22 August 2020
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Jesus gives a command which sounds very strange to the modern ear: that because the Pharisees have the authority to teach, “do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example” (Mt. 23:3). We are accustomed to following someone only if we find them admirable—in other words, we obey when we want to. Jesus does not ever ask us to sin, but only to go outside of ourselves and our own inclinations, and to be more generous in our obedience. A more generous obedience will make us uncomfortable, perhaps in exactly the ways needed for us to also grow, trusting in God even more.
Mary is commemorated today as Queen of Heaven precisely because she was so generous with her obedience. She did not give her obedience to God because His plan was how she wanted to do things, or because she knew perfectly how the plan would go. She obeyed God generously because it was God who asked this of her, and she wished to trust in God even more. Even Mary, sinless as she was, could grow in her holiness and trust in God through generous obedience. She who was most generous in her obedience and most attentive to the needs of others is most honored among creation in Heaven.