Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Pope Pius XI encyclical states:

“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.”

This day also is the last Sunday in the Liturgical Year before the First Sunday of Advent. Today is a day to celebrate Christ the King. In Handel’s Messiah we think of the lyrics of the Hallelujah Chorus:

King of kings and lord of lords
And he shall reign forever and ever