QUAS PRIMAS
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI
ON THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
TO OUR VENERABLE BRETHREN THE PATRIARCHS,
PRIMATES,
ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES
IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.
Venerable Brethren, Greeting and the Apostolic Benediction.
In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning
of Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We
referred to the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind
was laboring. And We remember saying that these 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
we said 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; and that We
promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ,
that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually
restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration
of the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge
the hope of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread
and keener interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one
Source of Salvation, a sign that men who had formerly spurned
the rule of our Redeemer and had exiled themselves from his kingdom
were preparing, and even hastening, to return to the duty of obedience.
2. The many notable and memorable events
which have occurred during this Holy Year have given great honor
and glory to Our Lord and King, the Founder of the Church.
3. At the Missionary Exhibition men have
been deeply impressed in seeing the increasing zeal of the Church
for the spread of the kingdom of her Spouse to the most far distant
regions of the earth. They have seen how many countries have been
won to the Catholic name through the unremitting labor and self-sacrifice
of missionaries, and the vastness of the regions which have yet
to be subjected to the sweet and saving yoke of our King. All
those who in the course of the Holy Year have thronged to this
city under the leadership of their Bishops or priests had but
one aim - namely, to expiate their sins - and at the tombs of
the Apostles and in Our Presence to promise loyalty to the rule
of Christ.
4. A still further light of glory was shed
upon his kingdom, when after due proof of their heroic virtue,
We raised to the honors of the altar six confessors and virgins.
It was a great joy, a great consolation, that filled Our heart
when in the majestic basilica of St. Peter Our decree was acclaimed
by an immense multitude with the hymn of thanksgiving, Tu Rex
gloriae Christe. We saw men and nations cut off from God, stirring
up strife and discord and hurrying along the road to ruin and
death, while the Church of God carries on her work of providing
food for the spiritual life of men, nurturing and fostering generation
after generation of men and women dedicated to Christ, faithful
and subject to him in his earthly kingdom, called by him to eternal
bliss in the kingdom of heaven.
5. Moreover, since this jubilee Year marks
the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea, We commanded
that event to be celebrated, and We have done so in the Vatican
basilica. There is a special reason for this in that the Nicene
Synod defined and proposed for Catholic belief the dogma of the
Consubstantiality of the Onlybegotten with the Father, and added
to the Creed the words "of whose kingdom there shall be no
end," thereby affirming the kingly dignity of Christ.
6. Since this Holy Year therefore has provided
more than one opportunity to enhance the glory of the kingdom
of Christ, we deem it in keeping with our Apostolic office to
accede to the desire of many of the Cardinals, Bishops, and faithful,
made known to Us both individually and collectively, by closing
this Holy Year with the insertion into the Sacred Liturgy of a
special feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This matter
is so dear to Our heart, Venerable Brethren, that I would wish
to address to you a few words concerning it. It will be for you
later to explain in a manner suited to the understanding of the
faithful what We are about to say concerning the Kingship of Christ,
so that the annual feast which We shall decree may be attended
with much fruit and produce beneficial results in the future.
7. It has long been a common custom to give
to Christ the metaphorical title of "King," because
of the high degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures.
So he is said to reign "in the hearts of men," both
by reason of the keenness of his intellect and the extent of his
knowledge, and also because he is very truth, and it is from him
that truth must be obediently received by all mankind. He reigns,
too, in the wills of men, for in him the human will was perfectly
and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further by
his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite
us to the most noble endeavors. He is King of hearts, too, by
reason of his "charity which exceedeth all knowledge."
And his mercy and kindness[1] which draw all men to him, for never
has it been known, nor will it ever be, that man be loved so much
and so universally as Jesus Christ. But if we ponder this matter
more deeply, we cannot but see that the title and the power of
King belongs to Christ as man in the strict and proper sense too.
For it is only as man that he may be said to have received from
the Father "power and glory and a kingdom,"[2] since
the Word of God, as consubstantial with the Father, has all things
in common with him, and therefore has necessarily supreme and
absolute dominion over all things created.
8. Do we not read throughout the Scriptures
that Christ is the King? He it is that shall come out of Jacob
to rule,[3] who has been set by the Father as king over Sion,
his holy mount, and shall have the Gentiles for his inheritance,
and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession.[4] In the
nuptial hymn, where the future King of Israel is hailed as a most
rich and powerful monarch, we read: "Thy throne, O God, is
for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of
righteousness."[5] There are many similar passages, but there
is one in which Christ is even more clearly indicated. Here it
is foretold that his kingdom will have no limits, and will be
enriched with justice and peace: "in his days shall justice
spring up, and abundance of peace...And he shall rule from sea
to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."[6]
9. The testimony of the Prophets is even
more abundant. That of Isaias is well known: "For a child
is born to us and a son is given to us, and the government is
upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
God the mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of
Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end
of peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom;
to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice,
from henceforth and for ever."[7] With Isaias the other Prophets
are in agreement. So Jeremias foretells the "just seed"
that shall rest from the house of David - the Son of David that
shall reign as king, "and shall be wise, and shall execute
judgment and justice in the earth."[8] So, too, Daniel, who
announces the kingdom that the God of heaven shall found, "that
shall never be destroyed, and shall stand for ever."[9] And
again he says: "I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the
night, and, lo! one like the son of man came with the clouds of
heaven. And he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented
him before him. And he gave him power and glory and a kingdom:
and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him. His power
is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away, and his
kingdom shall not be destroyed."[10] The prophecy of Zachary
concerning the merciful King "riding upon an ass and upon
a colt the foal of an ass" entering Jerusalem as "the
just and savior," amid the acclamations of the multitude,[11]
was recognized as fulfilled by the holy evangelists themselves.
10. This same doctrine of the Kingship of
Christ which we have found in the Old Testament is even more clearly
taught and confirmed in the New. The Archangel, announcing to
the Virgin that she should bear a Son, says that "the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he
shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end."[12]
11. Moreover, Christ himself speaks of his
own kingly authority: in his last discourse, speaking of the rewards
and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the
damned; in his reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked him publicly
whether he were a king or not; after his resurrection, when giving
to his Apostles the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations,
he took the opportunity to call himself king,[13] confirming the
title publicly,[14] and solemnly proclaimed that all power was
given him in heaven and on earth.[15] These words can only be
taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent
of his kingdom. What wonder, then, that he whom St. John calls
the "prince of the kings of the earth"[16] appears in
the Apostle's vision of the future as he who "hath on his
garment and on his thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of lords!'."[17]
It is Christ whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all
things";[18] "for he must reign until at the end of
the world he hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and
the Father."[19]
12. It was surely right, then, in view of
the common teaching of the sacred books, that the Catholic Church,
which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread
among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration
salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and
Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she used these titles,
giving expression with wonderful variety of language to one and
the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the Sacramentaries.
She uses them daily now in the prayers publicly offered to God,
and in offering the Immaculate Victim. The perfect harmony of
the Eastern liturgies with our own in this continual praise of
Christ the King shows once more the truth of the axiom: Legem
credendi lex statuit supplicandi. The rule of faith is indicated
by the law of our worship.
13. The foundation of this power and dignity
of Our Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. "Christ,"
he says, "has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not
seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature."[20]
His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From
this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels
and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and
must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ
has power over all creatures. But a thought that must give us
even greater joy and consolation is this that Christ is our King
by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer.
Would that they who forget what they have cost their Savior might
recall the words: "You were not redeemed with corruptible
things, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted
and undefiled."[21] We are no longer our own property, for
Christ has purchased us "with a great price";[22] our
very bodies are the "members of Christ."[23]
14. Let Us explain briefly the nature and
meaning of this lordship of Christ. It consists, We need scarcely
say, in a threefold power which is essential to lordship. This
is sufficiently clear from the scriptural testimony already adduced
concerning the universal dominion of our Redeemer, and moreover
it is a dogma of faith that Jesus Christ was given to man, not
only as our Redeemer, but also as a law-giver, to whom obedience
is due.[24] Not only do the gospels tell us that he made laws,
but they present him to us in the act of making them. Those who
keep them show their love for their Divine Master, and he promises
that they shall remain in his love.[25] He claimed judicial power
as received from his Father, when the Jews accused him of breaking
the Sabbath by the miraculous cure of a sick man. "For neither
doth the Father judge any man; but hath given all judgment to
the Son."[26] In this power is included the right of rewarding
and punishing all men living, for this right is inseparable from
that of judging. Executive power, too, belongs to Christ, for
all must obey his commands; none may escape them, nor the sanctions
he has imposed.
15. This kingdom is spiritual and is concerned
with spiritual things. That this is so the above quotations from
Scripture amply prove, and Christ by his own action confirms it.
On many occasions, when the Jews and even the Apostles wrongly
supposed that the Messiah would restore the liberties and the
kingdom of Israel, he repelled and denied such a suggestion. When
the populace thronged around him in admiration and would have
acclaimed him King, he shrank from the honor and sought safety
in flight. Before the Roman magistrate he declared that his kingdom
was not of this world. The gospels present this kingdom as one
which men prepare to enter by penance, and cannot actually enter
except by faith and by baptism, which, though an external rite,
signifies and produces an interior regeneration. This kingdom
is opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power
of darkness. It demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment
from riches and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They
must hunger and thirst after justice, and more than this, they
must deny themselves and carry the cross.
16. Christ as our Redeemer purchased the
Church at the price of his own blood; as priest he offered himself,
and continues to offer himself as a victim for our sins. Is it
not evident, then, that his kingly dignity partakes in a manner
of both these offices?
17. It would be a grave error, on the other
hand, to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs,
since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed
to him by the Father, all things are in his power. Nevertheless,
during his life on earth he refrained from the exercise of such
authority, and although he himself disdained to possess or to
care for earthly goods, he did not, nor does he today, interfere
with those who possess them. Non eripit mortalia qui regna dat
caelestia.[27]
18. Thus the empire of our Redeemer embraces
all men. To use the words of Our immortal predecessor, Pope Leo
XIII: "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."[28] Nor is there any difference in this matter
between the individual and the family or the State; for all men,
whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of
Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the
salvation of society. "Neither is there salvation in any
other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby
we must be saved."[29] He is the author of happiness and
true prosperity for every man and for every nation. "For
a nation is happy when its citizens are happy. What else is a
nation but a number of men living in concord?"[30] If, therefore,
the rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote
and increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not
neglect the public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule
of Christ. What We said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning
the decline of public authority, and the lack of respect for the
same, is equally true at the present day. "With God and Jesus
Christ," we said, "excluded from political life, with
authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of
that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of
the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated.
The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because
it has no longer a secure and solid foundation."[31]
19. When once men recognize, 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. Our Lord's regal office invests the human authority
of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles
the citizen's duty of obedience. It is for this reason that St.
Paul, while bidding wives revere Christ in their husbands, and
slaves respect Christ in their masters, warns them to give obedience
to them not as men, but as the vicegerents of Christ; for it is
not meet that men redeemed by Christ should serve their fellow-men.
"You are bought with a price; be not made the bond-slaves
of men."[32] If princes and magistrates duly elected are
filled with the persuasion that they rule, not by their own right,
but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King, they will
exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make
laws and administer them, having in view the common good and also
the human dignity of their subjects. The result will be a stable
peace and tranquillity, for there will be no longer any cause
of discontent. Men will see in their king or in their rulers men
like themselves, perhaps unworthy or open to criticism, but they
will not on that account refuse obedience if they see reflected
in them the authority of Christ God and Man. Peace and harmony,
too, will result; for with the spread and the universal extent
of the kingdom of Christ men will become more and more conscious
of the link that binds them together, and thus many conflicts
will be either prevented entirely or at least their bitterness
will be diminished.
20. If the kingdom of Christ, then, receives,
as it should, all nations under its way, there seems no reason
why we should despair of seeing that peace which the King of Peace
came to bring on earth - he who came to reconcile all things,
who came not to be ministered unto but to minister, who, though
Lord of all, gave himself to us as a model of humility, and with
his principal law united the precept of charity; who said also:
"My yoke is sweet and my burden light." Oh, what happiness
would be Ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations,
would but let themselves be governed by Christ! "Then at
length," to use the words addressed by our predecessor, Pope
Leo XIII, twenty-five years ago to the bishops of the Universal
Church, "then at length will many evils be cured; then will
the law regain its former authority; peace with all its blessings
be restored. Men will sheathe their swords and lay down their
arms when all freely acknowledge and obey the authority of Christ,
and every tongue confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the
glory of God the Father."[33]
21. That these blessings may be abundant
and lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship
of our Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood,
and to the end nothing would serve better than the institution
of a special feast in honor of the Kingship of Christ. For people
are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate
the inner joys of religion far more effectually by the annual
celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement
of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach
only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts reach
them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year
- in fact, forever. The church's teaching affects the mind primarily;
her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect
upon the whole of man's nature. Man is composed of body and soul,
and he needs these external festivities so that the sacred rites,
in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more
deeply of the fountain of God's teaching, that he may make it
a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.
22. History, in fact, tells us that in the
course of ages these festivals have been instituted one after
another according as the needs or the advantage of the people
of Christ seemed to demand: as when they needed strength to face
a common danger, when they were attacked by insidious heresies,
when they needed to be urged to the pious consideration of some
mystery of faith or of some divine blessing. Thus in the earliest
days of the Christian era, when the people of Christ were suffering
cruel persecution, the cult of the martyrs was begun in order,
says St. Augustine, "that the feasts of the martyrs might
incite men to martyrdom."[34] The liturgical honors paid
to confessors, virgins and widows produced wonderful results in
an increased zest for virtue, necessary even in times of peace.
But more fruitful still were the feasts instituted in honor of
the Blessed Virgin. As a result of these men grew not only in
their devotion to the Mother of God as an ever-present advocate,
but also in their love of her as a mother bequeathed to them by
their Redeemer. Not least among the blessings which have resulted
from the public and legitimate honor paid to the Blessed Virgin
and the saints is the perfect and perpetual immunity of the Church
from error and heresy. We may well admire in this the admirable
wisdom of the Providence of God, who, ever bringing good out of
evil, has from time to time suffered the faith and piety of men
to grow weak, and allowed Catholic truth to be attacked by false
doctrines, but always with the result that truth has afterwards
shone out with greater splendor, and that men's faith, aroused
from its lethargy, has shown itself more vigorous than before.
23. The festivals that have been introduced
into the liturgy in more recent years have had a similar origin,
and have been attended with similar results. When reverence and
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament had grown cold, the feast of
Corpus Christi was instituted, so that by means of solemn processions
and prayer of eight days' duration, men might be brought once
more to render public homage to Christ. So, too, the feast of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were
oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had
made their hearts grow cold, and shut them out from the love of
God and the hope of salvation.
24. If We ordain that the whole Catholic
world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need
of the present day, and at the same time provide an excellent
remedy for the plague which now infects society. We refer to the
plague of anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities.
This evil spirit, as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has
not come into being in one day; it has long lurked beneath the
surface. The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected. The
right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind,
to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their
eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then gradually the religion
of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed
ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then put under
the power of the state and tolerated more or less at the whim
of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished
to set up in the place of God's religion a natural religion consisting
in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some
nations who thought they could dispense with God, and that their
religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The
rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ
has produced deplorable consequences. We lamented these in the
Encyclical Ubi arcano; we lament them today: the seeds of discord
sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between
nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable
greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit
and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a
blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but
their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these;
no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their
duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society
in a word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin. We
firmly hope, however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ,
which in future will be yearly observed, may hasten the return
of society to our loving Savior. It would be the duty of Catholics
to do all they can to bring about this happy result. Many of these,
however, have neither the station in society nor the authority
which should belong to those who bear the torch of truth. This
state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness
and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict
or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church
become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally
to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously
under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic
zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts
that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend
his rights.
25. Moreover, the annual and universal celebration
of the feast of the Kingship of Christ will draw attention to
the evils which anticlericalism has brought upon society in drawing
men away from Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While
nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing
all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must
all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all
the more universally affirm his rights.
26. The way has been happily and providentially
prepared for the celebration of this feast ever since the end
of the last century. It is well known that this cult has been
the subject of learned disquisitions in many books published in
every part of the world, written in many different languages.
The kingship and empire of Christ have been recognized in the
pious custom, practiced by many families, of dedicating themselves
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; not only families have performed
this act of dedication, but nations, too, and kingdoms. In fact,
the whole of the human race was at the instance of Pope Leo XIII,
in the Holy Year 1900, consecrated to the Divine Heart. It should
be remarked also that much has been done for the recognition of
Christ's authority over society by the frequent Eucharistic Congresses
which are held in our age. These give an opportunity to the people
of each diocese, district or nation, and to the whole world of
coming together to venerate and adore Christ the King hidden under
the Sacramental species. Thus by sermons preached at meetings
and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage
to Christ, whom God has given them for their King. It is by a
divine inspiration that the people of Christ bring forth Jesus
from his silent hiding-place in the church, and carry him in triumph
through the streets of the city, so that he whom men refused to
receive when he came unto his own, may now receive in full his
kingly rights.
27. For the fulfillment of the plan of which
We have spoken, the Holy Year, which is now speeding to its close,
offers the best possible opportunity. For during this year the
God of mercy has raised the minds and hearts of the faithful to
the consideration of heavenly blessings which are above all understanding,
has either restored them once more to his grace, or inciting them
anew to strive for higher gifts, has set their feet more firmly
in the path of righteousness. Whether, therefore, We consider
the many prayers that have been addressed to Us, or look to the
events of the Jubilee Year, just past, We have every reason to
think that the desired moment has at length arrived for enjoining
that Christ be venerated by a special feast as King of all mankind.
In this year, as We said at the beginning of this Letter, the
Divine King, truly wonderful in all his works, has been gloriously
magnified, for another company of his soldiers has been added
to the list of saints. In this year men have looked upon strange
things and strange labors, from which they have understood and
admired the victories won by missionaries in the work of spreading
his kingdom. In this year, by solemnly celebrating the centenary
of the Council of Nicaea. We have commemorated the definition
of the divinity of the word Incarnate, the foundation of Christ's
empire over all men.
28. Therefore by Our Apostolic Authority
We institute the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ
to be observed yearly throughout the whole world on the last Sunday
of the month of October - the Sunday, that is, which immediately
precedes the Feast of All Saints. We further ordain that the dedication
of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Our predecessor
of saintly memory, Pope Pius X, commanded to be renewed yearly,
be made annually on that day. This year, however, We desire that
it be observed on the thirty-first day of the month on which day
We Ourselves shall celebrate pontifically in honor of the kingship
of Christ, and shall command that the same dedication be performed
in Our presence. It seems to Us that We cannot in a more fitting
manner close this Holy Year, nor better signify Our gratitude
and that of the whole of the Catholic world to Christ the immortal
King of ages, for the blessings showered upon Us, upon the Church,
and upon the Catholic world during this holy period.
29. It is not necessary, Venerable Brethren,
that We should explain to you at any length why We have decreed
that this feast of the Kingship of Christ should be observed in
addition to those other feasts in which his kingly dignity is
already signified and celebrated. It will suffice to remark that
although in all the feasts of our Lord the material object of
worship is Christ, nevertheless their formal object is something
quite distinct from his royal title and dignity. We have commanded
its observance on a Sunday in order that not only the clergy may
perform their duty by saying Mass and reciting the Office, but
that the laity too, free from their daily tasks, may in a spirit
of holy joy give ample testimony of their obedience and subjection
to Christ. The last Sunday of October seemed the most convenient
of all for this purpose, because it is at the end of the liturgical
year, and thus the feast of the Kingship of Christ sets the crowning
glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ already commemorated
during the year, and, before celebrating the triumph of all the
Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who triumphs in
all the Saints and in all the Elect. Make it your duty and your
task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to
the people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance
of this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy
of faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.
30. We would now, Venerable Brethren, in
closing this letter, briefly enumerate the blessings which We
hope and pray may accrue to the Church, to society, and to each
one of the faithful, as a result of the public veneration of the
Kingship of Christ.
31. When we pay honor to the princely dignity
of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church, founded
by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable
right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state;
and that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching,
ruling, and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the kingdom
of Christ, she cannot be subject to any external power. The State
is bound to extend similar freedom to the orders and communities
of religious of either sex, who give most valuable help to the
Bishops of the Church by laboring for the extension and the establishment
of the kingdom of Christ. By their sacred vows they fight against
the threefold concupiscence of the world; by making profession
of a more perfect life they render the holiness which her divine
Founder willed should be a mark and characteristic of his Church
more striking and more conspicuous in the eyes of all.
32. Nations will be reminded by the annual
celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but
also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience
to Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last
judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life,
despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these
insults; for his kingly dignity demands that the State should
take account of the commandments of God and of Christian principles,
both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in
providing for the young a sound moral education.
33. The faithful, moreover, by meditating
upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling
them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to
Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if
all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected
to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear
that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must
reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission
and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ.
He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts
of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural
desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone.
He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve
as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or
to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice
unto God.[35] If all these truths are presented to the faithful
for their consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive
to perfection. It is Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that
those who are without the fold may seek after and accept the sweet
yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the
household of the faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but
with joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives
in accordance with the laws of God's kingdom, we may receive full
measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful
servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and glory
with him in his heavenly kingdom.
34. Let this letter, Venerable Brethren,
be a token to you of Our fatherly love as the Feast of the Nativity
of Our Lord Jesus Christ draws near; and receive the Apostolic
Benediction as a pledge of divine blessings, which with loving
heart, We impart to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy, and
to your people.
Given at St. Peter's Rome, on the eleventh
day of the month of December, in the Holy Year 1925, the fourth
of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XI
________________________________________
1. Eph. iii, 9.
2. Dan. vii, 13-14.
3. Num. xxiv, 19.
4. Ps. ii.
5. Ps. xliv.
6. Ps. Ixxi.
7. Isa. ix, 6-7.
8. Jer. xxiii, 5.
9. Dan. ii, 44.
10. Dan. vii, 13-14.
11. Zach. ix, 9.
12. Luc. i, 32-33.
13. Matt. xxv, 31-40.
14. Joan. xviii, 37.
15. Matt. xxviii, 18.
16. Apoc. 1, 5.
17. Apoc. xix, 16.
18. Heb. 1, 2.
19. Cf. 1 Cor. xv, 25.
20. In huc. x.
21. I Pet. i, 18-19.
22. 1 Cor. vi, 20.
23. I Cor. vi, 15.
24. Conc. Trid. Sess. Vl, can. 21.
25. Joan. xiv, 15; xv, 10.
26. Joan. v, 22.
27. Hymn for the Epiphany.
28. Enc. Annum Sacrum, May 25, 1899.
29. Acts iv, 12.
30. S. Aug. Ep. ad Macedonium, c. iii.
31. Enc. Ubi Arcano.
32. I Cor.vii,23.
33. Enc. Annum Sanctum, May 25, 1899.
34. Sermo 47 de Sanctis.
35. Rom. vi, 13.
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