As Queen of Heaven & Earth, Mary’s Queenship has biblical and historical roots.
As we approach the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 22, I remember the excitement I felt whenever I was preparing to teach the Marian Station at my parish’s First Communion Retreat.
Feedback always included, “Thank you so much! I never knew this!”
Despite my Marian devotion, I often struggled to answer the question: “Why pray to Mary and not directly to God?”
It was in my preparation for these retreats that I found answers that made me see how incredible God truly is, and it thrills me every time I get to share these insights about Mary, which elevate her in my understanding and add to the “It just makes sense” column for our faith. Celebrating the Queenship of Mary seems like the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into her Heavenly role!
Mary, Queen Mother
My first fascinating fact is that Mary’s importance to our faith is not merely circumstantial. It is derived from the role of the Queen Mother (Gebirah in Hebrew) in biblical times. The king’s mother had an official role: to intercede for the people to the king… Who does that sound like?!
However, the queen mother wasn’t just another royal official.
She had enormous influence and could wield significant power; some queen mothers even ruled during the king’s absence. Based on my understanding of women’s roles at the time, that was surprising. In fact, a queen mother had more official influence than a king’s wife, because kings often had multiple wives whose status could change.
Israel adopted this practice when it chose to be ruled by kings rather than by God through prophets (1 Samuel 8). When King David ruled, Bathsheba, his wife, bowed to the floor when entering the room (1 Kings 1:15-16, 31), but in 1 Kings 2:19, when Queen Mother Bathsheba enters the throne room where her son Solomon sits on the throne, the king rose to greet her (I thought the king rose for no one!), and then… he bowed to her!
Seated on a Throne
He also ordered “a throne brought for the king’s mother” and set to his right (1 Kings 2:19). A kings throne was not was not just a luxurious seat; it was a symbol of his supreme authority. By seating his mother in a throne, it shows just how much power and authority was granted the queen mother through his own, with the presumption that her commands represented his own wishes.
However, the queen mother was subject to the king. Her authority was derived from his, and her purpose was to help his kingdom flourish. Again, who does this sound like?
Mary, even now, works tirelessly to bring people into her Son’s Kingdom; many saints and theologians have described Mary as the “Mediatrix of All Graces”, expressing the belief that although every grace comes from Christ alone, God delights in weaving her into His work of distributing those graces because she is perfectly united to His will.
Mary, Queen of the Angels
Although this is not a doctrine, it is widely thought that pride which caused Lucifer’s fall was born from the expectation that the angels would serve an “inferior” creation—humanity. It’s interesting to consider whether they also learned a teenage human girl’s yes to God meant she would one day rule over them.
Mary, though a human like us, reigns over all created beings (thus, not God) of heaven and earth.
This understanding is supported by Revelation 12, where St. John writes: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” According to Catholic tradition, Mary is first foreshadowed in Genesis 3:15, as the woman whose offspring “will crush [the serpent’s] head”. Revelation echoes the Protoevangelium with the crowned woman, whom the Church has long recognized as Mary, crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Talk about a strong female role model! But her path there was as Jesus’ path—through humility and obedience to God.
Both virtues opened her to God’s supernatural presence. For example, in Gabriel’s exchange with Mary, Gabriel reassures Mary—not because she’s troubled by his presence, but by his words. In most other instances, those to whom the angels appear are terrified, but not Mary.
Instead, her concern seems centered on her relationship with God rather than her safety. Immediately after telling her “Be not afraid”, Gabriel immediately assures her that God is with her. It almost seems as though Gabriel is humble before her.
Perhaps Gabriel already knew she was to be the Mother of God, and couldn’t help but revere her!
The Church Fathers & Mary
It’s not just the angels who revere Mary. Early Church writings reveal Christians honored her from the beginning, particularly those of St. Irenaeus, who first established Mary’s role as the “New Eve”. But unlike other saints, no tomb became a place of devotion to her body, pointing to her bodily Assumption.
Having complete her earthly role, the humble Queen Mother now intercedes on our behalf at her Son’s side. Through His authority, He grants Mary a special intercessory role throughout Heaven and Earth—including the creatures known as angels. And her only desire is that of her Father, Son, and spouse: to help everyone share in the eternal exchange of love in heaven.
Why not pray only and directly to God? Only God fully knows. But we do know He sends people to help others, He’s directed His holy angels to help us, and He’s directed us to seek the help of the saints and angels. Asking the King’s mother for help, therefore, is both biblical and fitting.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 22
Once again, there are so many awe-filled thoughts of our faith to bring to Mass on August 22 to celebrate this beautiful feast!
Pondering Mary’s role both in Heaven and on Earth, we can dwell in God’s love that brought this about and seek His direction for how we can be more humble and obedient ourselves, while having the courage to face life’s trials in ways that brings others to Christ. Imitating this first and most perfect disciple of her Son, I can find guidance and strength to intercede for others, too, because our prayers make a difference!
This Queen Mother was made our spiritual mother and is there for every child in God’s Kingdom. Our every thought of her leads us to Him, and our every thought of Him makes her heart rejoice! Let her guide you to her Son!
