{"id":5632,"date":"2021-11-16T10:40:38","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T16:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/?p=5632"},"modified":"2022-04-21T11:05:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T16:05:54","slug":"4-ways-reclaim-christ-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/index.php\/2021\/11\/16\/4-ways-reclaim-christ-king\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Reclaim Christ as King"},"content":{"rendered":"

True peace of Christ can only exist in the Kingdom of Christ.<\/em> \/\/ Pope Pius XI<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted a new feast day in the liturgical calendar: the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He did so to remind the entire world that Jesus Christ is King of all aspects of life and every square inch of Heaven and earth.<\/p>\n

As this feast day approaches on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, let\u2019s look back on its history, explore how to celebrate it in our homes, and reclaim Christ\u2019s Kingship in every area of our lives.<\/p>\n

A Brief History<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 1925, the world was forgetting the Kingship of Christ, especially in the political sphere. Pope Pius XI saw the empire of Christ rejected in many countries. And this led to a division of sorts: Christ could be King of the heart and Church, but He was unwelcome to be King of anything that reached beyond that. So, the Vicar of Christ established this feast day, so the world \u201cmay hasten the return of society to our loving Savior.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went on to say that once we \u201crecognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his charity and wisdom, Pope Pius XI included all persons under the banner of Christ\u2019s Kingship. In his encyclical,\u00a0Quas Prima<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(In the first), he quotes Pope Leo XIII to emphasize this point:<\/p>\n

His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A Link to the Saints<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ was set to be observed annually on the last Sunday of October, the Sunday just before the Feast of All Saints. This was to emphasize the link between Christ the King and the saints. For it is when we recognize Christ as King that we become saints. The saints chose to fight under the banner of Christ\u2019s Kingship while they lived on earth, which transformed them into saints in Heaven. Likewise, we are called to claim Christ as King now, so we may one day be counted among them in Heaven.<\/p>\n

In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved this feast day to the last Sunday of the liturgical year, to indicate Christ\u2019s Kingship at the end of time, when He returns. And while this is certainly true, we must also manifest the reign of Christ right here, right now.<\/p>\n

Honoring Christ the King<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether we celebrate this feast day on its original date or its new one, here are four ways to reclaim Christ as King:<\/p>\n

1) Lectio Divina<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the days leading up to this feast day, spend time praying with Scripture passages that call to mind Christ\u2019s Kingship.<\/p>\n