BY Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC.
(Note. A part of this Holy Hour was preached for the first time on the initial celebration of the Feast of Christ the King, in the Cathedral at Madrid, before a gathering of three thousand men.
It is published here in the form of a meditation. But many portions of it, in fact entire pages from it, could be successfully quoted by a preacher extolling Christ’s Social Reign and His Divine Kingship over individuals, societies and nations.)
The King’s Holy Hour
What a sublime and providential reparation was the institution of the Feast of Christ the King! Twenty centuries ago an unjust ruler, his heart filled with fear, and mockery in the gesture, said to the howling mob in front of his tribunal in Jerusalem: “Behold your King!” exposing Christ the King to their fury and insults.
Twenty centuries later the High Priest of the New Israel, addressing the Catholic world, repeats in his turn, “Behold your King,” but in a tone of triumph, adoration and love, as he shows us Jesus Christ, Son of the living God.
And each of us, Lord Jesus, Thy children and faithful subjects, our hearts filled with joy and adoration, unite with more than two hundred million Catholics, our brethren, to say with the Holy Father from the bottom of our heart:
“HAIL, KING!” Thou art truly the King of Glory, O Christ Jesus!
(All repeat aloud the following invocations)
“HAIL, KING!” Thou art the one and only Liberator, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” Thou art the Anointed of the Heavenly Father, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” Thou hast received the rebellious earth as Thy heritage, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” The Heavens are Thy Throne, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” Souls are Thy Crown, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” Mercy is Thy Scepter, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” Thy royal purple is Thy Blood, O Christ Jesus!
“HAIL, KING!” Thou wilt reign forever and ever, O Christ Jesus!
Through Thee, O Christ Jesus, kings reign and rulers administer justice to the people, through Thee alone, O Christ the King!
Through Thee authority is lawful and lawgivers impose laws upon society, through Thee only, O Christ the King!
Through Thee and in Thy Service it is noble to submit and to obey, but for Thy Sake only, O Christ the King!
Hence, united in faith and love with the Roman Pontiff, we acknowledge Thee, King of Kings; we bless Thee, we praise Thee, we love Thee, Jesus. And, prostrate before Thee, we conjure Thee by Thine Infinite Goodness to recall to our minds when this splendid feast has passed that Thou art in very truth the absolute Monarch before whom “every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.”
(All repeat aloud five times)
“CHRIST CONQUERS, CHRIST REIGNS, CHRIST COMMANDS!”
He must reign in souls, in the family, in society, in nations, by the victorious power of His Heart!
In view of the blind fury of the enemies of Christ of all classes, the mighty and the lowly, who have gathered together against Christ the King, working with hatred and satanic skill to dethrone Him, this Feast was indispensable. On one side was the army controlled by an impious Sanhedrim, on the other, the vast army of worldly Christians whose timidity and human respect far outweigh their faith. The attack of the Left and the apathy of the Right led to a terrible social upheaval everywhere, which was the well merited chastisement of Justice for the deicide of some and the weakness and guilty silence of others … Did I say upheaval? Yes, you have but to look around you; one may truly say that the physical phenomena that accompanied the death of our Divine King on Good Friday is renewed in the moral order among the great apostate nations. They think that they are rich, free and glorious; they have decreed the banishment of the Lord Jesus, His death by law, His proscription from public life.
And behold! The Sun of Truth is at once obscured from their eyes; a thick fog, dense with error and falsehood descends upon them like a winding sheet … Do you not feel the earth quaking beneath your feet? Do you not perceive that the people, their passions and evil inclinations let loose, threaten the very nations that have trampled on God’s Law? A volcano of hate has erupted, inundating the earth with the infernal fire of discord, revolt, and anarchy. The infamous deicides did not even taste of the banquet they had prepared to celebrate the death of the Messias. Behold! The artificial sun of their earthly ideals, the sun of their impure pleasures, the sun of their boasted greatness, of their licentious liberty is veiled already in fratricidal blood, the legitimate first-fruit of their crimes and national apostacy.
They have forsaken Thee, O Jesus; they have denied Thy Holy Name and Thy Gospel; they have ignored Thy Sovereign Rights, and they are now terrified at the eclipse of all peace, of all real greatness, of all freedom, for those who wove a crown of thorns for Thy Divine Head wove for themselves, at the same time, a crown of woe. The only King of Peace, of Truth, of Justice is Thou, Jesus, the King of Love!
As the Holy Father declares, this Feast deals a deadly blow to the accursed heresy which claims that Thou art King only in the secrecy of men’s consciences or, at most, in the intimacy of the family circle, or in a heart to heart colloquy before the Tabernacle.
Those who wish to make Thee a silent, ridiculous King, are blind and guilty, O Jesus … They forbid Thee to meddle in the life of society, still more in public life … If Thou dost, they threaten to forbid public worship and to close Thy Churches, because Thou dost disturb order and mix Thyself up in secular affairs and politics, which are none of Thy business … Thou art not of this world, they cry, let us live our social and political life as we please … And if these peace conditions do not suit Thee, King Jesus, “Away with Thee”, we shall drive Thee out, we shall exile Thee in disgrace, get back to Thy Paradise!
On our part, King of Kings, we say with Thy Vicar on Earth:
“Anathema to those who believe peace of conscience, peace in families, peace in society or peace among nations can exist without Thee, Prince of Peace, divorced from Thee, King of Justice, in opposition to Thy Law, King of Love and Truth.”
The only King by His Own personal, innate, absolute right is Thou, Lord Jesus!
This is why, in union with the Pope and Holy Mother Church, we say in a spirit of loving and solemn social reparation, Lord:
It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
All: It is urgent! We wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
Many Presidents, Princes, and Kings have made an alliance with the powers of darkness against Thy Throne and Thy Gospel, O Jesus; many impious governments have withdrawn the cornerstone of Thine Adorable Person and the foundation of Thy Divine Law from their national edifice … O meek King, stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence that Justice demands, for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingship, show mercy and by a vengeance of Love extend to all these unfortunates the benefit of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule, O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
What a sad, distressing story, Lord, is that of predestined nations, redeemed by Thy Precious Blood! … Their legal representatives in law-making bodies have struck Thy Name out of public documents, and Thy Gospel, which had been everywhere regarded as the charter of nobility, of civilization, and of Christian liberty is now consigned to the library as a mere manuscript … Modern legislation so-called has been invented to root out of the conscience of the people the memory of Thy benefits, and of Thy Divine intervention through the Church … O meek King, stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence that Justice demands, for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingship, show mercy and by a vengeance of Love, extend to all these unfortunates the benefits of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule, O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
The one Lawgiver Whose right is absolute is Thou, O Jesus! This is no longer recognized, alas! People are too civilized, too modern, to admit it. Hence, it comes that the very persons whom Thou hast charged to enforce the Divine Law by just, wise, Christian laws, those who call themselves legislators have passed laws against Thee, have declared that Thou dost not exist, that Thy Gospel is a myth, that Thy Church is a tyrant not to be tolerated by the modern conscience. Then displaying cynical hypocrisy, in order to set the people free, to make them happy and independent, in the name of national welfare, they ignore all Thy rights and break all Thy Laws! … O meek King, stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence that Justice demands, for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingship, show mercy and by a vengeance of Love, extend to these unfortunates the benefits of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule, O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
The proud sect that persecuted Thee from the beginning of Thine apostolate for fear of its downfall, and which provoked Thine anathema, is entrenched in many intellectual centers; and, in the name of philosophy, science and law, systematically sets Thee aside, denies Thy claim to be the Light and the Truth, and even pretends that Thy Spirit is the enemy of true intellectual culture, that Thou dost hinder freedom of thought, prevent the mind from soaring aloft, and that Christian faith is the absurd negation of reason.
This is why Thou art banished from the schools; this is why they insult Thee and speak ill of Thee in many universities and seats of higher learning. This is why they organize impious youth movements and mobilize the young into godless armies who will attack Thee later on … O meek King! Stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence that Justice demands, for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingship, show mercy and take a vengeance of Love; extend to all these unfortunates the benefit of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
Modern society, especially the class that by position of wealth should give example and draw the poor and the lowly to Thee, has broken the sacred bonds that united it to Thee, O Jesus! … Alas! Suffering from a fever for pleasure and the dizziness of frivolity, it wastes time, youth, money, and everything in whims, vanity, and shows often not only harmful but scandalous. And, with unheard of inconsistency, it justifies this sinful conduct and will not acknowledge that it has gone astray or is running risks. In addition to this, O height of irony, it declares that it does not wish to offend Thee, Jesus. It would like to see Thee tolerate the state of paganism and refined sensuality in which it lives and wallows, at least by Thy silence … O meek King! Stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence Justice demands, for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingship, show mercy and by a vengeance of Love, extend to all these unfortunates the benefit of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule, O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
The line of judges who condemned Thee, Lord, is not extinct; it is perpetuated in the modern sanhedrins of Masonic lodges and other dens of darkness and revolution that plot night and day with satanic ferocity against Thine Adorable Person … Ah! How skillful and united they are in their efforts to dethrone Thee; how crafty, rich, and powerful when it comes to casting lots for Thy Robe, Thy Scepter, and Thy Crown … Moreover, how often these unjust judges are supported and encouraged by public officials; they even, O Jesus, receive like Judas their thirty pieces of silver to pay for their treason and enmity … O meek King! Stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence that Justice demands, for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingdom, show mercy and by a vengeance of Love, extend to all these unfortunates the benefit of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule, O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
There is something sadder still, a more heartrending story in the record of human ingratitude.
It is the revolt, the insults, the angry abuse heaped upon Thee by the crowds that followed Thee to the mountains and in the desert, those for whom Thou didst work the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves … These poor people are not, by any means, altogether bad, but they are led astray; they are easily deceived; they are turned from following Thee; they are perverted; they are snatched from Thy love, from Thy Law! … Alas! This is too often successful; and behold, Jesus, Thou art driven out of poor homes, of slums, and the houses of working-men, with hatred; the great majority of men whose life is a struggle for existence, no longer want Thee, King of Nazareth, the Great and only Friend of the lowly and the poor, the one Liberator of the people … O meek King, stay Thy Hand; defer the sentence that Justice demands, and for the sake of the friends of Thy Heart and the apostles of Thy Kingship, show mercy and by a vengeance of Love, extend to all these unfortunates the benefits of Thy social reign; reign, triumph, rule, O Christ the King!
All: It is urgent, we wish Thee to reign, O Jesus!
(A moment of silent, fervent prayer for the tyrants, the persecutors, and the Church, always persecuted in her priests, her faithful, and her works.)
If the ungrateful world, penetrated with sorrow, would listen to us a moment … O! If it would unite with our praise from pole to pole! Alas! It rejects the King of Love, but we will save it in spite of itself. In the meantime we know that our voices find an echo in Heaven which compensates for the coldness of our brethren … The Heavenly Father Who has sent us His Son, the King Whom we acclaim, and the Holy Ghost Who anointed Him Eternal King, hear us and bless us. Above all, our King’s Sacred Heart is thrilled with joy and gratitude by this manifestation … He knows that we would willingly die to add the precious Jewel of one soul more to His royal diadem by prayer and sacrifice. Hearken now, for the King of Love is about to speak to His Guard of Honor.
Jesus: “Filioli”, my little children. You know that I am King … That in order to prove that I am the King of Love, I was born among men … I came down from Heaven on purpose to reconquer the world, the inheritance of My glory.
But My heritage did not wish to acknowledge My rights; it might, perhaps, accept Me, if I confined My Divine authority to the intimate sanctuary of souls … This is the reason I am consoled and won by your affections when I hear you with ardent and even audacious faith proclaim My social reign. I recognize My children by their voice; they speak My language in unison, with My Vicar; then I know you belong to Me, you are indeed Mine and I can count upon you.
In consequence I want you to make Me a solemn promise this evening. I claim it from you as My Guard of Honor — so listen to Your King … Answer Me in all sincerity: Will this splendid and beautiful Feast be a one-day solemnity without a morrow or will it be rather a living homage to My Royalty, a renewal of Christian fervor? Shall I henceforth be more your King and Master than formerly, a Master more revered, a Lawgiver more strictly obeyed? After this grand feast, may I count on more earnest and practical fidelity? Is it a covenant, a compact, a pledge of loyalty between Me, your King, and you, My children? …
Will gratitude for My Kingship incline minds and hearts to My Law and My Heart?
This is what I, your King, demand: Will you recognize My Divine Kingship, when your conscience and the Church forbid you in My Name to go to pagan and profane movies and unwholesome plays, where My friends too often scourge Me by their presence and their conduct? Oh! Answer Me.
All: We renounce the vanities of the world. Thou shalt reign, O Christ the King!
Jesus: Will you recognize My Divine Kingship, when your conscience and the Church, in My Name, forbid immodest suggestive fashions ; and will you obey, despising the ridicule of the frivolous and worldly with Christian courage? Answer Me.
All: We renounce worldly vanities. Thou shalt reign, O Christ the King!
Jesus: Will you recognize My Divine Kingship, when your conscience and the Church, in My Name, forbid social functions, amusements, or pleasures that are full of danger, and close to an abyss covered with flowers? … Will you obey when those in authority warn you that your purity is endangered, that your heart may be perverted? Answer Me.
All: We renounce worldly vanities. Thou shalt reign, O Christ the King!
Jesus: Will you recognize My Divine Kingship, when your conscience and the Church, in My Name, forbid pride of life, unbridled luxury, and the desire to attract attention and to outshine others that excites class hatred and fosters sensuality — will you obey them? Answer Me!
All: We renounce worldly vanities. Thou shalt reign, O Christ the King!
O, yes, beloved Lord Jesus, laying one hand on the Altar of Sacrifice, we promise, loyally and solemnly, to keep Thy Commandments … We shall not acclaim Thy Kingship today and outrage It tomorrow, nor belie It by the scandal of a light, frivolous life … We do not wish the shame of proclaiming here, in church, that Thou art our King and giving our affirmation the lie a little later by our dress in the street, by our bad conduct at home, and by our worldliness in society. We hail Thee as our King, but without weaving a crown of thorns for Thy Divine Head by our ingratitude and disloyalty.
(Here make a thoroughly sincere promise to eliminate from your social life everything, absolutely everything, contrary to the Divine Law and the Rights of the King Whom you have just chosen … Christ or Barabbas; one cannot dress immodestly, go to any show or read any book indiscriminately when one is a Catholic. Let us promise to be more than ever consistent; let us make our conduct conform with our convictions. The only Judge is Jesus Christ.)
Heaven always bends down to share our Feasts, it surrounds our Altars with its adoration, it takes in our Christian joys. Today, as on no other Feast, the Heavenly Jerusalem unites with the Church Militant to render homage to the King of Glory …
Then, let the heavens open, let the clouds be rent asunder and allow the nine choirs of Angels to come down in triumph! … Let the legions of saints, martyrs, confessors, and virgins also come! … Let the Apostles and Evangelists descend! … Above all, let the Queen of Fair Love whose Heart was the first Throne of the King Jesus come!
Then in the presence of the whole heavenly court, kneeling in adoration before the Eucharistic Throne we may say: Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King. Angels of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and out Cod, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Archangels of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Archangels of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Principalities of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Virtues of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Powers of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Dominations of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Thrones of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Cherubim of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Seraphim of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Apostles and Evangelists of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Confessors, Virgins • and Martyrs of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship!
All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
Bend down, ye Heavens, earth invites you to join her in homage and adoration to Christ the King; Immaculate Mother, Empress of Paradise, exult, sing His Divine Kingship! All: Sing to your God and our God, sing to Christ the King!
In truth “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity, and wisdom and strength, and honor and glory, and benediction. To Him be glory and power forever and ever.”
All: Amen! Hosanna! His Kingdom come!
“To Him alone be glory and power forever and ever!”
All: Amen! Hosanna! His Kingdom come!
“To Him alone be glory and power forever and ever!”
All: Amen! Hosanna! His Kingdom come!
(Ask the King of Love in a short but very fervent prayer for the grace of complete detachment from the goods and vanities of this world in order to merit one day to renew these praises to the King of Glory in Heaven in union with the Heavenly Court.)
(Silent prayer)
Without any merit, rather, far from what we deserve, on account of the sin of Adam, Heaven opened and the Word of God descended to take possession of this earth, to make it the footstool of His Throne, once He had conquered by His Blood. Then, raised upon the tree of the Cross, clad in the purple of His Blood, crowned with a diadem of pain, He proclaimed His right of conquest and declared Himself Lord and King through His mercy … All power is given to Him in Heaven and on earth.
Souls: King of Love, behold us at Thy Feet, bringing as a gift of love and peace, the tribute of our homage and adoration in union with our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth … We ought to love Thee more than the Angels do, O Jesus, because Calvary has purchased for us redemption and immortal glory. We call Thee the King of Love, for Thou hast conquered by Love and Mercy, but Thou art not yet altogether the King of Love, not the beloved King that Thou oughtest to be, because Thou art not as much loved as Thou dost desire or deserve to be.
Forgive us for the indifference and the coldness of our hearts!
Forgive us for our excessive love of creatures!
Forgive and forget, O crucified King, our forgetfulness of Thee!
Forgive the stinginess of our love for Thee!
Forgive our prodigality to creatures!
“Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee.” Look upon them with eyes full of merciful tears, above all on the prodigals especially dear to us, entwined round the very fibres of our hearts, cherished children of our family, who unmindful of Thy Golden Scepter, O King, live between two yawning abysses — their weakness and their eternity. “Grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.” … Prove again that Thou art all-powerful, O King of Love, and touch them with the Scepter of Thy Mercy.
(Repeat three times for their conversion)
All: We love Thee, Jesus, because Thou art Jesus!
“Be Thou King, O Jesus, of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions or whom discord keeps aloof” from the Church. These unfortunates are as’ sheep without a shepherd or as rudderless boats adrift on the sea; have mercy on them according to Thy great mercy! Many are good at heart, and ignorant rather than guilty, but have been carried away by false doctrines … “Call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd” … Prove again that Thou art all-powerful, O King of Love, and touch them with Thy Scepter of Mercy!
All: We love Thee, Jesus, because Thou art Jesus’,
“Be Thou King, O Jesus, of all those who are involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism;” Lord, Lord, they are as numerous as the sands of the desert; remember that all, all without exception, are Thy creatures and Thy children and owe Thee allegiance. Prove again that Thou art all-powerful, O King of Love, and touch them with Thy Scepter of Mercy!
All: We love Thee, Jesus, because Thou art Jesus!
Jesus of Nazareth, be King “of the children of that race once Thy chosen people. Of old they called down on themselves the Blood of the Savior; may It now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life.” … On Calvary Thou didst forgive those who crucified Thee, pleading in their behalf, “They know not what they do.” Forgive Thine other executioners who are still more guilty for they have made their First Communion, studied their catechism, and received Thy graces from their early childhood. They no longer recognize Thee, Lord, but have betrayed Thee for a creature, for wealth or for honor. Look on these unfortunates, cast on them that penetrating, winning, and compassionate glance that melted the heart of Peter … Prove again that Thou art all-powerful, O King of Love, and touch them with Thy Scepter of Mercy!
All: We love Thee, Jesus, because Thou art Jesus!
Raised on the Cross, the Throne of infinite mercy, Jesus Crucified again repeats in behalf of all these sinners: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
All: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
HAIL OUR KING! … We hail Thee, we acclaim Thee, we adore Thee, King crucified through love! We kiss with immense tenderness the tree of the Cross whereon Thou dost draw all men to Thy conquering Heart … Hail, King of Love!
HAIL OUR KING! … We hail Thee, we acclaim Thee, we adore Thee, King crucified through love! We kiss with immense tenderness Thy bloody diadem that we would render a thousand times more glorious by setting in the place of each thorn thousands of souls converted by Thy conquering Heart! … Hail, King, of Love!
HAIL OUR KING! … We hail Thee, we acclaim Thee, we adore Thee, King crucified through love … We kiss with immense tenderness the purple of Thy Blood, that royal mantle which envelopes Thy shoulders; and Thy whole Body becomes one living Wound to heal the leprosy of our sins, and wash them in the piscina of Thy conquering Heart! … Hail, King of Love!
Lord Jesus, neither the Angels clad in the light of glory nor Solomon in all the splendor of earthly majesty, were ever more beautiful, more magnificent, more attractive in grace or in beauty, than Thou, Jesus, King Crucified and Ruler of Nations … Thou dost ravish hearts, Thou dost captivate the world and vanquish it by the sweet, irresistible splendor of those five suns which are Thy Five Adorable Wounds, O King of Kings! … They will be that banquet of light and heavenly beauty that will fill us with overflowing joy which Thou Thyself hast prepared for Thy friends and apostles in the eternal Kingdom which will never end … Hail, King of Love! Hail, our King!
(Short pause for quiet prayer)
Jesus proclaimed Himself “King of Hearts” on Calvary and in taking possession of the world, redeemed on Good Friday, He declared the opening of a new, a Divine era, the era of His Reign! His ascension into Heaven did not leave us orphans, for on Holy Thursday evening, before His death, He built the palace whence He intended to rule over Christian society. This palace, indestructible of its nature, is the Tabernacle. From this home of Nazareth, a poor and silent dwelling, Jesus in the Sacred Host governs the world and draws it to Himself. In order to transform it by His Scepter of charity this King only asks for love, much more love, and the Church, His authorized interpreter, asks especially that the Holy Eucharist should enter more into our lives — it asks greater Eucharistic fervor at the Holy Table, in the family, in Catholic education, everywhere … The audience chamber is always open where the King awaits us with eager Heart and outstretched Arms, and all His children are invited, absolutely all without exception … Alas! The guests are very numerous but those who hunger after Jesus in the Holy Eucharist are few. Speak Thyself, Divine King and Prisoner, speak!
Jesus: You, My children, My little ones and My friends, are My Crown and My glory rather than the planets and the stars. Your hearts form My favorite Throne rather than the wings of Angels and Cherubim. Your souls purpled with My Blood are palaces that I prefer to the immensity of space.
Yet, in spite of this you will not come! … If you only realized how deeply My Heart suffers when looking around Me. I easily count some faithful, fervent friends, but looking into the streets or business marts, and into the centers of trade or pleasure … and of sin, I find crowds everywhere, great crowds feverish, eager for everything, absolutely everything, but for My Adorable Person; they find time and take an interest in all except the glory of the solitary forsaken King dwelling in the Tabernacle! I invite you, I beg you to come and eat at My Table; in exchange for this Bread I guarantee you peace and eternal life … and you will not come! …
I promise you consolations, the lights and torrents of grace for you and your home as a reward for your visits and your love — in exchange for your heart. But I wait in vain, you do not come.
Oh! Answer Me, what more can I do after Calvary and the Tabernacle, what can I do more, what invention, what miracle to make you more intimately Mine in this Sacrament of My Love? I have exhausted My treasures, My tears, and My tenderness to prove to you by palpable evidence the Divine folly of My love, and … those who understand are indeed few; fewer still are those who are absorbed by the thought of this mystery … So many are madly in love with the world and its fatal vanities … so few are in love with My Altar!
After this Feast of My Kingship, after your hymns and your applause, come to My Holy Table to prove that I am really your King of Love! You have invited the choirs of Angels to unite with you in blessing, praising, and exalting My Divine Kingship … But are you convinced that one Holy Communion, especially a very fervent Holy Communion, gives Me much more glory than their Heavenly concert? … O, come, I hunger, for your peace; … I long to consume you, to be in turn consumed by your hearts. Make Me reign through the Holy Eucharist. 8B
If the beautiful Feast of Christ the King does not sensibly increase Eucharistic fervor, it will be but a passing novelty — touching indeed, but without serious and lasting effects in souls and families. The applause will die away and next day the mighty King will be despoiled of His Crown and Scepter, leaving Him a mock throne and the dungeon of Holy Thursday … But, thanks to His apostles, this will not happen to our King of Love! Promise Him this at once with your whole heart.
Souls: Thou art often called the lonely King, the condemned King of the Tabernacle, O Jesus! Alas! The truth in this title brands us with the blackest ingratitude … Yes, Lord, Thou hast been forsaken, Thou wilt be so no longer … Thy true title will be King of Love, because Thou art not only very loving, but also much loved. Deign to listen, Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, to the expression of our sorrow, our loving reparation, and the promise of our fervor in the future.
King, lonely and forsaken, in great and beautiful churches, with what grief, Jesus, Thou dost see the endless procession of sightseers, going to and fro, unmindful of Thy Real Presence, while they admire marbles, sculpture, architectural lines and recall historical memories. They do not bestow a glance, much less a prayer, on the silent Prisoner of the Tabernacle … Oh, how lonely, how very lonely, Thou art, Jesus! And how cold it must be around Thee in these edifices which are masterpieces of art! We adore Thee, we proclaim Thee King of Love in them, in reparation for this abandonment.
All: Forgive us, Jesus! … May Thy Kingdom come!
King, lonely and forsaken in so many of the churches of great cities, with what sadness Thou dost contemplate from the Tabernacle eager crowds milling round rich stores — crowds that devote the morning to business and the evening to dangerous, worldly amusements — above all, alas! to sinful pleasures! Oh! how lonely, how very lonely Thou art, Jesus, and how cold it must be around Thee in these churches, almost empty on week days. We adore Thee, we proclaim Thee King of Love in them, in reparation for this abandonment!
All: Forgive us, Jesus! … May Thy Kingdom come!
King, solitary and forsaken, Thou dost live forgotten in the churches of huge commercial cities, populous and wealthy, occupied with the ever-increasing rush of business. While the small minority of Thy children render Thee the homage of faith exacted by the Church of Catholics, the vast majority, alas! allow themselves to be absorbed and overrun by temporal interests. Oh! how lonely Thou art, Jesus, and how cold, how very cold it must be around Thee in those churches where a small Tabernacle and Ciborium suffice, because few approach the Holy Table impelled by love … We adore Thee, we proclaim Thee King of Love in such churches in reparation for this abandonment!
All: Forgive us, Jesus! … May Thy Kingdom come!
King, solitary and forsaken, in many churches of small country districts, too often slumbering in the lethargy of profound religious ignorance, Thou dost look with distress on those vegetating souls who are satisfied with their earthly existence and live in the torpor of death.
The church is small, yet it is too large even on feast days. Formerly it was a center of parish life and radiated fervor, but today it has lost its meaning for the villagers … O! how lonely, how very lonely, Thou art, Jesus, and how cold it is around Thee in those country churches, where the Sanctuary Lamp, with sad and dying flame, is the symbol of waning faith and of love already extinct … We adore Thee, we proclaim Thee King of Love in such churches in reparation for this abandonment!
All: Forgive us, Jesus! … May Thy Kingdom come!
King, solitary and forsaken, in the numerous churches of those demoralized populations which have been dechristianized by impious, secular education, Thou dost see the people become more and more distrustful of the Church and filled with hatred of everything that savors of religion. How few men, Lord, dare to hear Mass timidly on Sunday and make their Easter duty! Alas! they die quietly without thinking of sending for a priest … Oh! how lonely, how very lonely, Thou art, Jesus, and how cold it is around Thee in the churches of populations who live and die far from Thee, and who seem even to bear a grudge against their God and Savior … poor churches where the administration of the Sacraments — Baptism, as well as Matrimony and the Holy Eucharist — becomes rarer and rarer! … We adore Thee, we acclaim Thee in them, King of Love, in reparation for this abandonment.
All: Forgive us, Jesus! … May Thy Kingdom come!
In order to make up to Thee, Lord Jesus, and to console Thee for the guilty abandonment of those who, while still acknowledging Thee in the bottom of their hearts as their King, offend and crucify Thee by disobeying Thy Laws, we consider it a privilege to say to Thee, with great enthusiasm, interpreting the intention of Thy Vicar on earth: Hail, King of Glory, publicly acclaimed in the solemn meetings of International Eucharistic Congresses, borne as a Conqueror beneath triumphal arches, amid the applause and ardent prayers of thousands of Thy subjects, adored, blessed, praised a thousand times in the sincere spontaneous enthusiasm of these great Eucharistic gatherings; Oh! enkindle, Jesus, the flame of these marvelous Congresses; and, at their close, when Thou dost pass in triumph through avenues and public squares, bless the crowds and tell them that Thou art indeed their King and wish to be honored as such, especially in the Sacrament of Thy Love.
All: Hosanna to Out King in the Sacred Host. Hosanna to the Son of David!
King of the universe, Eucharistic devotions in a wonderful diversity of forms and a providential variety of shades, radiating the Love of Thy Sacred Heart, are already numerous and spread abroad the knowledge of God’s greatest gift to man, the Holy Eucharist! Thanks, thanks, Blessed Lord, but if possible multiply yet more these works full of redeeming power, and make them, by their vitality, a fiery net to catch souls capable of making Thee still better known and loved, even as moths are attracted by a candle flame. O! In these Eucharistic works, as in so many fiery chariots, drive through the ungrateful world, telling people in all lands that Thou art their King and wish to be honored as such, especially in the Sacrament of Thy Love!
All: Hosanna to Our King in the Sacred Host. Hosanna to the Son of David!
King of the world, through Thine infinite mercy Congregations and Religious Orders devoted to reparation and to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are innumerable. We thank Thee for this inestimable benefit. These Orders are a rock upon which Thy Throne rests here below … We beseech Thee, O Jesus, that all Communities that practice reparation may be worthy of their sublime vocation by their fervor and interior life, and that by an increase of generous love they may themselves be the most divine of reparations; and finally that by the overflow of their love and zeal, they may cause Thee to be loved even unto folly in the adorable Eucharist. O! Through them speak to the nations, telling them in winning and persuasive words that Thou art their King and wish to be honored as such, especially in the Sacrament of Thy Love!
All: Hosanna to Our King in the Sacred Host. Hosanna to the Son of David!
King of the world, at any cost, Thy love must become new blood, a fiery sap to rejuvenate modern society which Thou wishest to recast in the crucible of Thine Adorable Heart … To this end we must have families devoted to the Holy Eucharist; give them to us! Help us, if necessary, by a miracle; help us to turn the hearts of parents and children towards Thine Adorable Flesh and Blood, that Thou mayest become their soul, their life, the living tradition of their homes, O Jesus! Thou knowest, Dear Lord, that this is the infallible secret of Thy Social Reign! These families already exist, here and there, nurseries of a new Eucharistic society. Deign to multiply them, O Jesus, and through these Bethanies may it resound from pole to pole that Thou art Our King and that Thou wishest to be honored as King, especially in the Sacrament of Thy Love!
All: Hosanna to Our King in the Sacred Host. Hosanna to the Son of David!
(Promise your Sacramental Lord that you will never, never omit one Mass or one Communion through your own fault for want of love. Promise also to carry on this campaign around you, above all in the families of the Sacred Heart.)
We have declared in the preceding prayer that the family conquered by Our Lord, and imbued with His Spirit, is the foundation of the Social Reign of the Heart of Jesus. Indeed, it was by a family plebiscite, by the enthronement of the King of Love in the family circle, that the Catholic world was prepared for the Feast of Christ the King. It was because many thousands of families had accepted the Enthronement and had actually set the King with honor on the living Throne of the family — the origin and cell of society and the nation — that the Holy Father proclaimed Christ King throughout the universe within twenty years.
In consequence, before the end of this Holy Hour, let us implore God in intense and earnest prayer that these families of the King of Love may speedily bring about His victory in society and in our country.
Souls: King and Creator, King and Savior of Nazareth, King and Friend of Bethany, it is necessary, it is urgent that Thou shouldst reign; that families be animated by Thy Spirit so that they may become living tabernacles, sacred tents in which Thou dwellest in our midst in this desert … Thou knowest, good Master, with what eagerness and zeal Thine apostles strive to transform these homes, whether rich or poor, into real Bethanies for Thine Adorable Heart. With the assistance of Thy grace and Thy mercy the great work has gone forward, and considerable ground has been won for Thee, in spite of resistance; Thy Heart has done all the work, may It be blessed and glorified a thousandfold. And now listen to us, Adorable King.
By the tears of Mary, our Immaculate Queen, by the piercing anguish of this Mother of Sorrows, by her secret martyrdom of love, reign, O King of Love, in those families, alas! so numerous, who are Catholic by baptism and hold to a few religious practices, but lead futile, unreal lives, and seek their happiness far from Thy Heart … Those families are unhappy, profoundly unhappy … Having forsaken the Spirit of the Gospel and forgotten Thy Law, they trust in wealth and worldly vanity rather than in Thy Divine fidelity … Wean them from the world! Through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
All: Through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart! By the tears of Mary, the Immaculate Queen, by the piercing anguish of this Mother of Sorrows, by her secret martyrdom of love, reign, O King of Love, in those families, who, while keeping the Catholic faith, fear Thee and look upon Thee as a severe Master; they serve Thee like slaves rather than children, trembling and groaning beneath Thy yoke. They do not love Thee dearly; they do not trust Thy Heart; they consider tender piety, Eucharistic fervor and intimacy with Thee, exaggeration of fancy … Lord, have compassion on these families that have never enjoyed the sunshine of Thy Heart, warm them with the fire of Thy Love, and through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
All: Through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
By the tears of Mary, our Immaculate Queen, by the piercing anguish of this Mother of Sorrows, by her secret martyrdom of love, reign, O King of Love, in those households where a sinner, a dying soul lies — perhaps he is already dead to Thy grace. He is a Lazarus, but a Lazarus who fears to rise, a Lazarus afraid of Thy mercy, who feels quite comfortable in his tomb … He says he lives at peace and is respected without frequenting the Sacraments; that he can pray to God in secret without the intervention of the Church; that he can even die in peace without a priest … Jesus, he is in need of a great miracle, and we beseech Thee to perform it in Thy unbounded mercy … Prove again that Thou art Jesus, and, through Mary Immaculate, save us in Thine Adorable Heart!
All: Through Mary Immaculate, save us in Thine Adorable Heart!
By the tears of Mary, our Immaculate Queen, by the piercing anguish of this Mother of Sorrows, by her secret martyrdom of love, reign, O King of Love, in those families who are afflicted with a heavy cross, and who drag it without hope or love, instead of kissing it with gratitude. Take compassion, Jesus, good Jesus, on the households tried by moral suffering, disunion or bereavement … How often to these trials is added sickness, want of means, or even acute distress, especially if the family is large and the children suffer from hunger and cold, while the parents are unable to relieve them … They weep in silence … Enter these homes, tender Master, and abide there in the exquisite delicacy of Thy Heart, with Thy smile and Thy words of sympathy and hope … They are waiting for Thee; extend Thine Arms to them. And through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
All: Through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
By the tears of Mary, our Immaculate Queen, by the piercing anguish of this Mother of Sorrows, by her secret martyrdom of love, reign, O King of Love, in those families who are wholly Thine and seek no other glory but that of loving, serving, and possessing Thee …
How fair in Thine Eyes, Dear Master, are these families where Thou dost find rest, where Thou dost feel at home, where each heart is an oasis of reparation for Thee, their King, in exile everywhere else … These families are Thy diadem, and, in spite of inevitable crosses, Thou art their anticipated Heaven … Bless still more these homes whose only law is to love Thee and to do Thy Holy Will always and in all things, and who long to suffer for Thee and offer Thee souls … Lavish Thy favors on them, multiply these happy Bethanies, and through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
All: Through Mary Immaculate, save them in Thine Adorable Heart!
Jesus, King and Creator, King and Friend of Bethany, by enthroning Thee in our homes with honor and solemnity we have voted publicly and socially for the Feast of Christ the King, by recognizing it in an eloquent and spontaneous manner; allow us to vote once more, and to exact by gentle violence that Thy rights be also recognized by the great commonwealth, our country and nation, as well as by its small units of families … Thou art, O Jesus, the King of all nations … In consequence we must bring it about that Thou wilt become once more the King of this land, which must be conquered by Thy Heart and won over to Thy Spirit.
This is why, O Jesus, in presence of the Immaculate Queen and of the Angels, adoring Thee in this Sacred Heart, in the presence of Heaven and also of the ungrateful and rebellious earth, we acknowledge Thee, O Jesus, as our only Lord and Master, the only source of authority, of virtue, of justice and of beauty …
This is why, kneeling at Thy Feet, in the spirit of social reparation, we protest: We recognize no social order without God or opposed to God. Thou art the Founder of all social order, O Jesus!
All: Thou art the Founder of all social order, O Jesus!
We recognize no law of progress without God or opposed to God; Thine is the Law of true progress, O Jesus!
All: Thine is the Law of true progress, O Jesus!
We recognize no Utopias of civilization without God or opposed to God; Thy Gospel is the principle of civilization, O Jesus!
All: Thy Gospel is the principal of civilization, O Jesus!
We recognize no justice without God or opposed to God. Thou art the substantial Justice, O Jesus!
All: Thou art the substantial Justice, O Jesus!
We recognize no brotherhood without God or opposed to God; Thine is the true brotherhood, O Jesus!
All: Thine is the true brotherhood, O Jesus!
We recognize no truth without God or opposed to God. Thou art substantial Truth, O Jesus!
Jesus-Mary-Via-Dolorosa.jpg: Thou art substantial Truth, O Jesus!
We recognize no love without God or opposed to God. Thou art uncreated *Love, O Jesus!
All: Thou art uncreated Love, O Jesus! (Three times)
It is impossible to emphasize too strongly the Holy Father’s idea in instituting the Feast of Christ the King! There must be no mistake; it does not merely restate what has already been declared — that Jesus is the King of souls and consciences; we must everywhere insist, more than ever in our day — that He is likewise, whether we like it or not, the King of Majesty, the Supreme Lawgiver and Master of human society and of rulers, no matter who they may be. Without Him or in opposition to Him no laws and no public or private rights exist — hence, all anti-christian legislation is impious and null, for one cannot conceive of a law which is in contradiction to the Author of society and the Master of the whole human race.
Iniquitous lawgivers and rulers but emulate the crime of Pilate, heightened by high treason, a sin of divine Lese majeste — But let us express our feelings and voice our patriotism in a prayer for our country.
Soul: Lord Jesus, in concluding this Holy Hour, a solemn homage to Thy Divine Kingship, we wish by our faith and prayers, this evening to evoke the name and presence of the great kings whose heroic faith in the midst of court life and on the throne, undoubtedly prepared in former centuries for the liturgical feast of Thy Divine Kingship …
O! Send them forth; let these holy kings surround the Eucharistic Throne that, here below, where these crowned heads waged the great battle of virtue they may join us in honoring the power of Thy merciful Scepter, and the wisdom, beauty, and extent of Thy Social Reign.
Descend then from Paradise, holy kings of the Church! Hasten from your thrones in Heaven to bring, like the Magi, to this God annihilated in the Sacred Host, the homage of your praise, your adoration, and your love.
Through St. Edward, Through St. Casimir, Through St. Canute, Through St. Henry, Through St. Stephen, Through St. Wenceslaus, Through St. Hermenegild, Through St. Ferdinand, Through St. Louis, Through St. Clotilde, Through St. Radegundes, Through St. Bathildes, Through St. Elizabeth, Through St. Margaret,
(All repeat) O Christ, King of Kings, save our country!
And thou, Queen of earth and Empress of Heaven, Immaculate Virgin, God’s well-Beloved, the dawn which goes before the noontide glory, the victory of the King of Kings, Virgin thrice holy, Mary, Help of Christians! Prepare our salvation, O! prepare the ways of the Lord Jesus! … That through thee, Immaculate Queen of Lourdes and Fatima, most glorious and most humble Queen of Loretto, through thee, Queen of the Church, the Sun of Truth and Justice, thy Jesus may inspire public institutions and laws of the state. Obtain, O Mary, that our country may one day become the prop of the immortal throne of Christ, the King! (All stand before the altar for the last prayer)
Souls: Draw near, most sweet Master, and here in the midst of Thy children receive from their hands the diadem which those who are mere dust and call themselves all-powerful wish to snatch from Thee, because in the abasement of Thy humility they imagine that they can insult Thee from their lofty position!
Advance in triumph through this fervent meeting of Thy brethren. Do not hide the Wounds in Thy Hands and Thy Feet … Do not adorn Thy Head already embellished with the royal purple of Thy Blood … Above all, do not close the deep Wound of Thy Side, but open It wide. And thus, bloody King, clad in love’s purple and the tunic of opprobrium … not transfigured, Jesus, but as Thou wert on the frightful night of Holy Thursday and the Ecce Homo of Good Friday, present Thyself to the eyes of our faith.
Come to receive the Hosannas of Thy Guard of Honor, keeping vigil for the glory of the Heart of Jesus, its King!
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
Kings and rulers may trample the tables of Thy Law underfoot in their fury — but while they hurl from their thrones into the oblivion of the tomb, we, Thy subjects, will continue to pray:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
Lawgivers may say that Thy Gospel is out of date, and that it is their duty to abolish it in behalf of progress, but, while they sink into the oblivion of the tomb, we, Thy adorers, will continue to pray:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
The proud, the hardhearted rich, the worldlings may decree that Thy ethics belong to a by-gone age, and that Thy demands destroy liberty of conscience; … but while they mingle their dust in the darkness and oblivion of the tomb, we, Thy children, will continue to pray:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
Ambitious seekers after honor and wealth, who lead the peoples astray with their false ideas of greatness and deceitful liberty, will strike against the rack of Calvary and Thy Church; … and, while ground to powder they sink into the oblivion of the tomb, we, Thine apostles, will continue to pray:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
The heralds of a materialistic civilization, estranged from God and opposed to His Gospel, will die one day, poisoned by their own false doctrines; … and while they go down into the tomb of oblivion, cursed by their own children, we, Thy consolers, will continue to pray:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
The Pharisees, the haughty, the libertines will grow old, plotting the destruction of Thy Church, and sink, defeated, into eternal oblivion; … But we, Thy redeemed, will continue to pray:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
Yes, Hail to the Immortal King! … While Lucifer, the angel of darkness, driven out of the home, the school, and society, is cast headlong, forever chained, into the bottomless pit, we, Thy friends, will continue to pray throughout eternity:
All: Hail, Immortal King, Heart of Jesus!
May He reign in the triumph of the Holy Eucharist and of His Church! May His Sacred Heart reign forever!
Now, before we bid Thee good night this evening, brighter than the highest dawn, deign to accept, O King of Glory, Beloved Jesus, one last ovation from Thy Guard of Honor: Hail, royal Crown of Thorns of my God and my King! All: Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands! May His Kingdom come!
Hail, Scepter of a reed, Scepter of my God and my King!
All: Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands! May His Kingdom come!
Hail, mantle of royal purple, purpled with the Blood of my God and my King! All: Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands! May His Kingdom come!
Hail, Holy Cross, bloody throne of my God and my King!
All: Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands! May His Kingdom come!
Let us repeat five times, in Honor of the Five Wounds, in the name and behalf of our country, as a supreme homage of loving reparation and of social adoration: Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Thy Kingdom come!
All: Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Thy Kingdom come!
Act of Consecration to Christ the King
O sweet Savior and Redeemer of mankind, Jesus Christ, Who in the impenetrable designs of Thine Infinite wisdom bearest with the audacity of the impious and sufferest the violence of the wicked, reserving to Thyself the sovereign right of judging the impious man and his perverse works, turn Thy merciful regard upon Thy children, who in the blindness of their hearts have turned from Thee in rebellion. With the eyes of a Father, and with the power of the sovereign King of the universe, stretch forth Thy Hand to bless and regenerate modern society, which is rebelliously turning its back upon Thee, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be moved to compassion for Thy people, whom Thou hast purchased with Thy Blood, regenerated with Thy grace, and exalted with Thy love. Thou hast given them true liberty, Thou hast called them to the inheritance of Thy Father, Thou hast numbered them among Thy brethren; but in the delirium of their rebellion they have preferred the slavery of Satan, and live in abject misery, without joy, without hope.
O My Lord Jesus Christ, King of Eternal Glory, Restorer of all things in heaven and on earth, Supreme Omnipotence, Who with infinite wisdom reunitest at Thy Feet things scattered and dispersed; enlighten the kings of the earth, the rulers of nations; instill Thy spirit into all civil institutions, into every form of government, into laws and armies; grant that all the powers of earth may recognize in Thee the majesty of the Eternal God, the source from which all authority is derived; illuminate the nations that they may understand that Thou art the origin of rights and duties, that it is through Thee that the kings of the earth rule, and that it is to Thee that kings and people alike owe obedience. O most Sweet Jesus, Who hast deigned to descend into this valley of tears, and to dwell with us, suffering and dying for the salvation of us sinners, and Who in an excess of charity hast set up Thy abode in the midst of men, hidden under the sacramental Species, and Who in the fullness of the Godhead, corporeally present in our tabernacles, makest Thyself the food and life of our souls; O, receive the humble but sincere and profound homage of our hearts, offered in reparation for the falling away of the rebellious. We firmly believe in Thee and all that the faith infused into our hearts by the Holy Spirit has revealed to us about Thee. We see in Thee the beginning and the end of all existing things; we’ adore Thee as the one true God; we wish to live only for Thee and in Thy service. Do Thou, O Lord, save our brethren, reunite the scattered members of modern society gone astray, that we as brethren may together be one with Thee, as Thou art one with Thy Father in Heaven. May Thy Will be done by all and in everything. May Thy Majesty shine forth on the throne of Thy earthly dominion, and may the world confess Thee to be the true Son of God, through Whom all things were created. Amen.
Return to Table of Contents (21 Holy Hours by Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC.)