Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom

Today the Whole Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Christ the King, a feast that reflects his Glory as the King of the Universe. This feast marks the end of the liturgical year and prepares us for the advent season, a time of waiting in hope for the coming of the King in Glory. In the psalm 121 the psalmist invites us to sing joyfully every time we go to the house of God, where his Glory reigns in every heart that longs for him in humility, in faith and in full of hope.

St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians says, “give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the Holy ones in light, he delivered us from the power of Darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin”.  This assurance demands our wholehearted conversion, and acceptance of his invitation. The story of the two Criminals (Luke 23:35-43) shows us that each person has his own way of responding to life situations and difficulties, some end with blames and anger, while others choose to be positive and repent. How do we react to life burdens, problems and difficulties?

Whatever life situation we may have, Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life, he alone who hears the cry of those who seek his home, who seek his consolation in times of trouble. No sinner nor criminals left unheard when we humbly say, “remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23: 42).

Mother Antonia encountered with Christ from the tree of the Cross and the perception of that experience “I saw all things in Christ crucified”, seals in a particular way her journey of configuration to Him, which she understands ever more deeply in silent, contemplative prayer, in serene stillness, leading her to a progressive identification with the suffering Christ in his Church, feeling its weight and offering his life and service for it, and to an understanding of the Word imprinted on her heart (cf. Booklet 2, Constitutions: Prayer)

 We journey towards Advent with prayer, for it is the beating heart in the life of every Claretian Missionary Sister, and “If the words of the Claretian Missionary do not come out of the forge of prayer, they will not soften the hearts” (Const. 49).

Happy feast of Christ the King!