THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST

I‘ve had some technical issues for two days, especially with my new phone and copying photos to my laptop. I spent close to two hours yesterday trying to fix the issue and nothing that was suggested online worked. New phones and upgrades are not always what one thinks they will be. Instead of a few easy steps to perform certain actions (like 2 steps to transfer photos), there are now 3 or 4 or more additional steps. If it works beautifully, don’t fix (or upgrade) it!

I have a story to tell about Manoppello, the Shrine of the Holy Face and Paul Badde’s funeral but that will have to wait a bit until I solve that issue. I hope, in coming days, however, to tell you the story about another face Paul loved, the Advocata, Our Lady, in Rome. I have photos of my visit with Paul and Ellen one Sunday to the Dominican chapel where this icon is housed and it was one of the most wonderful, truly sacred moments of all my time in Rome.

By the way, I know there have been a lot of outages today for news sites in particular and hopefully those issues will be resolved by end of day.

THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST

I saw a wonderful documentary this morning, “The Kingship of Christ” produced by EWTN Ireland, with cooperation from EWTN in Rome. It had its premiere in the Vatican’s Filmoteca – film library – and I’ll be bringing you more about this documentary in coming days and weeks and will be interviewing the producer and principal narrator for Vatican Insider.

“Kingship of Christ” is actually four separate mini-documentaries that look at different aspects of the Kingship of Christ: The Origin of Kingship in the Old and New Testaments; What Type of Kingship; How Interest and Devotion Grew in the 1800s and 1900s; and How is Christ’s Kingship Being Realized Today?

The solemnity of Christ the King is, in fact, this coming Sunday, November 23rd. It was 100 years ago on December 11, 1925, at the end of the Holy Year 1925, that Pope Pius XI proclaimed this solemnity in his Encyclical “Quas Primas,” meaning “In the first.”

“Quas primas” starts: “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.”

Ponder these words carefully on the upcoming solemnity.  They sound exactly as if they could have been written today, 2025!

Para. 6 states: “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.”