SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David! MK 11:10

DANIEL 7:13-14

My Soul's Beloved,

As the Liturgical year comes to a close we celebrate You O Lord our God as King of Kings, Ruler of the Universe, Savior, and Redeemer of the world and we offer You today and always our allegiance, our love, and our service. We are Yours to rule, to command, use us as You will O Lord. In the words of the centurion speaking about his servants whom he can freely order because they are his to command, we ask You to say to us 'Go,' and we will go. 'Come,' and we will come. 'Do this', and we will do it.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner, and have mercy on the whole world. Grant O Lord, that when You return again in glory, You will find the whole world waiting for You in expectant faith and joyful anticipation. 

I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

PSALM 92(93):1-2,5

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;
the Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power.

The world you made firm, not to be moved;

your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are.

Truly your decrees are to be trusted.

Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

APOCALYPSE 1:5-8

My Soul's Beloved,

Save us O Lord, by the merits that You have won by the sacrifice of Your life for the salvation of all mankind. The world is currently teetering on the edge of total annihilation, we beg You to preserve us from God's righteous wrath. We are doomed to self-destruct and cast into the eternal flames where the fire never goes out and the worms don't die unless You rouse up Your might and by the power of Your Blood and Your Spirit, we wake up from our catatonic slumber or we perish forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Eternal Word of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, do not forsake the work of Your hands. You have washed us in Your Blood. You have given us Your Spirit. You feed us with Your Flesh. You forgive our iniquity and cleanse us of our sins. Do not cast us away from Your presence, Lord, we will be lost if You do not take pity on us and save us. Shake us up Lord, do whatever is necessary take the scales from our eyes. Penetrate our stony hearts and rekindle in us the fire of Your divine love. We were created for You O Lord do not forsake the work of Your hands.

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

JOHN 18:33-37

My Soul'ss Beloved,

In answer to Pilate's question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' The Church and the entire Christian world resounds with the answer, 'No, You are not just king of the Jews, but King of the whole world.' Lord God, Son of the Living God, Savior and Redeemer of the world, we know the truth but we do not profess it because if we did then we would have to change. Change is uncomfortable, change is difficult, we prefer our comfortable and familiar sins. The world and all it offers dazzles our eyes and woos us into believing the lie that we were made for pleasure, for comfort, for ease. 

The Way to the Kingdom of God is the way of suffering, the way of the Cross, the way to Gethsemane, and to Golgotha. Unless we are crucified with You, unless we drink deep of the cup of suffering and die with You, we cannot expect to receive a share in Your Crown of glory. 

Truth is not just a word it is the Second Person of the Trinity. Had Pilate waited for Your answer perhaps there would have been a different outcome. But this is the way that God ordained to save the world, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" 

Beloved, as the Church and the Christian world celebrate and honor You under the title of Christ the King we humbly plead with You that by the merits of Your suffering and death we might here and now, beginning this very day, live as pilgrims and strangers in this world for we are citizens of heaven.

‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’