# The litany of Mary our queen and the martyrs of Mexico
*2015-05-20*

> Bill Young reflects on the feast of St. Cristóbal Magallanes and his companions, emphasizing the necessity of prayer and the intercession of Mary during times of persecution.

## The Witness of the Martyrs

Today is May 21st, the feast day of St. Cristóbal Magallanes and his 24 companions, who were martyred in Mexico between the 1920s and 1937. Their sacrifice reminds us of the cost of faith under anti-Catholic governments. When we look at history, we see that the most intense periods of persecution for these martyrs occurred between 1924 and 1928, followed shortly by the Great Depression, World War II, and the Holocaust.

## The Necessity of Prayer

It is an obvious point, but bad things happen when we do not pray. We see this today with Christians being beheaded in Egypt and others being martyred daily around the world. We often think we are safe in our homes in the United States and Europe, but we are not. This is why we turn to Mary; as we see in the messages of Fatima, prayer to her is a vital means of obtaining help for the world.

## Understanding the Litany

Today we pray the Litany of Mary, Our Queen. For those unfamiliar with a litany, it is a form of prayer similar to the 'Lord have mercy' or 'Christ have mercy,' organized into categories of invocations. These specific invocations express the journey that brought Mary to her queenship. She was an obedient servant and a perfect disciple, and because of her radical service and ultimate love, she shares in the sovereignty of Christ, her Son.

## The Litany of Mary, Our Queen

These prayers are not about worldly triumph, but are an affectionate appeal from children to their mother. We exalt our mother not to keep our distance, but to brighten our daily toil and our future as disciples of the Lord with hope.

[The host proceeds to pray the litany, invoking Mary as the Mother of God, the Virgin of virgins, the perfect disciple of Christ, and the Queen of martyrs, prophets, and all saints, concluding with the prayer for the grace to serve God with love so that we may share in the glory of the kingdom through Christ our Lord.]

*We must not succumb to a false sense of security, but instead remain steadfast in prayer and devotion to Mary, especially in times of global turmoil.*