The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the feast of the Queenship of Mary, celebrating the coronation of the Blessed Mother. Many protestants would argue that this is a key point where they differ from Catholics. They simply do not believe that Mary's Queenship is ‘biblical.’ But did you know there isn’t just a long historical tradition of Mary being revered as the Queen of Heaven going all back to the early Church - it is actually throughout scripture?
The Early Church
The idea of Mary as Queen was recognized by the early Church organically. First the Church affirmed Mary as 'Mother of God' or 'Theotokos.' They also often referred to her as the 'New Eve,' in that she undid the sin of Eve in her yes to God and through directing humanity to “do whatever Christ tells us.” Many early Church fathers frequently invoked royal imagery to describe Mary. St. Ephrem (4th century) praised Mary as 'Lady' and 'Queen.' Similarly, St. Germanus of Constantinople (8th century) celebrated her as enthroned with Christ. These titles were not merely devotional flourishes but expressions of theological conviction regarding Mary’s participation in Christ’s kingship. St. Augustine frequently referred to Christ as 'King of heaven and earth.' It follows that if he is King, Mary is his Queen mother. And, as the New Eve she is a counterpart to the New Adam - that is to say she has a role to play in salvation.
The Queen Mother in Scripture
But, the best evidence comes from scripture. If Jesus is in the line of King David (as detailed through the genealogies of Matthew and Luke) and thus the rightful king of all Israel, it would follow that Mary is the mother of the King. Did you know that in the Davidic kingdom, the Queen was not the wife of the King but his mother? They even had a term for this office called the ‘Gebirah.’ If you read 1 Kings 2:19, King Solomon (the successor to the throne after David) places his mother Bathsheba on a throne at his right hand. She then intercedes for Adonijah before the throne, taking Adonijah’s request to the King and pleading his case. This is what Mary does for us before Christ our King in Heaven.
Another interesting scripture is Psalm 45:9-10. In the Psalm it speaks of the queen standing at the king’s right hand in gold of Ophir. For this reason among others Mary is often referred to as ‘House of Gold’ in Catholic devotion.
At His Right and At His Left
In chapter 20 of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus states “to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” This is another important clue. In the New Testament, there are only two characters other than Jesus whose lives were prepared for through prophesies of their future existence within the old testament.
The most famous prophesy for Mary comes from the prophet Isaiah, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.” In addition, the old testament points to the fact that the King of Israel should have a wise and holy Queen Mother. It only follows that Mary, the Mother of Jesus has been prepared for this role by the Father. This is but one of numerous reasons why we uphold the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception - that Mary’s preparation started at the very first moment of her life. She is the virgin foretold who has been prepared to sit at the right hand of Jesus.
But if Mary is at the right hand of Jesus, who is at the left? Now we are getting into speculative theology, as the Church has not made a pronouncement on who it is, but the answer seems quite clear from the scriptures. The strongest argument is for John the Baptist. He is the cap of the prophets and forerunner to Christ. It’s interesting to note that every old testament king took the counsel of the prophet in his inner court. So the King had both a prophet and a gebirah to advise him.
In addition, John the Baptist's birth was clearly prepared by the Father. The old testament books of Isaiah and Malachi both reference the coming of a prophet who will pave the way for the Lord in the wilderness. Even John the Baptist says he is who the scriptures reference. Lastly, his time in the womb and birth were quite remarkable. The angel Gabriel came to his Father, Zachariah. Mary visited his mother carrying Jesus in her. The royal court was being brought together in the first moments after Christ’s conception.
The King's Judgement and Mercy
In Judaism, the right and the left holds importance. The right side is the path of mercy, the left severity. Some speculate that Levitical priests would impart blessing with the right hand and make the sacrifice with their left. If this is the case, it all lines up. Mary, who is also called the “Gate of Heaven,” sits at the right hand of Christ - the open gate to his Sacred Heart - from which divine mercy and blessings flow. John sits at his left - the seat of severity and the Mosaic law.
The Gate of Heaven
The fact that Jesus says the least in the Kingdom of Heaven will be higher than John while also saying that no man born of woman is greater than John, now makes sense. The path of Mercy is the entrance into the Heart of God and in order to get there we pass through the loving intercession of Mary, the Queen Mother into the very heart of Christ.
So let us turn to Mary on this most wonderful feast and ask her to bring us into the heart of her son. He is waiting to impart his eternal blessings upon each of us.
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