Queen of Peace 

We always begin the new year with Mary, the Mother of God. In the ancient world, to those who objected to the title “Mother of God,” the Church responded definitively that she who is the mother of Jesus must also be the Mother of God, since Jesus is God and there is no division in Him. Building off this ancient foundation, Pope St. Paul VI decreed in 1974 that January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, would also be a feast dedicated to peace. 

This seems fitting, as one of the titles of Our Lord is “Prince of Peace,” and the greatest accomplishment of peacemaking in history was the Incarnation, the moment when God the Son became man in the womb of the Blessed Mother, while still remaining God.  It is in Jesus that the divine and the human are united and reconciled. Pope Benedict XVI once wrote that “peace, in the fullest and highest sense, is the sum and synthesis of all blessings. So, when two friends meet, they greet one another, wishing each other peace.” In Christ, the harmonious friendship that existed in the beginning between Creation and the Creator, which was shattered by the rebellion of our first parents, is restored. This, above all else, is why Our Lord is the Prince of Peace. We call Mary “Queen of Peace” because she facilitated this reconciliation between God and Man through her consent to God’s plan for our salvation.  Giving birth to her Son on Christmas, she reveals to the world the One who, Pope Benedict explains, is both our peace with God and the One through whom individuals, groups, and nations can attain the blessing of peace and reconciliation to which all people of good will aspire.  

This is what the Church invites us to reflect on as we enter the year 2024 with hearts troubled by the wars that continue to rage in Ukraine and in Gaza, conflicts that appear disturbingly irresolvable.  In our own nation, there is unhappiness, unrest, and animosity among various groups. And, of course, family dysfunction and estrangement are the source of great sadness in many of our homes. It is enough to make even the greatest optimist feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Perhaps, as we consider our new year’s resolutions, we might number among them a commitment to turn with greater frequency to the Mother of God and ask her to take these problems under her care.  It was through her mediation that the Lord reconciled in Himself the ancient division between God and His rebellious creature Man. Therefore, we would be wise to entrust this new year of 2024 to Our Lady. May it usher in an era of greater peace and reconciliation in our world, in our nation, in our neighborhoods, and in our homes. 

posted 12/30/23