Pius XI was addressing the Militant Church when he wrote Quas Primas, the encyclical that established the Solemnity of Christ the King. The Church was then under persecution, attacked from all sides, as it is today. Today two Popes -- John Paul II and Benedict XVI -- have noted a new kind persecution that touches religious freedom itself. We find this persecution in the outlawing of religious symbols, gestures and expressions, from public places. Christ the King continues to stand before the rulers of this world and interrogated: "Are you king?" But now that He is exalted, his words acquire a new meaning. In fact it becomes a rebuke to all those who claim to have accepted his reign:
You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
Read the articles you find here and use the following as your guide for reflection.
1. The solemnity of Christ the King reminds us that the Lord, by virtue of his death and resurrection, reigns in a way hidden now but will later on be revealed in His Glory at the end of time. During the present time, he reigns in His members, the Church.
Reflect: The kingship of Christ which we accept should be reflected in the way we live. How does Christ reign in you? in the members of your household? in your own community?
2. The Catechism describes the reign of Christ in the following way:
Though already present in his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great glory" by the King's return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ's Passover. Until everything is subject to him, "until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God." That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him: Marana tha! "Our Lord, come!" (CCC 671)
Reflect: In the Eucharist, we proclaim: "Dying you destroyed our death; rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus come in glory!" The Church earnestly prays for and awaits the return of the Lord. Do you harbor the same sentiment? Do you desire the coming of the Lord and the definite establishment of His reign? Why?
3. The words of Pope Pius XI are as relevant today as the first time he wrote them:
We firmly hope, however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ ... may hasten the return of society to our loving Savior. It would be the duty of Catholics to do all they can to bring about this happy result. Many of these, however, have neither the station in society nor the authority which should belong to those who bear the torch of truth. This state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend his rights.
Reflect: Do you think that your community of faith is timid, slow, reluctant to engage in conflict those forces which attack the Church? How can you make this year's celebration of Christ the King make your community of faith "to fight courageously under the banner of Christ the King ..." to be fired with apostolic zeal and therefore to strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him and to valiantly defend His rights?
