- My God, come to my aid.
- Lord, make haste to help me.
- Glory to the Father...
- As it was in the beginning... alleluia...
READING: Christ the King We say that Jesus is King but the traits that characterize Him according to what He does and says in the Gospels, are nothing like what monarchies have been throughout history. Jesus the King eats with sinners, is close to the poor, walks along the roads, has nowhere to lay his head, he heals, loves, enjoys his friends, defends the weak and the guilty, even breaks the law on the Sabbath to do good. And, above all, he announces that this lifestyle is the Kingdom of God, that this is God himself... "I have come," he says, "to bear witness to the truth". So, we must assume that what Jesus does and says is the Truth of life, of God himself. We see, then, that the message of Jesus is counter-cultural, “My kingdom is not of this world” and that is why it generates resistance within us.
PRAYER
We proclaim your Kingdom, Lord, your Kingdom, Lord, your Kingdom.
A Kingdom of Peace and Justice,
A Kingdom of Life and Truth.
A Kingdom of Love and Grace.
A Kingdom that dwells in us.
A Kingdom that is not of this world.
A Kingdom that has already begun.
A Kingdom that will never end.
SILENCE TO ADORE.
PSALM 71 This psalm is one of the so-called "royal" Psalms, which put us in contact with the idea that was being forged in Israel around kingship. After the banquet with which the new king was celebrated, a poet recited a poem containing all the wishes of the people for their new prince. In it they found what the marrow of their faith was for them: the presence of God in the midst of his people. In time, the features of that king were projected toward a future personage: the Messiah. My God, endow the king with your justice, and with your judgment the king’s son. May he rule the people justly, and defend the rights of the marginalized.
May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills justice; Save the children of the poor, and crush the exploiter.
May he endure as long as the sun, and as the moon, through all generations. He will be like rain on the grass, like drizzle that drenches the earth. Justice shall flower in his days and Peace abounds till the moon be no more.
He delivers the needy who call upon him, the afflicted with no one to help them His mercy is upon the weak and the poor, he saves the life of the poor. He rescues them from violence and oppression, for their life is precious in his sight.
Silence for meditation.
Reading.
"I send him in clemency and meekness, as a king sent his royal son; as God sent him to us, as man to humanity he sent him; to save us he sent him; to persuade; not to do violence, for in God there is no violence. He sent him to call, not to punish; he sent him, finally, to love, not to judge".
Silence for reflection.
- Do you let Christ take control of your human and social life?
- Do you identify with Christ the King in risking and giving all your love to the helpless, knowing that this love is from God and leads to God?
Petitions.
That Christ may be the King of our hearts and of our homes.
That, like Him, we may assume in solidarity the burden of the poor, the sick, the marginalized....
For all Christians, that with our lives we may proclaim and build the Kingdom of Christ wherever we live and work.
Our Father.
Prayer. Eternal God, you have willed to base all things on your beloved Son, King of the Universe. King of the Universe, grant that all creation, freed from slavery, may recognize your power and glorify you without end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the Lord bless us, keep us from all evil and lead us to eternal life.
Amen.
