Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII formally established this feast in his encyclical letter Ad Caeli Reginam in 1954. It is only natural that Pius XII would institute this feast within a few years of his proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The Holy Father lays out the case for this feast in his encyclical and shows how the title of “Queen of Heaven” has always been applied to Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, throughout the history of the Church. Many of the early Church fathers, theologians, and popes have addressed the Blessed Mother as queen and the Church has consistently exhorted the faithful to do the same.
Pope Pius XII points out the unmistakable correlation between the first Adam and Eve and the new Adam and Eve. If the first Eve is associated with Adam as the source of death through the commission of the Original Sin, then the new Eve is associated with Jesus Christ, the source of salvation. If a virgin has been closely associated with the introduction of death into the world, then a Virgin is likewise instrumental in the introduction of the salvation of humanity by virtue of recapitulation. Every aspect of fallen creation due to sin has been taken up by Christ and redeemed. Since Christ is the new Adam through which the world has been saved, then it stands to reason that Christ would incorporate his own Mother in the work of redemption as the new Eve. In the words of Pope Pius XII: “It may be legitimately concluded that as Christ, the new Adam, must be called a King not merely because He is Son of God, but also because He is our Redeemer, so, analogously, the Most Blessed Virgin is queen not only because she is Mother of God, but also because, as the new Eve, she was associated with the new Adam.” As our queen and our Mother in heaven, her intercession on behalf of the Church carries a unique efficacy before her divine Son.
It is not incidental that Pius XII issued this encyclical nearly a decade after the conclusion of World War II. This war was a devastating reality not only because it claimed the lives of over 50 million people worldwide, but because of many of the moral evils that were unleashed in its wake. The world has not seen such devastation from war since then, yet the specter of nuclear war and atheistic authoritarian regimes loomed in the background. While the world was still trying to deal with the fallout of this massive war, certain ideologies continued to exert influence over the minds of some people, which undermined human dignity and reduced people to either cogs in the machinery of industry and corporations or as replaceable parts in the machinery of collective society. There were some praiseworthy efforts in different parts of the world to promote a more just and peaceful society as well as greater brotherhood and solidarity among all peoples. Yet Pius XII could see the need to invoke the Blessed Mother as an intercessor for humanity to assist us in building such a peaceful world of brotherly love, especially so that we might avoid a war that is even worse than the Second World War.
He exhorts the faithful to look to Mary as their model and says, “All, according to their state, should strive to bring alive the wondrous virtues of our heavenly Queen and most loving Mother through constant effort of mind and manner. Thus will it come about that all Christians, in honoring and imitating their sublime Queen and Mother, will realize they are truly brothers, and with all envy and avarice thrust aside, will promote love among classes, respect the rights of the weak, cherish peace. No one should think himself a son of Mary, worthy of being received under her powerful protection, unless, like her, he is just, gentle and pure, and shows a sincere desire for true brotherhood, not harming or injuring but rather helping and comforting others.” Later in the encyclical Pius XII says, “We are convinced that this feast [of the Queenship of Mary] will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises.”
These words are especially appropriate for us today as the possibility of worldwide war once again looms in the background. As Christians, our default disposition towards war should be to pray for and to seek after peace in all our words and actions. Our default desire as Christians is to foster peace, justice, solidarity, and brotherhood among all peoples. Peace begins with each one of us and how we behave towards our family, members of our religious community, our friends, our neighbors, and even our enemies. We can help to diffuse a contentious political landscape by practicing the virtues of Our heavenly Queen and Mother, trusting in her powerful protection, and relying upon her gracious intercession. Following Our Lady’s example and turning to her in prayer, may we continue striving to build a society that has a greater respect for the dignity and sanctity of all human life, that respects the legitimate freedom and rights of all, and that more effectively communicates God’s love to the world.
– Fr. Matthew Mary, MFVA