Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God’s heart.
—Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Do you have a favorite mystery of the Rosary? One that causes more reflection and contemplation in your prayer life? One that makes you slow down during prayer and savor every moment?
Recently, I was asked similar questions, and I have to admit, I was a bit stumped. I had never thought about a favorite mystery. Soon, I realized, that my favorite mystery changes with my life’s circumstances and even with the liturgical seasons.
Once during Advent, a priest encouraged me to imagine myself at the Nativity, asking Mary if I could hold her baby. He wanted me to enter the story and contemplate what it would be like to hold the Son of God in my arms, so as to grasp God’s unconditional love for me. For a long time, whenever I prayed the mystery of the Nativity, I remembered this and could easily get lost in the little town of Bethlehem.
As we begin May, this month of Mary, I have been contemplating the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
What type of queen is Our Blessed Mother? She is certainly royal. After all, her Son is the King of kings and Lord of lords! She also is “full of grace,” and from what we read in Scripture, she is humble, kind, loyal, and joyful.
If fairy tales can be allegories for reality, the princess most closely resembling Mary would have to be Cinderella. I imagine Mary being the queen that every common villager loves, like Cinderella, but even more beautiful and kind. The people relate to Mary, and she makes them feel at ease. It is as if she wants them to recognize her as one of them. After all, she, too, used to walk to the well for water, cook on an open fire, and wash clothes in the stream. I envision her coming to the people from her castle on high. She glows with the light of Christ, and her smile blesses everyone whom she passes.
Mary tends to those in need. She feeds the hungry, visits the lonely, and comforts those who are sad. She listens to the prayers and petitions of each and every person that she encounters. She recognizes their great need for her Son, and she files all of their requests in her heart, to share with Him when she gets home. Even though the people’s problems may still remain at the end of her visit, she encourages them to “do whatever [the King] tells you,” and their hope is instantly restored (John 2:5).
When she returns to her castle at the end of a long day, she prepares to meet up with Jesus, her Son. She takes out a gold platter and begins arranging each villager’s needs, desires, hopes, and dreams upon it. She lifts it gently, and presents it to Jesus. He receives the people’s prayers through His mother, and He is delighted. He is happy to answer all of them, according to His Father’s will.
The queen’s work is never done. She listens to every Hail Mary and Memorare. She holds the hand of each person who prays the Rosary, and she breathes in the aroma of the lovely flowers placed before her statues in churches around the world. Mostly, she enters the hearts of all those who pray and show her devotion, and she points them to her Son. In turn, they grow closer to the King, because of the queen’s intercession.
We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek—Jesus, her Son.
—Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
Do you have a favorite mystery of the Rosary? If so, please share it with us in the comments below.
Sarah Damm
Sarah Damm is a Catholic wife and mother of six children, living in Minnesota. She spends her days running errands, cooking meals and helping with homework. She and her husband Greg strive to weave the Catholic faith into their daily lives as well as into their family celebrations. Sarah serves as a WINE specialist with WINE: Women in the New Evangelization. She blogs at sarahdamm.com and is also a contributor for CatholicMom.com.
2 responses to “What Type of Queen is Our Blessed Mother?”
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My favorite mystery is the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Partly because of the high drama and wow effect and partly because I want more of the Holy Spirit for myself and all of us in the Church!
Thank you for sharing, Deanna! I agree with you about the wow effect of that mystery! And yes, I also pray for an increase of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our church! What a great petition, especially during this time of prayer (novena) between the Ascension and Pentecost! Come, Holy Spirit!