The Regina Coeli

Easter Week, 2022

As an expression of our resurrection joy, some things in our worship are slightly altered during Eastertide. We include a lot more “alleluias”, we sing more upbeat hymns, we have more flowers in the sanctuary, and we emphasize the cheerfulness of the liturgy. During the rest of the year, we should be in the habit of praying the Angelus in the morning, at noon, and again in the evening as part of our daily prayers. But for the 50 days from the Easter Vigil until the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (on June 5th this year), we instead pray what is called the “Regina Coeli”. The name comes from the first line of the prayer in Latin, which translates to “Queen of Heaven.” Below is the full text, accompanied by an English ‘metered’ translation (meant to be sung loudly and joyfully to the tune EASTER HYMN; “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”).

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia;
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia:
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia!
Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia!

Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven; Alleluia!
He whom thou wast meet to bear; Alleluia!
As He promised hath arisen; Alleluia!
Pour for us to God thy prayer; Alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary; Alleluia!
For the Lord is risen indeed; Alleluia!

Sorrow turned into Joy
The Regina Coeli, like the rest of our worship during Eastertide, emphasizes the overwhelming joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it invites us to reflect on the joy that Jesus’ mother experienced when she heard the good news for the first time. The Bible tells us that Mary participated uniquely in the sufferings of her Son. When the child Jesus was presented in the Temple, the agéd Simeon prophesied to Mary and foretold the great sufferings Christ would endure. And he said that a sword would pierce her heart as well; a prophecy we see fulfilled when Mary stands at the foot of the Cross. I can’t help but think of the intimacy between Mary and Jesus which was marvelously captured in Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ.” Some of the most heart wrenching scenes are those in which we watch our Lord’s suffering through the eyes of His mother… most notably, the scene in which she holds His lifeless body after it was taken down from the Cross (a recreation of Michelangelo’s famous ‘Pieta’). Witnessing the passion of the Lord through Mary’s eyes has long been a devotion of the faithful. In fact, there is an entire devotion (a way of reflecting) to our Lady’s “Seven Sorrows”; the moments in her life when she witnessed the sufferings of her Son.

1.  Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2.  The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3.  Loss of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-50
4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31, John 19:17)
5.  Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6.  Body of Jesus taken down from the Cross (Luke 23:50-54, John 19:31-37)
7.   Burial of Jesus (Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42, Mark 15:40-47)

This devotion to the Sorrows of Mary is significant and healing for those who find themselves as helpless witnesses to the sufferings of others. Like Mary, we all too often have to bear the griefs and burdens of others from a distance. Like her, we all too often can do little more than watch as our loved ones suffer and expire.

Having considered the anguish of Mary as she watches her Son suffer, we might ask ourselves, “who would be more joyful at the resurrection of Jesus than His own mother?” She alone was there from beginning to end. Mary is the hidden witness to everything Christ does. She alone walked with Him through it all. How elated the followers of Jesus must have been when they first heard the good news. And yet, how exceptionally joyful Mary must have been! Her Child and her God, who she had seen die so horrifically, is alive! He destroyed death through love, and He has returned to bring life to the world! We can only imagine how the anguish of her heart was melted away into pure joy when she saw her Son who was also her Savior.

Queen of Heaven
In the Regina Coeli, we refer to Mary in a specific way. One of the many beautiful titles we have for our Lord’s mother is “Queen of Heaven.” The biblical roots for this are very deep. In the Old Testament, under the Davidic kings, the mother of the monarch, often called “Queen Mother,” had a special exalted place in the kingdom. Mary, as mother of Jesus (who is of the line of David and the fulfillment of all earthly kingship), thus comes to take this place within the kingdom of Christ. In the New Testament, the book of Revelation 12:1-3 speaks of a woman clothed with the sun, and a moon under her feet, with a crown of twelve stars on her head. A queen! This has long been understood by Christians as not only a personification of Israel or the Church, but also a description of the Mother of God, who lives and reigns with her Son. This, after all, is the promise we are given by Christ Himself: that if we unite ourselves to Him, His inheritance will become our own. Just as Mary is Queen of Heaven, we are each promised crowns of our own in His eternal Kingdom.

As always, our devotion to Mary encourages and helps us more faithfully and joyfully follow her Son. Mary points us to Christ and shows us how to love Him as she loves Him. During this season of Easter, Mary teaches us how to rejoice and be glad at the news of the resurrection. Her joy is our own, and with her we give praise to our Lord Jesus Christ who has destroyed death and brought new life to the world! Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary; Alleluia! For the Lord is risen indeed; Alleluia!

Fr Joseph Francis SSC
Rector