Inviting Christ to Be King of Our Hearts

This article originally appeared on Catholic 365.In 1925, in an encyclical entitled Quas Primas, Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King and decreed that it should be celebrated as an annual feast by the entire church on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, as “the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ.”In the encyclical Pope Pius XI stated his hopes that the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King would serve as an “excellent remedy for the plaque which now infects society.”  He goes on to list the various ills that had befallen society in the early 20th century:…”the insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a word, shaken to its foundation and on the way to ruin.” A cursory reading of the Holy Father’s list, written nearly a century ago, reveal that little has changed in the world.  The maladies that blighted mankind in 1925 appear to have only grown more intense and widespread – setting mankind on a course far from God, and further and further into the relentless pursuit of power, possessions and pleasure at any cost.What is the solution to mankind’s woes? It remains the same as it was in 1925. Only a radical conversion and acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as King of the universe will solve the world’s problems. How does this conversion happen? It happens one soul at a time, deep in the hearts of each individual person.Pope