First, we looked at some basic questions about the feast, who instituted it and when, what color vestments the priest wears, and whether there is any Biblical evidence that Christ is a king at all. You can read the whole thing here: Christ the King.
The following days we took to look in depth at the encyclical Quas Primas by which Pope Pius XI instituted the feast. This was a two part series (HERE and HERE). If you haven't taken the time to read through Pius' thoughts on instituting the feast in 1925, it is definitely worth the time. Remember by '25, the major monarchies of Europe had collapsed, thanks to the "Great" War. The world had just been "made safe for democracy." Boldly proclaiming Christ, not as president or prime minister, but precisely as king was a gutsy move by the pope. More gutsy still was his direct challenge of the creeping secularism that was already well on the ascendancy in the roaring twenties.
The Feast of Christ the King, then, is meant to remind us of our primary loyalty - not to the government or to any power of this world, but to God. More, it is meant to remind us to publicly be counted as members of the Kingdom, for the faith isn't just something personal, something just between "me and Jesus," rather each of our individual faiths are meant be a public witness drawing the world to take up the light yoke of her true king.
The world may hate us for proclaiming that message, for refusing to keep our religion in the four walls of our churches, but such is the command of our king. Luckily, we already know the ending of the story and who wins (hint: it isn't the Christ hating world), so let's remember to
God bless. I hope you had a great feast day this weekend! Christus Rex est!!
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