Christ the King

Not "Christ the President" one will notice...

Christ the King Day

A Happy Christ the King Day to all.

Happy Christ the King Day!

A happy Christ the King day to all Christian readers. Today, in countries at least where Christianity is still considered, and the political left and right squabble over "What Would Jesus Do?" it is worth pointing this feast day out, particularly that it is the Feast of Christ the King rather than Christ the "President". A significant distinction as true authority is not gained by a popularity contest, nor by the bomb or billy club, not by slick advertisements or piles of cash. Power may be gained in such ways, but not true authority. Christ (the anointed) is King (not President) because His position is based on birth (no one elected Him to be the Son of God) on divine authority and does not rest on popular opinion. His orders are not voted on, cannot be vetoed and (as much as some today may like to) He cannot be voted out of office because that "office" exists for the people but is not of or by the people. It is a divine position, not a popular one, something handed down from Heaven, rather than being set up from earth. There are, of course, those Christians today who try to have it both ways (with the best of intentions we must assume) and who will say that they recognize the authority of Christ the King but of none other. "No King but Jesus" was once the popular slogan. Yet, they do the Christ a disservice in saying that, for truly he was called the "King of kings" which would neccessarily imply that there are other kings beneath him and these we are called to obey, rendering unto Caesar as well as unto God. Moreover, the spirit of pride inherent in that phrase is not one, upon closer reflection, I think most sincere Christians should be able to be comfortable with.

So, if I may offer a little suggestion to the subjects of Christ the King today, take a moment to reflect, not only on worldly politics (we have the rest of the year to devote to that) but to the centrality of kingship to the Christian narrative. The foretelling of the coming of Christ was bound up in kingship. The prophecy was that He would be of royal blood, born of the House of David and born to be King. It was because of His royal blood that, even as a newborn, He was hunted and persecuted. The ministry of Christ was the ministry of the King who came to serve rather than to be served, in all things doing the will of the King of Heaven and finally, it was because of His royal blood, ultimately, that it was prevailed upon the Romans to put Him to death with the "crime" nailed over His head being "King of the Jews", wrapped in a purple cloak, holding a reed for a sceptre and wearing a crown of thorns. The kingship of Christ is absolutely central to the Christian story and it is an aspect that should not be ignored, especially in times such as we live in today.

So ends the 'sermon' and may the King of Heaven bless you all.

MM

Brief Reflection on Christ the King

When His Holiness Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King it was remarked on at the time as a very odd thing to do. Since the revolutionary period and certainly since World War I the title of “king” had become a rather unpopular one throughout the world and yet the Pope chose this aspect of Christ to emphasize. It made many people uncomfortable. Jesus as a prophet, as a teacher, a healer and Jesus the meek servant was perfectly acceptable but Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, a figure of authority, a judge and the dispenser of divine justice; that was not the image of Jesus most at the time, and most still today, preferred to consider. However, the Pope looked at the world of 1925 and saw this aspect of Christ as one that needed to be remembered and not only remembered by emphasized every year in the Church calendar.

Up to this point Pope Pius XI had seen Christians persecuted for their faith by secularist governments around the world with particular atrocities being carried out by the forerunners of the PRI in Mexico, by the leftist republicans in Spain and by the communists of the Soviet Union. Secularism was spreading and this threat so concerned Pius XI that he devoted his first papal encyclical to the subject. As he saw it the world needed a reminder that Christ was the King of kings. The communists and egalitarians on the left needed to know that the divine order was hierarchical, that there was a King in Heaven that ruled all, like it or not, and could not be overthrown. Likewise, the nationalists on the left and the right needed to know that Christ was King of all and that His reign was for all nations and all times. Christ the King was above any one nation and above any state no matter how totalitarian.

It was also an obvious shot across the bow at the whole revolutionary, republican mentality that had been growing so consistently. The kingship of Christ was to symbolize that Christianity is an all-encompassing religion and that no part of the life of any Christian, whether their private behavior, their public institutions or how they order their life and their society, is beyond the rule of Christ the King, their divine sovereign in Heaven. This was a message the world needed to hear in 1925 and as much, if not more so, still today. In our growing secularism, egalitarianism and internationalist centralization today the message conveyed by the symbolism of Christ the King remains crucial.

Christ the King Day

Today Roman Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. All Christians should take special note- it is Christ the King not "Christ the President" and it is the Kingdom of Heaven and not the "Republic of Heaven". If to be 'Christian' is to be 'Christ-like' surely we could not do better than organizing our own societies in the same style as the Almighty does. Anyway, an important day, one of the most important in my own view. It was instituted by His Holiness Pope Pius XI in 1925 in the encyclical Quas Primas. I would encourage everyone interested to look into it and, even if you are not, you might be glad you did anyway. A happy Christ the King day to everyone and I would hope that regardless of background one and all could join in a salute to at least one king who can never be overthrown.