Today, Sunday 22 November, the Church celebrates the feast of Christ, King of Mercy, of love, of peace, of humanity. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31 to 46 is read in every Catholic church in the world.
(EVANGELIO)
As Christ is King of Love, He has had mercy on lepers, the paralyzed, the blind, the father of the mad son, the daughter of Jairus, the widow who lost her only son, Lazarus, the canaanite, Peter, Matthew, the adulterer, the Samaritan, the Magdalene, the good thief, the crucificators, the orphans to whom he gives to Our Lady, the couple of Cana , the head of the Roman platoon.
And the King of mercy reminds us that we, baptized, are kings and that our house must be full of mercy and that our Church may be mercy and that our people may be merciful and that we are all servants of mercy. Christ wants no hungry to run out of our food.
Blessed Belkis who shares her soup with the neighbors, the sick in the neighborhood, the needy.
Christ wants none of us who ask for water at our door, to run out of water lovingly served, even if we live next to a high school. Blessed Margaret Victoria who hands out water to all the boys in high school who ask for it.
Christ wants all the sick to be visited, helped, helped. Blessed is Dr. Ana Amelia, who visits her sick calmly and leaves drops of hopeful dew.
Christ wants the mothers of prisoners to be comforted. Blessed Is Laura who she sheds so many tears and fills so many relatives with prisoners with peace.
Christ wants no one short of clothes to run out of our dresses. Blessed are all those who brought their clothes to the Church of Jesus of the Mount after the January 2019 tornado.
Being merciful as our King, our house will be the palace of Christ, our church foreseen from heaven, our earth the most beautiful that human eyes have ever seen.
Thus we will live the happiness we so long for and seek and then servants and served, next to the King in his eternal kingdom.
Without mercy your house is a battlefield, your heart a dumpster, your church an undesirable place, your life a hell.
Choose to live in hell, away from God, now and forever or live in the heavens of mercy, now and forever.
(Song)
“Erase once, according to legend, that a European kingdom was ruled by a very Christian king, and with a reputation for holiness, who had no children. The monarch sent his heralds to place an announcement in all the villages and villages of his domains. He said that any young man who met the requirements, in order to aspire to be a possible successor to the throne, should request an interview with the King. Each candidate was required to have two characteristics:
Love God.
Love your neighbor.
In a village far away, a young man read the royal proclamation and reflected that he met the requirements, for he loved God and also his neighbors. One thing stopped him from going, for he was so poor that he did not have worthy garments to stand before the holy monarch. It also lacked the necessary funds in order to acquire the necessary provisions for such a long journey to the royal castle.
His poverty would not be an impediment to even meeting such a famous king. He worked day and night, saved his expenses to the fullest and when he had enough for the trip, sold his scarce belongings, bought fine clothes, some jewelry and undertook the trip.
A few weeks later, having exhausted almost all his money and being at the gates of the city he approached a poor almsman along the way. That poor man shivered in cold, covered only by rags. His outstretched arms begged for help.
He implored with a weak, hoarse voice: ‘I’m hungry and I’m cold, please help me… please!’
Crossing the city thresholds, a woman with two children as dirty as her begged, begged her, ‘My children are hungry and I have no job or money.’ The young man was so moved by the needs of the almsman that he immediately got rid of his new, warm clothes and put on the handiven’s rags. Without thinking twice he also gave him some of the supplies he was carrying.
Without thinking twice, our friend pulled the ring off his finger and gold chain from his neck and, along with the rest of the supplies, handed them over to the poor woman and her children. Then, hesitantly, he continued his journey to the castle dressed in rags and lacking provisions to return to the village.
Upon his arrival at the castle, an assistant to the King showed him the way to a large and luxurious hall. After a brief pause, he was finally admitted to the throne room.
The young man bowed his gaze before the monarch. What wouldn’t be his surprise when he raised his eyes and met the King’s. Stunned and open-mouthed, he said, ‘You… you? You’re the almsman who was on the side of the road!’
In that instant a maid and two children came in bringing water to the tired traveler, so that he would wash and quench his thirst. His surprise was also capitalized: ‘Do you too? You were at the door of the city!’
-‘Yes, the sovereign replied, I was that almsman, and my maid and her children were there too.’
-‘But, but… you are the King! Why did you do that to me?’ he stuttered swallowing saliva, after gaining a little confidence.
“Because I needed to find out if your intentions were authentic in the face of your love for God and your neighbor,” the monarch said. I knew that if I approached you as King, you could pretend and act not to be honest in your motivations. That way it would have been impossible for me to discover what’s really in your heart. As a almsman, I not only discovered that you truly love God and your neighbor, but you are the only one to have passed the trial.’
‘You will be my heir! You will inherit my kingdom! You will be the King!'”
(Song)
“Blessed José Olallo Valdés, modest and holy man, who, born in a humble corner of Havana, came to continue the sublime work started in Granada in the fifteenth century by the founder of the Order you embraced; that you loved the poor, that swept away the hospital wards; that you cleansed the leper and lovingly removed all the miseries of the body, along with the dirt of the soul; that you had no time for your scarce diet, not to fall asleep, or to care for your delicate person, given all to that boundless love for grieving humanity.” Pray for us so that we may care for Christ, poor, sick, needy, as you did, in our land.
Thank you, Blessed Olallo Valdés, pray for us.
(Song)
The blessing of The Father, and The Son and the Holy Ghost, descend upon you, upon your families, and upon all the people you serve. Amen.
Below we offer in full the allocution of the Cardinal and Archbishop of Havana, Archbishop Juan de la Caridad García.
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