Mary Is Queen of Heaven and Earth
We call Mary Queen of Heaven, Queen of the Apostles, and Queen of all who believe in Jesus, but what does it really mean to call Mary Queen, and why does she hold such a special place in our faith?
For Catholics, everything begins with a simple yet extraordinary truth: Mary is the Mother of God. She not only bore Jesus, but she was also his first disciple. She said “yes” to the angel Gabriel, accompanied Jesus throughout his life, remained at the foot of the Cross, and stayed with the disciples after the Resurrection. That is why we look upon her as our Mother; a mother who accompanies and protects us and, above all, intercedes for us before her Son.
One of the most beautiful expressions of this intercession can be found in the apparitions of Saint Catherine Labouré, a young religious sister of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1830, in the chapel of the congregation’s motherhouse in Paris, Catherine experienced the events that gave rise to the Miraculous Medal.
According to Catherine’s testimony, Mary appeared standing on a globe, with a serpent beneath her feet and her hands extended toward the world, rays of light radiating from her fingers. Around the Virgin appeared the inscription: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” In other words, the rays had a special meaning. They represented the graces that God grants to those who ask for them through Mary’s intercession. This reminds us of something fundamental: Mary is not the source of grace; God is. Mary is the intercessor.
For this reason, the Miraculous Medal should not be understood as a talisman, but rather as a sign that leads us to faith, prayer, and Christ. Mary does not replace God, nor does she possess any power independent of Him. Like a mother who presents the needs of her children, she intercedes for us and leads us toward her Son.
We can clearly see an example of Mary’s mission as our intercessor at the wedding feast at Cana. When Mary realizes that the wine has run out, she brings the need to Jesus and then tells the servants: “Do whatever He tells you.” These words summarize her entire mission. Mary does not ask us to put her in Christ’s place; she leads us to Him.
Yet, why do we call Mary Queen?
To understand this, we need to remember the tradition of the Davidic kingdom. In ancient Israel, the king’s mother held a place of honor in the royal court. As Queen Mother, or Gebirah, the mother of the king shared in her son’s reign by advocating for the people. Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, was the first to hold this distinguished role. (1 Kings 2:19) Catholic tradition sees here an image that helps us understand Mary’s role: Jesus is the King, and Mary, His Mother, participates in a unique way by interceding for the People of God.
This understanding is also connected with the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. We believe that God prepared Mary from the very first moment of her existence to be the Mother of the Savior and to participate in a unique way in the history of salvation. Therefore, when we contemplate Mary as Queen, we should not imagine her as a distant figure. We can see her as our Mother: the one who intercedes for us, accompanies us, teaches us to trust, and continually reminds us of the path that leads to Christ.
Mary always leads us to Jesus. At Cana, she tells us: “Do whatever He tells you.” Through the Miraculous Medal, she invites us to turn to her and ask for her intercession. In every authentic Marian devotion, we find the same message: drawing closer to Mary means drawing closer to Christ. So, as we celebrate Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth, we can pray:
Holy Virgin, Mother of God and Queen of the Apostles, hold us in your heart. Intercede for us before your Son. Help us remain faithful to Christ, walk with faith and hope, and one day attain eternal life with Him. Amen.
Fernando Dangond, MD, was born in Colombia, South America. He and his wife, Monica, live in Weston, MA, and have been blessed with two sons Daniel and David and a beautiful daughter, Christina (the inspiration behind Build the Faith) who left to be with the Lord 7 years ago.
Dr. Dangond, is a neurologist and scientist who works for a pharmaceutical company developing medicines to treat devastating neurological diseases.
