Christ the King
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:43PM (from Paul Janssen)
OK, OK I know the Scripture passages that speak of Jesus as a King. I have no argument with them. The question is, what sort of kingship is his kingship. If not "of this world," then what?
The question arises on the cusp of another Christ the King Sunday. Whence cometh this liturgical observance? Informed sources (or not so informed; I include Wikipedia as one among them) tell me that Christ the King Sunday was initiated in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, not only as an effort to exalt Christ, but also as a public gesture that rejected the supposed 'kingship' of Benito Mussolini. Thus the Sunday that approaches is by its very observance an act of confession: Christ alone is king, and no earthly ruler, whether self-proclaimed or inherited or voted into office, can dare claim the title 'king.'
Problem is, if Christ's kingdom is not of this world, and the only kingships we know are of this world, then how do we characterize Christ's kingship?
