Pope Pius XI, in instituting the feast of the Kingship of Christ, desired to make solemn proclamation of the social dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ over the world. Christ, the King of souls and consciences, of intellects and will, is also the King of families and cities, peoples and nations. He is King of the whole universe. As Pius XI showed in his Encyclical Quas Primas of December 11, 1925, secularism is the direct denial of this Kingship of Christ. By organizing social life as if God did not exist it leads to the apostasy of the masses and the ruin of society. (The Encyclical follows below)
The whole of today's Mass and Office are a solemn assertion of the universal royalty of Christ against the great heresy of our days which is secularism. Occurring as it does on the last Sunday of October, towards the end of the liturgical year and just before the feast of All Saints, the feast of the Kingship of Christ appears as the crowing glory of all the mysteries of the life of Christ and as an anticipation in time, of the external royalty which He exercises over all the elect in the glory of heaven. The great reality of Christianity is the Risen Christ reigning in all the glory of His victory among the elect, who are the fruits of his triumph.
I will let Pope Pius XI explain it to us in excerpts.
Christ Himself speaks of His Own kingly authority [see link for Bible Citations]: in His last discourse, speaking of the rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; in His reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked Him publicly whether He were a king or not; after His resurrection, when giving to His Apostles the mission of teaching and Baptizing all nations, He took the opportunity to call Himself king, confirming the title publicly, and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given Him in Heaven and on earth. These words can only be taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent of His kingdom. What wonder, then, that He Whom St. John calls the "prince of the kings of the earth" appears in the Apostle's vision of the future as He Who "hath on His garment and on His thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of lords!'." It is Christ Whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all things"; "for He must reign until at the end of the world He hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father."
It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody (composing and singing psalms) and in the Sacramentaries.
Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Letter, QUAS PRIMAS, #11-12; 1925 (This encyclical follows)
As our beloved Abbot Gueranger states:
'Today we sadly behold 'a world undone', largely paganized in principles and outlook, and, in recent years(remember 'The Liturgical year' was written, or at least published, in 1927), in one country even glorying in the name 'pagan'. At the best, governments mostly ignore God; and, at the worst, openly fight against Him, as we of today are witnessing in the Old World and the New. Even the statesmen's (or today's statespersons') well-meant efforts to find a remedy for present ills and, above all, to secure world peace, prove futile because, whereas peace is from Christ, and possibly only in the Kingdom of Christ, His name is never mentioned throughout their deliberations or their documents. Christ is kept out of the state schools and seats of higher education; and the rising generations seem to be taught anything and everything save to know, love and serve Him.
...To repair the crime of le`se-divinity, which denies God's rights over the human society whose author He is, we must exalt Jesus Christ as King over all individuals, families, and peoples. If His universal royalty be proclaimed and His reign in society recognized, one of the principal evils of the modern world--the secularizing of public and private life--will be attacked at its roots. Hence we have the special exhortation of the Feast of this divine Kingship.
The Gradual for this Sunday:
He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
And all kings of the earth shall adore Him: all nations shall serve Him.
And all kings of the earth shall adore Him: all nations shall serve Him.
His power is an everlasting power, that shall not be taken away: and His Kingdom that shall not be destroyed. Alleluia.
Christ, the King of Heaven, Earth, and all things, have mercy on us.
'May the Most Holy, Most Sacred, Most Adorable, Most Mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven, on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.'
He shall be called the Peaceful One, and His throne shall be firmly established forever.
His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve Him and obey Him.
Behold a Man, the Orient is His Name, He shall sit and rule, and shall speak peace unto the Gentiles.
The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver: the Lord is our King, He will save us.
Behold, I have given thee for a light of the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. (Psalms)
Just a thought:
We're in the midst of climate change--one that's getting colder and colder toward religion.
To Christ the King:
O Christ Jesus, I acknowledge Thee to be the king of the universe; all that hath been made is created for Thee. Exercise over me all Thy sovereign rights. I hereby renew the promises of my baptism, renouncing Satan and all his works and pomps, and I engage myself to lead henceforth a truly Christian life. And in an especial manner do I undertake to bring about the triumph of the rights of God and Thy Church, so far as in me lies. Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer Thee my poor actions to obtain the acknowledgment by every heart of Thy sacred kingly power. In such wise may the kingdom of Thy peace be firmly established throughout all the earth. Amen.
Homily of St. Augustine on Christ the King
What a stupendous thing it was for the King of the ages to become King of men! For Christ did not become King of Israel to exact tribute, to equip armies with swords, not subdue visible foes. He became King of Israel that He might rule over men's souls, counsel them about eternity, that He might lead to the kingdom of heaven those who would believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him. Accordingly it was not to increase His power--it was condescension on His part that made Him, the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, the Word by Whom all things were made--wish to become King of Israel. It was an indication of His mercy; it did not augment his power. He Who on earth was called King of the Jews, in heaven is called Lord of the Angels. But is Christ King of the Jews only, and not King of the Gentiles, too. When in prophecy He said, "But I have established my kingdom upon Sion, My holy mountain. I will make known the decree of the Lord," He added immediately so that the mention of Mount Sion might not lead men to believe He had been anointed King of the Jews solely: The Lord has said to me: Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of me and I will give thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possessions.
Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My followers would have fought that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here. This is what the good Master wished us to know. First we had to learn how vain was the notion of his kingdom should be hostile either to the Romans or to the Jews. When the Roman governor asked Jesus Art thou king of the Jews, the Lord could have answered: My kingdom is not of this world. But Christ asked in his turn, "Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others told thee of me?" because he wished to show from Pilate's answer that He, Jesus, had been charged with this as a crime before Pilate by the Jews. Thus he laid bare to us the thoughts of men which He knew and which were vain. After the reply of Pilate Jesus replied to them, to both Jews and Gentiles, more fittingly and more opportunely, My kingdom is not of this world.
(Roman Breviary)Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My followers would have fought that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here. This is what the good Master wished us to know. First we had to learn how vain was the notion of his kingdom should be hostile either to the Romans or to the Jews. When the Roman governor asked Jesus Art thou king of the Jews, the Lord could have answered: My kingdom is not of this world. But Christ asked in his turn, "Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others told thee of me?" because he wished to show from Pilate's answer that He, Jesus, had been charged with this as a crime before Pilate by the Jews. Thus he laid bare to us the thoughts of men which He knew and which were vain. After the reply of Pilate Jesus replied to them, to both Jews and Gentiles, more fittingly and more opportunely, My kingdom is not of this world.
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