Christus Rex

Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (INRI)


Viva Cristo Rey!

On the 11 December 1925, four years before the great depression, Pope Pius XI inaugurated the anual feast of Christ the King, for the last Sunday of October, to put the entire world at the feet of Christ: "whose kingdom will never end."

Christ is the King of the universe and the center of human history. (Redemptor Hominis, 1 "The Redeemer of man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history.") This means that He is the supreme Legislator--the entire created world was established by Him and follows His laws...Also that He is the supreme Judge: that His Judgments are all from sound judgment without error to judge all things in the created world. In this way He shall ever be the supreme Governor of our minds--we shall think with the heart of Jesus our King. He shall reign over our will--we shall only will what He wills. And He shall reign over our hearts. For this reason also He is our great King, because of the heartful love which He inspires. No man has ever been loved or ever will be loved as much as He. His kingdom is that of love: of life commitment ("If you are the Son of God": His throne is the cross, and the earth is His footstool, to ascend it! The giving of self not violence or abuse), and thus we come to the last aspect of His reign--the executive power of Christ.

He has the power of works. All works of mercy are all the works of our King. He came to expell demons, to give sight to the blind, to raise the dead and to preach the Gospel to the poor. He came to seek out and to save the lost sheep. And so He still comes to execute His power of mercy and love, through the ministry of the Church, especially through the sacraments; our great King gives us His flesh and blood nourishment daily to face and transform the world with His way, with His truth, with His life in us. Our king, Christ, changes the world one man at a time, changing your heart and mine, giving us the consciosness of His law, the laws of the universe and of man, ever aware of His impending judgment which will ultimately set everything right giving to each man what each deserves, and eagerly speading His message of mercy and truth by bringing Him to the whole world. That He may reign.
Today we say to Him "Thy kingdom come, Father, en Christ our King. May He live, truly live in us and with us all!