The feast of Christ the King is a moving holiday according to the Catholic church calendar, the closing of the church year, the last Sunday, which is followed by the first Sunday of Advent by a week: today is the Sunday of Christ the King!
The royal dignity of Christ did not have a special celebration until the 20th century. XIII. On the occasion of the 1900 jubilee year, Pope Leo proclaimed the Savior as the king of the 20th century, thus preparing the holiday.
At that time, crosses and statues of Christ were erected worldwide on the highest mountains and heights in memory of the Saviour, among them the famous Christ of Peace statue on one of the highest peaks of the Andes.
After World War I, XI. On the 1600th anniversary of the Nicene Council, in 1925, Pope Pius proclaimed a Holy Year, the motto of which was: "Let the peace of Christ reign in the kingdom of Christ!" At the end of the holy year, with the encyclical Quasprimas, the Pope ordered the feast of Christ the King, that is, the Sunday of Christ the King, which is a major holiday.
Seeing the spread of atheism, communism, and secularism, the Pope realized how great a danger everything is to humanity, and that's why he felt the need to point out the redemptive power of Christ. By celebrating Christ's royal dignity, he presented the Lord of the peace of peoples, families, and individuals to the faithful, emphasizing that Christ obtained his kingdom for the salvation of the world through his incarnation and redemptive death.
When we think of kings, we think of childhood fairy tales and what we learned in history lessons about kings and kingdoms. Among the rulers of our nation, there are kings who are venerable and revered as saints, whose deeds we remember.
However, the kingdom of Jesus means something completely different to us, because it surpasses all human ideas. The New Testament says the following about the kingdom of Jesus:
"Pilate went back to the governor's office, called Jesus before him, and asked him: 'Are you the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered: "Are you saying this yourself or did others tell you about me?" Am I Jewish? Pilate burst out. "Your own people and the high priests handed me over." What have you done?" Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If I had a kingdom from this world, my servants would fight to keep me from falling into the hands of the Jews. But my country is not from here.” Pilate interjected, "So you are a king?" "You say that I am a king," said Jesus.
I was born and came into the world to bear witness to the truth. He who is of the truth listens to my word.” Jn. 18.33-37.
"The only king of our lives and hearts, Jesus Christ! We boldly set out to follow you, because you alone lead us to the heavenly Father and to eternal life. You show us the way to salvation. We serve you when we help our fellow men in whom we see the features of your face. We do everything in the hope of eternal life, because we want to be among the righteous. Help us to realize God's rule in our personal lives and to realize God's kingdom in our communities! I believe, Lord, strengthen our faith!"
Source: Felvidek.ma
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