Feast of Christ the King: “Which King Do We Serve?”
Feast of Christ the King: “Which King Do We Serve?”
The two most popular depictions of Jesus Christ in Christian art could not be more different from one another. One depiction has Christ in triumph. He is either sitting on a throne or standing with arms raised. He is the resurrected Christ. Usually, he is shown with a jeweled crown on his head. He is Christ the King. But then we have the other depiction of Jesus, which of course, is Jesus nailed to a cross. Over his head is a sign with the initials INRI which are the first letters of the Latin phrase Jesus the Nazorean King of the Jews. Jesus is weak and helpless. He is at the mercy of the people who torture him. What kind do we think of today? Can King Jesus teach us anything?
We might gain insight from looking back at how this Feast started. The Feast of Jesus Christ King of the Universe is less than a century old. Pope Pius XI put this Feast on the liturgical calendar. Why? Some would say that it was because of a rise in secularism in the 20th century. Others would say that it was because the prestige of the church had taken a terrific blow. For centuries the Pope had been a secular ruler of the Papal states. Popes were like all kings. The Popes of the Middle Ages and Renaissance exacted taxes, they fought wars, they ran prisons, repaired roads, made laws. Popes were also like civil leaders in that they could be corrupt. Many Popes abused their power. In 1870 the Papal States were taken away from the Pope because there was a drive to have one government on the Italian peninsula.
For the next sixty years the Popes sequestered themselves in the Vatican as prisoners by choice. Popes refused to recognize the power of the Italian Government. The Pope refused to even appear on the Balcony of St. Peter’s square. All this came to an end in 1929 when the Vatican received some monetary compensation for the Papal States. The history was even more complicated than that. In Italy there was the rise of nationalism. Also, there was the rise of atheism. The secular power of the Popes disappeared.
At the end of this period of crisis, Pope Pius the XI put the Feast of Christ the King on the calendar. The message of the feast seems to be that the church may not have secular power anymore, but it still has spiritual power in the world. The Church of Jesus Christ may not rule over a piece of property, but the church of Jesus is part of the Kingdom of Jesus which includes the whole universe. The church had to reorient itself. We still struggle with that tension today.
Another way to look at this feast is look at the story of Fr. Miguel Agustin Pro. His feast was yesterday which seems prophetic. Blessed Miguel Pro was a contemporary of Pope Pius XI. He lived in Mexico in the 1920’s. During that time the church underwent intense persecution. An attempt was made to erase the influence of Catholicism. Priests were especially the target of harassment. Priests weren’t allowed to dress in clerics. Many times, they weren’t allowed to practice sacramental ministry. Priests couldn’t vote. Fr. Miguel engaged in ministry despite the ban. He was part of the underground church of Mexico.
The president of Mexico, Plutarco Calles, was very anti-Catholic. But people fought back. A guerilla army formed called the Cristero. An assassination attempt of a Mexican government official led to Fr. Pro’s arrest. The government said Miguel and his brothers were involved, but there was never any proof of this. Fr. Miguel was executed without trial. President Calles thought that executing Pro would dishearten the Cristeros. He had the execution meticulously photographed.
Fr. Pro was led from his cell. He blessed the soldiers who were to shoot him. He knelt in prayer. He refused a blindfold. When he was shot, he extended his arms like Jesus on the cross. He had a rosary in one hand, crucifix in the other. His last words were, “Long live Christ the King.” The firing squad didn’t kill him. A soldier had to walk forward to shoot him in the head. Photos were spread around by President Calles. Instead of intimidating the people, 40,000 lined the street at Fr. Pro’s funeral. The Cristeros carried Pro’s picture into battle. The true power of Christ was evident to all.
Where do we see the true Christ the King? Is it when the church exerts all kinds of secular power in society or is it when the church stands with the oppressed who suffer persecution? In our time there are similarities with a century ago. Religion is dismissed because of the moral weakness of the church. Many times, nationalism is seen as remedy for all the ills that confound us.
The church can lament its fate. Or the church can recommit itself to the suffering Christ offering witness to what faith is truly all about. In difficult times there can be stagnation in the church or purification. We pray today that the church will be purified so it will truly serve to build the Kingdom of Jesus.