At
Your right hand stands the Queen in gold from Ophir. ~Psalm 45: 9
The enthronement
of the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila was truly fit for the Mother of the
King of Kings!
October
02, 2014 ~ The enthronement rites of Our Lady of La Naval marked the
beginning of the celebration of her feast, which culminates with a grand procession and
Mass on the second Sunday of October. (On the 12th this year). Novena and Masses in her honor begin today, October 03 until October 11, 2014.
In the history
of the Church, victory has been credited to Our Lady’s powerful intercession
through the Holy Rosary during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, defeating the
Muslim Turks that threatened Christian Europe.
In our country, we thank God for
the victory of the heavily outnumbered Spanish and Filipino troops (who took
Our Lady of the Rosary as their patroness) against the Dutch forces during the Battles of La Naval de Manila : five naval battles fought in the Philippines in 1646. Spanish
and Filipino soldiers sought Mother Mary's intercession before each of the battles, and
vowed to make a pilgrimage to the church barefoot and hold a day of
thanksgiving should they emerge triumphant. The Cathedral Chapter of the
Archdiocese of Manila declared the victory of the battles of 1646 as miraculous, on April 09, 1652.
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| Procession of the 16th-century ivory and wood statue of Our Lady of the Rosary, La Naval de Manila inside the Santo Domingo Parish in Quezon City Photos © Mao Joseph M. Almadrones |
The Blessed
Virgin Mary’s royal title as Queen of Heaven and Earth is based upon the institution
of the Gebirah (the “Queen Mother”) in the Kingdom of Judah. The title and the
office was bestowed upon mothers of the kings of Israel in the line of King
David. Scholars believe that Queen Mothers of the ruling house of King David had
the role of being intercessor to the king; she was present in the religious and
state functions of the kingdom, and was the advocate of the people.
“Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for
Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat
down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat
at his right. She said, ‘There is one small favor I would ask of you. Do
not refuse me.’ The king said to her, ‘Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse
you.’” (1Kings 2:19-20)
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| Our Lady of the Rosary, La Naval de Manila during the enthronement rites Photos © Mao Joseph M. Almadrones |
Mother Mary is the Gebirah of
the eternal Davidic Kingdom of her Son Jesus Christ.
And coming in, he
said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed
at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation
this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall
name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord
God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:
28-33)
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| Our Lady was enthroned before the Mass on October 02, 2014. Photos © Mao Joseph M. Almadrones |
As we look to the Blessed
Virgin Mary, a simple laywoman and mother, and the Mother of the Laity, may we
always remember that she only wants to lead us to Jesus her Son, the Word made
flesh Who dwells among us. As she advised the servants at the Wedding at Cana,
may all of us, devotees of Our dear Lady of La Naval de Manila, follow her
words : “Do whatever He tells you.”
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| Photo from La Naval de Manila's official Facebook page |
Celebrate the Year of the Laity! Celebrate La Naval de Manila 2014!
Novena and Masses in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary begin today, October 05, 2014. The theme for this year is "MARIA, INANG LAYKO, INA NG LAYKO!"
Here are the Novena prayers to Our Lady of the Rosary, La Naval de Manila. Follow them on facebook and twitter for other updates.
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