Christ the King

Crucifixion of Christ, Piero di Cosimo

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King and last Sunday of the Liturgical Calendar. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 (see his encyclical Quas primas) as a response to the nationalism and secularism that arose after World War I. I have selected this atypical image to portray Christ's kingship because it properly demonstrates the cross as His throne. Furthermore, as Pope Benedict XVI pointed out in his Angelus (11-4-12):

the person of Jesus and all His Mystery embody the unity of love of God and neighbour, like the two arms of the Cross, vertical and horizontal. In the Eucharist He gifts us this twofold love, gifting Himself, because, nourished by this bread, we love one another as He has loved us.

Below you will find two videos from our last Joe Catholic gathering in which we discussed Christ the King. Because of the importance of this feast day, I have included three excerpts from the Catechism, Bl. Pope John Paul II and St. Josemaria Escriva. Additionally, I have included a few links to read further.




Catechism of the Catholic Church :

786 Finally, the People of God shares in the royal office of Christ. He exercises his kingship by drawing all men to himself through his death and Resurrection.211 Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made himself the servant of all, for he came "not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."212 For the Christian, "to reign is to serve him," particularly when serving "the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder."213 The People of God fulfills its royal dignity by a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ.

The sign of the cross makes kings of all those reborn in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them as priests, so that, apart from the particular service of our ministry, all spiritual and rational Christians are recognized as members of this royal race and sharers in Christ's priestly office. What, indeed, is as royal for a soul as to govern the body in obedience to God? And what is as priestly as to dedicate a pure conscience to the Lord and to offer the spotless offerings of devotion on the altar of the heart?

Pope John Paul II in Christ the King is Lord of the World and History:

While we are pilgrims here on earth, we look towards heaven, our definitive homeland. To reach the fulfilment of the divine kingdom, the Gospel urges us not to follow the "prince of this world" (Jn 12: 31; 16: 11), who sows division and scandal, but to remain faithful and humble in following Christ. He leads us to the kingdom of peace and justice, where God will be all in all.

St. Josemaria Escriva in Christ is Passing By, 93:

He is our king. He desires ardently to rule our hearts, because we are children of God. But we should not try to imagine a human sort of rule — Christ does not dominate or seek to impose himself, because he “has not come to be served but to serve.” 

His kingdom is one of peace, of joy, of justice. Christ our king does not expect us to spend our time in abstract reasoning; he expects deeds, because “not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord!, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 7:21)” 

For Further Reading:

Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio - Christ the King (Catholic Exchange, 2012) 
Solemnity of Christ the King (Catholic Culture, 2012)

A Look at Vatican II

Image from Vatican Archive of the Documents of Vatican II

We are now one full month into the Year of Faith (YOF) promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI. One of the explicit instructions we have received in order to more fully participate in the YOF is to revisit the documents of Vatican II. Pope Benedict exhorted the Church to build the New Evangelization "on a concrete and precise basis, and this basis is the documents of the Second Vatican Council.” This is wholly consistent with the Pope's comments in July 2007:

And thus it seems to me that we must rediscover the great heritage of the Council, which is not a “spirit” reconstructed behind the texts, but the great conciliar texts themselves, reread today with the experiences that we have had and that have borne fruit in so many movements, in so many new religious communities. [emphasis added] 

Since we are being asked to read the documents, we should also possess an understanding of the context in which they were written. I can think of no better way to do this than to share the insights of Douglas Bushman, STL, the director of the Institute of Pastoral Theology at Ave Maria University. Here is an interview with Father Mitch Pacwa on EWTN Live. The video is nearly an hour long, but well worth the investment.

Saint Talk: St. Frances Cabrini

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Frances Cabrini, the first United States citizen to be canonized and patron of immigrants.

Cabrini was born on July l5, 1850 in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano in the province of Lombardy, which is located in northern Italy.  St. Frances Cabrini was the tenth of eleven children (some sources say she twelve siblings). All but four of the children died before adolescence. Although Frances survived a premature birth, she was frail.

St. Frances Cabrini's parents, Agostino, who was farmer, and Stella who was a housewife, were devout Catholics.  They lived as example of the faith for their children. Agosto even "read to the family from the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, telling stories of the great missionaries."  These stories of missionaries and her frail health influenced her entire life.

St. Frances Cabrini was rejected by several religious order because of her frail health. Frances, determined to do God's work, in 1863 she registered as a student at Normal School in Arluno in order to become a teacher. While she studied at the school, she lived with nuns. This served further fueled her desire to enter into the religious life. Eventually, through her work as a teacher, she would form her own order known at the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Some time after 1877, Pope Leo XIII would send St. Frances as a missionary to the United States.

Discernment Prayer by St. Frances Xavier Cabrini:

My Jesus,

I have not always recognized

your loving plans for me.

Every day,

with the help of your light,

I learn more of your loving care.

Continue to increase 

my awareness of the gentleness of

your loving plans.

I want to follow the purpose

for which I was created.

See, I am in your hands.

I need you to help me choose

the best way to serve you.

Walk with me, Jesus.

Stay by my side and guide me!