Christ the King

Rex Cordium
tabernacle door

Another liturgical year ends as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King today. Few people know that this feast has its primary sanctuary here at the Chapel of the Flagellation and Crowning of Thorns. On the tabernacle door is the suffering face of Christ crowned with thorns but overhead there is another crown : glorious with gems but still woven from thorns. In between are the words "Rex Cordium" (King of Hearts).

News is coming in of the dreadful situation in Aleppo. All the hospitals are bombed and no longer functioning. There are videos of premature babies dying in incubators and patients crushed by falling ceilings. It is all so terrible.

Another chide showed the Dominican sisters coming back to Qaraqosh, to their provincial house and chapel which was gutted and bombed. Impossible to salvage anything. It looked terribly bleak. Christians who decide to return to this city will have no water, electricity or material to rebuild their houses.

While the rest of the Church enjoy this feast, here we pray that Christ the King of Peace may come to reign again in our region. To bring peace, protection and courage to all the christians that are persecuted. We have lost hope in the rest of the world. Maranatha Christ the king.