Text of the Eucharistic adoration of November 20, 2016

Our Lord Jesus Christ King of Universe

Hymn: I am here to praise you

Our feast

On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the feast of Christ, King of the universe. This opportunity is for us a moment of grace in which we can take stock of our faith. We meditate on the figure of Christ who is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the cornerstone in the foundation in every man’s life, but it is also the King satisfying his people, uncrowned King suffering for his people, He is forgiving and saving Mercy.

On this day we also close the Jubilee Year of Mercy, in fact, in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope is preparing to celebrate this event. We who are gathered here before You Jesus, in deep adoration, we want to thank You because you chose to be the King of our hearts, and because You continue to bestow Your infinite Mercy. We cannot forget, in fact, that in this place, small in the eyes of the world, You continue to give the opportunity to anyone who wants it to cross the Holy Door that, according to Your will, remains always open.

Our heart can only be filled with gratitude for all the love you give undeservedly to us. You chose the cross as a throne, You made it a real presence in the Eucharist, You continue to pour out Your blood for the remission of our sins and to take on Your shoulders all our sorrows. Your daily sacrifice, as explained to us by our great Bishop, is repeated in all the H. Masses that are celebrated in every corner of the Earth. For us creatures it is impossible to understand Your love, too big for our human standards and for this we only contemplate You with the eyes of the good thief, aware of our misery and in need of Your forgiveness. We want to come with You in Heaven, surely not for our own merits, but because we trust in Your infinite Mercy.

The kingdom of God

From the Gospel of St. John the Apostle

"So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered: “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice".

The Kingdom of which Jesus talks about in the Gospel is not of this world, does not have a human source, but the root and origin are in God Himself; Christ has in mind a kingdom not imposed by force of arms, not surprisingly he tells Pilate that if his kingdom were an earthly reality his people "would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews". Jesus refers to a kingdom that is realized on the strength of truth and love. Men can get in it with weapons, but not those we are accustomed to think, but with weapons of penance, faith and charity, but above all thanks to the Divine Mercy.

Each time we read the passages telling us about the Passion of Jesus, our heart cannot remain indifferent before the greatness of His love. Every year, the liturgy of the Gospel, in this solemnity, is telling us a different time of the Passion of Jesus. To celebrate Christ the King, so we may fully understands the royalty that Christ gives to Himself, we are not going to meditate the wondrous tale of Theophany which would be better suited to the human reality of kingship, but the Church is proposing the heartbreaking scene of Jesus in chains before Pilate.

"Are you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asked this question because he understands neither Jesus nor the Jews.

Jesus, by contrast, takes the opportunity to make everyone understand what the deeper meaning of his coming is: "to bear witness to the truth".

But the kingship of Christ is a kingship consisting of service and total self-giving; His is not a reign of power, hypocrisy, opportunism, but a kingdom of truth, goodness and justice. The Messiah-King offers His life by pouring up to the last drop of His Divine blood in the gruesome sacrifice of the cross, for the salvation and redemption of all men. His origin is eternal, for it lies in the very sovereignty of God, and Christ came to reveal this God: a loving God who wants to save humanity with His infinite Mercy. This is the truth that Jesus came to show and witness for us, that truth that is embodied in His person, and that is all in one with His love, a merciful love which is witnessed by the good thief leading Jesus to make a total gift of Himself on the Cross in order to open again the heavenly door for us.

Jesus is a King who does not want to manifest his power as the world understands it, but wants us to know the strength of his love for us and allow us to approach God and be able to call him "Father". Jesus wants to give us the opportunity to feel as children of God and by His death makes us worthy of the love of God.

Jesus, King of the universe, institutes a new covenant with men and opens the Heavenly door: the souls of the righteous, who were waiting, now can enjoy, at last, the beatific vision of God. Heaven is given to the saints and we men on earth are entrusted to the heart and love of His Mother, the only one to have fully understood and accepted His divine will.

O Jesus, King of our hearts, we never thank you enough for having raised us to the dignity of being children of God because, in spite of our sins, You still believe in men and want to take us into Your Kingdom, and remain with You forever.

Hymn: To serve is to reign

Jesus, King of the Church

In this great feast we remember the great Eucharistic miracle which took place on November 26, 1995 when hundreds of people were present.

Many years have gone by, but the memory and emotion are still alive within us and that is why today, before You, we recite the "Prayer for the Church" born from the heart of our H. Bishop who used to recite it before the H. Mass.

We will do it with Your presence because, if we open the eyes of our heart, we can see, in this little place, the Mother of the Eucharist, the Bishop of the Eucharist and the Victim of the Eucharist adoring You in deep meditation, while they recite this prayer together with us:

“Daddy God, Brother God, Friend God, One and Triune God, we entrust Your Church to You, a Church scourged by dangerous storms. We know that it will never collapse, for You are sustaining it, as you promised, with Your grace, with Your power and Your love. Unfortunately, a sad reality appears before our eyes: the ship that you entrusted to the apostles and their successors has some leaks in the hold and sails are torn by contrary winds. Your ship is at the mercy of waves and cannot take to the open sea, as You have commanded. The wind of the Holy Spirit pass in vain through the torn sails and are not harnessing it because the helmsmen of the ship, rather than repairing them, are sleeping, thinking only about their own interests. The helm is running idle by dirty hands, so the ship instead of dodging the submerged rocks, lashes out against them, causing more and bigger leaks. Many passengers are unceasingly falling into the sea from the ship, for they are left alone, without a guide.

Daddy God, Brother God, Friend God, One and Triune God, hastens Your powerful interventions in favor of Your Church, let it be reborn humble, poor and faithful. Put in a corner and defeat those who have plundered, looted and wounded it. Free her from mercenaries and entrust it to shepherds who are expression of your Heart.

Mother of the Eucharist, today more than ever, the mystical body of your Son needs to feel the warmth of your love, the clasp of your arms and the protection of your motherly mantle. Look at all the bleeding wounds that the Mystical Body of Christ has. Good men are being persecuted and condemned by mercenaries and the bad guys keep on shooting arrows, darts and gunfire against your Son, in the silly illusion to kill him, without knowing that every drop of blood that your children pour, purifies and strengthens the Church.

San Joseph, Mary’s beloved spouse, to you, who received from God the important task of guarding and protecting baby Jesus, we entrust the Church, born from the pierced side of the Crucified, true God and true man, and as a son you loved.

O Daddy God, Brother God, Friend God, One and Triune God, we await with confidence that You may anchor the ship to the two pillars, where on one stands the Mother of the Eucharist and on the other stands out the Eucharist, for only then we will see the triumph of your Church, and we will be one flock and one shepherd”.

With the angels and saints we sing: "Praise and glory to You, our God, forever and ever, amen".