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Confraternity of Christ the King
Consociatio Christi Regis
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Nota bene: This is the first in a series of articles comparing the Christ the King readings in the Traditional and Novel Rites. For the others, see the comparison of Year B and Year C.
The new lectionary for the Roman rite works on a three-year cycle, making it very difficult to keep track of the proper readings or to compare those readings across rites. Instead of reliably having the same readings at a given Mass each year, the new lectionary has “Year A”, “Year B”, and “Year C”, each of which will have different readings for the same feasts. The traditional lectionary, on the other hand, has the same readings for each day every year, providing reliability and consistency.
Nevertheless, let us look at the readings for the feast of Christ the King in both lectionaries, and see what we can learn from them.
As noted above, the new lectionary consists of a three-year cycle, so we must examine not one set of readings, but three to get to grips with the new feast of Christ of the King of All Things. (This is the literal translation of the new name of the feast: Christi Regis Universorum.) For now, let's focus on the Year A readings.
We will note three things about the readings below:
The general theme for the Year A readings seems to be that of the shepherd, though the Gospel does include the notion of a great king as judge as well as shepherd. Since judgment is one of the quintessential roles of the king, this is not necessarily inappropriate. However, let's see how these readings apply to the traditional doctrine of Christ the King.
First, the text itself:
For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visiteth his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land: and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land. I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my sheep: and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment. And as for you, O my flocks, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he goats.
Put simply, this reading simply doesn't bear on the doctrine of Christ the King in any direct way at all. It is true, of course, that our King is a good shepherd, and that He does lead us to what we need, from wickedness into goodness; and it is good to remind us of this by reading passages such as Ezekiel here.
However, Christ the King is more than a caring shepherd; He is the King, the legislator and executor and judge. That role, His Kingship, is precisely what this feast is designed to celebrate and proclaim to the faithful. Why emphasize the role of Christ as shepherd (we do already have a Good Shepherd Sunday, after all) on a day which was established specifically for emphasizing another of His roles?
The three primary functions of Christ as King are, of course, his legislative (law-giving), executive (enforcing), and judicial (judging) powers; this reading tells us nothing about any of them.
Ironically, this chapter of Ezekiel bears most on the doctrine of Christ the King in the part that was excised from the reading (though even there, only tangentially); that is, verses 13 and 14. Here, at least, we hear about gathering His people and separating them from the others, and we know from St. Thomas that founding a city for his people is a quintessentially kingly action. But the lectionary, unfortunately, cuts this out of the reading, making the reading more or less entirely inapplicable to the feast.
The “responsorial psalm” is the beloved Psalm 23 (22 in the traditional numbering).
A psalm for David. THE Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: he hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake. For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me. Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it! And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.
A worthy psalm for meditation, without doubt; and it does contain at least some royal imagery, such as the statement that “the Lord ruleth me”. In that sense, it is a good selection.
Then again, the part which might be interpreted as referring to the King's executive authority (“Thy rod and thy staff”) has been excised! As is so often the case, the omission of this verse is very mysterious, and it certainly limits the applicability of the psalm to this great feast.
We do also see the anointing of the head with oil, which is the traditional means by which a king is consecrated; however, this is clearly not referring to a kingly anointing of the Lord, but rather to the anointing of the psalmist.
All told, this psalm is, once again, on the theme of the Lord as the shepherd; a worthy theme, but one very different from the feast of Christ the King.
The epistle reading does bear fairly directly on political authority:
But now Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep: For by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the dead. And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But every one in his own order: the firstfruits Christ, then they that are of Christ, who have believed in his coming. Afterwards the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he shall have brought to nought all principality, and power, and virtue. For he must reign, until he hath put all his enemies under his feet. And the enemy death shall be destroyed last: For he hath put all things under his feet. And whereas he saith, All things are put under him; undoubtedly, he is excepted, who put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then the Son also himself shall be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Why verse 27 was excised is very mysterious, but we need not speculate on that here.
This reading is refreshingly applicable to the feast of Christ the King. We see talk of the kingdom, reigning, putting enemies beneath His feet. We can move on feeling a little more comfortable, and having had our thoughts turned toward Christ as our King.
This part, the Alleluia verse, is the only part which is repeated in all three cycles of the lectionary. It is well chosen; the people of Israel hailing Jesus Christ as their king, as the son of David when He enters His city, is quintessentially royal.
And they that went before and they that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh:Hosanna in the highest.
On the other hand, we must ask (as so often with the new lectionary) why were the excised parts cut out?
The Gospel does refer to a king, and the king is doing some righteous judgment, which is a good reminder for us about one of the primary roles of kingship:
And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
Judgment being one of the three main powers of the King, it is excellent to see a Scriptural reading which shows Christ in the act of judgment.
On the other hand, while the parable clearly references Christ Himself judging man at the end of days, it is a parable; and, more importantly, it is the end of days. We have explored elsewhere the error of the new lectionary in making the Kingship of Christ an eschatological doctrine, something that appears only at the end of time; in reality, Christ is King right now, and always will be, and we should work toward recognizing His reign integrally in our world.
Selecting this Gospel, as opposed to others, reinforces this erroneous understanding of an eschatological, only-at-the-end-of-time Kingship of Christ, which in turn removes all urgency toward working to establish that reign in the here-and-now on earth. It is thus a poorly chosen Gospel for this great feast.
The new lectionary had to fill out three entirely separate liturgies with readings, and as a result none of them really adequately displays the clear Scriptural teaching on Christ the King. The best and most suitable readings are scattered throughout the three-year rotation, and the remainder each year are less suitable. For Year A, we have readings that appear to be selected more to emphasize Christ the Good Shepherd than Christ the King. Overall, one simple, unified set of readings for one simple, unified feast—the traditional choice of the Church—serves the feast, and the faithful, much better.
Now we will turn toward the traditional readings for the feast of Christ the King. This set of readings, put in place by the founder of the feast, Pope Pius XI, should be examined very carefully for the riches regarding the doctrine of Christ the King that they can afford us.
First, for the Introit, we have a reading from the Apocalypse of St. John (usually called by the name “Revelations”); but note here that there is no hint of eschatological character.
The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction. GIVE to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king's son thy justice.
This prayer focuses on the claim of Christ for His Kingship. As we know from the Catechism of Christ the King, Christ's claim to kingship is by blood (that is, His descent from David, to whose line was promised the kingship of God's people forever); by right of creation; and by right of redemption. So the Church presents us the image of “[t]he Lamb that was slain”, by which our redemption was accomplished. Because of that redemption, because He was slain, He “is worthy to receive power”, the kingship which He rightly holds over all of us. We then echo the prayer of David himself, from whose descent Christ claims His kingship by blood: “Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king's son thy justice.” We have here noted His right to kingship by blood and by redemption; and by appealing to both “the king” and to “the king's son”, we are appealing also to God the Father, the Creator, and invoking His right by creation, as well.
What riches and knowledge of Christ our King from such a short passage, such a brief prayer! Still more lies in wait for us.
This epistle is preserved in the new lectionary as the epistle for Year C; and it is good that it was preserved, for it's the best possible choice for this great feast. Let's read it again and see what more spiritual wealth on Christ's kingship we can find:
Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and in him. And he is before all, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he may hold the primacy: Because in him, it hath well pleased the Father, that all fullness should dwell; And through him to reconcile all things unto himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the things that are on earth, and the things that are in heaven.
One could be forgiven for thinking this to have been written by Pius XI himself, in order to explain the doctrine of Christ the King! Here we have two of the claims of Christ to the kingship, spelled out as the things which “hath translated us into the kingdom”!
This is a wonderfully clear exposition of the kingship of Christ, a perfect meditation on His rights from creation and redemption.
Next we have the Gradual, which combines Psalm 71 with the book of Daniel:
And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him. [H]is power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.
Once again, we have here a reading that uniquely expresses the universal breadth of His kingship and power. Even “the kings of the earth” owe Him homage; His power is “everlasting” and “shall not be destroyed”; he rules “from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth”. In other words, His kingship is universal in both time and place.
The perfect Gospel for this feast, which we also find in Year B of the new lectionary:
Pilate therefore went into the hall again, and called Jesus, and said to him: Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of me? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thy own nation, and the chief priests, have delivered thee up to me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now my kingdom is not from hence. Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice.
Once again, Christ emphatically states His kingship, and does so in the present tense. Indeed, “[f]or this was I born, and for this came I into the world.” It was this very kingship that the Jews used to justify His murder; after all, anyone who makes himself a king is no friend of Caesar—even if He is king of the Jews. This Gospel is the obvious and logical choice for the feast.
Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Mostly self-explanatory. In the offertory, we read how God the Father, Creator of all, gave everything to the Son “for thy inheritance”; that is, to rule.
[T]he Lord shall sit king for ever… the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Again, mostly self-explanatory. For the Communion, we read that the Lord, Jesus Christ, is “king for ever”; and that His kingship “will bless his people with peace.”
Though not from the Scriptures, this prayer serves as an excellent reminder of the true purpose of the feast as established by Pope Pius IX:
We have received the food of eternal life, and we beseech You, O Lord, that we who are proud to serve under the flag of Christ the King may forever reign with Him in the Kingdom of heaven. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
This prayer is humble, supplicative, yet militant; we “serve under the flag of Christ the King”! Any Christian praying this cannot help but feel the urge of marching through his own life under this flag. It is a fitting way to close the Mass of this great feast, and send the faithful on to live its teachings out in their lives.
Pope Pius XI, when he established the feast of Christ the King, did his job well. We do well, of course, to study the Scriptures, regardless of the passage; but if we wish to come to a deeper knowledge of Christ the King, we would do well to study the Scripural readings of the traditional feast, and strive to put them all in our hearts.