When it comes to Mary, many non-Catholic Christians find the reverence Catholics hold for Mary difficult to accept. They struggle with the Immaculate Conception, the reference of Mary as “Mother of God”, the Assumption of Mary into heaven. But the most difficult is the Coronation of Mary as Queen.
The Immaculate Conception is difficult because not everyone believes in the idea of Original Sin. This is why Catholics baptize babies and Protestants don’t. If you cannot accept the idea of Original Sin, it makes sense that the idea of Mary as the only person conceived without sin is a foreign concept. I get that. While Christian believers and Muslins alike acknowledge Mary as the woman who gave birth to Jesus, the title of Mother of God is not easily accepted. Muslims hold her in higher regard as the mother of a great profit than do non-Catholic Christians. To me, it’s very simple. If Mary is the mother of Jesus and Jesus is God in the flesh, then Mary is the Mother of God. What’s the problem?
This brings us to the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary is August 15. This year, the Mass was celebrated the day before. As for the Assumption of Mary, Catholics believe Jesus called His beloved mother to Heaven immediately upon her death. She did not remain in the tomb but was immediately reunited with Him, body and soul, in heaven.
The Feast of the Assumption is followed by The Queenship of Mary. Of all the feasts outside those rooted in appearances of Mary such as Lourdes or Fatima, the Queenship of Mary has to be the most difficult for non-Catholics to understand. Catholics rely heavily on sacred tradition, passed down from the apostles. Like all other Christian faiths, we have Holy Scripture. However; our Bible contains 7 books in the Old Testament that are not found in other Christian Bibles. These books were not added. They were a part of early Biblical text. When Protestants broke away from the Catholic faith, they chose to remove certain books once held as scripture. Why is far too complicated to get into here. Some argue that Catholics hold to a false faith because our Bible contains false scripture and our doctrine includes traditions that have been handed down rather than written down. You will not find the Queenship of Mary in any Bible – Catholic or otherwise. So where does this come from?
Oral tradition based on logic. Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord. Mary is His mother. Mary is queen mother. That does not mean we hold her as equal to Jesus. Jesus is God. Mary is his human mother. She is not a god. There is but one God. However; she is to be revered. Hail Mary, full of Grace. These are words found in the Bible. Hail Holy Queen.
When people ask me why Catholic, I answer because I love Mary. She is my mother. And I can tell her anything that I am not comfortable saying to her Son. She is my advocate. She speaks on my behalf. Christ calls me as a Christian. Mary calls me as a Catholic.
Quite often the color Blue is associated with Mary. Blueberry Scones seemed a fitting way to celebrate the Coronation of Mary as she is seated in Heaven with her son, Our Lord and King Jesus Christ. And for the record, while today is a Feast Day, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. How you celebrate today is entirely up to you. As for me, I’m making scones!
Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Scones
1-1/2 cups Fresh Blueberries
1 Lemon
6 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Flour
3 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
2 large Eggs
Additional Heavy Cream for brushing
Additional Sugar as needed
Pick over blueberries, rinse and set aside. Zest lemon, set aside. Dice butter, chill well.
Place oven rack in center position. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or two KNIVES cut in butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are the size of a small pea. Gently stir in blueberries and zest.
Using a fork, whisk together heavy cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1-1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to baking sheet.
Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones from baking sheet to wire rack to slightly cool. (Best served warm).
While the scones cool, make the glaze.
Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 Lemon
Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add heavy cream, whisk to blend. If too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar, about a tablespoon at a time.
Zest lemon, add to glaze. Gently fold zest into the glaze.
Once the scones are no longer hot but still warm, brush with glaze. Serve and enjoy.
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