Today is the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. Today would be an ideal day to pray the rosary! (In fact, every day is an ideal day to pray the rosary.)
In the first reading today, Ezekiel is led by an angel to the temple, where he sees the glory of God. He hears the voice of God say to him, “This is where my throne shall be…here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.”
In today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus say, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Many non-Catholics will use this verse to try to “disprove” Catholicism because we call our priests “Father.” “Ha!,” they’ll say. “This goes directly against the teachings of Jesus!” Interestingly enough, St. Paul didn’t seem to think so. In 1 Corinthians 4 and Philemon, St. Paul calls himself a spiritual father. He also refers to Father Abraham.
Jesus ends this teaching with, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” This is true for kings and princes, priests and bishops, CEO’s and dishwashers. We must always make sure that humility is part of who we are. Let us be careful of blowing our own horn. The consequences won’t be pretty.
Interestingly, this Gospel comports perfectly with our feast day. Mary always humbled herself. (I am the handmaid of the Lord.) Thus, she is exalted as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Father, help us to always be humble. Forgive us for those times when we exalt ourselves. In your great mercy, take us down a few notches when we need it. Amen.
0 comments