Mary, the Queen Mother of the King

Fr. Scott Haynes

A Meditation on Mary's Queenship

May 31

Long ago, in the kingdom of Israel, the king sat upon his throne. He wore the crown. He held the royal power. His word carried authority throughout the land. Yet beside him there was often another throne.

It did not belong to the king’s wife.

It belonged to his mother.

In the kingdom of David and Solomon, the mother of the king had a special place of honor. She was the Queen Mother. She stood close to the king, not as his rival, but as his mother. The people knew that she could speak to him. They knew that she could bring their needs before him. She was near the throne, and because she was the king’s mother, she had his ear.

This helps us understand something beautiful about Mary.

Jesus is the great King promised by God. The angel Gabriel told Mary that her Son would receive “the throne of David his father” and that “of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32–33). Jesus is not only a holy teacher. He is not only a prophet. He is the Son of David, the Messiah, the King of kings.

And if Jesus is the King, then Mary is the Mother of the King.

We can see this mystery foreshadowed in the story of Solomon and Bathsheba.

After King David died, Solomon became king. He was young, wise, and powerful. One day a man named Adonias came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. He wanted something from the king, so he went first to the king’s mother.

He said to her, “Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king, for he cannot deny thee any thing” (3 Kings 2:17).

In other words, he was saying,

“Please ask the king for me. He listens to you.”

Bathsheba answered,

“Well, I will speak for thee to the king” (3 Kings 2:18).

Then she went to Solomon.

Now imagine the scene. Solomon is seated in royal majesty. He is the king of Israel. Servants stand nearby. The court is silent. The throne is the place of power.

Then his mother enters.

What does Solomon do?

Sacred Scripture says,

“The king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right hand” (3 Kings 2:19).

This is striking. Solomon does not ignore his mother. He does not treat her as ordinary. He rises. He bows. He honors her. Then he commands that a throne be brought for her, and she sits at his right hand.

The right hand is the place of honor.

This is why the psalm says,

“The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing” (Psalm 44:10).

It is also why the Psalm says of the Messiah, “Sit thou at my right hand” (Psalm 109:1). The right hand is the place of dignity, nearness, and royal favor.

All of this points toward a greater King and a greater Queen Mother.

Solomon was great, but Jesus is infinitely greater. Solomon’s kingdom passed away, but Christ’s kingdom will never end. Bathsheba sat beside an earthly king, but Mary stands beside the heavenly King.

When the Wise Men came from the East, they were looking for the newborn King. They followed the star, entered the house, and found “the child with Mary his mother” (Matthew 2:11). They adored Jesus, because He is God. But the Gospel shows Him with Mary. The King is with His Mother.

At Cana, we see Mary’s motherly intercession again. The wine ran out at the wedding feast. It was a small human problem, but Mary noticed. She turned to Jesus and said,

“They have no wine” (John 2:3).

She did not command Him. She simply brought the need before Him.

Then she told the servants, “Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye” (John 2:5).

That is Mary’s whole mission. She sees our need. She brings us to Jesus. She teaches us to obey Him.

And at the Cross, Jesus gave Mary to us as our Mother. Looking down from the Cross, He said to Saint John, “Behold thy mother” (John 19:27). In that moment, Mary became the Mother of all who belong to Christ.

Then, in the Apocalypse, Saint John sees a great sign in heaven: “A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Apocalypse 12:1). This woman is radiant, crowned, and glorious. She brings forth the Child who is to rule the nations. The image is full of mystery, but Catholics have always seen Mary shining there as the Queen Mother of the Messiah.

Mary is Queen because Jesus is King.

She is not a queen who takes anything away from Christ. She receives everything from Him. Her crown is His gift. Her glory is His glory reflected in her. She is like the moon beneath the sun, bright only because she is filled with the light of God.

This is why we go to Jesus through Mary. We are not afraid that she will keep us from Him. A true mother never keeps children away from the father’s house. She leads them there.

Mary stands near the throne of Christ with a mother’s heart. She sees our weakness. She knows our fears. She hears our prayers. She says to us what she said at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”

So let us honor Mary as Queen of Heaven and Mother of the King. Let us go to her with confidence, not because Jesus is hard to reach, but because He Himself has given us His Mother.

The King has placed her near His throne.

And the Mother always leads us to the King.