August 22
The
Queenship of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel: Matthew
23:1-12
Today's Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
(Denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees)
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his
disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the
chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They
tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but
they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be
seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love
places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in
marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your
father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have
but one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever
exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Reflection:
There has never been a queen crowned like this
one. Every earthly throne is built on some form of exalting yourself above
others, winning, conquering, being served. Mary's queenship was built on the
exact opposite. She is Queen of Heaven today because she spent her whole
earthly life doing precisely what today's Gospel describes: humbling herself
completely, serving rather than being served, calling herself nothing more than the handmaid of the Lord, even while she carried God within her own body.
That's not an accident of timing; the Church gives us this particular
Gospel on this particular feast. Jesus is describing the very path His own
mother walked to the crown she now wears. He that shall humble himself shall be
exalted; she is the living proof of that scripture, written in a human life rather than just spoken as a warning against the Pharisees.
Every earthly ruler eventually loses their throne, and every crown made of gold
eventually tarnishes. Mary's crown was built the one way that never fails:
total surrender, total service, total refusal to claim anything for herself.
That's not weakness, that’s humility. That's the only kind of greatness that
actually lasts.
Where in your life are you exalting yourself instead of quietly serving?
Stay hidden while you continue to serve; don’t draw attention to yourself. Instead, direct others to our Lord and our Lady, taking the attention off of you.
Rosary Man
Jim 🌹
Freely
given. Freely shared.
