Saturday, November 18, 2006

The Church Fathers On The Queenship Of Mary

The Fathers of the Church unanimously called the Blessed Virgin Mary their Queen. Here is a sample of a few of the Fathers in their own words:

St.Jerome tells us "We should realize that Mary means Lady in the Syrian language."

St. Peter Chrysologus says "The Hebrew name ‘Mary’ means ‘Domina’ [Lady] in Latin. The Angel therefore calls her Lady so that the Mother of the Lord, whom the authority of her Son made and caused to be born and to be called the Lady, might be without servile fear."

St. Ephrem has Mary say:
"Let Heaven sustain me in its embrace, because I am honored above it. For heaven was not Thy mother, but Thou hast made it Thy throne. How much more honorable and venerable than the throne of a king is his mother."

He also says of her:
"...girl, empress and ruler, queen, lady, protect and keep me in your arms lest Satan who causes evil exult against me, lest my wicked foe be glorified against me."

St. Gregory Nazianzen calls her "the Mother of the King of the entire universe" as well as "Virgin Mother who brought forth the King of the entire world."

Epiphanius of Constantinople said that the unity of the Church would be preserved "by the grace of the Holy and the con-substantial trinity and by the prayers of Mary, Our Lady, the holy and glorious Virgin and Mother of God."

St Andrew of Crete tells us "His ever-virgin Mother, from whose womb He, being God, took on human form, He today transports from earthly dwellings as Queen of the human race."
also : "the Queen of the entire human race faithful in reality to the meaning of her name, who is exalted above all things save only God himself."

St. Germanus says to her : "Be seated, Lady, for it is fitting that you should sit in a high place since you are a Queen and glorious above all kings."

St. John Damascene calls her : "Queen, ruler, and lady"

An Anonymous Eastern Father calls her "the perpetual Queen beside the King, her Son...whose glorious head is crowned with a golden diadem."

St. Ildephonsus of Toledo proclaims "O my Lady, my Ruler, Thou who governs me, Mother of my Lord...Lady among the handmaidens, Queen among sisters."

Truly, Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth!

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