Queen of Peace

 God loves his Church because it is his body. This is seen as intimate of the relationship of a husband loving their wife and the wife loving their husband. While the language in the letter from St Paul to the Ephesians might jar with our own understanding essentially it looks at building up a relationship of mutuality and trust. We are not called to be observers of the spiritual life but active participants. I believe this is where the intercession of Mary as Queen of Peace originated in 1656 in the Papal Bull, "Ad Sanctam Beati Petri sedem" by Pope Alexander VII to counter the negative effects of Jansenism in France. This was in reaction to the negative view of humanity which may well have been a distortion of the words of Jesus in this weekend's gospel where he states in the Gospel of John, "It is the spirit that gives life the flesh has nothing to offer. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." Yet this looks to see what animates us with life and gives meaning to us. This is a reality that is both the human and the divine presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. We are called to encounter something substantial and life-giving which fills our whole being. It is not just food that we eat but someone who becomes at one with us.

This is a most challenging Jesus when people stopped following Jesus because what he said was scandalous to them because the idea of God wanting to enter into such a profound relationship within our own flesh was anathema to them. People still wrestle with this teaching which causes people to become one with an intimate relationship with God which not only transforms bread and wine but transforms us. Especially in these times, it is hard for people to notice how we are called to both body and soul animated by the spirit. There are those who see the Church solely as an institution rather than a living embodiment of God's love for the world. Often we look at the weakness of men and women and miss the divine reality which animates us with hope, faith, and love.

I believe this is especially important as we pray for and reflect on the plenary council. We are called to encounter the message of eternal life in which Peter recognizes Jesus eliciting a deeper knowledge and belief in the person of God who weds both the human and the divine. I believe this is where Mary, Queen of Peace can help us to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. She stands as a living witness of what this intimacy embodies for her and for us. She helps us to discover how even in the most difficult times we are called to be body and soul animated by God's spirit. As the spouse of the Holy Spirit and the spouse of the Church, she helps us to notice what we choose and whom we serve. She shows us how to integrate the living witness of faith within our own lives. We are called to be people who are transparent to God's love which seeks the good of the whole world. Mary, Queen of Peace pray for us.