"Rejoice, O Queen, glory of mothers and virgins!"
"Truly thou didst reveal thyself to be heaven on earth,
Greater than the heights of heaven, O Bride Unwedded."
- From the service of Pentecost
We call kings and queens those who lord over life, the masters and administrators of life’s blessings. In calling the Ever-Virgin Mary a queen, we much clearly understand what blessings she controls and administers.
During her earthly life, this humble and meek Nazarene girl, though of royal and high-priestly blood, nonetheless lived in the home of a poor and elderly carpenter in a forgotten town, and was totally distant from any form of political influence, held the reigns of no earthly power, and by her external living conditions appeared in no way different from the poorest of people. She, a meek and humble dove, became the mother of He Who said of Himself, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18), and as the mother of the King of kings she truly became a true Queen, who might petition the Almighty King for all good things in heaven and in earth.
But besides this, she personally possesses that treasure which gives her a royal beauty, and made her worthy to be the mother of the King of kings. That treasure is the fullness of virtue.
From her childhood, she had a presentiment that she would be a part of the coming of the long-awaited Messiah into the world; for she was brought into the Holy of Holies in the temple, where none among men tread, save the High Priest, who entered but once a year; angels appeared to her and prepared her soul for the greatest of mysteries; and this high honor in no way hurt her humility, for she prayed to be but the last handmaiden of the Mother of God. When in Nazareth the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and made known to her God’s will that she was God’s chosen Maiden, through whom the Messiah would come into the world, she bore witness to her own humility: "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden" (Luke 1:47-48). Understanding that from henceforth she would be glorified above all mankind, and saying, "From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things" (Luke 1:49), she in no wise bordered on pride, but remained as meek and humble as she had been until that time.
She possessed the fullness of obedience to the will of God. When that terrible mystery was proclaimed to her, that from her virginal womb the Savior of the earth would come forth, she but confirmed her virginity: "How can this be, seeing that I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34). When it was explained to her that this birth would be special, superseding the laws of nature, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God," she meekly and humbly replied, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:35, 38).
When she then saw her divine Son crucified on the Cross, and the arrows of sorrow pierced her pure soul, she did not doubt in the divinity of her Son, did not curse God and man, but remained the same humble dove, obedient to the will of God, as she had been to that time.
By the purity of her virginity, she superseded the bodiless hosts, who, as the church hymn says, marveled at the purity of her virginity, undefiled by a single impure thought.
As Mother of God and most pure Virgin, she fulfilled to the utmost the first and most important commandment of God’s law: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;" and the second commandment, similar to the first: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matt. 22:37, 39) and became loving Mother of all who thirst after salvation, extending her love to all mankind.
These four main virtues: humility, obedience to the will of God, chastity, and love, are the principal lanterns of the pure soul of the Most Blameless Virgin Mary, in whom the fullness of virtue was so complete that they made her "more honourable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim," and enabled her to contain the Uncontainable within herself, and become the Mother of the Living God.
By these, her royal traits, her importance for us can be determined, as well. She can petition for us before her divine Son in every need and in all our sorrows and joys.
In addition, it is in great measure important for us that, by praying to her and through prayer interacting with her most holy Person, we fortify in our own souls those seedlings of virtues given to us all from birth, which by the labors of our life must be cultivated within us, but which are constantly trampled within us by sin. And so, in praying to the Mother of God, we can draw new strengths for our poor and impoverished souls from her all-perfect and immeasurable royal treasure.
In order to assure us of the reality of spiritual interaction with the Mother of God, it pleased her to reveal the strength of her visible grace through her wonder-working icons, which by their miracles confirm for us that she reigns over the laws of nature and that by her intercession and prayers before the Creator of the world, that is done which is impossible for man, but possible for God.
We must, therefore, fall down with faith and love before that greatest Russian historic holy image, which the Lord gave us for the fortification, comfort, and affirmation of our Russian Church Abroad – the wonder-working Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign.
