Another Sunday Thought About Mary to Start the Week Off Right

We spoke of the Assumption which fell on Saturday last week ago. This week our Liturgical calendars brought us another special feast of Mary on Saturday: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (new calendar); The Immaculate Heart of Mary (old calendar).

Meanwhile, world events which traditionally cool down, even fading into the background as they frequently do in the last weeks before Labor Day, when so many take vacation, have rather heated up this year. Pick your poison:

• North and South Korea exchange artillery fire
• Emerging markets face economic crisis
• China, the world's second largest economy, and Japan, the world's third largest economy, slipping into recession
• U.S. Stock Market falls most in four years over the last week

Despite Our Lord having saved us through His suffering, death and Resurrection, we fallen creatures, born with free will, continue to suffer the effects of Original Sin as we encounter the world, the flesh and the devil each day. Misfortunes wrought by human action shouldn't surprise us.

But we may wonder at times whether such misfortunes come to us as just deserts. Lest we forget the really big story that the mainstream media has struggled mightily to keep under wraps:

• Planned Parenthood killing babies to harvest and sell their body parts

We might wonder whether recent headlines represent merely the tip of an ice berg of God's justice towards which our world careens as too many of us turn our backs on God's law presuming that, in the end, the Divine Mercy will somehow ignore our offenses.

Into the fray steps Our Lady these past two weeks, presenting us the opportunity to beg her intercession both for ourselves and those surrounding us. Being sinners, we'd do well to keep our judgments under wraps as we encounter the sins of others, even such horrendous evils as the killing and dismembering of innocent babies. She who was born and lived her life without the stain of sin nevertheless shows her compassion whenever we come to her with our entreaties.

Imagine this spotless, most perfect creature, the Mother of God, listening to your prayers, ready to intercede with her Son on your behalf. Quite incredible, isn't it? I hope you appreciate her solicitous bearing towards us highly imperfect, far from spotless creatures. And when a special feast day rolls around I hope you take the time to remember this and thank her from the bottom of your heart. In case you forgot yesterday, heck, just go ahead and do that right now.

And when you're done expressing your deep gratitude, read slowly and meditate on these powerful and beautiful words of what should be a familiar prayer to Mary.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God... that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

In Latin, "Hail Holy Queen" is Salve Regina. Here's my favorite chanted version of this wonderful prayer to Mary, our Holy Queen.