Bishop Robert Barron’s Reflection for today, this Feast of Mary as Queen of Heaven, is absolutely brilliant, so wanted to share it.
In particular, Bishop Barron refers to the “two standards” meditation that is part of St Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises.
The “two standards” are a reference to the battle pennants that are flown at the head of an army, and St Ignatius invites all people to meditate upon whose army are we a part? God’s with all the angels and saints who fight for the good, true and beautiful and the things of eternity like love and friendship? Or Satan’s with his demons and his followers who pursue things of this world like power, possessions, pleasure and money?
That is the choice we have to make each and every day.
So, if you enjoy the reflection below, I invite you to consider signing up for Bishop Barron daily reflections. They are definitely worthy of your time. Enjoy!
Your daily Gospel reflection…
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
MEMORIAL OF THE QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
MATTHEW 20:1-16
Friends, today we celebrate Mary’s Queenship. Mary was the definitive bearer of the divine presence, the Ark of the Covenant par excellence. When she visited her cousin Elizabeth, the infant John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb, doing his own version of David’s dance before the Ark.
The Queen Mother—like all of the monarchs of Israel—is a fighter. Israel frequently brought the Ark into battle with them. Most famously, the priests paraded around the city of Jericho bearing the Ark, just before the walls came tumbling down.
The Queenship of Mary is not a sentimental feast. Whenever biblical people spoke of kings or queens, they were speaking of warriors. The question for us is: Which side are we on? Those trained in the Jesuit spiritual tradition know of the “two standards” meditation, which compels us to make the simple choice: In which army do you serve?
We fight, of course, not with the puny weapons of the world, but with the weapons of the Spirit; by God we fight. So don’t just honor and acknowledge the Queenship of Mary; get in her army.
