HISTORY OF THE SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING OF UNIVERSE

 THE SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING AND LORD OF THE UNIVERSE 

Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as the Feast of Christ the King, can be said to be a relatively recent addition to the Western (Latin Rite) liturgical calendar, having been instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for the Roman Catholic Church. This feast is now being observed by the Roman Catholic on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time instead of the last Sunday in the month of October, which is the original date. The earliest date on which it can occur is 20 November and the latest is 26 November. So, the Solemnity of Christ the King and Lord of the Universe occur between November 20-26 inclusive. 

Traditional Catholics [the Catholics who still observe the Vatican 1 liturgical calender] observe it on its original date, the last Sunday of October. The Anglican, Lutheran, and many other Protestant churches adopted it along with the Revised Common Lectionary, occasionally referring to it as Christ the King Sunday. It is also observed as the final Sunday of the ecclesiastical year, the Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent. Roman Catholics who are using the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite as permitted under the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum use the General Roman Calendar of 1960, and as such continue to observe the Solemnity on its original date of the final Sunday of October.

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, this feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of October. The feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, which is ordinarily celebrated today, is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.

This feast is designed to give special recognition to the dominion Christ our Lord has over all aspects of our lives. But why and how did it come about? And why is it so important today?

When Cardinal Ambrogio Achille Ratti was elected pope and took the name Pope Pius XI, much of the world was in shambles. The year was 1922, and while the bloodletting of World War I (1914-1918) had ended, widespread peace and tranquility were not evident. The war to end all wars had been especially devastating to England and the countries of continental Europe. Additionally, the overthrow of the Romanov tsars by the Russian Revolution had created great upheaval in Russia and brought immense suffering. Governments were in economic chaos, unemployment was rampant and people in many places were literally starving to death.

The stability of the old social and political orders that had embraced royal houses and crowned heads of state were crumbling. The victorious warring powers sought severe penalties and unreasonable reparations from the vanquished Germans through the Treaty of Versailles. Pessimism, a sense of helplessness compounded by hatred among the nations, was overwhelming. The time was ripe for the rise of tyrants, and rise they did. The festering philosophies of fascism, National Socialism (the Nazis) and communism now spawned the likes of Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Pope Benedict XV, the predecessor of Pius XI, had warned about this prophetically in 1920 when he wrote, There can be no stable peace or lasting treaties, though made after long and difficult negotiations and duly signed, unless there be a return of mutual charity to appease hate and banish enmity.

In their distress, people clung to anyone who offered them hope, offered some kind of direction out of the chaos and promised to put food on their tables. They gravitated to the emerging dictators, and as they did they often sought to be self-sufficient to the exclusion of God from their everyday lives. Many considered the basics of morality and the teachings of the Church to be out of date, no longer relevant in 20th-century society. Modern thinking allowed that, at most, Christ might be king in the private life of the individual, but certainly not in the public world.

Some political regimes advocated the banishment of Jesus altogether, not only from society, but from the family as well. As nations were reborn and governments restructured, their foundations, policies and laws were often being fashioned without regard to Christian principles.

In all these developments, the new Pope Pius XI saw that people were denying Christ in favor of a lifestyle dominated by secularism, material advantage and false hope created by the tyrants. He realized that he had to ad- dress the political and economic forces that were crowding out the kingship of Jesus. As a start, he dedicated his reign as pope to The Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ (Pax Christi in Regno Christi).

In 1925, the Church celebrated a jubilee year in honor of the 1,600th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The council fathers taking part in that ancient gathering in A.D. 325 had affirmed the full divinity of Jesus Christ as God the Son, one in being with God the Father. Their pronouncement became a creed that was later expanded into what we now call the Nicene Creed, which we still profess at Mass every Sunday.

Throughout the anniversary year, Pope Pius constantly emphasized the kingship of Christ as declared in the Creed: His kingdom will have no end. He stressed that theme throughout the year as it repeatedly appeared in the Churchs celebrations of the Annunciation, the Epiphany, the Transfiguration and the Ascension. As part of the Holy Year, which was afforded great attention and pomp by the Vatican, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flocked to Rome, demonstrating great fervor for their faith.

On December 11 of the jubilee year, and in order to acknowledge perpetually the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all men, nations and earthly allegiances, the pope issued the encyclical Quas Primas, which added the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King to the annual Church liturgical calendar.

Some at the time argued that such a celebration was unnecessary because the ancient feast of the Epiphany already acknowledged Christ as King. But more than 340 religious leaders, including cardinals and bishops, had called for the new celebration, and the pope was glad to grant their request.

The encyclical provided for the feast of Christ the King to be held each year on the last Sunday of October. This date, a week before All Saints Day and four weeks before Advent, was carefully chosen: It reminded the people that 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.

In his encyclical, the pope noted that the continuing disorder of that era, what he called the plague of society, had long been festering and was the result of nations rejecting Christ. Later in the encyclical 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).

According to Churchyear.net, Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King in his encyclical letter QUAS PRIMAS of 1925, in response to growing secularism and in the context of the unresolved Roman Question. The Solemnity of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as a cure (or an attack to eradicate) to secularism. Secularism is a way of life in which humanity leaves God out of the way humanity thinks and lives, and thus organizes human life as if God did not exist. Therefore, the intention of this feast is to proclaim in a piercing and vibrating way the KINGSHIP of Christ over humanity (individuals, families, society, governments, and nations) as well as celestial beings, and every other power in existence.

It is truly such a great day that the Mass of today proclaims the titles of Christ Jesus: as our God, who created the universe and therefore has a supreme power over all things; for All things were created by Him (Colossians 1:16)”; as our Redeemer (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 18-20; Hebrews 9:11-15), for He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; as Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18), holding in all things the primacy (Colossians 1:18); as One who possesses all Dominion (Colossians 1:18): God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.

According to Rt. Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas, the Mass of today goes on to describe the qualities of the kingdom of Christ as: Supreme, extending not only to all people but also to their princes and kings; as Universal, extending to all nations and to all places; as Eternal, for The Lord shall sit a King forever; as Spiritual, because the kingdom of Christ is not of this world.  

According to Cyril of Alexandria, Christ has DOMINION over all creatures, ...by essence and by nature. His KINGSHIP is founded upon the HYPOSTATIC UNION. 

In his QUAS PRIMAS §§7,13, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Pope Pius XI writes: ...[T]he Word of God, as consubstantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created. From this it follows that to Christ angels and men are subject. Christ is also King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer. ...' We are no longer our own property, for Christ has purchased us with a great price; our very bodies are the members of Christ. A third ground of sovereignty is that God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion. All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18) The eschatological dimension of this feast points to the end of time when the kingdom of Jesus will be established in all its fullness to the ends of the earth. This point of eschatology s clear, as this feast leads into Advent, when the Church commemorates the arrival of the newborn king.

The title of the Solemnity was “Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Regis” (Our Lord Jesus Christ the King), and the date was established as the last Sunday of the month of October  the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints (Pope Pius XI, Quas primas, §28). In the revision of the Calendar in 1960 by Pope St. John XXIII, the date and title were unchanged but, according to the simplification of the ranking of feasts, it was classified as a feast of the first class.

In his motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis of 1969, Blessed Pope Paul VI amended the title of the Feast to “Domini Nostri Iesu Christi Universorum Regis (Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe). He also moved it to the new date of the final Sunday of the liturgical year, before the commencement of a new liturgical year on the First Sunday of Advent (the earliest date for which is 27 November). Through this choice of date the eschatological importance of this Sunday is made clearer (Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 63). He assigned to it the highest rank of Solemnity, in his motu proprio MYSTERII PASCHALIS.

The liturgical vestments for the day are colored white or gold, in keeping with other joyous feasts honoring Christ.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE UNIVERSAL KING 

Christ is Dominion over all ceatures. We all are redeemed by Christ Jesus. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God. 

OBSERVANCE IN OTHER CHURCHES

Gold altar cloth is used for the Feast of Christ the King at an Episcopal Church. Those churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary observe Christ the King Sunday as the final Sunday of their liturgical years (Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings Proposed by the Consultation on Common Texts, Augsburg Fortress, 2005, p.p. 304-305). These churches include most major Anglican and mainline Protestant groups, including the Church of England, Episcopal Church , Anglican Church in North America , Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and other Lutheran groups, United Methodist Church and other Methodist groups, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , the United Church of Christ , and the Moravian Church . Some, such as the Uniting Church in Australia refer to it in non-gendered terms as feast of The Reign of Christ.

In the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Sweden, this day is referred to as the Sunday of Doom, previously highlighting the final judgement, though after the Lectionary of 1983 the theme of the day was amended to the Return of Christ. In the Church in Wales, part of the Anglican Communion, the four Sundays before Advent are called the Sundays of the Kingdom and Christ the King is observed as a season and not a single festal day.

Today we go on procession. Most times, in Nigeria specifically, most of us call today CORPUS CHRISTI. The procession that was to be done on the feast of Corpus Christi is the one being done today. The procession was not done then because the Solemnity of Corpus Christi falls on the liturgical calendar during rainy season. Corpus Christi is celebrated on the Sunday after HOLY TRNITY SUNDAY. Nevertheless, it is a calculated heavenly arrangement to portray the importance of the FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING and to show the connection between the REIGN OF CHRIST AS KING and HIS DIVINE PRESENCE IN THE EUCHARIST 

Today as we celebrate the Solemnity of CHRIST THE KING of the Universe, the tremendous mystery of the presence of Jesus Christ among us in the Eucharist is a time of overwhelming grace for the human family. It is a source of Healing and of Unity.

Now look at the connection between the feasts of Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi and Christ the King. It is no coincidence that Corpus Christi is the Sunday after Holy Trinity Sunday. As believers worship the Divine Family of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and this unity of God within Himself, Corpus Christi makes for a good sequel and an important transition from God to humanity. As God holds with communion within himself, so he desires to have this union with us and see us share it with one another.

The communion we are called to have with God and with each other is a powerful reality that can help us crown any joy and persevere through any suffering or tribulation. The knowledge of the presence of God with us and the active help of his grace, and the awareness of our communion with one another, can heal a hurting soul, mend a broken heart, reconcile relationships, invigorate hope, grant glimpses into eternity, and bring peace to any situation that wants it. Such unity is a life-changing impetus to love deeply, forgive generously, serves selflessly, to be happy consistently, and to walk tenderly with God and our neighbor amidst the twists and turns of this life and into the joys of the afterlife.

The Eucharist is the living presence of God among us, and a constant source and summit of this far-reaching communion. It is also a food and nourishment to this union (hence the term Holy Communion when someone receives the Eucharist), as well as a reliable path to the perfection and eternal expression of this unity in the afterlife.

It is a true comfort to the believer as she prepares to die and bid a temporal farewell to her loved ones(and they to her) to receive her last Holy Communion, called Viaticum (the word literally meaning food for the way). What an eternal experience for the believer in that last moment on earth to see her life change, not end, and to watch her union with her loved ones expand and flourish in eternity. It is foretaste of a kingdom of peace and everlasting joy.

These are some of the truths remembered and experienced on Corpus Christi. In view of them, we can see why the solemnity is such a lively, surprising, hope- filled, and jubilant celebration.

All these are provided by Christ the King. And the celebration of Christ the Kings feast helps us to have absolute faith and trust in God.

ASK YOURSELF: How have I grown spiritually during the last twelve months? Do I feel closer to God now than a year ago? Have I sensed my relationship with God becoming stronger as I have reached out to others in need? Do I see myself ministering to the Lord Jesus as I serve those who have asked for my help? What more can I do to the least of the brothers and sisters of my Lord Jesus Christ as a sign of my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit? Who is seated on the throne of my life? To whom do I give complete allegiance to? What is my understanding of Jesus as the King? Do I seek to keep Jesus seated on the throne of my life?  Have I pledged complete allegiance to Him? Does my life proclaim His Reign? Can people experience the freedom and holiness that flows from the reigning of Jesus Christ in my life? What can I do to extend His Reign to others so that they will experience the glory and compassion which Jesus brought through His death and resurrection?

MAY GOD BLESS HIS WORDS IN OUR HEARTS THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. HAPPY CELEBRATION 

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

Updated November 15 2022