Episode 3245: Christus Rex: Restoring the Forgotten Kingship of Christ in Our Time

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Book Recommendation of the Day
St. Pius X: Notre Charge Apostolique (Our Apostolic Mandate, 1910)
• While not a “book” in the modern sense, this lengthy papal letter by St. Pius X is a treasure.
• In it, he warns against the movement of “Catholic democracy” in France that sought to separate Christ from public and political life.
• He insists that true renewal of society can only come under the reign of Christ the King, not through humanist or secular models.
• Quote:
“The world cannot be rebuilt without Christ. All attempts to do so are destined to failure. It is Christ, therefore, whom society must receive as its King.”

Rex: Restoring the Forgotten Kingship of Christ in Our Time
A Forgotten Feast with an Urgent Message
Most Catholics today think of Christ the King as a poetic title or a parish name, but far fewer realize that the Feast of Christ the King was instituted as a bold response to the collapse of Christian civilization in the modern world.
In 1925, Pope Pius XI, through his encyclical Quas Primas, established this feast as a direct answer to the chaos following World War I: the fall of Catholic monarchies, the spread of secular governments, and the aggressive rise of atheistic communism and liberalism.
The Pope’s message was uncompromising: only the recognition of the Social Reign of Christ the King could restore peace and order. Not merely in private devotion, but in families, nations, laws, and public life.
Pius XI declared:
“When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony.” (Quas Primas, 19)
This was no sentimental devotion. It was a mandate for Catholic society. To deny Christ’s kingship was not a neutral choice it was rebellion against the rightful Lord of history.
Segment 1: What the Church Taught Before Vatican II
For centuries, the Magisterium consistently affirmed the social kingship of Christ with clarity:
1. Christ’s Kingship is Universal
o He reigns over all creation, visible and invisible.
o Psalm 2 foretells: “Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”
2. Nations Have Duties to God
o Just as individuals must honor Christ, so too must rulers and governments.
o Pope Leo XIII in Immortale Dei warned that rulers sin gravely if they govern as if God does not exist.
3. Civil Law Must Reflect Divine Law
o Justice is not invented by men but rooted in God’s eternal law.
o When nations enshrine abortion, redefine marriage, or sanction blasphemy, they reject Christ’s kingship and corrupt their people.
4. Christ’s Kingship Brings Peace
o Where Christ reigns, families and nations flourish. Where He is rejected, confusion, tyranny, and immorality spread.
This was the foundation of Catholic social teaching: the world belongs to Christ, and only His reign guarantees order and peace.
Segment 2: What Changed After Vatican II
After the Council, particularly with Dignitatis Humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom), emphasis shifted. Though the doctrine itself was never denied, its application in practice was often muted.
• The duty of nations to publicly recognize and uphold the true Faith was downplayed.
• Religious liberty, poorly understood, became in practice a form of indifferentism, treating all religions as equal in public life.
• The Feast of Christ the King was moved from late October originally placed to highlight Christ’s triumph over temporal powers to the final Sunday of the liturgical year, shifting emphasis toward the eschatological reign at the end of time rather than His social reign here and now.
The result:
• Many Catholics today think Christ’s kingship is purely spiritual or symbolic.
• Governments, unchallenged by the Church, sank deeper into secularism.
• Catholic identity in the public square dissolved, replaced by ideologies opposed to Christ.
Segment 3: Why This is Urgently Relevant Today
Look at our world today and the fruit of forgetting Christ the King:
• Laws against God’s law: abortion legalized, marriage redefined, assisted suicide normalized.
• Culture of secularism: schools, courts, and media act as if God is irrelevant.
• Confusion in the Church: many Catholics accept secularism as the natural order of things.

Pope Pius XI warned us prophetically:
“Once men exclude Christ from their laws and politics, there is no longer any place for religion in public life, and society will suffer.” (Quas Primas, 24)
We see this warning fulfilled in our own times: broken families, declining faith, and moral collapse.
Segment 4: Practical Ways to Live Under Christ the King
We may not be able to reform governments overnight, but we can enthrone Christ in our own lives, families, and communities.
1. Enthrone the Sacred Heart in the Home
o Make Christ the King of your family; it begins with the domestic church.
2. Pray the Rosary Daily
o At Lepanto and throughout history, the Rosary has been the weapon of victory against the enemies of Christ.

3. Live by God’s Law
o Refuse to normalize or participate in sins legalized by civil governments. God’s law is higher than man’s.
4. Public Witness of Faith
o Do not hide Catholic identity. Proclaim Christ at work, school, and in the public sphere.
5. Support the Traditional Liturgy
o The old calendar and traditional placement of the feast keep the doctrine alive. The liturgy itself proclaims Christ’s kingship here and now.
Segment 5: The Hope of Christ’s Kingship
Despite the darkness, Christ remains King. His kingship is not subject to elections, courts, or cultural tides.
St. Paul assures us:
“He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.” (1 Cor. 15:25)
Christ’s victory is already won. Our task is to live as His faithful subjects, to guard against the idols of secularism and relativism, and to hand down the truth of His kingship to the next generation.
The kings of the earth rise and fall, but Christ reigns forever.
Connection with Today’s Readings and Feast
• Epistle (2 Cor 4:1–6, 15–18): We are earthen vessels carrying the treasure of Christ’s kingship, called to suffer for His glory. Like St. John Leonardi, we must persevere in fidelity, even when weak.
• Gospel (Luke 10:1–9): The disciples are sent as heralds of the Kingdom, relying not on worldly strength but on divine providence. We, too, must proclaim: “The Kingdom of God has come near.”
• St. John Leonardi: A reformer who embodied both: weak in the world’s eyes, but strong in fidelity, sending laborers into the harvest and catechizing souls for Christ the King.
Epistle – 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, 15–18
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Christ Jesus. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of the power of God, and not of us... For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory."
Reflection on the Epistle
St. Paul’s words are humbling: we carry divine truth, but in fragile vessels. The Christian life is not about showing our own strength but about manifesting God’s power in our weakness. Our sufferings, endured for His sake, prepare us for an “eternal weight of glory.”
St. John Leonardi lived this Epistle. He faced opposition from corrupt leaders, resistance to reform, and personal suffering. Yet he persevered, knowing that the treasure he carried was not his own but Christ’s. His catechesis, missionary training, and devotion to Our Lady all sprang from a deep awareness of being a vessel for God’s light, not for his own glory.
For us, this passage is a reminder that our limitations, if united to Christ, become instruments of grace. When mocked for fidelity to Tradition, when misunderstood by the world—even when weak—we are being prepared for glory.

Gospel – Luke 10:1–9
"The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves... And into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house. And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."
Reflection on the Gospel
Our Lord sends His disciples into the world with urgency and poverty: no purse, no sandals, no reliance on worldly security only on the providence of God. Their mission is to heal, proclaim peace, and announce the nearness of the Kingdom.
St. John Leonardi embodied this Gospel. He sent priests into mission territories, trusting not in wealth or power but in God’s grace. His work prepared generations of missionaries to bring Christ to distant lands. He also insisted that priests live holy, disciplined lives, for they are ambassadors of the Kingdom.
This Gospel also challenges us today: do we trust God enough to labor for His Kingdom without clinging to comforts? Are we willing to be “lambs among wolves,” proclaiming the truth in a hostile culture? The harvest is great—souls are starving for truth—but the laborers remain few. The Rosary, the catechism, the sacraments these are our tools in the field.
Feast of St. John Leonardi
St. John Leonardi (1541–1609) was a reformer, catechist, and founder whose mission was to renew the Church in the spirit of holiness and fidelity. He co-founded the seminary that became the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide), ensuring the Church had missionaries well-formed in doctrine and discipline. His feast reminds us that true reform comes not by compromise but by fidelity, devotion to Our Lady, and courage to preach the Gospel.
Application for Today
• Accept weakness as strength: Like earthen vessels, our fragility manifests God’s glory.
• Embrace mission: The harvest is great do not wait for others, but proclaim Christ in word and deed.
• Live with providence: Trust less in worldly security, more in God’s care.
• Be zealous for the faith: Like St. John Leonardi, work to reform, catechize, and spread devotion to Christ and His Mother.
Conclusionary Prayer
O God, who didst raise up St. John Leonardi to labor for the renewal of Thy Church and the salvation of souls, grant that through his intercession we may embrace our weaknesses as instruments of Thy grace, labor with zeal for Thy Kingdom, and persevere in the hope of eternal glory.
St. John Leonardi, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us.