February 2021

Mary - the Queen of all Creation

Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si’ (no. 241) says: “Mary, the mother who cared for Jesus, now cares with maternal affection and sorrow for this wounded world. Just as she mourned the death of Jesus with a pierced heart, she now has compassion on the suffering of the poor crucified and of the creatures of this world exterminated by human power. She lives with Jesus completely transfigured, and all creatures sing of her beauty. She is the Woman “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (Rev 12:1). Elevated to heaven, she is Mother and Queen of all creation. In her glorified body, together with the risen Christ, part of creation, she has reached the fullness of her beauty. She not only keeps in her heart the whole life of Jesus, which she “guarded” with care (cf. Lk 2:19,51), but now she also understands the meaning of all things. Therefore, we can ask her to help us look at this world with wiser eyes.”

The Beautiful Lady on Mount La Salette expresses precisely that care when she asks questions, some of which are rhetorical: “How long have I suffered for you?”; “Do you not understand French?”; others are directed to the children: “Do you not understand this?”; “Do you pray well?”; “Have you never seen dead grain?”; and finally a question directed to Maximin: “But you, my child, must you have [dead grain] seen it?”. All these questions are asked by She who knows perfectly the destiny of man on earth. She knows how difficult it is to be reconciled with the world stricken by man’s sin.

We do not know for sure how this happens, but in Heaven Mary takes care of us after the example of the Eternal Father - holy and most perfect. One can be in Heaven and be personally happy, but it is not possible not to care at all about the fate of those who are still on earth. The Incarnated God, His Mother and all the Saints know the experience of life on earth and know that one must constantly strive for eternal salvation, fighting evil.

We can also assume that Our Lady unceasingly intercedes for us before the throne of God, so that He does not cease to have mercy on us. She unceasingly asks her Son to measure out the remedy of grace, so that we do not despair or become discouraged. She knows that her Son does not want to punish anyone, but she asks Him to behave affectionately with us who are so reluctant to convert, because we are unaware of those goods that Jesus promised. Mary’s appearances on earth are an example of the Mother’s great care for all her children - brothers and sisters of Her Son Jesus. She comes - probably after ardent prayers addressed to God - to make us adhere to Him. We can summarize God’s attitude in a sentence taken from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, not even if one were raised from the dead will they be persuaded” (Lk 16:31). But Mary makes an exception: she is not dead, she has been assumed into Heaven!

Perhaps this is why she has the right and permission from God to come to us and invite us to persevere in living the Kingdom of God already here on earth, despite the existence of sin and evil.

Karol Porczak MS