Our Lord, King of the Universe prayer after communion

The Exclamation Point. As an exclamation point gives emphasis to the end of a sentence, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, gives emphasis to the end of the Church year. The celebration brings eight and a half months of Ordinary Time to a grand and glorious conclusion. It saves the best for last!

Spiritual Significance. The spiritual meaning underlying liturgical feasts such as Christ the King is found in the special Mass prayers in the Roman Missal: the Collect, the Prayer over the Offerings, the Preface, and the Prayer after Communion. The final oration of the Mass is given below followed by explanations of the key phrases.

Text of the Prayer after Communion. “Having received the food of immortality, we ask, O Lord, that, glorying in obedience to the commands of Christ, the King of the universe, we may live with him eternally in the heavenly Kingdom” (Roman Missal, 362).

Having received. The prayer begins by acknowledging that the congregation, the people who are the Body of Christ, have just received the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ.

The food of immortality. The food is the Eucharist. Immortality is endless existence, to live forever, to continue in being for all eternity. Jesus promised, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54), “whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Jn 6:58).

We ask, O Lord. The prayer has an element of petition, a special request made to almighty God by the priest on behalf of all who are present for the Mass.

Glorying in obedience to commands. Jesus obeyed the commands of his heavenly Father. He was obedient even unto death on the cross, and because of this God glorified him with his place in heaven for all eternity (see Phil 2:8-10). Likewise, every person who obeys the commands of Jesus will be glorified by the Son and join him in heaven in everlasting grandeur.

The commands of Christ. Every person is obliged to respect Jesus as king and to obey his commands. Before Jesus ascended to heaven he stated, “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Mt 28:18). Likewise, on Holy Thursday night he prayed to his Father, “You gave [me] authority over all people” (Jn 17:2) with the intention that he “may give eternal life to all” (Jn 17:2). The citizens of the kingdom willingly submit to the commands of their King.

The heavenly kingdom. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom does not belong to this world,” “My kingdom is not here” (Jn 18:36). The heavenly kingdom is where God reigns, paradise (Gn 2:15), the eternal banquet (Is 25:6; Lk 14:15-24), the Father’s house (Jn 14:2), our homeland (Heb 11:16), the New Jerusalem (Rv 3:12; 21:2-3,10), where Jesus is enthroned, surrounded by the angels and a great multitude of saints so numerous that they cannot be counted (Rv 7:9).

May we live with him eternally. On the glorious Solemnity of Christ the King, it is the prayer of every believer to join Christ in heaven and to live with him for all eternity.