King of Kings and Lords of Lords

Today is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King in the Traditional Roman Calendar.

In the traditional liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, the Feast of Christ the King is a celebration of profound spiritual significance. It proclaims that Our Lord Jesus Christ is not only the Creator and Redeemer of heaven and earth, but also the King of all nations, peoples, and human society. His kingship is not founded upon worldly power, wealth, or military strength, but upon His divine nature, His witness to the truth, and the work of redemption accomplished for mankind upon the Cross.

Each year, this feast invites the faithful to contemplate anew the supreme sovereignty of Christ over all creation and to examine whether they truly allow Him to reign in their personal lives, families, societies, and nations.

The Feast of Christ the King was formally instituted by Pope Pius XI through his encyclical Quas Primas, promulgated on 11th of December 1925. It was originally assigned to the last Sunday of October each year.

At that time, the wounds inflicted by the First World War continued to affect Europe and the wider world. Secularism, atheism, and various totalitarian ideologies were gaining ground, while many nations and social institutions increasingly sought to exclude religious faith from public life. Pope Pius XI therefore established this feast to reaffirm before the world the kingship of Jesus Christ over individuals, families, societies, and nations.

In his encyclical, the Pope explained that the kingship of Christ concerns not merely the interior life of individuals but possesses universal significance. Since Christ is the Creator of all things and redeemed mankind by His Precious Blood, all people are bound to acknowledge His kingship. The public life of nations, too, must not disregard the law of God and the truth revealed by Christ.

The Feast of Christ the King is therefore more than a commemoration of Christ's majesty. It is a solemn profession of faith addressed to the whole world: Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and His sovereignty transcends all worldly powers.

In the traditional calendar of the 1962 Missale Romanum (Roman Missal), the Feast of Christ the King is celebrated on the last Sunday of October, the Sunday immediately preceding the Feast of All Saints.

This date carries a distinctive liturgical significance. As the liturgical year draws towards its conclusion, the Church directs the attention of the faithful towards the glorious Second Coming of Christ at the end of history and His final judgment of the living and the dead. The feast thus serves as a solemn profession of faith at the culmination of the liturgical year: human history does not proceed without purpose, but moves towards the ultimate victory of Christ and the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God.

In the Traditional Roman Rite, the feast is celebrated with white vestments and solemn liturgical observances befitting the glory of Christ the King. The prayers, readings, and chants of the Mass all centre upon His kingship, universal redemption, and dominion over all peoples.

In the traditional Mass according to the Roman Missal, the Epistle is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians (Colossians 1:12–20). It proclaims Christ as the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation, through whom all things were made and in whom all things are reconciled.

The Gospel is taken from St. John's Gospel (John 18:33–37), recounting the interrogation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. During this encounter, Our Lord declares that His kingdom is not of this world and explains that He came into the world to bear witness to the truth.

These two readings complement one another: Christ is both the Lord of all creation and the King who bears witness to the truth and accomplishes redemption through the Cross.

In the Gospel appointed for the Feast of Christ the King, Jesus says to Pontius Pilate:

“My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)

These words do not imply that Christ is indifferent to human society, nor do they mean that His kingship is confined to the interior life of the soul. Rather, Christ reveals that His Kingdom is not established through worldly political systems, military strength, or coercion.

Earthly rulers often govern their subjects through the exercise of power, but Christ manifests His kingship through humility, service, and sacrifice. He did not conquer His enemies by force; instead, He willingly accepted crucifixion and gave His life for sinners. His crown was not one of worldly splendour, but a crown of thorns. His throne was not a magnificent palace, but the Cross upon which He redeemed mankind.

Yet Christ's kingship is in no way diminished by this. Although His Kingdom does not originate from this world, it calls the world to turn towards truth, justice, and charity. Personal conduct, family relationships, and social institutions alike must be enlightened by the law of God and directed towards the true dignity of the human person and the common good.

The Feast of Christ the King therefore reminds every member of the faithful that the Christian faith must not remain confined to private devotion or Sunday Mass, but must permeate every aspect of daily life.

Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in part to oppose the secularism that sought to exclude the Christian faith entirely from public life.

In Quas Primas, the Pope emphasised that the kingship of Christ encompasses not only individual souls but also nations and public society. This teaching reminds us that political authority is not absolute, and that the laws and institutions of nations cannot rightfully place themselves above the moral law of God.

Nevertheless, the kingship of Christ must not be reduced to a synonym for any particular political system. The Church proclaims the universal sovereignty of Christ as the Lord of truth, justice, and peace. To acknowledge Christ as King is to recognise the call to live according to the will of God, respect the dignity of every human person, protect the innocent, and pursue justice and peace in public life.

In contemporary society, this teaching deserves renewed consideration. When materialism, individualism, and relativism influence people's understanding of truth and morality, the Feast of Christ the King reminds the faithful that truth is not something arbitrarily created by human will, and that human freedom cannot be separated from moral responsibility.

Christians are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world—not by dominating others through arrogance or coercion, but by bearing witness to Christ's kingship through lives faithful to the Gospel, works of charity, and an unwavering commitment to the truth.

The profoundest mystery of the Feast of Christ the King lies in the inseparable relationship between the glory of the King and the suffering of the Cross.

Earthly kingship is often characterised by victory, honour, and power. Christ, however, accomplished His work of redemption through self-sacrifice. His death was not a defeat, but a decisive victory over sin and death. His Resurrection manifests His dominion over death and foreshadows the ultimate fulfilment of the Kingdom of God.

In the Traditional Roman Liturgical Calendar, the Feast of Christ the King falls towards the end of the liturgical year, helping the faithful turn their thoughts towards the Second Coming of Christ. The Church not only commemorates the redemption already accomplished by Our Lord, but also awaits in hope His glorious return, when He will judge the living and the dead and the justice of God will be fully manifested.

To acknowledge Christ as King is therefore more than a verbal profession of faith. It is a daily vocation: to repent of our sins, remain faithful to the commandments of God, fulfil our duties, and bear witness to the truth of the Gospel in our lives.

It is worth noting that the Feast of Christ the King underwent an important change in the Roman liturgical calendar following the Second Vatican Council.

In the revised liturgical calendar promulgated in 1969 and subsequently implemented, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe was moved to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, immediately before the First Sunday of Advent. This arrangement more directly connects the kingship of Christ with His glorious return at the end of the world, the Last Judgment, and the ultimate fulfilment of the Kingdom of God.

By contrast, the Traditional Roman Calendar retains the celebration of Christ the King on the last Sunday of October, establishing a distinctive relationship between the feast, All Saints' Day, and the Church's contemplation of the final portion of the liturgical year.

For those who participate in the Traditional Roman Rite, the Feast of Christ the King is therefore more than a liturgical commemoration. It is an important occasion to reaffirm the supreme sovereignty of Christ over the individual soul and the whole of creation.

The Feast of Christ the King invites every member of the faithful to consider a seemingly simple question, one that has the power to transform an entire life: Is Christ truly the King of our lives?

Are we willing to allow His truth to guide our thoughts, His commandments to govern our actions, and His charity to shape the way we treat others? When worldly values conflict with the teachings of the Gospel, are we still willing to remain faithful to Christ?

On this feast, the Church reminds us that Christ's kingship is neither diminished by the rejection of the world nor altered by the rise and fall of earthly powers. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. His Kingdom shall have no end, and His truth shall never change.

May we, through participation in the sacred liturgy, reception of the Sacraments, perseverance in prayer, and faithful fulfilment of our Christian duties, make our lives true instruments of Christ's reign.