Project BLACK MAMBA: Current Edition

'Tis the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Madonna-link ūna, Madonna-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature & by right of conquest; through Him, with Him, & subordinate to Him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, & by singular choice of the Father.

'Tis also the festival of Blesseds Richard Kirkman & William Lacy, Priests & Martyrs (died 1582), martyred in the reign of the queen Elizabeth I: Martyr-link Romeo Kilo, Martyr-link Whiskey Lima & Wikipedia-link Whiskey Lima.

'Tis also the festival of Saint John Kemble, Priest & Martyr (1599-1679), martyred in the reign of the king Charles II, a victim of the perjurer Titus Oates' "Popish Plot" hoax, one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link P.P. & Wikipedia-link XL.

Scripture of This Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The Book of Judges, chapter six, verses eleven thru twenty-four(a);
Psalm Eighty-five, verses nine, eleven & twelve, & thirteen & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter nineteen, verses twenty-three thru thirty.

Mass Readings—Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Book of Isaiah, chapter nine, verses one thru six;
Psalm One Hundred Thirteen, verse two;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six thru thirty-eight.

Commentary: Video reflection by Father Eugene Ulrich: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, today we celebrate the Queenship of Mary. Mary, Queen Mary, was the definitive bearer of the divine presence, the Ark of the Covenant par excellence. When she visited her cousin Elizabeth, the infant John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb, doing his own version of David's dance before the Ark.

The Queen Mother—like all of the monarchs of Israel—is a fighter. Israel frequently brought the Ark into battle with them. Most famously, the priests parade around the city of Jericho bearing the Ark, just before the walls came tumbling down.

The Queenship of Mary is not a sentimental feast. Whenever biblical people spoke of kings or queens, they were speaking of warriors. The question for us is, which side are we on? Those trained in the Jesuit spiritual tradition know of the "two standards" meditation, which compels us to make the simple choice: in which army do you serve?

We fight, of course, not with the puny weapons of the world, but with the weapons of the Spirit, by God we fight. So don't just honor and acknowledge the Queenship of Mary; get in her army.

Penance
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter five, verses one thru eleven.

Commentary: The Call of Simon the Fisherman (Luke, 5:1-11).