This weekend we as we gather for our liturgies, we come to the end of our Church Year with the celebration of the Feast of Christ Our King. This feast has significance for Christians everywhere, but especially to us at Christ the King. When our parish was founded in 1939, Bishop Chartrand placed it under the patronage of Christ the King. As a parish community we are proud to bear the name of our Savior under this very special title.
The Feast of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI on December 11, 1925. The Holy Father was responding to the fact that the world was becoming increasingly secularized and nationalistic. Totalitarian governments were claiming more and more allegiance from their citizens and attempting to take the place of God.
In the encyclical letter by which he established the feast as part of the calendar of the Universal Church, Pope Pius wrote, “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 and all the more universally affirm his rights.”
The Pope established the feast to remind us of the allegiance we owe to Christ that is above allegiance to any government. We are reminded of the words of Jesus in the Gospel, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but give to God what belongs to God.” No government or political party has an absolute claim on our conscience. While Christians strive to be good citizens of the countries to which they belong, our ultimate allegiance belongs to God.
Ninety-two years after Pope Pius instituted the Feast of Christ the King his words remain prophetic. The very culture that has been created by secular elites in the United States not only ignores God, but now openly mocks God and the things of God. For many today religious faith disqualifies a man or woman for public service. Religious faith is ignored or mocked in the television dramas and comedies that are aired on any given night of the week.
And yet we know that God is alive and well! Jesus and the Kingdom he heralds are not things of a distant past, but a future that is coming. Each of us must decide on which side of history we will stand. As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King this weekend let us make our voices loud and clear as we renew our allegiance to Christ our King!
See you at Mass!