Sunday, November 20, 2022 - Solemnity of Christ the King, Lord of the Universe

 

Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Quas Primas, which added the feast of “Our Lord Jesus Christ the King” to the annual Church liturgical calendar and in order to acknowledge perpetually the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all men, nations and earthly allegiances.

Jesus Christ is not only King of this world, reigning among nations today; He is also the eternal King, glorified by the saints in heaven, who will one day come to judge all humankind. 

The pontiff pointedly reminded national governments, “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” (No. 32). 

What does this “power” of Jesus Christ the King consist? 

It is not the power of the kings or the great people of this world; it is the divine power to give eternal life, to liberate from evil, to defeat the dominion of death. 

It is the power of Love that can draw good from evil, that can melt a hardened heart, bring peace amid the harshest conflict and kindle hope in the thickest darkness. 

This Kingdom of Grace is never imposed and always respects our freedom. 

Christ came “to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18: 37), as He declared to Pilate: whoever accepts His witness serves beneath His “banner.” . . . Every conscience, therefore, must make a choice. 

Who do I want to follow? 

God or the Evil One? 

The truth or falsehood? 

Choosing Christ does not guarantee success according to the world’s criteria but assures the peace and joy that He alone can give us. 

This is demonstrated, in every epoch, by the experience of numerous men and women who, in Christ’s name, in the name of truth and justice, were able to oppose the enticements of earthly powers with their different masks, to the point that they sealed their fidelity with martyrdom.  

— Pope Benedict XVI, on the feast of Christ the King, Nov. 22, 2009