Liturgical Readings for : Thursday, 22nd August, 2024
08-22-The Queenship of Our Lady
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-6
A son is given to us.
The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light;
on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.
You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase;
they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time,
as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.
For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders,
the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian.
For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt and consumed by fire.
For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,
Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his royal power,
which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity.
From this time onwards and for ever, the jealous love of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 112
Response May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
or Alleluia!
1. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore! Response
2. From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory. Response
3. Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne
yet stooped from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? Response
4. From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dung heap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people. Response
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou amongst women.
Alleluia!
Gospel
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 1:26-38 Glory to you, O Lord
You are to conceive and bear a son.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.‘
She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her,
‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour.
Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David;
he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’
Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?‘
‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God,’
‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary.’ ‘let what you have said be done to me.‘
And the angel left her.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Aug 22 Queenship of Mary Luke 1:26-28
This feast is a relatively recent one in the church. For centuries Mary had been venerated as Queen of the angels and the saints. It is depicted, for example, in some very early mosaic works in the apse of the great Basilicas. Jesus is portrayed as King of heaven and earth, and, alongside him, Mary is portrayed as Queen. In 1955, at the end of the Marian Year, Pope Pius XII gave formal expression to this popular belief of the faithful, by promulgating this feast of the Queenship of Mary. He placed it on this date, 22nd August, to stress the connection with the feast of the Assumption. Like that feast, this feast of the Queenship of Mary proclaims the very special union between herself and her Son in heaven.
The church understands this special relationship between Jesus and Mary in heaven as the continuation and deepening of their special relationship on earth. In the gospel reading, Mary consents to be the mother of Jesus, God’s Son. She carried Jesus in her womb for nine months, and, having given birth to him, she nursed him as only a mother could. No other human being had such a deeply personal relationship with Jesus from the first moment of his existence. Before she conceived Jesus in her womb, she conceived him in her heart, through her faith, by surrendering herself to God’s purpose and desire for her life, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me’.
When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, according to Luke’s gospel, Elizabeth declared Mary blessed because of the child she was carrying in her womb, but then went on to declare Mary blessed because of her faith, ‘Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was said to her by the Lord’. Mary inspires us to keep growing in our faith, to keep giving ourselves over to God’s purpose, God’s desire, for our lives, so that Christ can live in us, as he lived in Mary, and so that we become people who bring the Lord to others as she brought the Lord to us. Christ who lives in us in this earthly life will then draw us into a deeper relationship with himself in the life beyond this earthly life.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
