Everyone in the world is subject to Jesus, who is King of all creation.
This means that all men are bound to the reign and rule of Jesus, but are also under his loving care and protection.
Because of this, Catholics and other Christians should put God first, even when faced with challenges and pressures from secular society or political power.
All of the readings and teaching at Mass through the year point to the last Sunday of the liturgical year when the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe.
This feast was instituted in 1925 in response to increasing hostility toward the Church and attempts by several governments to remove God from public life.
A relatively new feast:
Is Jesus the King of your life?:
From a kingdom of darkness to a kingdom of light:
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.
Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas, December 11, 1925
Jesus is not an ordinary king:
The perfect King of all people:
A king who sets us free:
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
John 18: 36-37
Encountering Christ the King every day:
Finally, the People of God shares in the royal office of Christ. He exercises his kingship by drawing all men to Himself through his death and Resurrection. Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made Himself the servant of all, for He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” For the Christian, “to reign is to serve Him,” particularly when serving “the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder.” The People of God fulfills its royal dignity by a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 786
Reigning as King through his Cross:
The King will come again in glory to make things right:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Faith through good works:
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