Christ Is King
There are no kings except Christ the King.
If you reject the notion of kingship, you should know that God never intended for mankind to have earthly rulers. After the flood, when the Nephilim, known as the Men of Renown, were wiped off the face of the earth with the rest of mankind (save for Noah and his family), there were no kings until the Tower of Babel. After Babel, men spread throughout the world and perverted religion with mythologies and pagan gods. Even after the Hebrews' freedom from Egypt and Joshua's conquest of the Promised Land, there were no kings of the Hebrew people; only the Gentiles had kings.
During the election of Israel's first king, Saul, the Prophet Samuel was reassured by God that the people did not reject Samuel but have in fact rejected God and His Kingship (1 Samuel 8:7).
God is the creator and ruler of all creation and is, in fact, a king, as the Old Testament describes Him, in Psalm 10:16 and Daniel 7:13-14.
We see in 1 Chronicles 29:11, and Psalms 2, 47, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 99 the enthronement and glory of God. In Psalms 2:7-8, 89:29, 110, 132:11, and Isaiah 9:6-7, we find the promise to David of the Messiah coming through his lineage, who is Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew 22:44 is a direct reference and fulfillment of Psalm 110:1.
If you still doubt that Christ Jesus is the Hebrew Messiah and Savior of the world, then consider Isaiah 53.
In the New Testament, Christ's kingship is first spoken of in the Nativity narrative in Matthew 2:2, and later in Acts 2:30-32, 1 Timothy 1:17, 6:13-15, Hebrews 1:3-4, Ephesians 1:20-21, John 18:36, Revelation 1:5-6, 17:14, and 19:13-16.
So you see, it's simple: God is King, and Christ is King. He is the King of Kings.
The Catholic Church has also given our Lord the titles of Prince of Peace and King of the Universe.
In the Old Calendar of the Roman Rite, the Feast of The Solemnity of Christ the King is celebrated on the last Sunday of October, and in the New Calendar, the Feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time.
The Catholic Church has also taught extensively on the earthly and divine Kingship of Christ and the Social Kingship of Christ, through the writings of Pope Leo XIII's Immortale Dei, Pope Pius XI's Quas Primas, and Father Denis Fahey's The Social Kingship of Christ and Organized Naturalism.
The gist of the Social Kingship of Christ is a society that revolves itself around God in the person of Jesus Christ and His Church, which serves as a compass to navigate a nation's laws and society.
But isn't that a theocracy? Not necessarily. It doesn't strip a nation of its ability to have monarchs or elected officials like prime ministers or presidents. It simply envisions a society that uses Christ and the teachings of the Church as its scale to measure just laws, societal trends, and norms. At least, that's the bare minimum. The ideal is, yes, a utopian society that is theocratic and entirely Christian, but we know from history and from the prophecies of Scripture that this will never be accomplished.
Amongst some traditionalist Catholics is the private revelation foretold by many saints and mystics about the Great Catholic Monarch and the Angelic Pope towards the end of the world. Some people actually refuse to vote because, in their view, a Catholic monarch is the only solution. While I do believe in this age-old prophecy myself, I still vote and follow the Catechism, which instructs us to vote according to our conscience, which ought to be properly formed through orthodox belief, steering our country in the closest proximity to Catholic values and beliefs.
Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country:
CCC 2240
It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one's country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community.
CCC 2239
Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country:
CCC 2240
Furthermore, citizens are obligated to contribute to the common good of society.
It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one's country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community.
CCC 2239
At the same time, citizens must follow God above all, and not place human standards above those instituted by God.
The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." "We must obey God rather than men."
CCC 2242
V. The Authorities In Civil Society
Personally, I'm not a fan of monarchies because for every few good kings and queens, there are many evil and corrupt ones. David's lineage was not spared from this fallen human nature either. I'd rather vote for a new leader every four years than be stuck with some miserable schmuck fed with a golden spoon for sixty-some odd years until he/she croaks.
Jesus, however, is a perfect King. If you reject Christ and His Kingship, then you're not alone, because His own Chosen People, the Hebrews, rejected Him. They envisioned an earthly king who would rule over all nations and deliver Israel from Roman occupation, but instead, Jesus delivered them from the bondage of sin and brought them into the Kingdom of God.
Yes, Jesus does say when questioned by Pontius Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:35-36) However, when He conquered Satan and trampled death by death, He liberated the world and all of mankind—every race and nation. All we have to do is follow Him and become members of His mystical body through the initiation of the mysteries (sacraments) as members of His Holy Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church. This life and this earth are a spiritual battlefield; we are in a war between the forces of light and darkness. As players on the mystical chessboard, we can win back parts of our world for the Glory of God, especially in our society and country, by spreading His kingdom first through ourselves and our families, and then to the world.
Like Saint Paul (1 Corinthians 1:30-31) let us be boastful of Christ and proclaim on this so-called day of No Kings that Christ is King! The King of Kings! The King of the Universe!!!
Personally, I'm not a fan of monarchies because for every few good kings and queens, there are many evil and corrupt ones. David's lineage was not spared from this fallen human nature either. I'd rather vote for a new leader every four years than be stuck with some miserable schmuck fed with a golden spoon for sixty-some odd years until he/she croaks.
Jesus, however, is a perfect King. If you reject Christ and His Kingship, then you're not alone, because His own Chosen People, the Hebrews, rejected Him. They envisioned an earthly king who would rule over all nations and deliver Israel from Roman occupation, but instead, Jesus delivered them from the bondage of sin and brought them into the Kingdom of God.
Yes, Jesus does say when questioned by Pontius Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:35-36) However, when He conquered Satan and trampled death by death, He liberated the world and all of mankind—every race and nation. All we have to do is follow Him and become members of His mystical body through the initiation of the mysteries (sacraments) as members of His Holy Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church. This life and this earth are a spiritual battlefield; we are in a war between the forces of light and darkness. As players on the mystical chessboard, we can win back parts of our world for the Glory of God, especially in our society and country, by spreading His kingdom first through ourselves and our families, and then to the world.
Like Saint Paul (1 Corinthians 1:30-31) let us be boastful of Christ and proclaim on this so-called day of No Kings that Christ is King! The King of Kings! The King of the Universe!!!
If my boastfullness of the divinity and messianic and cosmic Kingship of Christ seems foolish to you, then to you I leave this passage
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; 27 but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;
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