Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
	This week we observe another Marian celebration, the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its original date was May 31, when it was instituted by Pius XII in 1954, but it was eventually moved to August 22 so that its close relationship with the Assumption might be made clear. Mary’s queenship is multi-dimensional: she reigns gloriously in heaven as queen and mother; she is the queen who intercedes; she is the sign of the Church in its future glory.
	Of course, the traditions surrounding the Blessed Mother’s queenship extend much further back than the establishment of this feast. In the eighth century St. John Damascene could write, “When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature.” According to Jewish tradition, the mother of the king was accorded a seat of honor at the right of the king. With Jesus’ royal heritage as a descendant and member of the house of David, Mary quite naturally takes her proper place as the queen mother. Pius XII simply recalled these traditions and gave us a day to remind us of how we can direct our prayers to Mary, our Queen.
—Rev. James Field