What does it mean that Mary is the Queen of Creation?

When she walked this earth, Mary regularly prayed Psalm 19…

“The heavens tell the story of God.”

Deep in her heart, she knew the story of creation was more profound than she could imagine. Only at the moment of Mary’s Assumption did she understand creation as she had never dreamed.

Today I invite you to explore with me what the heavens tell of the glory of God. And what it might mean that Mary is the Queen of Creation.

The unfolding of the story of creation

A few years ago, many of us were astounded to see pictures of parts of creation that are more than 13 billion light years away. (One light year equals 370,000 centuries.)

It is humbling even to the most skilled astronomers to see such dramatic proof that creation is so immense.

But… we have merely taken another small step. It is still true that

“Eye has not seen, nor ear has heard what God has in store for us! 1 Cor 2:9):

Yet we still tend to reduce God to some giant version of an old man upstairs.

Mary – Queen of all creation

We celebrate that Mary is the Queen of this creation. With her Assumption, it became clear to her that God’s creation is even more vast than she ever dreamed.

In the greater vastness of all eternity, Mary as a mother, now fully understands what she prayed Psalm 8:4.

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

Mary, as all mothers, helps us to understand who we are and all we have been given.

Mary teaches us to care for all of creation!

It is becoming clearer with each catastrophic climate event that we are ignorantly destroying the great gift God has given us, earth, the home of our homes!

We have not done well in caring for that speck of creation we inhabit.

In many ways, we are like spoiled children who do not understand the value of the gift we have been given.

We have laid waste to what our creator has given us to sustain us.

We fail to see our responsibility to care for the wonderful gift our creator has given us.

We don’t see the interconnectedness of all things created.

Jesus reminds us of the splendor of the lilies of the field. In failing to care for the lilies, we are discovering that we are failing to care for the home we call earth. We miss the interconnectedness of all things

“When we look deeply at a piece of bread we can the sunshine, the clouds, the great earth. Without the sunshine, no wheat can grow. Without the clouds, there is no rain for the wheat to grow. Without the great earth, nothing can grow. That is why the piece of bread that I hold in my hand is a wonder of life. It is there for all of us. We have to be there for it.”

We are like children who do appreciate and take care of the gifts we have been given… do not understand the value and purpose worth of these gifts.

Mary and the Month of creation

In an encyclical inspired by the universal patron of the environment, St. Francis, Pope Francis unpacks for us the story of creation and its implications. The encyclical can be summed up in a mere three words! Everything is connected!

He now asks us to celebrate a Season of Listening to Creation from September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, until October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.

What can we do to listen to creation?

Our parents taught us long ago… STOP, LOOK, LISTEN!

You might be surprised at what cries you might hear or see about the extent of creation!

Stop, Look and Listen to a slice of bread… or a picture of the universe!

Originally posted on Vincentian Mindwalk