August 22, 2025 Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Daily Readings: Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22; Matthew 22:34-40
The reading recounts the life story of three widows: Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. Naomi urges her daughters-in-law to redeem their lives by remarrying and leaving her. Orpah departs, following Naomi’s advice. Ruth, however, makes a daring, classical, and deeply moving statement to her mother-in-law: “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (verse 16).
Ruth, a young Gentile widow, is totally committed to her Jewish mother-in-law. She is an outstanding example of accommodation, intercultural living, and the embrace of a new family, culture, religion, and way of life in a foreign and potentially hostile environment. She does not allow the sadness of her personal loss to crush her spontaneity or freedom. Instead, she clings to her mother-in-law and makes a tough, demanding, and definite choice to accompany her—a lifelong commitment that makes her an icon of unwavering loyalty in difficult circumstances.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had a habit of testing and tempting Jesus with the intention of trapping him. The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection or the afterlife, posed a hypothetical question on that very topic, and Jesus silenced them. Then the Pharisees took it their turn. A lawyer among them asked Jesus about the greatest commandment. Jesus identified one commandment with two inseparable dimensions: the love of God (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4–9) and the love of neighbour (cf. Leviticus 19:18). This, he said, is the essence of the Jewish Law, assuring them that all the teachings of Moses and the prophets are summarized in these two commandments.
The memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary naturally follows the celebration of her Assumption into heaven. In 1954, Pope Pius XII declared that Mary is rightly called Queen of Heaven because her Son, Jesus, is King of the Universe and she is the Mother of the King.
Call to Action: The hostility of the Pharisees and Sadducees brought out the best in Jesus. If someone is hostile toward me, it is my opportunity to bring out the best in myself.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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