Mary, mother and queen

The two readings of the day indirectly speak to today’s memorial dedicated to Mary as mother and queen. Just a word about this memorial. With some major feasts, like that of the Assumption, the spirit of that feast continues to be felt throughout the following week. So today concludes the celebration of the Assumption, the feast which began on the 15th. Now to get back to the readings for today, the first is from Ezekiel 36:23-28 which includes those memorable words, “I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead.” The prophet is speaking to his people as they endured the experience of exile in Babylon. Rather than being a time of dismay and despair, Ezekiel sees it as a time of change and renewal. As children of Mary and sisters and brothers in Christ, we are called to view our mother Mary as one who continually calls us to seek new possibilities and not wallow in sadness over missed opportunities. The gospel from Matthew 22:1-14 is about Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast. The message is that we should never be ashamed of who we are. The simple peasant girl of Nazareth is our queen and so we have every right to enter into the wedding feast. We are each entitled to the wedding garment and should not be afraid to wear it.