Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King in response to growing secularism in society.
"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 . . .. 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" (Pope Pius XI, encyclical 'Quas Primas', 1925).
Some say Pope Pius XI also chose that day because several Protestant churches observe Reformation Sunday on the last Sunday of October.
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| Pope Pius XI |
"To repair the crime… which denies God's rights over human society whose Author He is, we must exalt Jesus Christ as King over all individuals, families, and peoples. If His universal royalty be proclaimed and His reign in society recognized, one of the principal evils of the modern world—the secularizing of public and private life—will be attacked at its roots." (The Love of God and of the Cross of Jesus, P. Garrigou-Lagrange OP).
Blessed Miguel Pro and Christ the King
The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King was celebrated first on October 31, 1926. In Mexico, 200,000 faithful went to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Among the crowd was the Jesuit priest and future martyr José Ramón Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, S.J., known as Blessed Miguel Pro. The faithful had come on pilgrimage, but they were also protesting the repressive anti-Catholic “Calles Law.” Pro writes:
"On October 31st, the Feast of Christ the King, we had the biggest, most sublime demonstration that the entire world has seen in the last four centuries."
Young Fr. Miguel Pro was arrested a little more than a year later, on November 1927 after celebrating only one other Feast of Christ the King, and he was executed on the 23rd of that month. As he faced the firing squad, he shouted ¡Viva Cristo Rey!—“Long Live Christ the King!”
"Pius XI’s feast had become the inspiration for the battle cry of the Cristeros rebellion against atheistic tyranny and the motto of martyrs."
Changing the Focus by Replacing the Feast
In his motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis of 1969, Pope Paul VI created a new Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe and established it on the final Sunday of the liturgical year, the last Sunday before the new liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent. He wrote this choice of date makes clearer "the eschatological importance of this Sunday." Some see creating a new feast with a new title, new date, and new readings focussing towards second coming of Christ minimizes the important reason behind the origins of the original feast, which was to emphasize the victorious reign of Christ in this world.
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Image: The painting of Christ the King in this post is the middle image of the top three center panels of the Ghent Altarpiece, (1432), one of the most renowned pieces of sacred art in the Christian world. The altarpiece was begun by Hubert van Eyck and finished by his famous brother Jan. It is located at Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium.
The figure of Christ wears priestly vestments with a three-tiered papal tiara and what looks to be a Jewish priest's jeweled breastplate. Also richly jeweled, a golden worldly crown is laid at his feet. He raises his right hand in blessing while His left hand holds an ornate scepter, which also indicates kingship.
In the three arches around His head, the lettering reads, "Here is God, most powerful because of his divine majesty and high over all because of his sweet goodness and most generous in giving because of his measureless bounty."
He faces the viewer in front of a panel filled with inscriptions and symbols. Greek inscriptions on the hem of His cope read REX REGUM ET DOMINUS DOMINANTIUM ("King of Kings, and Lord of Lords"). On either side the steps are lined with two levels of text. The left hand upper line reads VITA SINE MORTE IN CAPITE ("Life without death on his head"), that on the right LUVENTUS SINE SENECTUTE IN FRONTE ("Youth without age on his forehead"). These are placed above - on the left and right respectively - the words GAUDIUM SINE MERORE A DEXTRIS ("Joy without sorrow on his right side") and SECURITAS SINE TIMORE A SINISTRIS ("Safety without fear on his left side").
The inscription on his sash says "Sabaut" (as in "Lord Sabbaoth his name").
Many disagree for various reasons over whether the figure is of God the Father or the Son. Some believe the ambiguity is intentional. For several reasons, I believe it is of God the Son.
Firstly, the youthful face is much more typical of images of Christ than of God the Father. Also significant is the image's horizontal placement in the center of a triptych, between the Virgin Mary on the left and St. John the Baptist on the right—both figures closely related to Jesus in iconography. In addition, it is also quite telling that St. John the Baptist is pointing toward Him, in light of how it was John who said Behold the Lamb of God when Christ appeared—and, finally, the image's position on the vertical plane is important. The entire center painting of the altarpiece below this triptych is dedicated to the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.
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