Fr. Campbell, "Freedom to Follow Christ the King"

Freedom to Follow Christ the King

 

The Book of Psalms was written, in large part, by King David. The psalms are full of praise for God, our Creator and King. We read in Psalm 149:

“Sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Sion rejoice in their king” (Ps.149:1,2).

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. That Christ is our King was clearly foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament, as in the psalms:

“The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.’ The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Sion: ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies. Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you’” (Ps.109:1-3).

And we have this from the prophet Daniel:

“I beheld therefore in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven.  And he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him.  And he gave him power and glory and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes and tongues shall serve him.  His power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed” (Dan.7:13,14).

God chose the holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary to be the Mother of His Divine Son, as the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary testify:

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he shall be king over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk.1:30-33).

Even at His Birth Jesus was already King, as the Magi attest: “Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him” (Mt.2:2). 

And Jesus Himself affirms to Pontius Pilate that He was born a King:

“Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Thou art then a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘Thou sayest it; I am a king. This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.’” (Jn.18:37).

If Jesus Christ is our King, than we are all obliged to obey Him. Contrary to the heretical teachings of the Novus Ordo, we are not free to choose between the different religions. This is not true freedom of religion. It is our obligation to choose the true religion given to us by Jesus Christ, and handed down to us by the Apostles, and we must be free to do that. It is Christ Himself who makes us free:

“If you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn.8:31,32).

But with the pontificate of Angelo Roncalli, known as John XXIII, a dramatic change occurred in the Catholic Church. There was a radical departure from previous Catholic teaching. The papal writings became man-centered, stressing man’s dignity, his rights and freedoms, and the brotherhood and equality of all men – ideas which betrayed the influence of freemasonry.

Roncalli’s mission was to set up some mechanism to entrench the idea of freedom of conscience within the Church, recognizing the right of everyone in the world not to choose the truth revealed by God, but to choose falsehood – to choose a false religion instead of the one, true religion, which everyone is called to choose in obedience to faith. That mechanism was Vatican II, the Second Vatican Council.

Our Lord sent His Apostles to preach to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Mt.28:19). How, then, shall the peoples of the earth believe and obey Christ the King unless the Church carries out its mandate to preach the Gospel? Where is there a place for a “religious liberty” that allows us to choose any religion we want? If we wish to save our souls, and inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, we must believe the truth which Christ has revealed.  

In the end there are only two choices. Either we choose to follow Jesus Christ, our King, or we surrender ourselves to the power of the devil. He has already gained a huge following among the young, many of who have taken up the practice of witchcraft, or Satanism. But those who follow Jesus and obey His Commandments will find their way to eternal happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who do not will end up in the fires of Hell for all eternity. There will be no escape from their terrible fate. Now is the time to pray our Rosaries and commend ourselves to our Holy Mother, Mary, who will defend us and shelter us from the storm to come.

On this great feast the Church invites us to proclaim our faith in Christ the King as we honor the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist in solemn procession. Pope Pius XI comments:

“It is by a divine inspiration that the people of Christ bring forth Jesus from His silent hiding place in the church, and carry Him in triumph through the streets of the city, so that He whom men refused to receive when He came unto His own, may now receive in full His kingly rights” (Pope Pius XI in Quas Primas).