- JOUSTING WITH THE DEVIL –
CHESTERTON’S BATTLE WITH THE FATHER OF LIES:
A public lecture with Fr. Bob Wild of the Madonna House community,
Combermere, on Sun., Mar. 1, 7:00 p.m., 2015
Saint Paul University Amphitheatre, 223 Main St.
Sponsored by the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky
Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University.
Info: (613-236-1393, ext. 2332); (sheptytsky@ustpaul.ca).
Part 1
Part 2
Thank You to the Best President of the USA that I have seen during my lifetime. Mr. Trump, you have accomplished more for the cause of Life, Liberty and Religious Freedom than any other President that I have seen and I hope and pray that you will continue to be a voice for the voiceless. God Bless you and your family
Maureen
My fellow Americans: Four years ago, we launched a great national effort to rebuild our country, to renew its spirit, and to restore the allegiance of this government to its citizens. In short, we embarked on a mission to make America great again — for all Americans.
As I conclude my term as the 45th President of the United States, I stand before you truly proud of what we have achieved together. We did what we came here to do — and so much more.
This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous. We extend our best wishes, and we also want them to have luck — a very important word.
I’d like to begin by thanking just a few of the amazing people who made our remarkable journey possible.
First, let me express my overwhelming gratitude for the love and support of our spectacular First Lady, Melania. Let me also share my deepest appreciation to my daughter Ivanka, my son-in-law Jared, and to Barron, Don, Eric, Tiffany, and Lara. You fill my world with light and with joy.
I also want to thank Vice President Mike Pence, his wonderful wife Karen, and the entire Pence family.
Thank you as well to my Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows; the dedicated members of the White House Staff and the Cabinet; and all the incredible people across our administration who poured out their heart and soul to fight for America.
I also want to take a moment to thank a truly exceptional group of people: the United States Secret Service. My family and I will forever be in your debt. My profound gratitude as well to everyone in the White House Military Office, the teams of Marine One and Air Force One, every member of the Armed Forces, and state and local law enforcement all across our country.
Most of all, I want to thank the American people. To serve as your President has been an honor beyond description. Thank you for this extraordinary privilege. And that’s what it is — a great privilege and a great honor.
We must never forget that while Americans will always have our disagreements, we are a nation of incredible, decent, faithful, and peace-loving citizens who all want our country to thrive and flourish and be very, very successful and good. We are a truly magnificent nation.
All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated.
Now more than ever, we must unify around our shared values and rise above the partisan rancor, and forge our common destiny.
Four years ago, I came to Washington as the only true outsider ever to win the presidency. I had not spent my career as a politician, but as a builder looking at open skylines and imagining infinite possibilities. I ran for President because I knew there were towering new summits for America just waiting to be scaled. I knew the potential for our nation was boundless as long as we put America first.
So I left behind my former life and stepped into a very difficult arena, but an arena nevertheless, with all sorts of potential if properly done. America had given me so much, and I wanted to give something back.
Together with millions of hardworking patriots across this land, we built the greatest political movement in the history of our country. We also built the greatest economy in the history of the world. It was about “America First” because we all wanted to make America great again. We restored the principle that a nation exists to serve its citizens. Our agenda was not about right or left, it wasn’t about Republican or Democrat, but about the good of a nation, and that means the whole nation.
With the support and prayers of the American people, we achieved more than anyone thought possible. Nobody thought we could even come close.
We passed the largest package of tax cuts and reforms in American history. We slashed more job-killing regulations than any administration had ever done before. We fixed our broken trade deals, withdrew from the horrible Trans-Pacific Partnership and the impossible Paris Climate Accord, renegotiated the one-sided South Korea deal, and we replaced NAFTA with the groundbreaking USMCA — that’s Mexico and Canada — a deal that’s worked out very, very well.
Also, and very importantly, we imposed historic and monumental tariffs on China; made a great new deal with China. But before the ink was even dry, we and the whole world got hit with the China virus. Our trade relationship was rapidly changing, billions and billions of dollars were pouring into the U.S., but the virus forced us to go in a different direction.
The whole world suffered, but America outperformed other countries economically because of our incredible economy and the economy that we built. Without the foundations and footings, it wouldn’t have worked out this way. We wouldn’t have some of the best numbers we’ve ever had.
We also unlocked our energy resources and became the world’s number-one producer of oil and natural gas by far. Powered by these policies, we built the greatest economy in the history of the world. We reignited America’s job creation and achieved record-low unemployment for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, women — almost everyone.
Incomes soared, wages boomed, the American Dream was restored, and millions were lifted from poverty in just a few short years. It was a miracle. The stock market set one record after another, with 148 stock market highs during this short period of time, and boosted the retirements and pensions of hardworking citizens all across our nation. 401(k)s are at a level they’ve never been at before. We’ve never seen numbers like we’ve seen, and that’s before the pandemic and after the pandemic.
We rebuilt the American manufacturing base, opened up thousands of new factories, and brought back the beautiful phrase: “Made in the USA.”
To make life better for working families, we doubled the child tax credit and signed the largest-ever expansion of funding for childcare and development. We joined with the private sector to secure commitments to train more than 16 million American workers for the jobs of tomorrow.
When our nation was hit with the terrible pandemic, we produced not one, but two vaccines with record-breaking speed, and more will quickly follow. They said it couldn’t be done but we did it. They call it a “medical miracle,” and that’s what they’re calling it right now: a “medical miracle.”
Another administration would have taken 3, 4, 5, maybe even up to 10 years to develop a vaccine. We did in nine months.
We grieve for every life lost, and we pledge in their memory to wipe out this horrible pandemic once and for all.
When the virus took its brutal toll on the world’s economy, we launched the fastest economic recovery our country has ever seen. We passed nearly $4 trillion in economic relief, saved or supported over 50 million jobs, and slashed the unemployment rate in half. These are numbers that our country has never seen before.
We created choice and transparency in healthcare, stood up to big pharma in so many ways, but especially in our effort to get favored-nations clauses added, which will give us the lowest prescription drug prices anywhere in the world.
We passed VA Choice, VA Accountability, Right to Try, and landmark criminal justice reform.
We confirmed three new justices of the United States Supreme Court. We appointed nearly 300 federal judges to interpret our Constitution as written.
For years, the American people pleaded with Washington to finally secure the nation’s borders. I am pleased to say we answered that plea and achieved the most secure border in U.S. history. We have given our brave border agents and heroic ICE officers the tools they need to do their jobs better than they have ever done before, and to enforce our laws and keep America safe.
We proudly leave the next administration with the strongest and most robust border security measures ever put into place. This includes historic agreements with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, along with more than 450 miles of powerful new wall.
We restored American strength at home and American leadership abroad. The world respects us again. Please don’t lose that respect.
We reclaimed our sovereignty by standing up for America at the United Nations and withdrawing from the one-sided global deals that never served our interests. And NATO countries are now paying hundreds of billions of dollars more than when I arrived just a few years ago. It was very unfair. We were paying the cost for the world. Now the world is helping us.
And perhaps most importantly of all, with nearly $3 trillion, we fully rebuilt the American military — all made in the USA. We launched the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces in 75 years: the Space Force. And last spring, I stood at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and watched as American astronauts returned to space on American rockets for the first time in many, many years.
We revitalized our alliances and rallied the nations of the world to stand up to China like never before.
We obliterated the ISIS caliphate and ended the wretched life of its founder and leader, al Baghdadi. We stood up to the oppressive Iranian regime and killed the world’s top terrorist, Iranian butcher Qasem Soleimani.
We recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
As a result of our bold diplomacy and principled realism, we achieved a series of historic peace deals in the Middle East. Nobody believed it could happen. The Abraham Accords opened the doors to a future of peace and harmony, not violence and bloodshed. It is the dawn of a new Middle East, and we are bringing our soldiers home.
I am especially proud to be the first President in decades who has started no new wars.
Above all, we have reasserted the sacred idea that, in America, the government answers to the people. Our guiding light, our North Star, our unwavering conviction has been that we are here to serve the noble everyday citizens of America. Our allegiance is not to the special interests, corporations, or global entities; it’s to our children, our citizens, and to our nation itself.
As President, my top priority, my constant concern, has always been the best interests of American workers and American families. I did not seek the easiest course; by far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices because that’s what you elected me to do. Your needs were my first and last unyielding focus.
This, I hope, will be our greatest legacy: Together, we put the American people back in charge of our country. We restored self-government. We restored the idea that in America no one is forgotten, because everyone matters and everyone has a voice. We fought for the principle that every citizen is entitled to equal dignity, equal treatment, and equal rights because we are all made equal by God. Everyone is entitled to be treated with respect, to have their voice heard, and to have their government listen. You are loyal to your country, and my administration was always loyal to you.
We worked to build a country in which every citizen could find a great job and support their wonderful families. We fought for the communities where every American could be safe and schools where every child could learn. We promoted a culture where our laws would be upheld, our heroes honored, our history preserved, and law-abiding citizens are never taken for granted. Americans should take tremendous satisfaction in all that we have achieved together. It’s incredible.
Now, as I leave the White House, I have been reflecting on the dangers that threaten the priceless inheritance we all share. As the world’s most powerful nation, America faces constant threats and challenges from abroad. But the greatest danger we face is a loss of confidence in ourselves, a loss of confidence in our national greatness. A nation is only as strong as its spirit. We are only as dynamic as our pride. We are only as vibrant as the faith that beats in the hearts of our people.
No nation can long thrive that loses faith in its own values, history, and heroes, for these are the very sources of our unity and our vitality.
What has always allowed America to prevail and triumph over the great challenges of the past has been an unyielding and unashamed conviction in the nobility of our country and its unique purpose in history. We must never lose this conviction. We must never forsake our belief in America.
The key to national greatness lies in sustaining and instilling our shared national identity. That means focusing on what we have in common: the heritage that we all share.
At the center of this heritage is also a robust belief in free expression, free speech, and open debate. Only if we forget who we are, and how we got here, could we ever allow political censorship and blacklisting to take place in America. It’s not even thinkable. Shutting down free and open debate violates our core values and most enduring traditions.
In America, we don’t insist on absolute conformity or enforce rigid orthodoxies and punitive speech codes. We just don’t do that. America is not a timid nation of tame souls who need to be sheltered and protected from those with whom we disagree. That’s not who we are. It will never be who we are.
For nearly 250 years, in the face of every challenge, Americans have always summoned our unmatched courage, confidence, and fierce independence. These are the miraculous traits that once led millions of everyday citizens to set out across a wild continent and carve out a new life in the great West. It was the same profound love of our God-given freedom that willed our soldiers into battle and our astronauts into space.
As I think back on the past four years, one image rises in my mind above all others. Whenever I traveled all along the motorcade route, there were thousands and thousands of people. They came out with their families so that they could stand as we passed, and proudly wave our great American flag. It never failed to deeply move me. I knew that they did not just come out to show their support of me; they came out to show me their support and love for our country.
This is a republic of proud citizens who are united by our common conviction that America is the greatest nation in all of history. We are, and must always be, a land of hope, of light, and of glory to all the world. This is the precious inheritance that we must safeguard at every single turn.
For the past four years, I have worked to do just that. From a great hall of Muslim leaders in Riyadh to a great square of Polish people in Warsaw; from the floor of the Korean Assembly to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly; and from the Forbidden City in Beijing to the shadow of Mount Rushmore, I fought for you, I fought for your family, I fought for our country. Above all, I fought for America and all it stands for — and that is safe, strong, proud, and free.
Now, as I prepare to hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday, I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning. There’s never been anything like it. The belief that a nation must serve its citizens will not dwindle but instead only grow stronger by the day.
As long as the American people hold in their hearts deep and devoted love of country, then there is nothing that this nation cannot achieve. Our communities will flourish. Our people will be prosperous. Our traditions will be cherished. Our faith will be strong. And our future will be brighter than ever before.
I go from this majestic place with a loyal and joyful heart, an optimistic spirit, and a supreme confidence that for our country and for our children, the best is yet to come.
Thank you, and farewell. God bless you. God bless the United States of America.
Outstanding Homily - Best I've ever heard on Mary, Mother of God
Thank you Father Hezuk Shroff
Today is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170. Thomas Becket was a statesman, a scholar, a chancellor, a priest, an archbishop, and a lion of religious liberty.
Before the Magna Carta was drafted, before the right to free exercise of religion was enshrined as America’s first freedom in our glorious Constitution, Thomas gave his life so that, as he said, “the Church will attain liberty and peace.”
The son of a London sheriff and once described as “a low‑born clerk” by the King who had him killed, Thomas Becket rose to become the leader of the church in England. When the crown attempted to encroach upon the affairs of the house of God through the Constitutions of Clarendon, Thomas refused to sign the offending document. When the furious King Henry II threatened to hold him in contempt of royal authority and questioned why this “poor and humble” priest would dare defy him, Archbishop Becket responded “God is the supreme ruler, above Kings” and “we ought to obey God rather than men.”
Because Thomas would not assent to rendering the church subservient to the state, he was forced to forfeit all his property and flee his own country. Years later, after the intervention of the Pope, Becket was allowed to return — and continued to resist the King’s oppressive interferences into the life of the church. Finally, the King had enough of Thomas Becket’s stalwart defense of religious faith and reportedly exclaimed in consternation: “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”
The King’s knights responded and rode to Canterbury Cathedral to deliver Thomas Becket an ultimatum: give in to the King’s demands or die. Thomas’s reply echoes around the world and across the ages. His last words on this earth were these: “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.” Dressed in holy robes, Thomas was cut down where he stood inside the walls of his own church.
Thomas Becket’s martyrdom changed the course of history. It eventually brought about numerous constitutional limitations on the power of the state over the Church across the West. In England, Becket’s murder led to the Magna Carta’s declaration 45 years later that: “[T]he English church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished and its liberties unimpaired.”
When the Archbishop refused to allow the King to interfere in the affairs of the Church, Thomas Becket stood at the intersection of church and state. That stand, after centuries of state-sponsored religious oppression and religious wars throughout Europe, eventually led to the establishment of religious liberty in the New World. It is because of great men like Thomas Becket that the first American President George Washington could proclaim more than 600 years later that, in the United States, “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship” and that “it is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.”
Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty. It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.
As Americans, we were first united by our belief that “rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God” and that defending liberty is more important than life itself. If we are to continue to be the land of the free, no government official, no governor, no bureaucrat, no judge, and no legislator must be allowed to decree what is orthodox in matters of religion or to require religious believers to violate their consciences. No right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions. As I declared in Krasiński Square in Warsaw, Poland on July 6, 2017, the people of America and the people of the world still cry out: “We want God.”
On this day, we celebrate and revere Thomas Becket’s courageous stand for religious liberty and we reaffirm our call to end religious persecution worldwide. In my historic address to the United Nations last year, I made clear that America stands with believers in every country who ask only for the freedom to live according to the faith that is within their own hearts. I also stated that global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life, reflecting the belief held by the United States and many other countries that every child — born and unborn — is a sacred gift from God. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive Order to prioritize religious freedom as a core dimension of United States foreign policy. We have directed every Ambassador — and the over 13,000 United States Foreign Service officers and specialists — in more than 195 countries to promote, defend, and support religious freedom as a central pillar of American diplomacy.
We pray for religious believers everywhere who suffer persecution for their faith. We especially pray for their brave and inspiring shepherds — like Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong and Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu — who are tireless witnesses to hope.
To honor Thomas Becket’s memory, the crimes against people of faith must stop, prisoners of conscience must be released, laws restricting freedom of religion and belief must be repealed, and the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed must be protected. The tyranny and murder that shocked the conscience of the Middle Ages must never be allowed to happen again. As long as America stands, we will always defend religious liberty.
A society without religion cannot prosper. A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 29, 2020, as the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. I invite the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies in commemoration of the life and legacy of Thomas Becket.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
BY PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 26 THERE WILL BE NO PUBLIC MASSES. HOWEVER THE CHURCH WILL BE OPEN FOR PRIVATE PRAYER AND CONFESSIONS
MONDAY to FRIDAY OPEN – 7am to 1 pm
CONFESSIONS 7-7:30 am, 8-8:30 am & 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
SATURDAY OPEN – 9 am to 1 pm
CONFESSIONS 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
SUNDAY OPEN – 9 am to 11 am
NO CONFESSIONS ON SUNDAY www.basilica.ca
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| Our son John and our precious granddaughter Eden |
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| John and Chantel and their three adorable daughters Emilee, Eden and Bailee |
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| Debbie and Jace dropped by Christmas Eve |
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| Santa left these gifts under our Charlie Brown Christmas tree |
Pat and I attended mass at Saint Catherine of Sienna Parish in Metcalfe this past Sunday and I have to say that Father Shroff gave one of the best Christ the King homilies that I have ever heard and I asked him if I could put it on my blog. Father refers to Pope Pius XI Encyclical Letter Quas Primas (December 11, 1925) | PIUS XI (vatican.va)
Thank you Father Shroff and God bless you!
Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King Given at St. Catherine of Siena Parish on November 22, 2020 AD
by Fr. Hezuk Shroff
Today is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. In the modern liturgy,
this Sunday goes by the title of The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
King of the Universe. This title in English is somewhat unfortunate,
because it is not an exact translation of the original Latin. In the Latin title
of this feast day, Christ is not called “King of the Universe,” which might
give the connotation that we are celebrating a cosmic Christ or even a
New-Age Christ. The Latin title is Rex universorum, which means literally
“The King of All Things.” Christ is the King of all things. He is the King of
individuals (the King of hearts, of minds, of souls); He is the King of nations
and kingdoms and principalities; He is the King of institutions and
societies. He is even the King of governments and houses of parliament.
Jesus Christ is King of all things! Rex universorum.
Today’s feast day of Christ the King is not a very ancient liturgical
feast. In fact, it only goes back to 1925 (less than a hundred years, which
is a very short time in the history of the Church). It was then, in 1925, that
Pope Pius XI issued his famous encyclical letter Quas Primas. This
encyclical established in the universal Church calendar the feast day of
Christ the King and gave it the highest rank of feast possible: known at
that time as a Double of the First Class. In the modern liturgy, it is called a
Solemnity: the highest rank of feast.
Pope Pius XI decreed that the feast of Christ the King was to be
celebrated every year on the last Sunday in October. This date was chosen
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because this is the Sunday immediately preceding All Saints’ Day. Pope
Pius XI wanted to show the link between the holiness of Christ and the
holiness of His Saints. He wanted to show that the Saints were those who
willingly submitted themselves to the Kingship of Christ. The primary
reason for establishing this feast day, however, was to respond to the
growing spirit of secularism that was sweeping throughout the world in the
period between the First and Second World Wars. The rapid spread of the
secularist ideology wanted a world and a society in which man reigned
supreme, with no reference whatsoever to the primacy of God: and in fact,
even with no acknowledgement of His existence. Most of this took place
under the covert work of freemasonry, which wanted to destroy the
influence of the Catholic Church in order to set up its own ideology of the
Universal Brotherhood of Man, a brotherhood that is fully secular and fully
atheistic: a Brotherhood of Man without God.
Seeing all of this occurring in 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast
of Christ the King and taught that the only truly sovereign monarch is
Christ Himself. All worldly kingship, all worldly authority and power, derives
itself from His. Pope Pius XI knew that when a society rejects the primacy
of God, this very quickly leads to an erosion of the rights of man. Man’s
rights quickly fall by the wayside, and the human race becomes
dehumanized, when God is set aside. This is because the dignity of man is
founded on the fact that he is created in the image and likeness of God.
So when God is cast aside, man loses his dignity. We saw the proof of this
recently in the fall of Ireland from grace, within this past decade. Catholic
Ireland (until she fell) was one of the greatest strongholds of the Catholic
Faith, even throughout the 20th century. But then, almost overnight,
Catholic Ireland rejected the primacy and Kingship of Christ; and as soon
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as it rejected its Catholic roots, it rapidly began spiraling downward,
legalizing almost every form of immoral behavior and lifestyle that it had
previously forbidden.
When Christ is rejected by a society or by a people, the members of
that society very quickly lose their human dignity. This is why Pope Pius XI
instituted the great feast of Christ the King. He wanted to show the world
that without Christ, there is no real dignity or freedom, and that a worldly
kingdom will quickly fall unless it acknowledges the primacy of Christ’s
Kingship.
Now the Kingship of Christ is fully revealed to us on the Cross. In
Mediaeval Europe, crucifixes often portrayed a Christ who was not naked,
but rather clothed in royal garments; and instead of a crown of thorns on
His head, He wore a royal crown with precious jewels. These Mediaeval
crucifixes were meant to convey one very important fact: it is from the
Cross that Christ reigns as King! In fact, a beautiful hymn that is sung
traditionally on Good Friday attests to this very truth. The hymn’s title is
Vexilla Regis. And in that hymn, there is a very powerful verse that says,
Regnavit a ligno Deus! Literally: God hath reigned from the Wood (that is,
from the Cross). These words remind us that Christ’s Kingdom is not of
this world, because no earthly king reigns from a cross. And yet, as Pope
Pius XI taught very clearly, even though His Kingdom is not of this world,
Christ’s Kingship must enter into this world and He must reign in this
world! St. Paul teaches the same thing in today’s second reading, from his
First Epistle to the Corinthians. He says, “[When the end of time comes],
Christ will deliver the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every
rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until he has put all
His enemies under his feet.” (I Cor. 15:24-25). He must reign. In the Latin:
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opportet illum regnare. These words have been the battle-cry of Christians
from the very beginning. Pope Pius XI comments on this in his great
encyclical letter, where he writes the following words: “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. Indeed, He must
reign until, at the end of the world, He has put all His enemies under the
feet of God the Father.”
These powerful words from the Roman Pontiff express the Church’s
belief that Christ must reign, and that we must do everything that we can
to ensure that He does reign. In the words of another hymn that the
Church sings with great pride on the feast of Christ the King (a hymn that
we heard chanted at the 11am Mass this morning): Christus vincit,
Christus regnat, Christus imperat. Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ
commands!
In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the feast of Christ the King from the
last Sunday of October to the last Sunday of the liturgical year. One effect
of this was that the focus of the feast day shifted. Nowadays, because
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Christ the King closes the liturgical year, we often think of this feast day as
a celebration of Christ’s Kingship at the end of time. Christ will reign as
King after the Second Coming, and He will reign especially in Heaven. We
also tend to think of His Kingship primarily as an interior kingship: Christ is
King of our hearts. Now while this is true (while Christ’s Kingship is one of
the heart, and while He will be King at the end of time, after the Second
Coming, in His Kingdom of Heaven), the problem is that we often forget
today that Christ’s Kingship is not just for the end of time. In fact, the
reason why Pope Pius XI instituted this great feast day was precisely to
show the faithful (and to show the rulers of nations) that Christ must reign
even in the here and now, even in our worldly societies: that is, in the
secular domain. Christ is not just to reign in our churches, in our homes, in
our families, and in our hearts. He must also reign in the public forum: that
is, in our schools, our hospitals, our business and industries, and Yes,
even in our Houses of Parliament! Many Catholics today have a faulty
understanding of what has been called the principle of separation of
Church and State. They think that the Catholic Church endorses this
understanding of Church-State religions. It doesn’t. The real teaching of
our Faith is not that the Church and State should be separate,
independent entities; but rather, that the Church has the right to impose
Christ’s reign even in the public sphere. A Parliament that makes laws
without taking into account the teachings of Christ will one day collapse;
and a State that passes legislation that contravenes the Commandments
of God will one day fall. In the end, the only principalities that will remain
are those kingdoms and nations that have submitted themselves willfully
to the one true Kingship: the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
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And so, on this feast of Christ the King, I would like to leave you with
a final quote to ponder over. It is a quotation from the great encyclical
letter of Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas:
The Catholic 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. 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, [the Church] cannot be subject to any external
power. Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast
day [of Christ the King] that not only private individuals, but also rulers
and princes, are bound to give public honour and obedience to Christ.
[This feast day of Christ the King] will call to their minds the thought of
the Last Judgement, 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. It is Our fervent desire that
those who are outside of 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 [Christ’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.
Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands! To Him, Christ the
King, be the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
