Ave Christus Rex

An anthem

The Lord hath spoken to my Lord, “Sit thou at my right hand,
“Until thine enemies are made a stool beneath thy feet.”
O all ye weary wanderers, exiles in your own lands,
Come hearken to the Word divine, come hail the rightful King.
 
All ye that have forgot to live and live now to forget,
Who languish in a loveless lassitude, a lake of gray,
Who linger still in pleasures long grown bland with stale regret
Lift up your heads and see the dawn as it begins to break.

See in His vanguard shining bright as stars as they march forth
So many that were once as lowly even as us now,
See Mary, who seemed once a humble maid of little worth,
Now terrible as armies set for battle, hear the sound

Of trumpets ringing as they’re singing, “Ave Christus Rex!”
And tremble now ye powers of hell, flee fast to the abyss
For fleeting shall your triumph be, only to manifest
The power of the King who reigns o’er all of time and space.

Come little ones and swell the host, you need not understand
The subtleties of Love’s bright fire to feel its burning heat,
You need not see with earthly eyes to take His saving hand,
You need not know the ocean’s depth to know its majesty.

Let every nation set upon its throne the rightful King.
Let every city fly His banner high above the rest.
Let every home hold Him in honor and of His love sing.
May He reign in every heart forevermore. Amen.

image: Christ in Majesty mosaic from the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.