Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of England is someone we often see adorned with beautiful clothing; tiaras, gowns, bright and colourful clothing.  She lives a life of opulence and grandeur befitting a “queen”.  What has always impressed me about the Queen is her desire for simplicity and her strong faith.  Certainly I know that there are many people who would like to see us do away with the institution of the monarchy because it has (through scandal and redundancies) rendered itself unnecessary, but I for one feel that monarchs as earthly anointed people can be great ambassadors for faith in God and Jesus Christ and from some of the things which I have seen, Queen Elizabeth II is a good example of a Christian.  She may be a part of an institution which is majestic, but she herself appears to be a very humble servant.

I reflect briefly upon her because I think of another Queen, the Queen we celebrate today, Our Blessed Mother.  She too is a majestic queen and a humble servant.  Mary did not come into this world full of ambition to be something great, but God chose her for something great.  She was born for a purpose.  She was given gifts and those gifts were not for herself but for others.  She humbly approached her own gifts and her giftedness with humility and faith asking God to provide her the answers along the way – and He did.  She gave herself totally and completely for others, she gave love unconditionally even when it cost her dearly as those she loved died and her heart was broken.  Last week we celebrated her Assumption into Heaven, the reward for a life lived well, but today we celebrate her place in heaven, as Queen next to her son, Christ the King.  She may be Queen of Heaven, but we celebrate in faith and devotion that her royal status does not stop her from receiving the prayers and intercessions we ask of her.  We know that as much as this lady loved those around her here on earth, she is loving even more in heaven.  Why is that?  Because absolutely nothing stands in the way of her love.  She also has the answers to all the questions she had here on earth.

What does the Queenship of Our Lady have to do with us though?  Everything.  I began with a short reflection on Queen Elizabeth because there are examples of people who seek to embody the qualities of our lady as Christians in this world.  Queen Elizabeth is someone we all know, but there are many others who try hard to be the best Christians that they can be.  Many of our own mothers resemble Mary in her queen-ship.  Our mothers are important and loving figures in our lives, our homes, in our communities.  Our mothers often pray for us more than others do.  They love us so completely they’d give their lives for us without a second thought.  Many beautiful Christian mothers take in and love their children’s friends too with a mothers’ love.  And there is a special place in our hearts, in the family and in the Heavenly Kingdom for our mothers too.  Whether your mom is here in this world, on her way to heaven or in heaven – we pray for our moms today and we ask Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth to pray for them too.