In our society today, we honor all sorts of people. We give special place of honor at dinners for foreign prime ministers. We can't wait to meet President Obama at the next town hall meeting. We cheer and shout at football games. And, we're salivating even just thinking about getting the chance to see Justin Bieber on stage.
Today we also celebrate the feast of the Queenship of Mary. And, as I sit here in my Regina Caeli uniform shirt (which, in Latin, means Queen of Heaven), I was thinking, "Why do we honor Mary?"
It's not worship, by they way. That's for God alone. But, even God has honored Mary. He chose her, out of all women and out of all human beings throughout all of time, to be the mother of His Son. When God entered Time and became a living, breathing human being, He lived in the womb of a certain young woman. And, what mother doesn't know and love her child with all her might? She probably knows Jesus better than anyone; she nursed him as a baby, helped him learn to walk, knew him from head to toe. This is why she is the premier example for us: how to know, love and serve God.
If you look at the Bible, we know that it was through her "Yes!" that God became flesh in her womb (see Luke 1:26-38). Then, when she went to visit with her cousin Elizabeth, Elizabeth cried out, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42). Sound familiar? Those are some of the exact words from the Hail Mary prayer!
The ending of the prayer is: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." We know that we can ask Mary to ask God for things for us, because she did it here on earth, too. At the wedding of Cana, in John 2:1-11, we learn that Mary noticed that the host of the wedding needed more wine, so she turns to her Son and asks Him to do something about it. At first, He says no. "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come" (John 2:4). And, yet Mary knows that He can help and that He will. "Do whatever He tells you," she tells the servants. And, sure enough, after a little more water, Jesus makes more wine for them! She interceded for them when they needed help.
In another dramatic example of Mary being chosen by God for us, Jesus, while He is hanging on the cross, sees His mother and John the Beloved Disciple standing there. He tells His mother, "Woman, behold, your son." And, to John, "Behold, your mother." From then on, John took Mary into his home (John 19:26-27). In that moment, Jesus is giving the whole church His mother. She is our mother and we should treat her the same as John, bringing her into our home and life.
And, of course, we don't honor Mary because of what she might be able to do for us. She isn't even really special on her own accord, but because of who God is and what He did through her. God needed a beautiful, sparkling, holy place (Mary's womb) in which to live and that is why He made her special. Now, we seek to be the same: a beautiful, sparkling holy place fit for Christ live in.
So, when you see a picture or image of our Blessed Mother, think of her and tell her thank you for saying yes to that angel so long ago. Ask her to help you become closer to Jesus. I'm sure she'll oblige. And, take heart: we cannot love Mary more than her Son already does.