That Christ is King over all creation is the theme of the whole Mass and Office of the feast. The Mass begins with the magnificent Apocalyptic vision of the Lamb of God, sacrificed but henceforth glorified for ever, acclaimed by the innumerable host of Angels and Saints (Intr.). By its position on the last Sunday of October, towards the end of the Liturgical year and just before All Saints, the feast of Christ the King comes as the climax of our celebration of all Christ’s mysteries and a kind of earthly anticipation of his everlasting reign over the elect in the glory of heaven. It sums up the Christian message that by his Death and Resurrection Christ has conquered sin and death and reigns in the glory of his victory among the elect who are its fruit. Christ is the creative Word; he is the Man-God, seated at the right hand of the Father; he is our Saviour; these are his threes title to kingship. The Church unites the crowds who acclaim the Lamb of God in our churches to the crowds who praise this same Lamb in heaven. Almighty everlasting God, who in Thy beloved Son, King of the whole world, hast willed to restore all things anew; grant in Thy mercy that all the families of nations, rent asunder by the wound of sin, may be subjected to His most gentle rule. Who with Thee liveth... Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Colossians (1:12-20) (Ps. 71:8 and 11) He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. ℣. And all kings shall adore Him, all nations shall serve Him. Alleluia, alleluia. (Dan. 7:14) ℣. His power shall be an everlasting power, which shall not be taken away; and His kingdom a kingdom that shall not decay. Alleluia. The Word Incarnate is, by right, the King of the world but He has left to temporal kings the exercise of civil power; He kept, however, His spiritual royalty, to rule the mind and the conscience of men by doctrine and faith. Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. John (18:33-37) 1. Ruler of all from heaven’s high throne, O Christ, our King ere time began, We kneel before Thee, Lord, to own Thy empire o’er the heart of man. ℣. His empire shall be multiplied. Antiphon. – (Apoc. 19:16) He hath on His garment and on His thigh written: King of kings and Lord of lords. To Him be glory and empire for ever and ever. (Saint Andrew Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts, by Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, O.S.B. of the Abbey of St. André, 1953)Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King - Last Sunday of October
Table of Contents
Reflexions on the Liturgy of the Day
Pope Pius XI (whose motto was: Pax Christi in regno Christi) instituted the feast of Christ the King as a solemn affirmation of our Lord’s kingship over every human society; he is King, not only of the soul and conscience, intelligence and will of all men, but also of families and cities, peoples and states and the whole universe. In his Encyclical Letter “Quas primas” the Pope showed how laicism or secularism, organising society without any reference to God, leads to the apostasy of the masses and the ruin of society, because it is a complete denial of Christ’s Kingship. This is one of the great heresies of our time, and the Pope considered that this annual, public, social and official assertion of Christ’s divine right of Kingship over men in the liturgy would be an effective means of combating it.
Liturgy of the Mass
Introit
(Apoc. 5:12) The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honour; to Him be glory and empire for ever and ever. — (Ps. 1:6) Give to the King, O God, Thy justice, and to the King’s Son Thy judgment. Gloria Patri.Collect
Epistle
Christ is the Word-Creator. He is the Man-God seated at the right hand of the Father. He is our Saviour. These are His three royal titles.
Brethren: Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins; who is the image of the invisible God, the first born 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 fullness should dwell; and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross, both asto the things on earth and the things that are in heaven, in Jesus Christ our Lord.Gradual
Gospel
At that time: Pilate said to Jesus : Art Thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of Me ? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee up to me: what hast Thou done? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world. My servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from hence. Pilate therefore said to Him: Art thou a King then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a King. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth My voice. — Credo.
Hymn for the Feast of Christ the King — Te sæculorum Principem
2. While bands of shameless men recall / The homage due to Christ their Lord, / We own Thee Sov’reign Lord of all, / The King by heaven and earth ador’d.
3. O Prince of Peace, O Christ, subdue I Those rebel hearts, Thy peace restore; / Into Thy sheep-fold lead anew / Thy scattered sheep, to stray no more.
4. For this upon the tree of shame / Thy body hung, with arms spread wide, / The spear revealed the heart of flame / That burned within Thy sacred side.
5. For this our altars here are spread / With mystic feast of bread and wine; / Still Thy redeeming blood is shed / From that sore-stricken heart of Thine.
6. May heads of nations fear Thy name / And spread Thy honour through their lands, /Our nations’ laws, our arts proclaim / The beauty of Thy just commands.
7. Let kings the crown and sceptre hold / As pledge of Thy supremacy; / And Thou all lands, all tribes enfold / In one fair realm of charity.
8. Jesus, to Thee be honour done, / Who rulest all in equity./ With Father, Spirit, ever one, / From age to age eternally. Amen.
℟. And there shall be no end of peace.