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GOD BLESS!

Memorial of the Queenship of Blessed Virgin Mary
1 Thessalonians 1:2-5, 8b-10
Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a+9b

M atthew 23:14-22  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. (15) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you  make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. (16) "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, `If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is  bound by his oath.' (17) You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? (18) And you say, `If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' (19) You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? (20) So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; (21) and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; (22) and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Meditation by George Butterfield (Creighton)

T oday we celebrate one of the glorious mysteries of the rosary, the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What a joy to have a mother in heaven that cares for us!

What a blessing to realize that our mother is also the Queen Mother, the one who points all of her children to her Son, the King of heaven and earth, our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary is worthy of our honor and devotion. All generations have called her “Blessed” and rightly so.

The first reading today contains what has been called the Gospel to the Gentiles. The apostle Paul established the church in Thessalonica and wrote several letters to them to encourage them in their faith. We have a fairly good idea of how the early Christian evangelists preached the good news to their fellow Jews but how did they reach out to Gentiles, people who did not know the law of Moses and who worshipped idols?

In this first reading Paul gives thanks for these Christian believers who live lives of faith, love, and hope. Their conversion must have been quite dramatic because their faith keeps going forth and is being talked about throughout the Christian communities.

How did Paul bring them from idolatry to faith in Jesus Christ? He preached that there is one God who is living and true as opposed to idols that are dead and false. He proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God. This included the message of his atoning death and resurrection. He preached that Jesus is in heaven and that we should watch and wait for him. Finally, he taught that wrath is coming but that Jesus delivers us from it. This seems fairly simple and most of us probably take all of this for granted but it turned the people who received the message away from idols and toward the living God. In a world of bondage, fear, and hatred,

Paul preached deliverance through Jesus Christ. Is the need in our world today really that different from what it was then?

Yet, deliverance from the wrath of God is hardly the message that many want to hear today. We grew up with a tyrant God sitting on his thrown and delighting in the opportunity to crush us when we sinned. We gave that God up for Lent!

The beauty of the Scriptures and of our Catholic lectionary is that a passage on deliverance from the wrath of God has as its response: The Lord takes delight in his people. Does God want us to experience his wrath? No, the Lord loves his people and adorns the lowly with victory. The people who embrace this truth become a people of praise, gladness, rejoicing, exultation, joy, high praises, and glory.

The Gospel reading for today reminds us that the most religious among us can be the ones most in need of deliverance. Instead of leading others to Jesus, I want people who will follow me. I want them to be like me. I want them to value what I value and love what I love. Instead of delivering people from bondage, I deliver them to a new form of bondage, a religious bondage. I help others to think that they are free when they are only deluded by a new type of chains.

Paul pointed people to Jesus. The Queen of Heaven points people to the King. We are called to share the faith, hope, and love that we have in Jesus. This frees people. This delivers from the wrath to come.

The Lord takes delight in his people. # # #

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

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