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| Christ the King, Christian Monarchy and the Place of Religion in Society |
| Prayer to Christ the King: O Christ, Jesus, I acknowledge Thee as Universal King. All that has been made, was created for Thee. Exercise over me all the rights that Thou hast. I renew my Baptismal Promises, renouncing Satan, his pomps and his works, and I promise to live as a good Christian: Especially, do I pledge myself, by all the means in my power, to bring about the triumph of the rights of God and of Thy Church. Divine Heart of Jesus, I consecrate all my poor actions to the cause of Thy Kingship, that all hearts may recognize Thee their Ruler and thus establish the Kingdom of Thy Peace in all the world. Amen. |
| Christus Rex, et redemptor mundi |
| As you can easily tell, I have great devotion to Christ the King. It is an aspect of our Holy Savior that is not emphasized enough in my opinion. All the problems of the world can be traced to the lack of understanding in the people that Christ is the universal King of kings. Part of this is due to the lack of respect our modern society has for monarchy in general, and the role of sacred tradition in all aspects of our life. I agree with the words of Terence Crotty O.P. who said, "That Christ the King, however, is in many ways a particularly apt title for the present time for other reasons. Like Christ himself, most kings have been deposed and are living in obscurity, a trapping of bygone days and Victorian ways." In my very conservative Christian mind, there is a definite link between the increase in sin and debasement around the world and the growth of republicanism opposed to monarchy as a government form. People should read the Scriptures II Samuel 7:4-16 and I Chronicles 17:3-15 in which God made the Seventh (or Davidic) Covenant. This was an unconditional promise that David and his descendants would have a "Divine Right" if you will, to reign over God's people. Nothing could change this, and although God could punish and chastise the kings and the people for turning away from Him (as frequently happened) the Divine Right could never be taken away. Jesus Christ was the rightful heir to the throne as Joseph, His adopted father, was a direct descendant of the man after God's own Heart. When the rulers of the east came to Bethlehem to see the Child Jesus it was as King. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem He was greeted as King and when the Jews and Romans put him on trial it was as a claimant to the throne of Israel and as He hung on the cross, bringing victory and salvation to the world it was under the sighn "The King of the Jews". He is King of kings, which means He has kings under Him. Almost every royal house can trace their ancestry back to King David. The French royals, the House of Stuart, the Byzantine emperors were all from the line of David and through royal intermarriage have grown to include virtually every royal family. Even in non-Christian and non-Jewish nations, the monarchy is sanctioned as God said He had given to every nation their rulers and all other nations were monarchies, even before Israel adopted the institution. Some have |
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| credited the long life of the British monarchy to their descent from the line of David, especially through the House of Stuart (mind you I'm not a genaeology expert though) and it is a fact that causes interest considering that so many other monarchies around Europe have fallen and Britain's remains ever constant. Naturally, one cannot escape the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is itself a monarchial institution. Although this has not been as emphasized since Vatican II (and how I wish the coronation would be returned) the Church is a monarchist institution, the Pope is "Sovereign" of Vatican City, he has a crown (3 in fact) in the Papal tiara, which remains a symbol of great respect though it is no longer used, and he lives in a palace and sits on a throne. Even non-Catholics recognize the Church as a "royal" thing in that all believe in the Kingdom of Heaven, the fact that Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords and that we are all his subjects, whether we like the idea or not. God cannot be voted out of office. We must also consider that since Christ is a monarch, God is a monarch, the King of Heaven, we should strive to institute such a divine system here since to be a Christian means to be "Christ-like". As Terence Cotty said, "The Feast of Christ the President' just wouldn't be the same." Christianity is |
| a monarchist religion that teaches us how to live in obedience to our Heavenly Sovereign and to be ever-ready for the time when Christ the King will return, judge the world, reward those who have been loyal to Him with crowns of gold and shining mansions, punish the wicked who have denied His authority and re-build His kingdom which "shall have no end". Even none-Christians in many cases would rather have a monarchy because it at least recognizes the existence of God, and His role in the world whereas the republic is at heart humanist and ignores God completely in their documents. A monarchy, any monarchy, is built on the belief that power comes from above and although the people may rule themselves, the ultimate position is something sacred. |
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| Click on the Flag of Christ the King for explanation and more images. |
| Music Playing is "When the King Enjoys His Own Again" |
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