Come, O Key of David!

Upon considering the fullness of the power of Jesus Christ and his firm, decisive action, the Church cries out to him, but she does not limit herself to asking him to come in a general manner, [but] takes pleasure in explaining to him our necessities, always using the language of Scripture: Come and draw the captive out of his prison where he groans; come and free those who lie in the shades and shadows of death.

In these two figures are contained all our necessities: we are always captive, we are always lying in darkness.  Without doubt we possess sanctifying grace, we have already left the lugubrious prison of mortal sin, mysteriously joined with the eternal prison of hell.  Without doubt also, since grace has illuminated us we have left the shades and shadow of death, for now the light of life illumines us.  But although we departed from that prison and although that light illumines us, is it not true that we still have not reached the fullness of that liberty which Christ brought to us?  Consequently, it is necessary that Jesus come and grant us perfect liberty and illuminate us plentifully with his light so that the last vestiges of shade that still surround us may disappear.  As long as we do not reach the heights of perfection we are captive, we carry darkness in our spirit, and therefore we ought to supplicate Jesus saying to him: Come and free the captive lying in the shades and the shadows of death.

When all the prisons have been opened for us and we have come forth free, when all the shadows on our spirit have been scattered; still the prison of exile remains for us, still we shall sigh for the supreme liberty of heaven.  All of us, then, just and sinners, imperfect and saints, ought to cry out to Jesus and say to him with our whole heart and soul, with the ardor and the vehemence with which the Church says it: O Key of David and Scepter of the house of Jacob, come and free the captive who lies in the shades and shadows of death! And we shall say to him in more simple, intimate, and familiar speech: "O Jesus, open to us for­ever the doors of your Heart! For if we enter that divine Heart, we shall leave in the distance the shades of sin and of the world; if we enter that ark of peace, all our chains will fall, broken into pieces.  O Jesus, you who open and no one can close, open to me light, love, happiness, and life forever!"