Today, we celebrate the Queenship of Mary with Readings which deal with the birth of Christ, one prophetic, the other factual.

Isaiah lived in a time of political upheaval but here he sees a world at peace, no longer suffering tyranny and oppression. In fact, it is a totally new Creation in which God's purpose is at last fulfilled. "The jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this" (Isaiah: 9:6). Isaiah's hope lay in a Kingdom stretched beyond the world , with a ruler no human could aspire to being. He describes the birth of this ruler and gives him a long symbolic name which lists his qualities of prudence, wisdom, power, goodness and peace. These names identify the child as the Immanuel, the one in whom resides all Israel's hopes - all traditional ideas about the Kingship of the Messiah.

In Luke's account of the actual birth of Jesus, the role of the Holy Spirit is very clear and important. He is the 'Power of the Most High' (v.35), as well as 'the Son of God' (v.35). There is to be no doubt as to the rightful identity of this marvellous child.

Establishing the identity of the Child makes obvious the special role of the woman to whom He owed His human body. He returned the favour and gave life to her body when she died . He did not allow her body to be corrupted but took it up to heaven where she is united with Him, as Queen of Heaven.