Marian May Devotion (Day 11)
May 11, 2025
Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.
Day 11
 
A reading from the book of Revelation (11:19a;12:1-6a,10b)
 
God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

 

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.

 

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”
 
From a homily on the Queenship of Mary by St. Bonaventure
 

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of the great King by reason of a noble kind of conception, according to the message given her by the Angel. […] Because she conceived him on whose thigh was written, King of kings and Lord of lords, was Queen not only of earth but also of heaven as soon as she conceived the Son of God.

This is indicated in the Apocalypse where it says: A great sign appeared in haven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars Mary the Queen outshines all others in glory, as the Prophet clearly shows in the Psalm which particularly concerns Christ and the Virgin Mary.

It first says of Christ: Thy throne, O God, stands forever and ever, and shortly thereafter of the Virgin: The Queen takes her place at thy right hand, that is, in the position of highest blessedness, for it refers to glory of soul. It continues: In garments of gold, by which is meant the clothing of glorious immortality which was proper to the Virgin in her Assumption.

For it could not be that the garment which clothed Christ, the garment completely sanctified on earth by the incarnate Word, should be the food of worms. As it was fitting for Christ to grant the fullness of grace to his Mother at her Conception, so was it fitting that he grant her the fullness of glory at her Assumption. And so we are to hold that the Virgin, glorious in soul and body, is enthroned next to her Son.

Mary the Queen is also the distributrix of grace. This is indicated in the book of Esther, where it is said: The little spring which grew into a river and was turned into a light and into the sun.

The Virgin Mary, under the type of Esther, is compared to the outpouring of a spring and of light, because of the diffusion of grace for two uses, that is, for action and for contemplation. For the grace of God, which is a healing for the human race, descends to us through her as if through an aqueduct, since the dispensing of grace is attributed to the Virgin not as to its beginning, but because of her position through merit. By position the Virgin Mary is a most excellent Queen towards her people: she obtains forgiveness, overcomes strife, distributes grace, and thereby she leads them to glory.

Musical Selection (Palestrina)

Assumpta est Maria in coelum:
gaudent angeli, collaudantes benedicunt Dominum,
alleluia.
Maria virgo assumpta est ad aethereum thalamum,
in quo Rex regum stellato sedet solio.

 

Mary is taken up into heaven,
the Angels rejoice, praising, they bless God.
Alleluia.
 
Mary the Virgin is taken up into the heavenly chamber,
in which the King of kings sits upon His starry throne.
 
Prayer
 
Almighty God,
you looked with favour upon a humble virgin and raised her up,
so that she became the Mother of your only Son
and was crowned in heaven with incomparable glory.
Through the prayers of blessed Mary
may we who are saved by the mystery of your redemption
be raised by you to everlasting life.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Assumption; August 15)

 

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