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Monday, August 22, 2022
QUEEN OF JPG
Today is the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary. When establishing this Memorial on the Universal Calendar in 1954, Pope Pius XII offered to the Church an annual celebration in which we all renew our Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen. In his encyclical, Ad Caeli Reginam, he began, "From the earliest ages of the catholic church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. And never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen."
This year at John Paul the Great Academy, our school-wide theme is Sub Tuum Praesidium, which is the most ancient prayer we have to the Blessed Mother. It was also the episcopal motto of the first Bishop of Lafayette, Jules Jeanmard, and a favorite prayer of our patron, Pope St. John Paul II. This prayer is a prayer of devotion, consecration, and entrustment to our Lady, flying to her for the motherly care and affection that our Lord desired for us when he gave us his mother from the cross. Today is a great day to pray this prayer as a community, renewing in ourselves our consecration to Our Lady along with the Universal Church. I have attached this prayer at the bottom for your use.
I also want to offer a brief reflection on the Mystery of Mary's Queenship and the culture of our community at John Paul the Great Academy.
Discipleship - As the foundation of our culture, we promote a life lived in intimacy with and obedience to the Lord Jesus. It is He Himself who has given the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen and Mother of the Church, of our family, and of our school. I invite all of us today to draw nearer to Christ by drawing near to Mary, renewing our devotion, consecration, and trust in her. Mary's soul magnifies the Lord. The greater our intimacy with her, the greater she magnifies the Lord in us and makes it easier and more fruitful to follow Him as His disciple.
Culture of Life - The Lord Jesus is of course King of the Universe and lacks nothing in power, authority, or glory. However, in the greatness of His love for us he has given us a Queen Mother as well. He knows that the complementarity of Masculine and Feminine is vital for human flourishing. As we renew our love for Our Lady today, let us ask her to help us form virtuous young men and young women, because the world needs them.
The world needs strong men and women confident in their identity and able to help shape the world in which we live. With Our Lady let us say a firm "yes" to God's plan for the sexes, and "no" to a growing tidal wave of ideas and policies that destroy the gift of the masculine and feminine genius. May Our Lady intercede for us and our families as we seek to build a culture of life in the midst of a culture of death.
Integral Knowledge - Today is a great day to remind ourselves of the integrity of knowledge and life. Today's mystery is not just a "Mystery of Faith" but also has reasonable consequences. It is easy to profess belief in the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen and then live as if she is not. This divorce of knowledge and life fractures our view of the world and weakens our faith. Rather, let us use our reason today to discuss together, "What does it mean that Mary is Queen? Why does this matter to me?" Faith alone has the power to integrate our entire life. Take the opportunity today to connect this great mystery to your life, and make room for God to enlighten us by this great mystery. Discuss this with your children, allowing them to ask questions and explore with their reason this profound Mystery of Faith.
Conversion - Our Lady is a most patient and loving Queen Mother. She knows our strengths and weaknesses much more than we do. She loves us and aids us with all her gifts of grace on the road of salvation. I would ask that we all take a moment today and bravely ask Our Lady how we need to grow in relationship with her. While she has shown us nothing but love and care, we are capable of being cold or distant in our relationship with her. And yet, she is in our life to bind us more closely to her Son. How are we engaging in this important relationship we have with her? Are we praying the rosary? Are we entrusting our biggest concerns to her? How might we become better sons and daughters of so noble a mother?
Sub Tuum Praesidium
English:
We fly to thy protection,
O holy Mother of God.
Despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Latin:
Sub tuum praesidium confugimus,
Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus,
sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.
Your Servant in Christ,
Dcn. Adam Conque
President