Day 252: Queen of heaven

Jeremiah 43:1-13 In spite of Jeremiah’s admonition to remain in their land, they fled to Egypt anyway. Jeremiah went along reluctantly, assuring them that Babylon would defeat Egypt soon and consequently rule and oppress the Jewish people as well, so the Judeans would find themselves under Babylonian rule once more.


Ch 44:1-30 In Egypt, the Jewish people returned to idolatry in the belief that their troubles came from rejecting the Canaanite gods under King Josiah. Jeremiah reiterated strongly that worshiping an idol in place of the one true God was the cause of their misfortune. 


Judith 15:1-13 The Assyrians fled in fear, but the pursuing soldiers of Israel cut them down in their retreat. The Israelites then divided the spoils left behind by the rival army. 


Ch 15:9 This verse may be prayed in the Responsorial Psalm on the Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.


Ch 16:1-25 Judith’s song of praise is very similar to the Psalms. It recounts the Assyrians’ defeat and praises God for his greatness and mercy. Again, we see Judith as a type of Mary (TYPOLOGY!!) insofar as they both played major roles in overcoming the forces of evil. 

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)



“Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord God lives.’ Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.” (Jer 44:26-28)


(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)



Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we thank you. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your will, your heart, for everything. Lord God, we thank you for this journey on Day 252. Gosh, Lord, thank you for giving us the perseverance to keep pressing play, the perseverance to keep listening to you, and also in the midst of all of these prophets as we are coming to an end of all of this, thank you for that persistence. And thank you for revealing maybe the prophets to us for the first time ever. We thank you for someone like Jeremiah. We thank you for Jeremiah himself, who was unfailing in listening to your Word and said it even when it was unpopular. Thank you for giving him to us as an older brother, as one of the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us as we race to you, to your Son, Jesus Christ. And it is in His name that we pray. Amen.”


BONUS LESSON FOR TODAY!!!

Fr. Mike mentioned Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, specifically the FIFTH GLORIOUS MYSTERY which is Mary being crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. As Catholics, we pray The Rosary as a DEVOTION. It is NOT WORSHIPING MARY. It is meditating and contemplating the life of Jesus Christ through various events in His life here on earth. Think of it as holding Mary’s hand as she guides us through the life of her Beloved Son. The Joyful Mysteries cover the events from the Annunciation to Jesus being found in the Temple after three days. The Luminous Mysteries cover the events of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The Sorrowful Mysteries cover Jesus’ Passion and Death. The Glorious Mysteries cover Jesus’ Resurrection, Ascension, The Holy Spirit, and Mary’s Assumption and Coronation. Now how the Rosary came about as a devotion can be a discussion for another time. But here I will focus on what we call the LORETO LITANIES. These are the various titles given to Mary, the Mother of Jesus aka the Mother of God (since Jesus is God) and we pray this litany at the end of The Rosary. After each title of Mary we say, "Pray for us."


MARIAN LITANIES OF THE WEST


THE LITANY OF LORETO


MODERN ADVOCATIONS


THE COMPOSITION AND MEANING OF THE LITANY OF LORETO

 

The Litanies of Loreto are structured as follows:

1. Mary's Holiness - 

Mary is:

(1) Holy Mary (Sancta Maria)

(2) Holy Mother of God (Sancta Dei Genitrix)

(3) Holy Virgin of Virgins (Sancta Virgo Virginum)

 

2. Mary, the Mother - 

Mary is:

(1) Mother of Christ (Mater Christi)

(2) Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae)

(3) Mother of Mercy (Mater Misericordiae)

(4) Mother of Divine Grace (Mater Divinae Gratiae)

(5) Mother of Hope (Mater Spei)

 

And again, at the end of the series:

(13) Mother of our Creator (Mater Creatoris)

(14) Mother of our Savior (Mater Salvatoris)

 

The intermediate advocations (4-10) qualify or characterize the person of Mary as mother, mainly with adjectives:

(6) Mother Most Pure (Mater purissima)

(7) Mother Most Chaste (Mater castissima)

(8) Mother Inviolate (Mater inviolate)

(9) Mother Undefiled (Mater intemerata)

(10) Mother Most Amiable (Mater amabilis)

(11) Mother Most Admirable (Mater admirabilis)

(12) Mother of Good Counsel (Mater boni consilii)

[Mother of Fair Love (Mater pulchrae dilectionis)]

Mary attracts love and admiration, and she is of good counsel, but most of the characteristics mentioned (4-7) refer to the miraculous and virginal birth of Jesus.

 

3. Mary, the Virgin

Mary is: 

(1) Virgin Most Prudent (Virgo prudentissima)

(2) Virgin Most Venerable (Virgo Veneranda)

(3) Virgin Most Renowned (Virgo praedicanda)

(4) Virgin Most Powerful (Virgo potens)

(5) Virgin Most Merciful (Virgo clemens) 

(6) Virgin Most Faithful (Virgo fidelis)

 

4. Symbols of Mary - 

Mary is:

(1) Mirror of Justice (Speculum justitiaé)

(2) Seat of Wisdom (Sedes sapientiae)

(3) Cause of Our Joy (Causa nostrae laetitiae)

(4) Spiritual Vessel (Vas spirituale)

(5) Vessel of Honor (Vas honorabile)

(6) Singular Vessel of Devotion (Vas insigne devotionis)

(7) Mystical Rose (Rosa mystica)

(8) Tower of David (Turris davidica)

(9) Tower of Ivory (Turris eburnea)

(10) House of Gold (Domus aurea)

(11) Ark of the Covenant (Foederis arca)

(12) Gate of Heaven (Janua coeli)

(13) Morning Star (Stella matutina)

 

5. Mary, the Helper - 

Mary is:

(1) Health of the Sick (Salus infirmorum)

(2) Refuge of Sinners (Refugium peccatorum)

(3) Solace of Migrants (Solacium Migrantium)

(4) Comforter of the Afflicted (Consolatrix afflictorum)

(5) Help of Christians (Auxilium christianorum)

 

6. Mary, the Queen - 

Mary is:

(1) Queen of Angels (Regina Angelorum)

(2) Queen of Patriarchs (Regina Patriarcharum)

(3) Queen of Prophets (Regina Prophetarum)

(4) Queen of Apostles (Regina Apostolorum)

(5) Queen of Martyrs (Regina Martyrum)

(6) Queen of Confessors (Regina Confessorum)

(7) Queen of Virgins (Regina Virginum)

(8) Queen of all Saints (Regina Sanctorum omnium)

 

There are five advocations which emphasize the personal holiness, distinction, and role of Mary's queenship:

(9) Queen Conceived Without Original Sin (Regina sine macula originali concepta)

(10) Queen Assumed into Heaven (Regina in caelum assumpta)

(11) Queen of the Most Holy Rosary (Regina sacratissimi rosarii)

(12) Queen of Families (Regina familiarum)

(13) Queen of Peace (Regina pacis)

 

(Litany of Loreto in Context https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/l/litany-of-loreto-in-context.php?fbclid=IwAR1nDbDRlHthM_zCKBZofeiZU4gUqbN5eb0R7_EW4xwTIZAxeXoXQu25PLg