November 26, 2023: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King of the Universe - "To Jesus Christ Sovereign King"

To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King was written in 1941, by Father Martin B. Hellriegel, a German-American pastor in Saint Louis, as a direct response to the pretensions of the Third Reich and to remind people who actually reigns eternally. 

Nothing could be further from the nightmarish ideas that fueled the Third Reich, and Father Martin B. Hellriegel in his magnificent hymn conveys this majestic conception of God and of humanity under God:

To Jesus Christ, our Sov’reign King,

Who is the world’s salvation,

All praise and homage do we bring,

And thanks and adoration.

 

Refrain: Christ Jesus Victor, Christ Jesus Ruler!

Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

 

2. Thy reign extend, O King benign,

To ev’ry land and nation,

For in Thy kingdom, Lord divine,

Alone we find salvation.

(Refrain)

 

3. To Thee and to Thy Church, great King,

We pledge our hearts’ oblation,

Until before Thy throne we sing,

In endless jubilation.

(Refrain)