Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925. In his encyclical letter Quas primas the pope wrote,
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 (no. 32).
Jesus is a servant king. He came to minister to the poorest of humanity. As truly God and truly man, Christ is the Great Bridge to God the Father. The best kings unite and have the loyalty of their subjects. Unity can take place through force or love. Forced unity is not true unity—it is disunity masked under the guise of harmony.
People who live under the rule of a tyrant only obey the law because of penalty of prison or death. Lasting unity happens not in the form of forced government, but in the love of a family.
Through the sacrament of Baptism one becomes an adopted child of God. God rules through love not with intimidation tactics. Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the Cross was in obedience to the Father’s will and out of love for us all. Let us see Christ, not as a distant aloof king, but instead a brother leading us with love!
