Humanity does not change over the course of the centuries. From the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament we read the lament of the Lord to Samuel, “It is not you they reject; they are rejecting Me as their King.”
And in the Gospel of John we read the denial of the Jews who declared to Pilate, “We have no king but Caeser.”(Jn.19:15). And this from the people who had greeted Jesus with Hosannas only a short time before! And so His own people, the chosen people, denied Him and asked for His crucifixion. And instead of kingly glory, He was robed in mockery with a purple garment and a Crown of Thorns. He was betrayed and deserted by almost all, even His disciples save for John and His Mother and some holy women. There was ONE who recognized His kingship in that hour and as he hung on his own cross dying, the Good Thief gasped to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingly power.” And that Good Thief whom we call St. Dismas ‘stole’ heaven that day as Our Lord said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Jn.23:42-43).
The Holy Father, Pius XI, wrote an encyclical to turn hearts to Christ and His Kingship, both spiritual and social, in Quas Primus: On the Kingship of Christ. This encyclical established the Feast of Christ the King in 1925.
Exerpts include: If we ordain that the whole Catholic world shall revere Christ as King, we shall minister to the need of the present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of secularism, its errors and impious activities. This evil spirit, as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has not come into being in one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected.
The right which the Church has from Christ Himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then put under the power of the State and tolerated more or less at the whim of princes and rulers. Some men went further, and wished to set up in the place of God's religion a natural religion consisting in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations that thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals and of nations against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable effects…
Moreover the annual and universal celebration of the feast of the Kingship of Christ will draw attention to the evils which secularism has brought upon society in drawing men away from Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim His kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm His rights. Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ…
It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected, and ignored will most severely avenge these insults; for His kingly dignity demands that the State should take account of the commandments of God and of Christian principles, both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing for the young a sound moral education.
The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by His precious blood, are by a new right subjected to His dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from His empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ; He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to Him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or, to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God!
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To the words of Pius XI, I add the words of a (once) well known song:
TO JESUS CHRIST, OUR SOVEREIGN KING:
To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King Who is the world’s salvation:
All praise and homage do we bring–
And thanks and adoration!
Christ Jesus, Victor! Christ Jesus, Ruler! Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!
