Feast of Christ the King

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Christ the King sculpture by Jan Eloy and Leo Brom at St. Martin's Church in Groningen (1936)
Messkasel with the Christ the King motif (around 1930)
Christ the King mosaic (1936) in the parish church of Neuffunghaus
Christ the King statue (1944) in Kanjiracode, Kollam District , Kerala (India)

The Feast of Christ the King (Latin Sollemnitas Domini Nostri Iesu Christi Universorum Regis "Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe", completely "Solemnity of Christ, King of the World") is a solemn festival in the Catholic Church . In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Churches and in many English-speaking Lutheran churches , it is celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year .

history

Introduced as a new festival in 1925

The Christ the King festival , a festival of ideas , was held in the Roman Catholic Church on the occasion of the Holy Year 1925 for the 1600th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 325 by Pope Pius XI. used with his encyclical Quas primas of December 11, 1925, a few years after the fall of kingdoms and empires with the end of the First World War , for example in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The festival was first celebrated on December 31, 1925 and then on the last Sunday in October. As part of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council , the festival in 1970 was moved to the last Sunday of the church year at the end of November. At the same time, the kingship of Christ was more strongly emphasized from the eschatological aspect in the liturgical texts .

Motive: fight against secularism

Pope Pius XI, whose motto was Pax Christi in regno Christi (“the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ”), combined with the introduction of the festival in 1925 the goal of “ fighting the error of secularism ” and “controlling the failure of Catholics ”, Which expresses itself in“ indifference and fearfulness of the good ”,“ those who abstain from the fight or offer only weak resistance [against laicism]. But this makes the enemies of the Church all the more brazen and daring ”. He also spoke of “jealousies among the peoples that still largely hinder peaceful reconciliation” and “licentiousness of passions and desires that are often hidden under the mask of patriotism”. Annual commemorative days like this one have "an effective influence on teaching the people about faith".

Motif: Social kingship of Christ

The motif of the “social kingship of Christ” grew out of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, which was strongly propagated in the 19th century . The French Jesuit Henri Ramière founded the Society of the Social Rulership of Jesus Christ in 1882, which was renamed the Brotherhood of Christ the King in 1920. There was a broad movement in theology and piety ( initiated by Marthe de Noaillat ) that promoted the idea and petitioned the Holy See to introduce a feast of “Christ's King's Day” or “Christ, King of Nations”. Such petitions had already been made during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII. († 1903), after the end of the First World War, over 600 bishops and religious superiors voted in this direction. However, there were also voices who did not see a new feast as necessary, since the feast of the apparition of the Lord could be regarded as the "born feast of the King of Christ".

After the feast was announced by the Pope, a lively wave of preparations began for the first date of the feast in October 1926. The motto of the 65th German Catholic Assembly on August 22nd to 24th, 1926 in Breslau was “Christ - King”.

Adoration of Christ the King by Catholic youth

In the Weimar Republic and in the time of National Socialism , the worship of Christ the King played a major role among Catholic youth. Contrary to the leader cult of the secular society in the 1930s, young Catholics set an example against the ideology of National Socialism with processions and celebrations . Since the beginning of the 20th century, on Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost , the Catholic youth associations had celebrated the so-called Confession Sunday in central locations . In the context of church services with flag delegations and by wearing their uniforms , they confessed their belonging to Jesus Christ and in this way offered a sign against the dictatorial, fascist society culture. When the National Socialists set the Reichssportfest on this date, the youth associations had to evade. Instead, they chose the Feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday in October as the date for Confession Sunday.

Patronage

After the establishment of the feast by Pope Pius XI. Numerous churches were consecrated to the patronage of Christ the King, the first probably in November 1926 in Bischofsheim near Mainz (see Christkönig (Bischofsheim) ).

Theological justification

After the upheavals of the First World War and the end of great monarchies, the festival emphasizes the true kingship of Christ. According to the liturgist Christoph Joosten, the worship of Christ the King stands in the field of tension between piety and politics. The festival is supposed to emphasize the kingdom of God without coming into an exalted claim to worldly power. Therefore the festival is linked on the one hand with the kingship of Jesus Christ over the people of God (Israel), but also with the Passion of Christ and the motive of the suffering king: “Pilate asked him: Are you the King of the Jews? He answered him: You say it ”( Lk 23.3  EU ). Jesus claims the rule of kings before Pilate , but has a crown of thorns put on himself instead of a crown of rulers and mocked himself for it: “Then they woven a wreath of thorns; they put it on him and put a stick in his right hand. They fell on their knees before him and mocked him, shouting: Hail, King of the Jews! ”( Mt 27:29  EU ).

liturgy

The reading order for Holy Mass provides for the following texts on Christ the King Sunday:

1st reading 2nd reading Gospel
Reading year A Ez 34.11-12.15-17  EU 1 Cor 15.20-26.28  EU Mt 25.31-46  EU
Reading year B Dan 7,2a.13b-14  EU Rev 1,5b-8  EU Joh 18,33b-37  EU
Reading year C 2 Sam 5.1-3  EU Col 1: 12-20  EU Lk 23.35-43  EU

Protestantism

Protestant churches in English-speaking countries that follow the English-language Revised Common Lectionary have included Christ the King Sunday in their liturgical calendar.

In Germany, the Evangelical Church celebrates Eternal Sunday on the last Sunday of the church year. Its theme is hope in the Heavenly Jerusalem. The evangelical church service book regulates that a locally customary day of remembrance of those who have fallen asleep (" Sunday of the Dead ") should not replace the Sunday of Eternity, but should be celebrated in a separate morning, sermon or Vespers service.

literature

  • Eckhard Bieger: The church year to look up. Origin - meaning - customs. 4th edition. Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 1997, ISBN 3-7666-9961-X , p. 211.
  • Andreas Heinz : Christ the King. I. Feast of Christ the King . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1994, Sp. 1140 .
  • Christoph Joosten: The Christ the King Festival. Liturgy in the field of tension between piety and politics. Francke, Tübingen 2002, ISBN 3-7720-3271-0 (dissertation, Bochum 2000; 444, XXXIX pages).
  • Florian Michel: The Feast of Christ the King: liturgy in the field of tension between piety and politics. In: Communio. International Catholic Journal 36 (2007), pp. 66-80.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Basic order of the church year, 1st chapter, section I. III. ( [1] [2] )
  2. ↑ Florian Michel: The Christ the King Feast: Liturgy in the field of tension between piety and politics. In: Communio. International Catholic Journal 36 (2007), pp. 66–80, here p. 68.
  3. ^ Andreas Heinz: Christ the King. I. Feast of Christ the King . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1994, Sp. 1140 .
  4. ↑ Quas primas No. 21.24ff.
  5. ↑ See, for example, Ildefons Herwegen : The Kingship of Christ and the Liturgy. In: Ildefons Herwegen: Old sources of new strength. Collected Essays. 2nd ed., Düsseldorf 1922, pp. 147-168.
  6. ↑ Heinrich von Meurers: The Kingship of Christ. In: Pastor Bonus Vol. 37 (1926), pp. 10–38, here p. 14.
  7. ↑ Florian Michel: The Christ the King Feast: Liturgy in the field of tension between piety and politics. In: Communio. International Catholic Journal 36 (2007), pp. 66–80, here p. 72
    One representative was Dom Emmanule Flicoteuax OSB: L'Epiphany et la royauté universelle de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ . In: La Vie Spirituelle XII (1925), pp. 624–629, illustrated by Heinrich von Meurers: The Kingship of Christ. In: Pastor Bonus Vol. 37 (1926), pp. 10–38, here p. 37.
  8. ↑ Heinrich von Meurers: To prepare for the feast of Christ King's Day. In: Pastor Bonus Vol. 37 (1926), pp. 380-390, here p. 382.
  9. ↑ Florian Michel: The Christ the King Feast: Liturgy in the field of tension between piety and politics. In: Communio. International Catholic Journal 36 (2007), pp. 66-80.
  10. ↑ Christoph Joosten: The Christ the King Festival. Liturgy in the field of tension between piety and politics. Francke, Tübingen 2002, ISBN 3-7720-3271-0 (dissertation, Bochum 2000; 444, XXXIX p.)
  11. ↑ Evangelical church service book. Agende for the Evangelical Church of the Union and for the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany . 3. Edition. Berlin 2003, p. 406 .