You may notice that today, we post the Feast of the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ or mostly known as the Feast of Christ the King. While the world knows that this feast was celebrated on the last Sunday of November, we post it in the last Sunday of October. The reason is because today, is the original date of this feast before Pope Paul VI moved it.
The origin of the Kingship of our Lord was traced back from St. Cyril of Alexandria where he stated:
“Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature”
In his statement, Christ is not only our Lord and God, but also our King, the King of the Kings. On December 11, 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ to denounce the modern heresy of secularism where it refuses that God and Christ’s dominion over every person and society. In short, this heresy taught that God does not exist. Pope Pius XI stated why he chose the Last Sunday of October:
“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. Make it your duty and your task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to the people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance of this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy of faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.”
The Last Sunday of October symbolizes that Christ reigns over all creatures including the saints as they also represent humanity. That is why it was celebrated before the feast of All Saints. Then in 1969, Pope Paul VI moved this feast to the last Sunday of November, before the first Sunday of advent in his apostolic letter Mysterii Paschalis. He chose this date because it has Eschatological importance. Other Catholic teachers, writers, priest and theologians define the movement of this feast as a symbol that Christ only reigns as a king in the Second Coming, which is an influence of the protestants in Vatican II.
Brethren, even though this feast was moved or what is the reason why it was moved, we must focus why have this feast created. To remember the Kingship of our Lord. Believe it or not, like it or not. Jesus is Christ is our King, our God.
Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King!)
