous Queens of Egypt. Margaret of Scotland (+1093), Elizabeth of Portugal (+1325), Jadwiga of Poland (+1399) are all venerated by Mother Church as Saints. The Queen plays a prominent role in both chess and cards. Sacred Scripture refers to Queens. Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19, 25 rightly denounces the idolatry for a false Queen of Heaven whether in Judah or in Egypt. The role of “Queen Mother” is found in 1 Kings 2:19; 11:19;2 Kings 24:15 and Daniel 5:10. The Queen of Sheba (cf. 1 Kings 10:1-13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12; Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31) and Bathsheba (cf. 2 Samuel 12:24; 1 Kings 1:11; 2:13) are famous among the Queens in Sacred Scripture. Revelation 12:1 relates how a great sign appeared in Heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, standing on the moon with a crown of twelve stars on her head. Psalm 45:9 relates how the Queen stands at the right hand of God arrayed in gold.
Second, we consider the Angels. Angles are spiritual beings, created by God, who attend His throne, do His bidding (cf. Genesis 3:24; Judges 6:22), and deliver His various messages (cf. Luke 1:19; Acts 8:26). There are Guardian Angels (cf. Matthew 4:6; Hebrews 1:14). There are fallen angels (cf. Jude 1:6; Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 12:7, 9). There are nine choirs of angels: Seraphim (cf. Isaiah 6:3-8), Cherubim (Matthew 27:51); Thrones (Colossians 1:16), Dominations (Ephesians 1:21), Virtues (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 1:16), Powers (Daniel 3:29; Ephesians 6:12), Principalities (Ephesians 1:21), Archangels (Jude 9), Angels.
Pope Pius XII (+1958) in his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam(11 October, 1954) proclaimed Saint Mary’s Queenship, citing Saint Ephrem, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Origen, and Saint Alphonsus Ligouri among others (ACR, 10-25). He established the feast of Our Lady’s Queenship (now celebrated on 22 August; formerly observed on 31 May).
When we venerate and honor Our Lady as the Queen of Angels we do so knowing that she is a creature. With the Queen of Angels we worship Almighty God. With the Queen of the Angels we say “Do whatever He tells you!” (John 2:5).
Father John Arthur Orr