Christ the King

“That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in Heaven, on earth and under the earth:  And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”

—-Philippians 2:10-11

   Today, November 24th, the last Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical Year is the Feast of Christ the King. It was established by Pope Pius in his 1925 encyclical Quas Primus. Pius XI wrote that if the truths of Christ “are presented to the faithful for their consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection.”

   To that end, Pius XI announced “the insertion into the Sacred Liturgy of a special feast of the kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ” which he hoped would be “attended with much fruit and produce beneficial results in the future.” Indeed, just several years before Quas Primas, the Bolsheviks in Russia had executed the October Revolution, which touched off a series of events that would ultimately lead to the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922. The Soviet government would establish itself as an explicitly secular state and implement severe restrictions on religious freedom and aggressive persecution of religious believers in the coming decades.

   Amid those upheavals and turbulent regime changes, Pope Pius XI in his encyclical argued that “men must look for the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ.” That “Peace which passes all understanding”, as we phrase it in the final blessing of our Ordinariate Form of Mass.

   I can find no better description of this celebration than by quoting from Pope Pius XI: 

   “Christ Himself speaks of His Own kingly authority:  we see this in His last discourse, speaking of the rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; and again in His reply to the Roman Governor (Pontius Pilate), who asked Him publicly whether He were a King or not; and after His resurrection, when giving to His Twelve 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 King. And, in fact, she used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the Sacramentaries.”

(Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Letter, Quas Primus 11-12)

We will celebrate our recognition and veneration of Christ our King with a procession and with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the conclusion of today’s 10:30 High Mass.

May He reign in our hearts, for He lives forever!

Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook, KHS