In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of
Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to
the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring.
And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due
to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his
holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private
affairs or in politics: and we said further, 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; and that We
promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ,
that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually
restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of
the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope
of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread and keener
interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one Source of Salvation, a
sign that men who had formerly spurned the rule of our Redeemer and had
exiled themselves from his kingdom were preparing, and even hastening,
to return to the duty of obedience.
2. The many notable and
memorable events which have occurred during this Holy Year have given
great honor and glory to Our Lord and King, the Founder of the Church.
3. At the Missionary Exhibition men have been deeply impressed in
seeing the increasing zeal of the Church for the spread of the kingdom
of her Spouse to the most far distant regions of the earth. They have
seen how many countries have been won to the Catholic name through the
unremitting labor and self-sacrifice of missionaries, and the vastness
of the regions which have yet to be subjected to the sweet and saving
yoke of our King. All those who in the course of the Holy Year have
thronged to this city under the leadership of their Bishops or priests
had but one aim - namely, to expiate their sins - and at the tombs of
the Apostles and in Our Presence to promise loyalty to the rule of
Christ.
4. A still further light of glory was shed upon his
kingdom, when after due proof of their heroic virtue, We raised to the
honors of the altar six confessors and virgins. It was a great joy, a
great consolation, that filled Our heart when in the majestic basilica
of St. Peter Our decree was acclaimed by an immense multitude with the
hymn of thanksgiving, Tu Rex gloriae Christe. We saw men and nations cut
off from God, stirring up strife and discord and hurrying along the
road to ruin and death, while the Church of God carries on her work of
providing food for the spiritual life of men, nurturing and fostering
generation after generation of men and women dedicated to Christ,
faithful and subject to him in his earthly kingdom, called by him to
eternal bliss in the kingdom of heaven.
5. Moreover, since this
jubilee Year marks the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea, We
commanded that event to be celebrated, and We have done so in the
Vatican basilica. There is a special reason for this in that the Nicene
Synod defined and proposed for Catholic belief the dogma of the
Consubstantiality of the Onlybegotten with the Father, and added to the
Creed the words "of whose kingdom there shall be no end," thereby
affirming the kingly dignity of Christ.
6. Since this Holy Year
therefore has provided more than one opportunity to enhance the glory
of the kingdom of Christ, we deem it in keeping with our Apostolic
office to accede to the desire of many of the Cardinals, Bishops, and
faithful, made known to Us both individually and collectively, by
closing this Holy Year with the insertion into the Sacred Liturgy of a
special feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This matter is
so dear to Our heart, Venerable Brethren, that I would wish to address
to you a few words concerning it. It will be for you later to explain in
a manner suited to the understanding of the faithful what We are about
to say concerning the Kingship of Christ, so that the annual feast which
We shall decree may be attended with much fruit and produce beneficial
results in the future.
7. It has long been a common custom to
give to Christ the metaphorical title of "King," because of the high
degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures. So he is said to
reign "in the hearts of men," both by reason of the keenness of his
intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very
truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all
mankind. He reigns, too, in the wills of men, for in him the human will
was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further
by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite
us to the most noble endeavors. He is King of hearts, too, by reason of
his "charity which exceedeth all knowledge." And his mercy and
kindness[1] which draw all men to him, for never has it been known, nor
will it ever be, that man be loved so much and so universally as Jesus
Christ. But if we ponder this matter more deeply, we cannot but see that
the title and the power of King belongs to Christ as man in the strict
and proper sense too. For it is only as man that he may be said to have
received from the Father "power and glory and a kingdom,"[2] since the
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.
8. Do we not read throughout the
Scriptures that Christ is the King? He it is that shall come out of
Jacob to rule,[3] who has been set by the Father as king over Sion, his
holy mount, and shall have the Gentiles for his inheritance, and the
utmost parts of the earth for his possession.[4] In the nuptial hymn,
where the future King of Israel is hailed as a most rich and powerful
monarch, we read: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter
of thy kingdom is a scepter of righteousness."[5] There are many similar
passages, but there is one in which Christ is even more clearly
indicated. Here it is foretold that his kingdom will have no limits, and
will be enriched with justice and peace: "in his days shall justice
spring up, and abundance of peace...And he shall rule from sea to sea,
and from the river unto the ends of the earth."[6]
9. The
testimony of the Prophets is even more abundant. That of Isaias is well
known: "For a child is born to us and a son is given to us, and the
government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, God the mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince
of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of
peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom; to
establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from
henceforth and for ever."[7] With Isaias the other Prophets are in
agreement. So Jeremias foretells the "just seed" that shall rest from
the house of David - the Son of David that shall reign as king, "and
shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."[8]
So, too, Daniel, who announces the kingdom that the God of heaven shall
found, "that shall never be destroyed, and shall stand for ever."[9] And
again he says: "I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and,
lo! one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven. And he came
even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he
gave him power and glory and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and
tongues shall serve him. His power is an everlasting power that shall
not be taken away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed."[10] The
prophecy of Zachary concerning the merciful King "riding upon an ass and
upon a colt the foal of an ass" entering Jerusalem as "the just and
savior," amid the acclamations of the multitude,[11] was recognized as
fulfilled by the holy evangelists themselves.
10. This same
doctrine of the Kingship of Christ which we have found in the Old
Testament is even more clearly taught and confirmed in the New. The
Archangel, announcing to the Virgin that she should bear a Son, says
that "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father,
and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end."[12]
11. Moreover, Christ himself speaks
of his own kingly authority: in his last discourse, speaking of the
rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the
damned; in his reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked him publicly
whether he were a king or not; after his resurrection, when giving to
his Apostles the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations, he took
the opportunity to call himself king,[13] confirming the title
publicly,[14] and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given him in
heaven and on earth.[15] These words can only be taken to indicate the
greatness of his power, the infinite extent of his kingdom. What wonder,
then, that he whom St. John calls the "prince of the kings of the
earth"[16] appears in the Apostle's vision of the future as he who "hath
on his garment and on his thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of
lords!'."[17] It is Christ whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all
things";[18] "for he must reign until at the end of the world he hath
put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father."[19]
12. It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the
sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ
on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should
with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her
annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she
used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language
to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the
Sacramentaries. She uses them daily now in the prayers publicly offered
to God, and in offering the Immaculate Victim. The perfect harmony of
the Eastern liturgies with our own in this continual praise of Christ
the King shows once more the truth of the axiom: Legem credendi lex
statuit supplicandi. The rule of faith is indicated by the law of our
worship.
13. The foundation of this power and dignity of Our
Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. "Christ," he says,
"has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor
usurped, but his by essence and by nature."[20] His kingship is founded
upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that
Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels
and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the
hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures. But a thought that
must give us even greater joy and consolation is this that Christ is
our King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our
Redeemer. Would that they who forget what they have cost their Savior
might recall the words: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and
undefiled."[21] We are no longer our own property, for Christ has
purchased us "with a great price";[22] our very bodies are the "members
of Christ."[23]
14. Let Us explain briefly the nature and
meaning of this lordship of Christ. It consists, We need scarcely say,
in a threefold power which is essential to lordship. This is
sufficiently clear from the scriptural testimony already adduced
concerning the universal dominion of our Redeemer, and moreover it is a
dogma of faith that Jesus Christ was given to man, not only as our
Redeemer, but also as a law-giver, to whom obedience is due.[24] Not
only do the gospels tell us that he made laws, but they present him to
us in the act of making them. Those who keep them show their love for
their Divine Master, and he promises that they shall remain in his
love.[25] He claimed judicial power as received from his Father, when
the Jews accused him of breaking the Sabbath by the miraculous cure of a
sick man. "For neither doth the Father judge any man; but hath given
all judgment to the Son."[26] In this power is included the right of
rewarding and punishing all men living, for this right is inseparable
from that of judging. Executive power, too, belongs to Christ, for all
must obey his commands; none may escape them, nor the sanctions he has
imposed.
15. This kingdom is spiritual and is concerned with
spiritual things. That this is so the above quotations from Scripture
amply prove, and Christ by his own action confirms it. On many
occasions, when the Jews and even the Apostles wrongly supposed that the
Messiah would restore the liberties and the kingdom of Israel, he
repelled and denied such a suggestion. When the populace thronged around
him in admiration and would have acclaimed him King, he shrank from the
honor and sought safety in flight. Before the Roman magistrate he
declared that his kingdom was not of this world. The gospels present
this kingdom as one which men prepare to enter by penance, and cannot
actually enter except by faith and by baptism, which, though an external
rite, signifies and produces an interior regeneration. This kingdom is
opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power of
darkness. It demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches
and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and
thirst after justice, and more than this, they must deny themselves and
carry the cross.
16. Christ as our Redeemer purchased the
Church at the price of his own blood; as priest he offered himself, and
continues to offer himself as a victim for our sins. Is it not evident,
then, that his kingly dignity partakes in a manner of both these
offices?
17. It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to
say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by
virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the
Father, all things are in his power. Nevertheless, during his life on
earth he refrained from the exercise of such authority, and although he
himself disdained to possess or to care for earthly goods, he did not,
nor does he today, interfere with those who possess them. Non eripit
mortalia qui regna dat caelestia.[27]
18. Thus the empire of
our Redeemer embraces all men. To use the words of Our immortal
predecessor, Pope Leo XIII: "His empire includes not only Catholic
nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the
Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by
schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that
truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus
Christ."[28] 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.
"Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved."[29] He is the
author of happiness and true prosperity for every man and for every
nation. "For a nation is happy when its citizens are happy. What else is
a nation but a number of men living in concord?"[30] If, therefore, the
rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote and
increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect the
public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We
said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of
public authority, and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true
at the present day. "With God and Jesus Christ," we said, "excluded from
political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the
very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief
reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated.
The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it
has no longer a secure and solid foundation."[31]
19. When once
men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King,
society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty,
well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord's regal office
invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious
significance; it ennobles the citizen's duty of obedience. It is for
this reason that St. Paul, while bidding wives revere Christ in their
husbands, and slaves respect Christ in their masters, warns them to give
obedience to them not as men, but as the vicegerents of Christ; for it
is not meet that men redeemed by Christ should serve their fellow-men.
"You are bought with a price; be not made the bond-slaves of men."[32]
If princes and magistrates duly elected are filled with the persuasion
that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the
place of the Divine King, they will exercise their authority piously and
wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the
common good and also the human dignity of their subjects. The result
will be a stable peace and tranquillity, for there will be no longer any
cause of discontent. Men will see in their king or in their rulers men
like themselves, perhaps unworthy or open to criticism, but they will
not on that account refuse obedience if they see reflected in them the
authority of Christ God and Man. Peace and harmony, too, will result;
for with the spread and the universal extent of the kingdom of Christ
men will become more and more conscious of the link that binds them
together, and thus many conflicts will be either prevented entirely or
at least their bitterness will be diminished.
20. If the
kingdom of Christ, then, receives, as it should, all nations under its
way, there seems no reason why we should despair of seeing that peace
which the King of Peace came to bring on earth - he who came to
reconcile all things, who came not to be ministered unto but to
minister, who, though Lord of all, gave himself to us as a model of
humility, and with his principal law united the precept of charity; who
said also: "My yoke is sweet and my burden light." Oh, what happiness
would be Ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations, would but
let themselves be governed by Christ! "Then at length," to use the words
addressed by our predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, twenty-five years ago to
the bishops of the Universal Church, "then at length will many evils be
cured; 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."[33]
21. That these blessings may be abundant and
lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of our
Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood, and to
the end nothing would serve better than the institution of a special
feast in honor of the Kingship of Christ. For people are instructed in
the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of
religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred
mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the
Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more
learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but
once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The church's
teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and
heart, and have a salutary effect upon the whole of man's nature. Man is
composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so
that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate
him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God's teaching, that he may
make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual
life.
22. History, in fact, tells us that in the course of ages
these festivals have been instituted one after another according as the
needs or the advantage of the people of Christ seemed to demand: as
when they needed strength to face a common danger, when they were
attacked by insidious heresies, when they needed to be urged to the
pious consideration of some mystery of faith or of some divine blessing.
Thus in the earliest days of the Christian era, when the people of
Christ were suffering cruel persecution, the cult of the martyrs was
begun in order, says St. Augustine, "that the feasts of the martyrs
might incite men to martyrdom."[34] The liturgical honors paid to
confessors, virgins and widows produced wonderful results in an
increased zest for virtue, necessary even in times of peace. But more
fruitful still were the feasts instituted in honor of the Blessed
Virgin. As a result of these men grew not only in their devotion to the
Mother of God as an ever-present advocate, but also in their love of her
as a mother bequeathed to them by their Redeemer. Not least among the
blessings which have resulted from the public and legitimate honor paid
to the Blessed Virgin and the saints is the perfect and perpetual
immunity of the Church from error and heresy. We may well admire in this
the admirable wisdom of the Providence of God, who, ever bringing good
out of evil, has from time to time suffered the faith and piety of men
to grow weak, and allowed Catholic truth to be attacked by false
doctrines, but always with the result that truth has afterwards shone
out with greater splendor, and that men's faith, aroused from its
lethargy, has shown itself more vigorous than before.
23. The
festivals that have been introduced into the liturgy in more recent
years have had a similar origin, and have been attended with similar
results. When reverence and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament had grown
cold, the feast of Corpus Christi was instituted, so that by means of
solemn processions and prayer of eight days' duration, men might be
brought once more to render public homage to Christ. So, too, the feast
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were
oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had made
their hearts grow cold, and shut them out from the love of God and the
hope of salvation.
24. If We ordain that the whole Catholic
world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need of the
present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the
plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of
anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities. This evil spirit,
as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has not come into being in
one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. The empire of Christ
over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from
Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all
that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then
gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions
and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then
put under the power of the state and tolerated more or less at the whim
of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished to set up
in the place of God's religion a natural religion consisting in some
instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who
thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should
consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals
and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable
consequences. We lamented these in the Encyclical Ubi arcano; we lament
them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter
enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the
cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a
pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many
private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek
nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by
these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their
duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a
word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin. We firmly hope,
however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ, which in future will
be yearly observed, 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.
25. Moreover, the annual and universal celebration of the feast of the
Kingship of Christ will draw attention to the evils which
anticlericalism has brought upon society in drawing men away from
Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the
beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their
conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his
kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights.
26. The way has been happily and providentially prepared for the
celebration of this feast ever since the end of the last century. It is
well known that this cult has been the subject of learned disquisitions
in many books published in every part of the world, written in many
different languages. The kingship and empire of Christ have been
recognized in the pious custom, practiced by many families, of
dedicating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; not only families
have performed this act of dedication, but nations, too, and kingdoms.
In fact, the whole of the human race was at the instance of Pope Leo
XIII, in the Holy Year 1900, consecrated to the Divine Heart. It should
be remarked also that much has been done for the recognition of Christ's
authority over society by the frequent Eucharistic Congresses which are
held in our age. These give an opportunity to the people of each
diocese, district or nation, and to the whole world of coming together
to venerate and adore Christ the King hidden under the Sacramental
species. Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions,
men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their
King. It is by a divine inspiration that the people of Christ bring
forth Jesus from his silent hiding-place in the church, and carry him in
triumph through the streets of the city, so that he whom men refused to
receive when he came unto his own, may now receive in full his kingly
rights.
27. For the fulfillment of the plan of which We have
spoken, the Holy Year, which is now speeding to its close, offers the
best possible opportunity. For during this year the God of mercy has
raised the minds and hearts of the faithful to the consideration of
heavenly blessings which are above all understanding, has either
restored them once more to his grace, or inciting them anew to strive
for higher gifts, has set their feet more firmly in the path of
righteousness. Whether, therefore, We consider the many prayers that
have been addressed to Us, or look to the events of the Jubilee Year,
just past, We have every reason to think that the desired moment has at
length arrived for enjoining that Christ be venerated by a special feast
as King of all mankind. In this year, as We said at the beginning of
this Letter, the Divine King, truly wonderful in all his works, has been
gloriously magnified, for another company of his soldiers has been
added to the list of saints. In this year men have looked upon strange
things and strange labors, from which they have understood and admired
the victories won by missionaries in the work of spreading his kingdom.
In this year, by solemnly celebrating the centenary of the Council of
Nicaea. We have commemorated the definition of the divinity of the word
Incarnate, the foundation of Christ's empire over all men.
28.
Therefore by Our Apostolic Authority We institute the Feast of the
Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be observed yearly throughout the
whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October - the Sunday,
that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints. We further
ordain that the dedication of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
which Our predecessor of saintly memory, Pope Pius X, commanded to be
renewed yearly, be made annually on that day. This year, however, We
desire that it be observed on the thirty-first day of the month on which
day We Ourselves shall celebrate pontifically in honor of the kingship
of Christ, and shall command that the same dedication be performed in
Our presence. It seems to Us that We cannot in a more fitting manner
close this Holy Year, nor better signify Our gratitude and that of the
whole of the Catholic world to Christ the immortal King of ages, for the
blessings showered upon Us, upon the Church, and upon the Catholic
world during this holy period.
29. It is not necessary,
Venerable Brethren, that We should explain to you at any length why We
have decreed that this feast of the Kingship of Christ should be
observed in addition to those other feasts in which his kingly dignity
is already signified and celebrated. It will suffice to remark that
although in all the feasts of our Lord the material object of worship is
Christ, nevertheless their formal object is something quite distinct
from his royal title and dignity. We have commanded its observance on a
Sunday in order that not only the clergy may perform their duty by
saying Mass and reciting the Office, but that the laity too, free from
their daily tasks, may in a spirit of holy joy give ample testimony of
their obedience and subjection to Christ. The last Sunday of October
seemed the most convenient of all for this purpose, because it is at the
end of the liturgical year, and thus the feast of the Kingship of
Christ sets the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ
already commemorated during the year, and, before celebrating the
triumph of all the Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who
triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect. Make it your duty and
your task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to the
people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance of
this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy of
faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.
30. We would
now, Venerable Brethren, in closing this letter, briefly enumerate the
blessings which We hope and pray may accrue to the Church, to society,
and to each one of the faithful, as a result of the public veneration of
the Kingship of Christ.
31. When we pay honor to the princely
dignity of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church,
founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable
right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state; and
that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching, ruling,
and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the kingdom of Christ,
she cannot be subject to any external power. The State is bound to
extend similar freedom to the orders and communities of religious of
either sex, who give most valuable help to the Bishops of the Church by
laboring for the extension and the establishment of the kingdom of
Christ. By their sacred vows they fight against the threefold
concupiscence of the world; by making profession of a more perfect life
they render the holiness which her divine Founder willed should be a
mark and characteristic of his Church more striking and more conspicuous
in the eyes of all.
32. Nations will be reminded by the annual
celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also
rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to
Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment,
wherein 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.
33. The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon
these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to
form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord
is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his
precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this
power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties
is exempt from his empire. 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.[35] If all these truths are presented to the faithful for their
consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection. It is
Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that those who are without the
fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we,
who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that
yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that
having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of God's kingdom, we
may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and
faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and
glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.
34. Let this letter,
Venerable Brethren, be a token to you of Our fatherly love as the Feast
of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ draws near; and receive the
Apostolic Benediction as a pledge of divine blessings, which with loving
heart, We impart to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy, and to
your people.
Given at St. Peter's Rome, on the eleventh day of the month of December, in the Holy Year 1925, the fourth of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XI
PRAYER TO CHRIST THE KING
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, I acknowledge You as King of the universe. All that has been created has been made for You. Exercise over me all Your rights. I renew my baptismal promises, renouncing Satan and all his work and pomps. I promise to live a good Christian life and to do all in my power to procure the triumph of the rights of God and Your Church. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer You my poor actions In order to obtain that all hearts May acknowledge Your Sacred Royalty, And that thus the reign of Your peace may be established throughout the universe.+ Amen.
In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of
Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to
the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring.
And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due
to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his
holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private
affairs or in politics: and we said further, 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; and that We
promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ,
that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually
restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of
the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope
of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread and keener
interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one Source of Salvation, a
sign that men who had formerly spurned the rule of our Redeemer and had
exiled themselves from his kingdom were preparing, and even hastening,
to return to the duty of obedience.
2. The many notable and
memorable events which have occurred during this Holy Year have given
great honor and glory to Our Lord and King, the Founder of the Church.
3. At the Missionary Exhibition men have been deeply impressed in
seeing the increasing zeal of the Church for the spread of the kingdom
of her Spouse to the most far distant regions of the earth. They have
seen how many countries have been won to the Catholic name through the
unremitting labor and self-sacrifice of missionaries, and the vastness
of the regions which have yet to be subjected to the sweet and saving
yoke of our King. All those who in the course of the Holy Year have
thronged to this city under the leadership of their Bishops or priests
had but one aim - namely, to expiate their sins - and at the tombs of
the Apostles and in Our Presence to promise loyalty to the rule of
Christ.
4. A still further light of glory was shed upon his
kingdom, when after due proof of their heroic virtue, We raised to the
honors of the altar six confessors and virgins. It was a great joy, a
great consolation, that filled Our heart when in the majestic basilica
of St. Peter Our decree was acclaimed by an immense multitude with the
hymn of thanksgiving, Tu Rex gloriae Christe. We saw men and nations cut
off from God, stirring up strife and discord and hurrying along the
road to ruin and death, while the Church of God carries on her work of
providing food for the spiritual life of men, nurturing and fostering
generation after generation of men and women dedicated to Christ,
faithful and subject to him in his earthly kingdom, called by him to
eternal bliss in the kingdom of heaven.
5. Moreover, since this
jubilee Year marks the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea, We
commanded that event to be celebrated, and We have done so in the
Vatican basilica. There is a special reason for this in that the Nicene
Synod defined and proposed for Catholic belief the dogma of the
Consubstantiality of the Onlybegotten with the Father, and added to the
Creed the words "of whose kingdom there shall be no end," thereby
affirming the kingly dignity of Christ.
6. Since this Holy Year
therefore has provided more than one opportunity to enhance the glory
of the kingdom of Christ, we deem it in keeping with our Apostolic
office to accede to the desire of many of the Cardinals, Bishops, and
faithful, made known to Us both individually and collectively, by
closing this Holy Year with the insertion into the Sacred Liturgy of a
special feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This matter is
so dear to Our heart, Venerable Brethren, that I would wish to address
to you a few words concerning it. It will be for you later to explain in
a manner suited to the understanding of the faithful what We are about
to say concerning the Kingship of Christ, so that the annual feast which
We shall decree may be attended with much fruit and produce beneficial
results in the future.
7. It has long been a common custom to
give to Christ the metaphorical title of "King," because of the high
degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures. So he is said to
reign "in the hearts of men," both by reason of the keenness of his
intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very
truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all
mankind. He reigns, too, in the wills of men, for in him the human will
was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further
by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite
us to the most noble endeavors. He is King of hearts, too, by reason of
his "charity which exceedeth all knowledge." And his mercy and
kindness[1] which draw all men to him, for never has it been known, nor
will it ever be, that man be loved so much and so universally as Jesus
Christ. But if we ponder this matter more deeply, we cannot but see that
the title and the power of King belongs to Christ as man in the strict
and proper sense too. For it is only as man that he may be said to have
received from the Father "power and glory and a kingdom,"[2] since the
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.
8. Do we not read throughout the
Scriptures that Christ is the King? He it is that shall come out of
Jacob to rule,[3] who has been set by the Father as king over Sion, his
holy mount, and shall have the Gentiles for his inheritance, and the
utmost parts of the earth for his possession.[4] In the nuptial hymn,
where the future King of Israel is hailed as a most rich and powerful
monarch, we read: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter
of thy kingdom is a scepter of righteousness."[5] There are many similar
passages, but there is one in which Christ is even more clearly
indicated. Here it is foretold that his kingdom will have no limits, and
will be enriched with justice and peace: "in his days shall justice
spring up, and abundance of peace...And he shall rule from sea to sea,
and from the river unto the ends of the earth."[6]
9. The
testimony of the Prophets is even more abundant. That of Isaias is well
known: "For a child is born to us and a son is given to us, and the
government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, God the mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince
of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of
peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom; to
establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from
henceforth and for ever."[7] With Isaias the other Prophets are in
agreement. So Jeremias foretells the "just seed" that shall rest from
the house of David - the Son of David that shall reign as king, "and
shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."[8]
So, too, Daniel, who announces the kingdom that the God of heaven shall
found, "that shall never be destroyed, and shall stand for ever."[9] And
again he says: "I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and,
lo! one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven. And he came
even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he
gave him power and glory and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and
tongues shall serve him. His power is an everlasting power that shall
not be taken away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed."[10] The
prophecy of Zachary concerning the merciful King "riding upon an ass and
upon a colt the foal of an ass" entering Jerusalem as "the just and
savior," amid the acclamations of the multitude,[11] was recognized as
fulfilled by the holy evangelists themselves.
10. This same
doctrine of the Kingship of Christ which we have found in the Old
Testament is even more clearly taught and confirmed in the New. The
Archangel, announcing to the Virgin that she should bear a Son, says
that "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father,
and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end."[12]
11. Moreover, Christ himself speaks
of his own kingly authority: in his last discourse, speaking of the
rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the
damned; in his reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked him publicly
whether he were a king or not; after his resurrection, when giving to
his Apostles the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations, he took
the opportunity to call himself king,[13] confirming the title
publicly,[14] and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given him in
heaven and on earth.[15] These words can only be taken to indicate the
greatness of his power, the infinite extent of his kingdom. What wonder,
then, that he whom St. John calls the "prince of the kings of the
earth"[16] appears in the Apostle's vision of the future as he who "hath
on his garment and on his thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of
lords!'."[17] It is Christ whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all
things";[18] "for he must reign until at the end of the world he hath
put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father."[19]
12. It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the
sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ
on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should
with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her
annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she
used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language
to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the
Sacramentaries. She uses them daily now in the prayers publicly offered
to God, and in offering the Immaculate Victim. The perfect harmony of
the Eastern liturgies with our own in this continual praise of Christ
the King shows once more the truth of the axiom: Legem credendi lex
statuit supplicandi. The rule of faith is indicated by the law of our
worship.
13. The foundation of this power and dignity of Our
Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. "Christ," he says,
"has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor
usurped, but his by essence and by nature."[20] His kingship is founded
upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that
Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels
and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the
hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures. But a thought that
must give us even greater joy and consolation is this that Christ is
our King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our
Redeemer. Would that they who forget what they have cost their Savior
might recall the words: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and
undefiled."[21] We are no longer our own property, for Christ has
purchased us "with a great price";[22] our very bodies are the "members
of Christ."[23]
14. Let Us explain briefly the nature and
meaning of this lordship of Christ. It consists, We need scarcely say,
in a threefold power which is essential to lordship. This is
sufficiently clear from the scriptural testimony already adduced
concerning the universal dominion of our Redeemer, and moreover it is a
dogma of faith that Jesus Christ was given to man, not only as our
Redeemer, but also as a law-giver, to whom obedience is due.[24] Not
only do the gospels tell us that he made laws, but they present him to
us in the act of making them. Those who keep them show their love for
their Divine Master, and he promises that they shall remain in his
love.[25] He claimed judicial power as received from his Father, when
the Jews accused him of breaking the Sabbath by the miraculous cure of a
sick man. "For neither doth the Father judge any man; but hath given
all judgment to the Son."[26] In this power is included the right of
rewarding and punishing all men living, for this right is inseparable
from that of judging. Executive power, too, belongs to Christ, for all
must obey his commands; none may escape them, nor the sanctions he has
imposed.
15. This kingdom is spiritual and is concerned with
spiritual things. That this is so the above quotations from Scripture
amply prove, and Christ by his own action confirms it. On many
occasions, when the Jews and even the Apostles wrongly supposed that the
Messiah would restore the liberties and the kingdom of Israel, he
repelled and denied such a suggestion. When the populace thronged around
him in admiration and would have acclaimed him King, he shrank from the
honor and sought safety in flight. Before the Roman magistrate he
declared that his kingdom was not of this world. The gospels present
this kingdom as one which men prepare to enter by penance, and cannot
actually enter except by faith and by baptism, which, though an external
rite, signifies and produces an interior regeneration. This kingdom is
opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power of
darkness. It demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches
and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and
thirst after justice, and more than this, they must deny themselves and
carry the cross.
16. Christ as our Redeemer purchased the
Church at the price of his own blood; as priest he offered himself, and
continues to offer himself as a victim for our sins. Is it not evident,
then, that his kingly dignity partakes in a manner of both these
offices?
17. It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to
say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by
virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the
Father, all things are in his power. Nevertheless, during his life on
earth he refrained from the exercise of such authority, and although he
himself disdained to possess or to care for earthly goods, he did not,
nor does he today, interfere with those who possess them. Non eripit
mortalia qui regna dat caelestia.[27]
18. Thus the empire of
our Redeemer embraces all men. To use the words of Our immortal
predecessor, Pope Leo XIII: "His empire includes not only Catholic
nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the
Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by
schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that
truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus
Christ."[28] 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.
"Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved."[29] He is the
author of happiness and true prosperity for every man and for every
nation. "For a nation is happy when its citizens are happy. What else is
a nation but a number of men living in concord?"[30] If, therefore, the
rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote and
increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect the
public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We
said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of
public authority, and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true
at the present day. "With God and Jesus Christ," we said, "excluded from
political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the
very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief
reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated.
The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it
has no longer a secure and solid foundation."[31]
19. When once
men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King,
society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty,
well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord's regal office
invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious
significance; it ennobles the citizen's duty of obedience. It is for
this reason that St. Paul, while bidding wives revere Christ in their
husbands, and slaves respect Christ in their masters, warns them to give
obedience to them not as men, but as the vicegerents of Christ; for it
is not meet that men redeemed by Christ should serve their fellow-men.
"You are bought with a price; be not made the bond-slaves of men."[32]
If princes and magistrates duly elected are filled with the persuasion
that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the
place of the Divine King, they will exercise their authority piously and
wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the
common good and also the human dignity of their subjects. The result
will be a stable peace and tranquillity, for there will be no longer any
cause of discontent. Men will see in their king or in their rulers men
like themselves, perhaps unworthy or open to criticism, but they will
not on that account refuse obedience if they see reflected in them the
authority of Christ God and Man. Peace and harmony, too, will result;
for with the spread and the universal extent of the kingdom of Christ
men will become more and more conscious of the link that binds them
together, and thus many conflicts will be either prevented entirely or
at least their bitterness will be diminished.
20. If the
kingdom of Christ, then, receives, as it should, all nations under its
way, there seems no reason why we should despair of seeing that peace
which the King of Peace came to bring on earth - he who came to
reconcile all things, who came not to be ministered unto but to
minister, who, though Lord of all, gave himself to us as a model of
humility, and with his principal law united the precept of charity; who
said also: "My yoke is sweet and my burden light." Oh, what happiness
would be Ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations, would but
let themselves be governed by Christ! "Then at length," to use the words
addressed by our predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, twenty-five years ago to
the bishops of the Universal Church, "then at length will many evils be
cured; 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."[33]
21. That these blessings may be abundant and
lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of our
Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood, and to
the end nothing would serve better than the institution of a special
feast in honor of the Kingship of Christ. For people are instructed in
the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of
religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred
mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the
Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more
learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but
once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The church's
teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and
heart, and have a salutary effect upon the whole of man's nature. Man is
composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so
that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate
him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God's teaching, that he may
make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual
life.
22. History, in fact, tells us that in the course of ages
these festivals have been instituted one after another according as the
needs or the advantage of the people of Christ seemed to demand: as
when they needed strength to face a common danger, when they were
attacked by insidious heresies, when they needed to be urged to the
pious consideration of some mystery of faith or of some divine blessing.
Thus in the earliest days of the Christian era, when the people of
Christ were suffering cruel persecution, the cult of the martyrs was
begun in order, says St. Augustine, "that the feasts of the martyrs
might incite men to martyrdom."[34] The liturgical honors paid to
confessors, virgins and widows produced wonderful results in an
increased zest for virtue, necessary even in times of peace. But more
fruitful still were the feasts instituted in honor of the Blessed
Virgin. As a result of these men grew not only in their devotion to the
Mother of God as an ever-present advocate, but also in their love of her
as a mother bequeathed to them by their Redeemer. Not least among the
blessings which have resulted from the public and legitimate honor paid
to the Blessed Virgin and the saints is the perfect and perpetual
immunity of the Church from error and heresy. We may well admire in this
the admirable wisdom of the Providence of God, who, ever bringing good
out of evil, has from time to time suffered the faith and piety of men
to grow weak, and allowed Catholic truth to be attacked by false
doctrines, but always with the result that truth has afterwards shone
out with greater splendor, and that men's faith, aroused from its
lethargy, has shown itself more vigorous than before.
23. The
festivals that have been introduced into the liturgy in more recent
years have had a similar origin, and have been attended with similar
results. When reverence and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament had grown
cold, the feast of Corpus Christi was instituted, so that by means of
solemn processions and prayer of eight days' duration, men might be
brought once more to render public homage to Christ. So, too, the feast
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were
oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had made
their hearts grow cold, and shut them out from the love of God and the
hope of salvation.
24. If We ordain that the whole Catholic
world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need of the
present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the
plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of
anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities. This evil spirit,
as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has not come into being in
one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. The empire of Christ
over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from
Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all
that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then
gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions
and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then
put under the power of the state and tolerated more or less at the whim
of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished to set up
in the place of God's religion a natural religion consisting in some
instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who
thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should
consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals
and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable
consequences. We lamented these in the Encyclical Ubi arcano; we lament
them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter
enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the
cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a
pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many
private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek
nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by
these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their
duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a
word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin. We firmly hope,
however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ, which in future will
be yearly observed, 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.
25. Moreover, the annual and universal celebration of the feast of the
Kingship of Christ will draw attention to the evils which
anticlericalism has brought upon society in drawing men away from
Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the
beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their
conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his
kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights.
26. The way has been happily and providentially prepared for the
celebration of this feast ever since the end of the last century. It is
well known that this cult has been the subject of learned disquisitions
in many books published in every part of the world, written in many
different languages. The kingship and empire of Christ have been
recognized in the pious custom, practiced by many families, of
dedicating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; not only families
have performed this act of dedication, but nations, too, and kingdoms.
In fact, the whole of the human race was at the instance of Pope Leo
XIII, in the Holy Year 1900, consecrated to the Divine Heart. It should
be remarked also that much has been done for the recognition of Christ's
authority over society by the frequent Eucharistic Congresses which are
held in our age. These give an opportunity to the people of each
diocese, district or nation, and to the whole world of coming together
to venerate and adore Christ the King hidden under the Sacramental
species. Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions,
men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their
King. It is by a divine inspiration that the people of Christ bring
forth Jesus from his silent hiding-place in the church, and carry him in
triumph through the streets of the city, so that he whom men refused to
receive when he came unto his own, may now receive in full his kingly
rights.
27. For the fulfillment of the plan of which We have
spoken, the Holy Year, which is now speeding to its close, offers the
best possible opportunity. For during this year the God of mercy has
raised the minds and hearts of the faithful to the consideration of
heavenly blessings which are above all understanding, has either
restored them once more to his grace, or inciting them anew to strive
for higher gifts, has set their feet more firmly in the path of
righteousness. Whether, therefore, We consider the many prayers that
have been addressed to Us, or look to the events of the Jubilee Year,
just past, We have every reason to think that the desired moment has at
length arrived for enjoining that Christ be venerated by a special feast
as King of all mankind. In this year, as We said at the beginning of
this Letter, the Divine King, truly wonderful in all his works, has been
gloriously magnified, for another company of his soldiers has been
added to the list of saints. In this year men have looked upon strange
things and strange labors, from which they have understood and admired
the victories won by missionaries in the work of spreading his kingdom.
In this year, by solemnly celebrating the centenary of the Council of
Nicaea. We have commemorated the definition of the divinity of the word
Incarnate, the foundation of Christ's empire over all men.
28.
Therefore by Our Apostolic Authority We institute the Feast of the
Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be observed yearly throughout the
whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October - the Sunday,
that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints. We further
ordain that the dedication of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
which Our predecessor of saintly memory, Pope Pius X, commanded to be
renewed yearly, be made annually on that day. This year, however, We
desire that it be observed on the thirty-first day of the month on which
day We Ourselves shall celebrate pontifically in honor of the kingship
of Christ, and shall command that the same dedication be performed in
Our presence. It seems to Us that We cannot in a more fitting manner
close this Holy Year, nor better signify Our gratitude and that of the
whole of the Catholic world to Christ the immortal King of ages, for the
blessings showered upon Us, upon the Church, and upon the Catholic
world during this holy period.
29. It is not necessary,
Venerable Brethren, that We should explain to you at any length why We
have decreed that this feast of the Kingship of Christ should be
observed in addition to those other feasts in which his kingly dignity
is already signified and celebrated. It will suffice to remark that
although in all the feasts of our Lord the material object of worship is
Christ, nevertheless their formal object is something quite distinct
from his royal title and dignity. We have commanded its observance on a
Sunday in order that not only the clergy may perform their duty by
saying Mass and reciting the Office, but that the laity too, free from
their daily tasks, may in a spirit of holy joy give ample testimony of
their obedience and subjection to Christ. The last Sunday of October
seemed the most convenient of all for this purpose, because it is at the
end of the liturgical year, and thus the feast of the Kingship of
Christ sets the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ
already commemorated during the year, and, before celebrating the
triumph of all the Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who
triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect. Make it your duty and
your task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to the
people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance of
this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy of
faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.
30. We would
now, Venerable Brethren, in closing this letter, briefly enumerate the
blessings which We hope and pray may accrue to the Church, to society,
and to each one of the faithful, as a result of the public veneration of
the Kingship of Christ.
31. When we pay honor to the princely
dignity of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church,
founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable
right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state; and
that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching, ruling,
and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the kingdom of Christ,
she cannot be subject to any external power. The State is bound to
extend similar freedom to the orders and communities of religious of
either sex, who give most valuable help to the Bishops of the Church by
laboring for the extension and the establishment of the kingdom of
Christ. By their sacred vows they fight against the threefold
concupiscence of the world; by making profession of a more perfect life
they render the holiness which her divine Founder willed should be a
mark and characteristic of his Church more striking and more conspicuous
in the eyes of all.
32. Nations will be reminded by the annual
celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also
rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to
Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment,
wherein 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.
33. The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon
these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to
form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord
is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his
precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this
power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties
is exempt from his empire. 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.[35] If all these truths are presented to the faithful for their
consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection. It is
Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that those who are without the
fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we,
who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that
yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that
having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of God's kingdom, we
may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and
faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and
glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.
34. Let this letter,
Venerable Brethren, be a token to you of Our fatherly love as the Feast
of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ draws near; and receive the
Apostolic Benediction as a pledge of divine blessings, which with loving
heart, We impart to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy, and to
your people.
Given at St. Peter's Rome, on the eleventh day of the month of December, in the Holy Year 1925, the fourth of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XI
PRAYER TO CHRIST THE KING
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, I acknowledge You as King of the universe. All that has been created has been made for You. Exercise over me all Your rights. I renew my baptismal promises, renouncing Satan and all his work and pomps. I promise to live a good Christian life and to do all in my power to procure the triumph of the rights of God and Your Church. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer You my poor actions In order to obtain that all hearts May acknowledge Your Sacred Royalty, And that thus the reign of Your peace may be established throughout the universe.+ Amen.
PRAYER TO CHRIST THE KING
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, I acknowledge You as King of the universe. All that has been created has been made for You. Exercise over me all Your rights. I renew my baptismal promises, renouncing Satan and all his work and pomps. I promise to live a good Christian life and to do all in my power to procure the triumph of the rights of God and Your Church. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer You my poor actions In order to obtain that all hearts May acknowledge Your Sacred Royalty, And that thus the reign of Your peace may be established throughout the universe.+ Amen.
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