NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow (Mentor and hero of St John Paul).
Day One
With God the Father
Antiphon to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Luke 11:2
He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come”.
“Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Man, born of the Holy Virgin, came to reveal the fatherhood of God to mankind. He came to reveal the fatherhood that only he himself knows as the Son who is of one substance with the Father. So he came to lead mankind into the eternal and Divine dimension of all fatherhood and parenthood in the world created by God. Also, of all order and harmony, for which the family dimension is essential.
Does to reveal mean only to remind? More than that, to reveal means to restore. Christ came torestore the Divine fatherhood to mankind, this great human family. Only He could accomplish the restoration in a complete way. In order to restore the Divine fatherhood to people, Christ had to bring back the people to God as Father. This was his vital mission…”….(John Paul II, Homily delivered during the Mass at Masłów Aero Club in Kielce, 3 June 1991)
God, Father of mankind, we thank You for making us Your adopted children in Christ and letting us know about this great honour. You have revealed that being a child of God means essentially acting with truth and simplicity, without a touch of duplicity and egoism. Jesus Christ, our King and Lord, let all people know the kindness of God, Father of all creation and His care of those who fear Him. Let us worship and praise the name of our King so that we may be brought to the glory of eternal life, where You live and reign, world without end. Amen
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
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