Solemnity
of
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
King of the Universe
November
23,
2025 Cycle C
White
priestly
vestments symbolize purity and integrity of the life of faith.
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Liturgical Year Cycle C 2024-2025
Introductory Acts of Worship
The Entrance
Prayers:
On Sunday, usually a hymn praising
God is sung in place
of reciting a Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter
more deeply into
the mystery of God's love for us. The recited weekday
Psalm expresses a
youthful heart and spirit, delighted that we may come before
the living God.
Entrance Song /
Entrance Psalm
(Antiphon)
Entrance
Song
Revelation 5:12; 1:6
How worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive
power and
divinity and wisdom and strength and honor. To him belongs
glory and
power, forever and ever.
The Priest Approaches and
Kisses the
Altar:
The
altar is a symbol of Christ. In it are cut five
crosses to recall the
five wounds of Christ. The altar also represents the
Church and has
embedded in it the relics of her saints. The priest
comes to the altar to
celebrate the Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because
of the glory
surrounding the altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will
be made, the kiss of
the priest unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest:
In the
name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
The Greeting:
We
are welcomed in God's name. Our response unites us to
our neighbor, to
the priest and to God. (The priest may select from
several forms of
greeting).
Priest:
The
grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion
of the
Holy Spirit be with you all.
All:
And
with your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers:
We
recognize our guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for
them, and ask that
Mary, the angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters
in Christ pray for
the Lord God's mercy. (The priest may select from
several forms).
Priest:
My
brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so
prepare ourselves to
celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Priest / All: I confess to almighty God and to
you, my brothers
and sister, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my
words, in what
I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault,
through my
fault, through my most grievous fault, therefore I ask blessed
Mary
ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and
sisters, to
pray for me to the Lord our God.
The Absolution:
Priest:
May
almighty
God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to
everlasting
life.
All:
Amen.
The Gloria: The
Glory of God prayers have existed from the second
century.
They repeat the angels praise of God which heralded the
birth of Christ on earth.
Our praise is
lifted again through the
years as we rejoice at His coming as Lord God, the most high
Jesus Christ, who
at Christmas took on our human nature while at the same time
being the son of
Man. This ancient hymn expresses our recognition of God's
glory and love.
It calls upon Christ as our holy and divine mediator, and
the Holy Spirit who
forever binds us together in God's love.
Priest
and
All: Glory
to
God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good
will. We
praise you we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give
you thanks for
your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty
Father. Lord
Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of
the Father, you
take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away
the sins of
the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand
of the Father,
have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you
alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of
God the Father. Amen.
The Collect: The priest lifts the united prayers
and petitions of
the congregation to God the Father through the merits of
Jesus Christ in the
Holy Spirit.
Priest:
Almighty
ever-living
God, whose will is to restore all things to your beloved Son,
the
King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation,
set free from
slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly
proclaim our
praise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and
ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Christ
is made
known to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to
recognize Him.
In those days, God inspired men who spoke His message. Now, the New
Testament Gospel reading
announces His presence to us directly through His Son.
Both readings
bring God's message to us. Our responsibility is to
respond.
The First Reading: From the Old Testament Book of the
prophet Samuel
2
Samuel 5:1-3
In
those days, all the
tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said: "Here we are,
your bone
and your flesh. In days past, when Saul was our king, it
was you who led
the Israelites out and brought them back. And the Lord
said to you, 'You
shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of
Israel.'"
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, King
David made an
agreement with them there before the Lord, and they anointed him
king of
Israel.
Priest/Reader:
The
Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
The Responsorial Psalm: This
Psalm praising God, is a prayer to God, or recommends the
practice of
virtue. It is sung as an interlude between the
scriptural readings.
It provides yet another instructional setting and invites
the assembly to
imitate the cantor, who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient
Psalm, many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung
first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments,
the refrain is sung
by the people.
Psalm
122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5
Cantor: Let us go rejoicing to
the house of the Lord.
All: Let
us go rejoicing to
the house of the Lord.
Cantor: I
rejoiced because
they said to me, "We will go up to the house of the Lord."
And
now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.
All: Let
us go rejoicing to
the house of the Lord.
Cantor: Jerusalem,
built as
a city with compact unity. To it the tribes go up, the
tribes of the Lord.
All: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Cantor: According to the decree for Israel, to give
thanks to the
name of the Lord. In it are set up judgment seats, seats
for the house of
David.
All: Let
us go rejoicing to
the house of the Lord.
The Second Reading: Taken
from the New Testament, often from a letter written by St.
Paul.
Second
Reading:
Colossians 1:12-20
Brothers
and sisters:
Let us 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 sins.
He is
the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him
all things were
created in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones
or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were
created through him
and for him.
He is
before all things,
and in him all things are held together. He is the head of
the body, the
church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all
things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the
fullness was
pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for
him, making peace
by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or
those in
heaven.
The Alleluia:
An
ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's message we
will hear in the
Gospel.
Mark
11:9,10
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Cantor: Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the
Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is
to come!
All: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
The Gospel: The
Liturgy of the Word is completed by the reading of the
Gospel. Before its
reading, the members of the assembly trace the sign of the
cross upon the
forehead to indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth,
on the lips to
indicate their readiness to announce it, and over the heart
to indicate their
sincere desire to accept it into their lives. The
"Good News"
of the Gospel tells that God's kingdom has come for all to
hear, accept, and
announce to the world for its salvation. It is God who
is speaking to
us. Christ comes to teach us by the example of His
life and by His own
words.
Priest: Cleanse
my heart and my
lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy
Gospel. Through
the words of the Gospel may
our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The
Lord be with you.
All: And
with your
spirit.
Priest/Deacon: A reading from the holy
Gospel according to Luke.
All: Glory
to you, Lord.
The
Gospel:
Matthew 25:31-46
Matthew
wrote
to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled
the Jewish prophecies.
Now one
of the criminals
hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the
Christ? Save
yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said
in reply,
"Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same
condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we
received
corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing
criminal.: Then
he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom.:"
He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with
me in
Paradise."
Priest/Deacon: The
Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise
to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Priest's Sermon:
The
priest develops, explains, and comments upon the Master's
words, so our minds
may be enlightened, and our hearts enriched.
(A
priestly
reflection upon this Gospel)
Profession of Faith:
We
state in the Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in
precise and definite
terms.
All: I
believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that
is seen and
unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only
Begotten Son of
God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with
the Father;
through him all things were made. For us men and for our
salvation he
came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of
the Virgin Mary and
became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate, he
suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in
accordance
with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right
hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge
the living and
the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in
the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with
the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken
through the
prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church. I
confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look for
the
resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to
come. Amen.
General Intercessions:
We pray for the needs of the pope,
civic leaders, our
own needs, those of others, the sick, the dying, those who
have died, the
church, and the world. The response of all to each
intercession:
Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Lord,
hear our prayer.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Gifts
of bread and
wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who
will offer them to
God the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, they will
become the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy
Communion. Jesus unites
Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and
strength. Today, when
individuals do not present their own personal offerings of
bread and wine, the
monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their
united sacrifice.
The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine to God.
Preparation of the Bread and
Wine:
Priest: Blessed
are you, Lord
God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received
the bread we
offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will
become for us
the bread of life.
All: Blessed
be God for ever.
Priest: By the
mystery of this
water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled
himself to share in our humanity.
Priest:
Blessed
are
you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have
received
the wine we offer you; fruit of the vine and work of human hands
it will become
our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed
be God for ever.
Priest: With
humble spirit and
contrite heart may we be accepted by you,
O Lord, and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing
to you, Lord
God.
The Priest's Hands are
Washed: This
act was traditionally necessary because the priest
handled the various gifts presented by the people. The
cleansing act
using water now reminds the priest and ourselves of the need
to cleanse not
only the hands but the soul. Soon, the priest's hands
will hold the
actual body of Christ, and we will become His dwelling
place.
Priest: Wash me
O Lord, from my
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be
acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
All: May the
Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and
the good of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Gifts:
Speaking
in our name, the priest asks God the Father to accept the
gifts we offer
through him.
Priest:
As
we
offer you, O Lord, the sacrifice, by which the human race is
reconciled to you,
we humbly pray that your Son himself may bestow on all nations
the gifts of
unity and peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer: (Number One: The priest may select
from several
forms).
Priest: The
Lord be with you.
All:
And
with your
spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to the
Lord.
Priest: Let us
give thanks to
the Lord, our God.
All: It is
right and
just.
Preface Prayer:
Priest:
It
is
truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and
everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you
anointed your
Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of
gladness as eternal
Priest and King of all creation, so that, by offering himself on
the altar of
the Cross as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace, he might
accomplish the mysteries
of human redemption and, making all created things subject to
his rule, he
might present to the immensity of your majesty an eternal and
universal
kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and
grace, a
kingdom of justice, love and peace.
And so,
with Angels and
Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts
and Powers of
heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we
acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest
and
All:
Holy,
Holy, Holy Lord,
God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your
glory. Hosanna in
the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Priest:
To
you, therefore, most
merciful Father, we make humble prayer and petition through
Jesus Christ, your
Son, our Lord: that you accept and bless these gifts, these
offerings, these
holy and unblemished sacrifices, which we offer you firstly for
your holy catholic
Church. Be pleased to grant her peace, to guard, unite and
govern her
throughout the whole world, together with your servant _____ our
Pope, and
_____ our Bishop, and all those who, holding to the truth, hand
on the catholic
and apostolic faith.
Remember,
Lord, your
servants _____ and _____, and all gathered here, whose faith and
devotion are
known to you. For them, we offer you this sacrifice of
praise or they
offer it for themselves and all who are dear to them: for the
redemption of
their souls, in hope of health and well-being, and paying their
homage to you,
the eternal God, living and true.
In
communion with those
whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin
Mary, Mother of
our God, and Lord, Jesus Christ, and blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
your blessed
Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John,
Thomas, James, Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude; Linus, Cletus, Clement,
Sixtus,
Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas
and Damian and
all your Saints; we ask that through their merits and prayers,
in all things we
may be defended by your protecting help. Through Christ
our Lord.
Amen.
The priest repeats the words which
Christ used at his
Last Supper when He changed the bread into His Body and the
wine into His
Blood. His Body and Blood are truly present but under
the appearance of
bread and wine. The death of Christ is prolonged in
each of those who
receive Him worthily. We apply His death to ourselves
so that we may
share His glory. This moment is the most solemn on
earth because it is
Divine act which enables us to apply to ourselves the Cross
which Christ willingly
took upon Himself.
We are called to die to sin and lift
our very selves to
God so that we become changed; to do as God would have us
do, to become what
God would have us become. Our own little cross can
lift us into union
with Christ's Cross so we may earn the joys of everlasting
happiness with God
the Father.
The
Lord's Supper:
On
the
day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and
venerable hands, and
with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father,
giving you
thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his
disciples,
saying:
Take this, all of
you, and eat of it, for this
is my Body, which will be given up for you.
In
a
similar way, when supper was ended, he took this precious
chalice in his holy
and venerable hands, and once more, giving you thanks, he said
the blessing and
gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of
you, and drink from it, for
this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and
eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many for the
forgiveness of
sins. Do this in memory of me.
Memorial Acclamation: (The
priest may select from several forms).
Priest: The
mystery of faith.
Priest / All: When we eat this Bread
and drink this Cup, we
proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Memorial Prayer: (The
priest may select from several forms).
Priest:
Recalls
Christ's
Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, the Church, the dead, and
ourselves.
Therefore,
O
Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion, the
Resurrection
from the dead, and the glorious Ascension into heaven of Christ,
your Son, our
Lord, we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your
glorious majesty
from the gifts that you have given us, this pure victim, this
holy victim, this
spotless victim, the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice
of everlasting
salvation.
Be
pleased to look upon
these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance, and to
accept them, as
once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Able
the just, the
sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the offering of
your high priest
Melchizedek, a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.
In
humble prayer we ask
you, almighty God: command these gifts be borne by the hands of
your holy Angel
to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so
that all of us,
who through this participation at the altar receive the most
holy Body and
Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and heavenly
blessing.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Remember
also, Lord,
your servants _____ and _____, who have gone before us with the
sign of faith
and rest in the sleep of peace. Grant them, O Lord, we
pray, and all who
sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light and peace.
Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
To us,
also, your
servants, who though sinners, hope in your abundant mercies,
graciously grant
some share and fellowship with your holy Apostles and Martyrs:
with John the
Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander,
Marcellinus, Peter,
Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia and
all your
Saints; admit us, we beseech you, into their company, not
weighing our merits,
but granting us your pardon, through Christ our Lord.
Through
whom you
continue to make all these good things, O Lord; you sanctify
them, fill them
with life, bless them, and bestow them upon us.
Doxology:
Prayer of Praise:
Through
him, with him,
and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, all
glory and honor
is yours, forever and ever.
All:
Amen.
Communion Rite
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we
symbolically offer
ourselves to the Lord through the gifts of bread and
wine. At the
Consecration, we offer our very lives to be united the God
the Father through
the Cross of Christ. In Communion, we find that we
have not died at all
but have come to life. We have surrendered ourselves
to God through His
Divine Son, Jesus Christ. In return, we become
ennobled and
enriched. We give up time and we get eternity, we give
up our sin and we
receive grace, we surrender our self-will and receive the
strength of the
Divine Will, we give up ourselves and we receive
everything. For the Son
of God says to us that unless we receive Him, we shall not
have Divine life in
us. But it is not really we who receive Christ, as it
is Christ who
receives us, bringing us into Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means
of our salvation and
our life. While we have crucified Him, His eternal
love cannot be
extinguished. Christ willed to give us the very life
we crucified in our
Redemption, the Consecration of Holy Thursday into
Communion, His death into
our everlasting life.
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest:
At
the
Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Priest
and
All: Our
Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be they name; Thy kingdom come; Thy
will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our
daily bread, and
forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass
against us; and
lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Priest:
Deliver
us,
Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our
days, that,
by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and
safe from all
distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our
Savior, Jesus
Christ.
All:
For the kingdom, the
power and the glory are
yours now and forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest:
Lord
Jesus
Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace, I leave you my peace I
give
you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and
graciously
grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will.
Who live and
reign forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Priest:
The
peace
of the Lord be with you always.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of
peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest:
May
this
mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring
eternal life
to us who receive it.
Priest
and
All: Lamb
of
God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant
us peace.
Priestly
Preparation:
May the receiving of your Body and
Blood, Lord Jesus Christ,
not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your
loving mercy be for
me protection in mind and body and a healing remedy.
Priest: Behold
the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed
are those called
to the supper of the Lamb.
Priest
and
All: Lord, I
am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof, but only say the world and
my soul shall
be healed.
Priest: May the
Body of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon: Psalm 29:10-11
The
Lord sits as King
forever. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The
Body of Christ.
The
Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/Extraordinary
Eucharistic
Minister:
The
Blood
of Christ.
The
Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest:
What
has
passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of
heart, that
what has been given to us in time may be our healing for
eternity.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest: 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 his
heavenly Kingdom. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Concluding Rite
Priest: The
Lord be with you.
All: And with your
spirit.
Priest: Bow
down for the
blessing.
Dismissal Prayer: (The
priest may select from several forms)
Priest:
May
almighty
God always keep every adversity far from you and in his kindness
pour
out upon you the gifts of his blessing.
All: Amen.
Priest: May God keep your hearts attentive to
his words,
that they may be filled with everlasting gladness.
All: Amen.
Priest: And so, may you always understand
what is good and
right, and be found ever hastening along in the path of God's
commands, made
coheirs with the citizens of heaven.
All: Amen.
Final Blessing:
Priest:
And
may
the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you forever.
All: Amen.
Priest:
Go
and
announce the gospel of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
O
my
Jesus, forgive us our sins,
Save us from the
fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of Thy mercy.