I am a King. For this was I born, and for this I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth hears my voice.
On the very day of the Annunciation, the archangel told Our Blessed Lady that the Child to be born would reign over the house of Jacob and that of His kingdom there would be no end. This was all in accordance with the prophecies: the Messiah would be a king, a great king of the line of David.
But when Our Lady opened her eyes on the newborn babe in Bethlehem and saw him abandoned by all, obliged to take refuge in a cave with animals, when she saw Him condemned to death as a mock king, her faith was put to the test. Is this helpless babe, born in destitution, the King promised of old? Is this criminal, condemned to an excruciating death, the Ruler of the nations?
As it was yesterday, so it is today. God’s ways are not our ways. There are many today who reject the kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, even though many in the Church acknowledge Christ to be “king of the universe” that it to say, one whose kingship will ultimately be acknowledged in eternity, too many refuse to Christ the prerogative of being King of individuals, of families, of societies and nations.
For Christ is king of all. He has been established by the Father, by virtue of the hypostatic union, Lord of all. To quote the awesome words of St Paul: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For in Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by Him and in Him. And He is before all: and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may hold the primacy: Because in Him, it hath well pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell: And through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross, both as to the things that are on earth and the things that are in heaven (Col 1:15-20).
What does this mean? Quite simply that, in virtue of Who He is, all souls are obliged to pay Him homage, not only individually, but also as a group, as a society, as a nation. Every soul and every nation has a duty to bend the knee before Our Lord. The whole world, from pole to pole, should fall to its knees in adoration and praise of the Divine Heart of the Saviour.
It was moved by this conviction that Pope Pius XI instituted this feast. In the aftermath of what was called the Great War, as society found itself on the brink of disaster, this venerable Pontiff called upon the whole Catholic world to turn to Our Lord and acknowledge that He alone could save us. Instaurare omnia in Christo – to restore all things in Christ, according to the word of St Paul to the Ephesians, and which became the motto of Pope St Pius X, was henceforth the word of command: if the world wants to be spared more calamities, it must turn to Christ the Lord, it must acknowledge His sovereign dominion, it must reject all false gods and all false religions, as well as any compromise with the truth whatsoever. Only truth can save. Christ came to bear witness to the Truth, and everyone who listens to the Truth comes to Christ and to the one Church He founded.
As we look out over our poor world now approaching the third decade of this millennium, we cannot fail to be moved by its plight. Since the days of Pius XI, humanity has rushed headlong from catastrophe to catastrophe, turning ever more its back on Christ, obstinately seeking new ways of making itself god. Turning against God, becoming its own idol, it ends up ceasing to be even human. It is concerned for trees and animals, but delivers its own children to slaughter. Vice is not only rampant, it is glorified and imposed ruthlessly as law by men with no conscience.
In this context, it is for us who truly believe to repeat to our beloved Lord our love and fidelity. We monks who have the privilege of being His guard of honour each day especially during the solemn celebration of the Divine Office, let us renew our devotion, let us strive untiringly to make amends for the apostasy of nations, the betrayal of Christians, the lukewarmness of consecrated souls. Let it not be said that on our watch the forces of evil gained advantage over the souls redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, “whose power is an everlasting power which shall not be taken away, whose kingdom is a kingdom that shall not decay”.
For Him let us be prepared to fight even unto death in the cause of truth and holiness. Let Him reign to the utter ends of the earth. Vivat! Long live Christ the King!
