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Regina Coeli
Twelfth Century Antiphon
The
Regina coeli comes from an unknown author of the twelfth century and
celebrates the joy of the Easter season. From the sixteenth or following
century we find it in the evening offices of the Church’s Liturgy of the
Hours and in place of the Angelus during Paschal time. It
is a simple prayer of remarkable theological density.
It
addresses Mary: “Queen
of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.” The title “queen” is very ancient. It can be
said to have a biblical basis. If the apostles, and indeed all the true
followers of Jesus, are to sit on thrones (see Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30;
Revelation 3:20-21), surely Mary, who perfectly fulfils all the demands of
her Son’s teaching, must also surely reign.
The
antiphon unites the Incarnation and the Paschal event: “For he whom you
merited to bear, alleluia. Has risen as he said, alleluia.” It is the
fullness of joy announced by Gabriel at the Annunciation. It continues with
a plea for Mary’s intercession,
“Pray
for us to God, alleluia.” It then
enters into her paschal joy. Instead of letting the feast of the
resurrection happen and pass us by, we are to follow Mary in constantly
pondering: “Be
glad and rejoice, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. For the Lord has truly risen,
alleluia.” There is a modern hymn which says, “We are an Easter people, and
alleluia is our song.”
The
prayer which follows is modelled the liturgy which remembers Mary, but then
prays to the Father: “O God who gave joy to your family through the
resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; grant we ask you that
through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting
life; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.”
In
this prayer we are again concerned with the greatest and ultimate issue of
our Christian lives, salvation, which means sharing the joy of the
resurrection of Jesus. This prayer to the Father is made through the one
mediator, “through the same Christ our Lord” (see 1 Timothy 2:4-5), but it
is also “through his Mother, the Virgin Mary,” that is a subordinate
mediation that involves her intercession.
It is
in prayer that we can most easily experience the truths of the faith about
Mary; in the Regina coeli we can find an invitation to, and a model
for, Paschal joy.
C.
O'Donnell, O.Carm.
Regina Coeli
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Regina coeli!
laetare, Alleluja;
Quia quem meruisti
portare, Alleluja.
Resurrexit, sicut
dixit, Alleluja.
Ora pro nobis Deum,
Alleluia.
V/ Gaude et laetare,
Virgo Maria, alleluja.
R/ Quia surrexit
Dominus vere, alleluja. |
O Queen of heaven,
rejoice, Alleluia.
For he whom you were
privileged to bear, Alleluia;
Has risen as he
said, Alleluia.
Pray for us to God,
Alleluia.
V/ Rejoice and be
glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia.
R/ For the Lord has
risen indeed, Alleluia. |
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