Let us quote two important passages, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New Testament, and use them, at least as a reference, in order to analyze some interesting issues that the Kingship of Christ raises for present day Christians (in reality, for Christians of any time).

         The prophet Daniel solemnly foretold the Universal Lordship of Christ: 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 that shall not be destroyed (Dan 7: 13-14).

         The passage from the New Testament is recorded by the four evangelists, but the gospel of Saint John has the most complete and clear version: Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth (Jn 18: 33-37).

At this point, now that we have succinctly expounded on the state of affairs in previous editorials, perhaps we can understand better the relevance of the question: does the Feast of Christ the King have any meaning for Christians today? And, if it does as it did in the past, are today’s Christians able to understand what this signifies? One must admit that these questions are not easily answered, for the Absolute Power of Kings is past, the Institution of Royalty has been distorted and falsified by modern history, and we now live in historical circumstances unfamiliar with these concepts.

Yet, Holy Scripture is quite clear and assertive on this point: Jesus Christ is the Absolute Lord and King of the Universe: Lord of lords and King of kings (Apoc 17:14). Saint Paul finds glory in proclaiming: To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. 

Nevertheless, the Mystery of the Kingship of Christ cannot be properly understood except within the Mystery of the Church, whose Head He is. In turn, the Church and her structures are also a Mystery of Faith as declared in the Articles of the Creed: I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Only by taking this into account can we venture into her histoy — and into her present state — without becoming scandalized. 

New ideas were introduced gradually into the Church immediately after the close of Vatican II. What is the point nowadays of swearing the Oath Against Modernism in the Faculties of Theology of the Church when, truly speaking, nobody takes that oath seriously and the Hierarchy remains silent and totally passive in this matter? It is indeed a ludicrous and futile situation; so much so that it is almost better to assume that the Oath has been virtually revoked, although juridical appearances have been officially kept. This suggests a church policy attempting a fait accompli while trying to avoid scandal. Is there a belief that the condemnations contained in the Syllabus are no longer relevant? Or maybe a conviction has gained ground that new historical conditions have granted legal status to modernist ideas? Whatever it is, one way or another, an explanation would be clearly needed at this point. It is said now that the time of condemnations has passed and that we are in the period of approaching. But what would have happened if the Fathers and theologians of the Church, throughout twenty centuries, had not condemned and fought fiercely against heresies? Moreover, it seems as if the many imprecations and condemnations contained in the New Testament would be pointless (Confer Mt 18:7; 23: 13-39; Lk 6: 24-26; 10: 13-15; 11: 42-46; 17:1; 1Cor 16:22; Gal 1:8; Apoc 22:15; etc., etc.); as if the Word of God had ceased to be living and effectual (Heb 4:12). The conclusion, though, seems somewhat shattering; all evidence indicates that Mohammed has come to the mountain rather than the mountain coming to Mohammed.

This is how the attempt at making the organizations within the Church more democratic has been constructed, thus weakening her Hierarchical/Monarchical structure while clearing the way for the activity of diverse Progressive Pressure Groups and the winds of Modernism. As a result, thanks to the double play used by the new ideologues, there is the increased risk that Jesus Christ, King and Lord of the Universe, Head of the Mystical Body that is His Church, also becomes less evident.

Christian thinkers have always been particularly judicious regarding new ideas. Pseudo-Dionysius, Saint Augustine, and Saint Thomas, for example, successfully took advantage of many of the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. In modern times, however, the phenomenon has a very different makeup. For, in the first instance, it seems evident that nothing at all can be salvaged from the system of thought of Karl Marx, for example; on the other hand, as incredible as it may seem, Liberation Theology and the infiltration of Marxism within ample sectors of Catholicism well over the past half century are undeniable realities.

At the time the Second Vatican Council opened, new ideologies permeated throughout the European atmosphere.  The idea was promoted that Vatican I had perhaps gone too far regarding the powers granted to the Pope. (Although this opinion was not openly and brazenly proclaimed, an honest examination of the historical facts should acknowledge the truth of this declaration.)

         After World War II, the ideological wave of Democracy swept successfully throughout the Western World. The fall of Nazism and the tearing down some years later of the Berlin Wall contributed to that force. Since then, all legitimate authority, whether political or otherwise, must pass the Democratic and the well-known Human Rights litmus test. As might be expected, Human Rights have always been closely linked to Democracy, and vice versa: there were –there are—no Human Rights without Democracy, and no Democracy without Human Rights.

         As often happens in the strange world of human behavior, very few people tried to define or accurately clarify what Democracy is exactly. It is not surprising, therefore, that political ideologies absolutely opposed to each other use this term to describe conflicting political situations; each ideology claiming, of course, that it embodies the true essence of democracy. Accordingly, and as far as designations are concerned, the United States of America was as much a democratic nation as the German Democratic Republic (a pompous name adopted by East Germany, a totally Communist nation and vassal of Moscow).

As we have said, there is no doubt that throughout the many centuries before the fall of the so-called Ancient Regime, nations acknowledged the immense dignity and almost supernatural charisma of Royalty. However, once the Absolute Power disappeared and before democratic ideas spread all over the world, there was a radical change in the mindset of the Western nations. The few monarchies that survived the new ideas became democratic, representative, or constitutional monarchies; for some people, they were mere guarantors of unity; for others, they were only decorative, useless, or even discredited entities. Be that as it may, the fact is that the principle that the King reigns but does not govern was unquestionably accepted everywhere. Consequently, today’s Christians must face a new and important difficulty if the Feast of Christ the King still means anything to them: the idea of Royalty as Absolute Power not only is unintelligible to the modern mind but also is absolutely unacceptable.

And yet, Jesus Christ is the Absolute King and Lord of the Universe, which is poles apart from a merely decorative Royalty and, consequently, from the dominant ideologies of this world.

And there is a much more serious repercussion: in effect, democratic ideas have infiltrated the Institution of the Church in an attempt to subvert her Hierarchical and Monarchical structure as well as, indirectly but logically, to distort and blur the notion of Christ as King and Lord of all creation.