Christ the Cornerstone

Mary brings us closer to others, to the God who loves us

Today, August 22, our Church observes the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Last week, on August 15, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption. These two feasts are intimately related to one another. Mary’s Assumption into heaven is what allows her to reign as Queen of the Universe.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. (#966)

As “Queen over all things,” Mary is never remote or inaccessible. On the contrary, she remains close to us, our mother, and even from her heavenly home she “walks with us,” accompanying us on our pilgrimage of hope.

In all aspects of her life, Mary reflects the holiness of God. Holiness is not something remote or inaccessible. It is close to us, available to everyone.

That doesn’t mean that it’s easy to be holy. It simply means that God reaches out to each of us through the power of his grace and invites us to be our own true selves, the people he created us to be. The obstacles are many—especially our own sinfulness and the temptations of the evil one. But God’s love and mercy sustain us and encourage us to grow in wisdom, courage and love.

God does not call us to holiness and then abandon us. He stands with us—closer to us than we are to ourselves—and he walks with us, accompanying us on the journey to true life in him. God gives us the gifts we need to discover and do his will. These include prayer and the sacraments, the inspiration of holy reading and reflection on God’s Word, and the example of the saints—including “ordinary” people, such as our mothers and grandmothers, who are not perfect, but who are serious about living the Gospel in their daily lives.

Mary is a model for us all. As the mother of our Lord and our mother, Mary shows us how to live as her Son Jesus has taught us. Starting with her openness to the mysterious will of God, which changed her life radically, Mary shows us how to say “yes” to whatever God asks.

As Pope Francis wrote in his apostolic exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and be Glad”):

Mary is that woman who rejoiced in the presence of God, who treasured everything in her heart, and who let herself be pierced by the sword. Mary is the saint among saints, blessed above all others. She teaches us the way of holiness, and she walks ever at our side. She does not let us remain fallen, and at times she takes us into her arms without judging us. Our conversation with her consoles, frees and sanctifies us. Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need to do is whisper, time and time again: “Hail Mary …” (“Gaudete et Exsultate,” #176).

Holiness is not something reserved for people who are “better than us.” It is for all of us, and Mary is the one who shows us how to be our best selves, the women and men that God has called us to be. The Queenship of Mary does not distance us from her. It brings us closer to each other and to the God who loves us.

The infallible teaching on the assumption of Mary into heaven was promulgated by Pope Pius XII only 75 years ago in 1950, but our Church’s belief that Mary was taken up to heaven—body and soul—is intimately connected to the reverence shown to Mary from the earliest days of Christian history.

As the mother of our Lord and our mother, Mary shows us how to be holy. Starting with her openness to the mysterious will of God, which changed her life radically, Mary shows us how to say “yes” to whatever God asks.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which made possible her Queenship, is truly a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend, but this teaching gives us important insights into the universal call to holiness.

With this in mind, let us pray in the words of Pope Leo XIV in his first homily as the successor of St. Peter: “May God grant us His grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.” †