Viva Cristo Rey!

 

Deacon David Previtali · Viva Cristo Rey!

Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, November 21, 2021. Gospel of St. John 18:33-37. Theme: Viva Cristo Rey! 

At 10AM on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 1927, a 36-year old Jesuit priest who had become one of the most wanted men in Mexico, was taken from his jail cell and marched across the prison yard. As he walked he held a crucifix in one hand and a rosary in the other. One of the guards approached him and with tears in his eyes begged forgiveness for his participation in what was about to happen. Upon arrival at a stone wall that was riddled with bullet holes, the priest asked permission to pray before being executed. Then extending his arms in the form of a cross and, facing the firing squad, cried out in a loud voice, “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”, that is, “Long live Christ the King!” 

Shots rang out and the priest fell to the ground. To the surprise and frustration of the government authorities - and despite the dangers of police repercussions - 60,000 Catholics attended this heroic priest’s funeral. And throughout the ceremony they proudly and defiantly repeated over and over again the last words of the martyr : “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Long live Christ the King!” 

The priest was Father Miguel Pro, whom we honor as a martyr and saint. Living amidst the bloody religious persecution of Catholics in Mexico in the 1920’s, he actually came to California for a short time and stayed not too far from here in Los Gatos. He had become the most wanted man in Mexico precisely because he believed with all his heart in the importance and meaning of the Solemnity we are celebrating today: that Christ the King is Lord of all things including politics and public social life, and that no earthly government, no civil authority, has the power to deny people their human, civil and religious rights. 

You see, the Solemnity of Christ the King was made a liturgical celebration in the Church in 1925, just 2 years before Fr. Pro’s death. What brought it about was the rise in Socialist and Totalitarian political parties and governments that were hostile to faith and sought to banish God from public life. So Pope Pius XI hoped that Christ the King Sunday would remind Christians that faith must influence our political and social lives, that Christ must reign in our hearts before anything or anyone else, and that we have a duty to spread the Gospel and the Kingdom of Christ by building a culture rooted in peace, justice and mercy. 

Just as the celebration of Christ the King had so much to say to Blessed Miguel Pro about the relationship between faith and politics, so does it have much to say to us in our day. Today in our own nation many government officials ignore our inalienable right to freedom of religion and seek to banish God from public life. There are those who seek to limit and in some cases illegally prosecute the full free practice of faith even in private business and private education. There are those who reinterpret truth and twist its meaning in regards to the sanctity of human life, the nature of marriage and even the scientific evidence of basic human anatomy and biology. These social militants against faith and justice want religion to stay within the confines of the church building or within the limited arena of personal private life. 

Blessed Miquel Pro is a very meaningful and powerful witness and intercessor for us today. He knew that faith in Christ is not meant to be kept within the walls of a church or confined politely to our private lives. He ministered amidst constant danger in a land whose laws forbid people to express and display their faith in public. He preached by his life and testified by his death that our relationship with Christ and our commitment to live his Gospel must be a priority in all that we do. If our faith is truly an integral part of who we are then it must influence and guide us just as much in our civil life and our politics, as it does in our private lives. Our decisions and behavior must reflect our relationship with Jesus in all that we are and do, at home and at work, in business and in the trades, in law and in politics, in education and in entertainment.

If we truly wish for a spiritual renewal of our nation then we must live and act and work so that Christ the King can influence every aspect of our American culture, of our California culture, or our Marin County culture. This can only happen through people of faith, people like you and me. And since our nation is a democratic republic, this means that we must bring our faith into the ballot box which is where social and political decisions originate. Our faith in Christ must inform our politics and not the other way around! What a glaring difference this is from some politicians these days who on one hand declare quite openly that they are devout Catholics and yet, on the other hand mock the Gospel of Christ by their actions, and boast that they will not allow faith to have influence over their public service and legal decisions! 

And so, we cannot be silent, we will not be silent, even if our media and our culture tell us to be quiet and keep our faith to ourselves. The Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King tells us otherwise. It reminds us that as Christians, we have a solemn duty to bring the light and truth of the Gospel into the public arena. And so we must live and act in such a way that his final words of Blessed Miguel Pro and countless other martyrs of political oppression and religious persecution, ring true in our own hearts and lives: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Long live Christ the King!”