Feast of Christ the King

On December 11, 1925, Pope Pius XI signalized the Holy Year then current by announcing a Feast in honor of Christ the King to be held on the last Sunday of the month of October every year. On that day, he ordered that the dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should be renewed.

As in all feasts, the Church teaches in this recently created one a fundamental truth of our holy faith. It has been a common custom to give to Christ the metaphorical title of King because of His eminence over all creatures. Thus He is said to reign “in the minds of men” because He is Truth itself and so it is from Him that truth must be drawn and obediently received by all mankind. He reigns likewise “in the wills” of men because of the perfect sanctity of His human will and because of the influence He exercises over our wills by the inspirations of His grace.

Christ is also acknowledged as the “King of hearts” on account of His “charity which surpasseth understanding,” and of His mercy and kindness which draw unto Him the souls of men. Never has it happened that anyone has been loved as much at any time as Christ is loved by so many different races, and never will it happen in time to come that anyone shall be so loved. But the title and power of a King in the strict and proper sense of that word is rightly claimed for Christ as man.

The Kingship of Christ is founded on the hypostatic union of His human nature with the divine nature in the person of the Word. It is a universal kingship and includes authority not only over individuals but also over civil society and its rulers.

Entrance to the Kingdom of Christ is had by doing penance for sins, by faith and by baptism. One remains a living member of the Kingdom through the fulfillment of the law of love, through the reception of the Sacraments particularly the Eucharist, and by fidelity to the guidance of the Church, the Mystical Body of the King.

The Preface of the Mass for this Feast reminds us that the Father anointed Christ to be priest forever and King of the whole world, so that He might offer Himself a spotless victim and peace-offering on the altar of the Cross for man’s redemption; and having made all creatures subject to His rule He might deliver to the Father a universal and eternal Kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, of love and of peace.

Reflection. The royal standard of Jesus Christ is the Cross, He rules the nations from a Tree. We are therefore His faithful subjects if we imitate His example of obedience, humility and sacrifice.

Lives of the Saints, With Reflections for Every Day in the Year, compiled from the "Lives of the Saints" by Rev. Alban Butler, with New Saints, New Edition, Benziger Brothers, New York, 1955