"Declare the word of joy, and let it be heard, alleluia; declare it even to the ends of the earth; the Lord has delivered His people; alleluia, alleluia" (Is.48:20). Today's Mass begins with these words of joy and hope from the prophet Isaiah.
How fortunate were the first disciples to gaze upon the Son of God, Jesus Christ, with their own eyes, and to believe that He came forth from God! How fortunate are those who believe as they did - that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, Who after He had suffered and died for us, rose again from the dead and ascended to the Father! The angels and saints declare His worthiness: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing" (Apoc.5:12). Christ is the King!
Isaiah prophesies: "His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David, and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever" (Is.9:7).
"For the law shall come forth from Sion: and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge the Gentiles and rebuke many people: and they shall turn their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation: neither shall they be exercised any more to war" (Is.2:1-4).
Pope Pius XI in his great encyclical, Quas Primas (Dec. 11, 1925), reiterates his words from an earlier encyclical:
"And we said… that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ… Peace could not be more effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our Lord. (1)… Thus the empire of our Redeemer embraces all men… Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society (18).
How then do we prevent the world from sinking into a state of constant war and chaos? By following the advice of this great pope! The Church must once more proclaim the royal status of Jesus Christ as King of all Nations and Peoples, Whose commands all are obliged to obey. Unfortunately, the Novus Ordo Church now places its hope for peace not in Christ the King but in secular solutions, and in "respect" for all religious traditions.
A recent report from the Vatican finds John Paul II invoking "the Almighty" as he says in a speech to the president of Senegal that respect for religious traditions contributes to national unity:
"I pray to the Almighty to support the efforts of all those who are committed to building a society based on justice and peace, in respect for the values and religious traditions proper to each one." Such respect, he added, "contributes to national unity, as well as to the preservation of concord and to the promotion of fraternity among all the members of society" (May 13, 2004, Zenit.org).
We must ask how a society can be based on justice and peace, if the King of justice and peace is ignored, and how there can be true fraternity without the Body of Christ, the Church.
We note that Christ the King had already been demoted by the Novus Ordo Church, so as to show "respect" for those of other religious persuasions, and for secular humanist governments. The Feast of Christ the King on the Novus Ordo calendar was moved from its position assigned to it by Pope Pius XI on the last Sunday of October, to the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, which deals with the end of the world. This makes it clear that Christ will be King, yes, in the "sweet bye and bye," but until then we have - well - the UN.
The result of rejecting Christ the King, says Pope Pius XI, is that "human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation" (18).
Indeed, the world which has rejected Christ has become a barren wasteland, incapable of love, incapable of mercy. Men have placed their trust in wealth and power; their goal is a universal brotherhood based on purely human values and virtues. Thus wars continue, and the world pursues its relentless course towards Armageddon. There will be no mercy. Jew will kill Palestinian, and Palestinian will kill Jew; Iraqis and Americans will torture and kill one another. The earth itself will tremble and quake - because its King is denied.
We pray for those in our armed forces, many of whom are honorable young men and women who are willing to fight for a just cause, but are trapped in a mismanaged war which has inflamed the anger of the whole Islamic world. How can we be shocked if some of them do shameful things to Iraqi prisoners, or "detainees" as they are called? Most of these men and women are the products, the victims, of an education system and a culture which were long ago lost to the secular humanists, enemies of Christ, and servants of the prince of this world. Without obedience to Christ the King our country lacks moral integrity, and we are hard pressed to find it even in our leaders, so how can we expect it of those whom they command?
Let us turn once more with prayers, raising our eyes to the One Who came forth from God:
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace. This grace has abounded beyond measure in us in all wisdom and prudence, so that He may make known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure. And this His good pleasure He purposed in Him to be dispensed in the fullness of the times: to re-establish all things in Christ, both those in the Heavens and those on the earth" (Eph.1:7-10).
"Then at length will many evils be cured," says Pope Pius XI, quoting his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, "then will the law regain its former authority; peace with all its blessings be restored. Men will sheathe their swords and lay down their arms when all freely acknowledge and obey the authority of Christ, and every tongue confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father" (20).
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Long live Christ the King!
