Monday 22 th august 2022
Our Lady, Mother and Queen
(1835 – 1914)
Queen of Heaven is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians. The title is a consequence of the First Council of Ephesus in the fifth century, in which Mary was proclaimed “Theotokos”, in English “Mother of God”. The Catholic teaching on this subject states that Mary is called Queen of Heaven because her son, Jesus Christ, is the king of Israel and the heavenly king of the universe.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 44: 10
At your right stands the queen in robes of gold, finely arrayed.
Collect
O God, who made the Mother of your Son to be our Mother and our Queen, graciously grant that, sustained by her intercession, we may attain in the heavenly Kingdom the glory promised to your children. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5,11-12
From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We feel we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for one another never stops increasing; and among the Churches of God we can take special pride in you for your constancy and faith under all the persecutions and troubles you have to bear. It all shows that God’s judgement is just, and the purpose of it is that you may be found worthy of the kingdom of God; it is for the sake of this that you are suffering now. Knowing this, we pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 95:1-5
R/ Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
- O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
- Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples.
- The Lord is great and worthy of praise, to be feared above all gods; the gods of the heathens are naught.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus said, ‘Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to. ‘Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are. ‘Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.” Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Or else, “If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.” You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there. ’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we observe this Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we bring you our offerings, O Lord, praying to be given strength by the humanity of Christ, who offered himself to you on the Cross as the unblemished oblation. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Lk 1: 45
Blessed are you who have believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled.
Prayer after Communion
Having received this heavenly Sacrament, we humbly pray, O Lord, that we, who reverently celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may merit to be partakers at your eternal banquet. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today the Lord is angry with the guides who lead their fellow men astray, robbing them of the will to live and, finally, even of life: “Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are” The Pharisees indeed pursue individuals, “hunting them down” to lead them to their own religious conviction – not God’s, but their own. They turn people not into sons of God, but of hell. Their pride does not lead to heaven, or even to life, but to a fatal destiny: doom.