I would like to thank my sister in Christ Chris12 for agreeing to dialog on this and for her prayers for both of my sick child and both of us for this dialog. I want to begin with a prayer.
Heavenly Father, you loved humanity so much even when we fell far away from you that you gave Israel another covenant and when that was broken because of our sinfulness you gave them another and another until your final perfect covenant was revealed when you reached down from heaven and gave us your only begotten Son, the perfect gift to mankind to restore us in you. And in perfect love He gave his life for us and offered himself back to you and sent the Church the Holy Spirit to guide her in all truth and love. In the Spirit of Truth and love then we ask you to bless this dialog and send your same Holy Spirit which mirrors the love between You and your Son and give us each charity when we disagree. Help us to discern Oh Holy Spirit your will for us and strengthen the gifts you given us at baptism. Bless Both of us to be open to hearing one another and help eradicate the pride and prejudice in each ofus and all who read this dialog. Restore the Church again to its original unity in love and help us overcome that which have separated Catholic and Non Catholic Christians for almost 500 years. Come Holy Spirit renew the hearts of your faithful and enkindle within then the fire of your love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
There is so much to be said here as whole College courses have been taught and several books written on this very subject of the blessed Virgin Mary and her role in Salvation history. I am honored to be able to share with you and all Catholic and non Catholic Christians alike some very simple things on why Catholic hold to Marys Queenship and think its a great idea to ask for her heavenly intercession. Its especially fitting given that apart from Christ Jesus our Lord historically speaking No one person is honored more in history or art more then the blessed Virgin Mary. Its also fitting given that we just recently celebrated her Immaculate Conception on the 8th (Perhaps another good dialog to have at another time) and will be honoring the many miracles that changed history through her intercession at Guadalupe on the 12th of this month. I have had the privilege also of being taught in Grad school by a former Jew who converted to Catholicism because He and many other Jewish converts have seen the fullness of doctrinal and historical fulfillments of Judaism in the Catholic Church alone. So I am able to bring with me some perspectives that some may not be aware of. So lets starts. I will keep it simple.
Catholics honor Mary(we call this honor veneration) and believe she is Queen of Heaven and can and does pray for the whole world and especially her Sons Church. Because of this we pray to her. What I mean when I say we pray to her is I mean we ask her for her heavenly intercession asking her to pray for us. When Catholics use the term pray in reference to Mary or a saint they do not mean worship. Prayer has numerous meanings. It can mean worship and when it refers to God often as the Lords prayer shows us but it can also mean simply to ask another human being as most dictionarys will confirm.
It comes from the term prithie or I pray thee or I ask you. These are cultural things that most Catholics naturally just know and make distinction on. So when a Catholic says they pray to Mary they are asking her for her intercession and not worshipping her as they would a God or Goddess.
But why ask for her intercession? Well its very Jewish and very simple really for a few reasons. Most people are unaware that Orthodox Jews have traditionally always prayed to or asked for the intercession of their deceased saints or righteous ones known as the Tzaddkim. They do not worship them or pray as they would pray to the Father but they do venerate them give them honor and even visit their grave sites and ask for their intercessions. This does not violate the Jewish understanding of communicating with the dead given in the OT as one Rabbi Explains because they are not seeking knowledge like the witch of endor nor communicating through mediums but rather seeking prayer and intercession because they are one body and if one suffers in the body all suffer and feel that pain even after death.
Well that is also very Christian. St. Paul has a theology in his writings of the mystical one Body of Christ where if one suffers we all suffer(1 Cor 12:18-20; 24-26). Those in heaven are aware of our sufferings and are aware when we do good things like repent as Jesus tells us:
I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Lk 15:7).
St. John also shows us that those in heaven are aware of our prayers and intercessions and offer them to God in the form of incense (Rev 5:8).
So this Catholic idea of praying to or asking a saint for his intercession is very very Jewish and ancient but also Christian and biblical and historical. No wander that the early Church very early on began honoring and asking for Mary and the saints intercessions. They were following their Hebrew ancestors and scripture. Here is an article by one Jewish Rabbi explaining this. See how Christian it really is.
Is it okay to ask a deceased tzaddik to pray on my behalf? - Questions & Answers
Its no wander that many Jews are converting to the Catholic faith when they find Christ.
Now back to another Jewish idea that is the idea of Queen Mother. Its because we (the Catholic Church) see her( the Blessed Virgin Mary) as the New covenant fulfillment of the Davidic Queen Mother that we honor her. You see. All Davidic Kings had Queen Mothers. Jesus is a King(Rev 19:16) from the line of David(Matt 1:1). Mary is his Mother. Therefore as Jesus is our King Mary is also naturally the New Queen Mother of the Church.
When you Study scripture you will notice that every Davidic King had a Queen Mother. She was given a special place of honor at the Kings right hand and held influence on the king and kingdom. She shared the Kings reign(Jer 13:18-20). Bible Scholars tell us that the role of the Queen Mother or Gebirah in Hebrew (great Lady or Queen) involved interceding or pleading before the King for the people. A great example is found in the book of Kings:
Bathshe'ba said, "Very well; I will speak for you to the king."So Bathshe'ba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adoni'jah. And the king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a seat brought for the king's mother; and she sat on his right.Then she said, "I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you." (1 Kings 2:18-20)
Catholics believe that every New Covenant fulfillment is greater and more real and powerful then their OT type. The Davidic King and his power was just a shadow of the good things to come in the new covenant in the real King from the line of David (Jesus). Likewise so too would the fulfillment of the Queen Mother.
One prophetic psalms that mentions the Queen Mother that many people pass over is the Christological psalm 45. This psalm is used and admitted by many scripture scholars and pastors to be a prophetic psalm speaking of the Christ the King from Davids line. And it surely does speak of this.
You are the fairest of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you for ever
.. In your majesty ride forth victoriously
for the cause of truth and to defend the right;
let your right hand teach you dread deeds! Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you. Your divine throne endures for ever and ever.
Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellows
(Psalm 45:2,4-7)
But what many Jewish converts have noticed and the early Church also picked up on was not just the Christological connection to this prophetic psalm but also the Mariological one regarding her as the Queen Mother in prophecy.
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear;
forget your people and your father's house; and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;(Psalm 45:9-11)
Who else would this Psalm be referring to prophetically as the Queen that stands in Gold at the right hand of the King (Jesus)? Who else but Mary, the fulfillment of the Davidic Queen Mother. This Psalm is one of the beautiful prophetic psalms read and proclaimed prayerfully at Mass during the feast of the bodily Assumption of Mary(Yet another good Jewish dialog LOL).
Notice in the new Covenant Mary acts as a Queen Mother interceding for the wedding party and prompting Jesus Christ (our King) to do his first glorious act, and Jesus, who even though it was not his time yet to do so, obeyed her and did his first glorious act changing water into wine. He did not refuse her intercession. (Jn 2:1-11).
Catholics and the early Church historically also see the Great women of Revelation 12 who gave birth to Jesus the King who rule with a rod of iron to be Mary. It shows that she is crowned with 12 stars(representing the 12 apostles or the Church and 12 tribes of Israel) and is seen there as both Queen of the Church and Mother to all who believe in Christ(Rev 12:17, Jn 19:26-27). Just as Christ is the New King from the Line of David that far surpasses that role, so too she is the new covenant Queen Mother that far surpasses the Davidic Queen Mother in her role. This is why Catholics ask for her intercession. Its powerful. The prayer of the righteous avail much(James 5:16) and who is more righteous then those already in heaven with Jesus away from the distractions of sin? Especially if they have been given an office of Queen Mother to intercede for the Church.
It should be noted that the early Christian saw this connection too and it was natural for them and the early Church fathers to see this fulfillment. Many of them in their preaching and teaching called her Lady or Sovereign much like the Gebirah or Great lady or Queen of the Davidic kingdom. St. Ephrem the Syrian a great doctor and deacon in the 4th century called her heavenly Queen, The great early Marian Hymns of the 5th century sang by the early Christians known as the Akathist hymns refer to Mary as Queen of the heavenly host. St. John Damascene called her Queen, Ruler, and Lady.
So in closing in this first post. I hope everyone can see why the early Church and why the Catholic Church today honors Mary as Queen and ask for her prayers and intercessions. I look forward to hearing from you Chris12. God bless you!
Athanasias
