“Viva Cristo Rey!” Long live Christ the King! These were the last words of Blessed Miguel Pro, a Jesuit priest, who was shot by a firing squad in Mexico on November 23, 1927. He was one victim among tens of thousands whom the Mexican government killed in the persecution of 1926-29.
Two years earlier, Pope Pius XI had issued an encyclical instituting a new feast day in honor of Christ the King. In the aftermath of what was then known as “The Great War,” the Holy Father was concerned that the world was heading toward another war. Indeed, as we know, it was.
He began that letter stating that in his very first encyclical he said that the “manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and His holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics; and further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ….”
The Holy Father hoped that a feast honoring Christ as King would “hasten the return of society to our loving Savior.” He was convinced that only by turning to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and recognizing His authority or kingship over humanity, would there be peace.
Though we celebrate a feast in honor of “Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe,” we recognize His authority every time we pray the Our Father and say the words “Thy Kingdom come.” With those words we ask that Jesus may reign over us, our families, our nation, and the world.
Next June, our bishops will consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In announcing this, the Bishops’ Conference said: “Through this act of consecration, the bishops seek to renew devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to recognize the kingship of Christ, perfecting the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel.” Only when the Sacred Heart of Jesus reigns over all hearts, will there be peace. Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!