 |
| Pope Pius XI in 1929 |
In secularism, God is relegated to a
personal choice and to be kept private. For the secularist to bring up the
subject of God and religion is to make an imposition upon others. What
secularism is saying is that God doesn’t have jurisdiction over the world that
we know, just to do with something private or personal to the individual if
they are into that sort of thing. As we know, that is what is happening in the
society we live.
Nationalism is to over emphasise the
role of the nation state, and to make it into the goal of life to promote its
power. In nationalism one could think that one’s nation is key to a glorious
future of humanity. We only have to consider the 20th century and
the disastrous nationalist delusions of Germany in Europe, and Japan in the
East, to realise how terrible this error can become.
Both secularism and nationalism fail
to acknowledge that Christ our Lord has sovereignty over everyone. That Christ
our God is Lord of heaven and earth, and we are His subjects both in the
Kingdom to come, but also in the world we now live in. So, by celebrating this
feast, Pope Pius XI, hoped we Catholics would be reminded of the errors of both
secularism and nationalism by reminding us of Christ’s kingship.
Basis of Christ's Kingship
The Kingship of Christ is founded
first on the unity within Himself – that Christ is both man and God. He is not
a little bit of both mixed together – He is both a man, and as God the Son fully
united with God the Father. He is the eternal, Word of God, and through Him all
things were made. This is expressed literally in the creation accounts of
Genesis when everything is created by the word of God: “God said, Let there be light. And there was
light.” So therefore, as everything was created through Him, Christ has a total
dominion over every creature including Angels and Men.
Secondly, Christ is also our King
because of the Redemption. He redeemed us by His crucifixion. We were bought by
Him, and thus we no longer belong to ourselves. In accepting Him as our
Redeemer we accept becoming His subjects.
And thirdly, Christ told us at the
end of the gospel, “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me.”
(Matthew 28)
So what does this mean for us?
Let us hear Pope Pius XI's answer:
"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." (Pope Pius XI)
So, this feast is reminding us of how
we are to reach the goal of this life, which is the heavenly Kingdom. In heaven
we freely allow Christ total sovereignty over all our faculties. We cannot
reach heaven without doing this. And this life is about getting closer to that
goal by the grace Christ gives us through His Church.
So, we must make sure we allow
ourselves to be educated by Him, that our minds may become subject to Him. We
must train our wills to obey His commands and to grow in virtue. We must train
our hearts to desire Christ above all things in this life. And we must train
our bodies that they serve our souls and not be merely there for
self-gratification, but that our bodies help us grow in holiness.
Thus may we celebrate Christ our King
– King of our minds, wills, hearts and bodies.
Amen.
