Queenship of Mary

QueenshipToday, August 22, is the Queenship of Mary in the Latin rite of the Church.

INFO ON MARY’S QUEENSHIP.

By divine providence, today is also the day that I was received into the Catholic Church, back in 1992.

GET THE STORY.

(And bring a box of Kleenex.)

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

21 thoughts on “Queenship of Mary”

  6. I read your conversion story a few years ago and have directed people to it many times since then. One in particular – an Anglican friend of many years – became a Catholic at the end of July.
    Happy Anniversary Jimmy

  7. Jimmy,
    You, and your Wife have been in my prayers many times, and will continue to be. You have taught me so much, I will always be very greatful.
    Happy anniversary Jimmy!

  8. Congrats Jimmy. My wife and I just celebrated our 26th anniversary of entering the Church. God is good!

  9. “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have shown by your actions what you promised when you said, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’ “Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! 26 But hear the word of the LORD, all Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the LORD, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives.” Jeremiah 44:25-26 NIV
    There is an interesting confluence of ideas shown in this one passage of scripture that applies to Jimmy’s recent post on breaking vows ( http://www.jimmyakin.org/2005/08/a_reader_writes_1.html#comments ) and this post. I think that there are many problems associated with referring to Mary or anyone else as ‘Queen of Heaven’. Here are two that seem most important.
    1)If she is queen, she is not only the mother of the Son of the King but the Wife of the Father.
    2) Queens by their very position wield authority of their own (as opposed to complete dependency on the power of the King).

  11. CSB,
    1) Mary is the daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son, and the spouse of the Holy Spirit. Do you deny that Mary is the mother of Christ, that Christ is a King of the line of David or that the mother of the Davidic king is the queen mother?
    Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about this for a while longer. Whatever relationship exists between the Holy Spirit and Mary is enough to make the conception of a child a noble thing. Is it matrimony? Not really. Is it as real and as holy as matrimony. Your salvation depends upon it.
    2) You give no reasons to support this. Did Bathsheba, one of David’s many wives, have queenship authority apart from her son, the king? No, rather it was the fact that her son became the king that made her the queen.
    Honor thy father and thy mother.

  12. Do you worship Nebuchadnezzar, Christian Survey Board? After all, he’s called the “king of kings” in Daniel.
    Or, for that matter, Satan? Isaiah calls him the “morning star.”

  13. Happy anniversary, Jimmy. I often think of your story about Scott Hahn when I am doing a Holy Hour. It reminds me of how powerful our prayers can be.
    God bless.

  14. Happy Anniversary Jimmy. What a wonderfully moving and humbling conversion story. Renee – although she left this life at an early age – continues to live through the wonderful Catholic faith that she brought to you and through your outreach to others.

  15. JA,
    I am a little worried that I have become the token interloper protestant on the site (my fault) so I would rather not let this discussion get to far out of hand, but let me clarify my thoughts a little….
    Regarding #1
    What I meant by this was that her being ‘queen mother’ or queen of heaven brings thoughts of a divine family: Papa God, Mama God and Son God. Mohammed, of Islam fame, misuderstood (or perhaps correctly understood confused Christians) Christianity in his day.
    I realize that this is not what Catholic Theologians beleive but titles bring meaning beyond carefully crafted definition. They are like a domesticated tiger; if you arent real careful they’ll eventually cause problems. I think that is the case with this title (and other titles that I have heard for mary).
    Regarding #2
    Bathsheba likely had power in regards to her subjects. Her power could likely be exercised without discussion with David or Solomon (thus on her own).

  16. CSB,
    I appreciate your clarification and share your concern for letting the discussion get out of hand (regarding the appropriateness of the location of the discussion, not the discussion itself).

  17. +J.M.J+
    >>>I realize that this is not what Catholic Theologians beleive but titles bring meaning beyond carefully crafted definition. They are like a domesticated tiger; if you arent real careful they’ll eventually cause problems.
    The same could be said about titles of Christ. I’ve had some Christians tell me, “I’ve never quite understood how Jesus can be both God and the Son of God.” Surely, we shouldn’t deny either of those titles of Christ because some people may get confused.
    Scripture says that Christians will reign with Christ and even portrays them as wearing crowns, yet that doesn’t make them all members of the Godhead. Even so, calling Mary “Queen” does not make her a member of the Godhead. Nor does it identify her with Ishtar, which is why Jeremiah 44:25-26 is inappropriate.
    In Jesu et Maria,

  18. 1)If she is queen, she is not only the mother of the Son of the King but the Wife of the Father.
    Except for the fact that that isn’t true. The Davidic Queen was the mother of the King. Not the mother of his son (i.e., not the king’s wife). Jesus is the Davidic King. Ergo, Mary is the Davidic Queen.

  19. I read the linked stories with great interest Jimmy. I looked around for and finally found the following which you may or may not have heard before but whatever, it is sent with sincerity:
    “The great and sad mistake of many people . . . is to imagine that those
    whom death has taken, leave us. They do not leave us. They remain! Where
    are they? In darkness? Oh, no! It is we who are in darkness. We do not
    see them, but they see us. Their eyes, radiant with glory, are fixed upon
    our eyes. . . . Oh, infinite consolation! Though invisible to us, our
    dead are not absent . . . . They are living near us, transfigured . . .
    into light, into power, into love.”
    -Karl Rahner
    I have provided it to many folks in need and it was always appreciated.
    Happy Anniversary wishes too.

  20. Hello! i’m from Malta and live in Marsa our parish is dadicated to the Queenship of Mary
    and we do a very big feast outside in the streets with marches and many other things. Our feast is on the last Sunday of August thank you

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