Coronation of Mary

In the Fifth Glorious Mystery, we contemplate the coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

From the Book of Revelation (12:1)
A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.   

Commentary by Saint Athanasius
Christ reigns over Christians forever, and His kingdom will have no end. And since He is King, born of the Virgin, she is also called Queen, Lady, and Mother of God.

Meditation 1
Elevated to Heaven, Our Lady receives the crown of glory from God’s hands, as a sign of a life completely dedicated to Him and the fulfillment of His will. With her unconditional "yes", Mary allowed the Almighty to work wonders in her. That is why all generations call her blessed.

Mary’s earthly life, as the Mother of the Savior, begins before Jesus and ends after Jesus. After being the Mother of the Church, because she is the mother of its founder, she now reigns in Heaven and on Earth as Queen Mother, alongside her Son, who is King of the universe.

Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, states that the solemnity of Mary’s Assumption is joyfully prolonged in the celebration of her queenship. The mother of a king is a queen, a queen-mother. It was not an inherited queenship, like the son of a king who inherits the throne, but a queenship earned through effort. This crown of glory was preceded by a crown of thorns, of much suffering that Mary had to endure for the sake of her Son.

Saint Paul, in one of his letters, speaks of athletes who sacrifice themselves with training and discipline only to win a crown that fades. If they strive that hard for something that does not last, how much more should we strive to win, like Mary, an eternal crown of glory, by accepting the sufferings that come our way.

Meditation 2
Like Mary, we will return to God, from whom we came, but we will no longer be the same. We were God’s project, and we will reach the end with a personality formed, with the help of His grace and also with our personal efforts. God will reward us for our blood, sweat, and tears. At the hour of death, the clock of our betterment stops ticking, and there is no more opportunity to change our eternal destiny.

We do not need to achieve a specific perfection; the parable of the Sower says that one seed produces thirty, another sixty, and yet another a hundredfold. What matters is not the quantity, but the opportunities we had. The Parable of the Talents also teaches that all who worked were rewarded equally; and the Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard shows that those of the last hour received the same as those of the first. Conclusion: what matters is we are working, striving, even if there are risks and losses.

Let us imagine the final judgment as a great courtroom. This court will consist of all the people we have interacted during our lives: friends and enemies, those we have helped (I was hungry, I was thirsty, etc.), and those we have not helped. For each person we have done good to, we gain a voice and a favorable vote in this judgment; for each person we did not help, we gain a voice and an unfavourable vote.

Let us ask Mary to guide us during the time we have left, until we reach our final hour. May this time be a time of hope and not of fear.

Prayer
O Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Mother full of grace, who brought into the world
the Savior and King of Kings,
we praise and thank you for your generous "yes",
which allowed the Almighty to perform wonders in you.

As we contemplate your Coronation,
we know that your body, preserved from all stain,
is now glorified beside your Son.
You, who is the Mother of the Church,
intercede for us before your Son,
so that, like you, we may be crowned with glory.

Mary, help us to accept the sufferings life brings,
to find in pain an opportunity for growth,
and to work with love in your mission of
spreading the Gospel and doing good.

Make it so that, in every action of ours,
we may gain favorable voices at the final judgment,
in order that, at the hour of our death,
we may be received into the arms of your Son,
just as you were received into heavenly glory.

Inspire us to live with hope,
to look upward and seek the things of heaven,
knowing that in you we have a loving Mother,
who guides and comforts us in every moment. Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro,  IMC

The Assumption

In the Fourth Glorious Mystery, we contemplate the Assumption of Mary into Heaven in body and soul.

The Church believes that the Immaculate Virgin, preserved from all stain of original sin, at the end of her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory. The Assumption affirms that Mary's body was glorified after her death, a glorification anticipated by a special privilege. Mary's Assumption is a unique participation in the resurrection of her Son.

Commentary by St. Theodore the Studite
This most pure dove, although she has flown to the heavens, never ceases to protect this earth.

Meditation 1 
On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into Heaven a dogma of faith. It is simply a logical conclusion: the body that gave birth to Jesus, held Him in her arms, and fed Him from her breasts, created by God without the stain of sin, could not be corrupted in the tomb. Mary was taken to Heaven to share in the glory of her Son.

Mary thus fulfills what St. Irenaeus said: "God became man so that man might become God”. The dream of Eve, who wished to be like God, is fulfilled; Mary achieved being like God by being the mother of God. Through her obedience, the intimate being of God's family is open to all of us. As Jesus said, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice."

Mary, the woman full of grace, conceived without sin, maintained a privileged relationship with the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, through the fidelity of her love and the complete fulfillment of God's will. She is the mother of the Church and the expression of a new humanity that welcomes the Gospel of Christ and follows Him on the path of the Beatitudes.

Meditation 2 
Whether Dormition or Assumption, Mary goes to her Son, for she was always at His side. Like her, we too will be welcomed into Heaven, where Jesus, her Son, has gone to prepare a place for us. "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You," said St. Augustine.

Our heart belongs to God, for it was created by Him. When we love creatures more than the Creator, we pervert our divine nature. It is like putting diesel in a car that runs on gasoline. When we fill our heart with material goods, it becomes a bottomless pit. Human love can never satisfy it completely; only God can. As St. Teresa of Avila said, "God alone suffices”.

In Mary's Assumption, we intuit the glorification that awaits the entire universe at the end of time, when "God will be all in all" (1 Cor 15:28). Mary is the symbol of the part of humanity that already has been redeemed, a figure of the "promised land" to which we are all called.

Therefore, since we have been raised with Christ, let us seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Col 3:1). We belong to Christ. There is no higher glory on earth, nor can there ever be. Like Him, we are guaranteed victory. We belong to Christ until death, as a popular hymn says.

Prayer
Holy Mary, Mother of God, 
we contemplate you today, 
taken up into Heaven in body and soul, 
sharing in the glory of your Son, Jesus Christ. 
You, who were conceived without sin, 
teach us purity of heart and fidelity to God's will, 
so that, like you, we may be living signs of divine love and grace.

O Mother of the Church, 
intercede for us with your Son, 
so that we may live with the same unwavering faith, 
the same confident hope, 
and the same generous love 
that you demonstrated throughout your life. 
That in difficulties and trials, 
We may find in you an example of total surrender and obedience to God.

You, who were assumed into Heaven, 
help us to always walk toward the things of Heaven, 
where Christ awaits us, preparing a place for us with Him. 
Guide our hearts to His eternal love, 
and fill us with hope of the life to come that He has promised us.

Oh Virgin assumed into Heaven, 
pray for us sinners, 
so that one day we too may share in the heavenly glory 
and live forever in God's presence. 
Support us in every step of our journey, 
and, with your example of humility and holiness, 
lead us to the Kingdom of your Son. Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro. IMC