SECULARISM, What the Heck? Or WHY THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING Was Ever Established “God and Jesus Christ, as well as His doctrines, were banished from the school. As a sad but inevitable consequence, the school became not only secular and non-religious but openly atheistical and anti-religious. In such circumstances it was easy to persuade poor ignorant children that neither God nor religion are of any importance as far as their daily lives are concerned. Gods name, moreover, was scarcely ever mentioned in such schools unless it were perchance to blaspheme Him or to ridicule His Church. Thus, the school forcibly deprived of the right to teach anything about God or His law could not but fail in its efforts to really educate, that is, to lead children to the practice of virtue, for the school lacked the fundamental principles which underlie the possession of a knowledge of God and the means necessary to strengthen the will in its efforts toward good and in its avoidance of sin. Gone, too, was all possibility of ever laying a solid groundwork for peace, order, and prosperity, either in the family or in social relations. Thus the principles based on the spiritualistic philosophy of Christianity having been obscured or destroyed in the minds of many, a triumphant materialism served to prepare mankind for the propaganda of anarchy and of social hatred which was let loose on such a great scale.” Sounds like a commentary of our times just written recently? It may shock us, but this quote is from paragraph #30 of the encyclical letter entitled UBI ARCANO DEI CONSILIO of Pope Pius XI, promulgated in 1922! He issued this to fight secularism. Secularism is the belief that religion should not play a role in government, education, or other public parts of society. The Pope issued the encyclical in view of increasing forces of secularism in the world, and the school is but one of the many fertile grounds where these forces are being propagated. Pius XI aimed to bring back Christ to our consciousness, to our daily life, “because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5) “and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Lk 11:23) To further his aim of bringing Christ back to the world, Pope Pius XI issued QUAS PRIMAS, his encyclical that established the Feast of Christ the King. The Feast of Christ the King signals the last Sunday of the Church Year, the Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent. This year the Feast falls on November 23. “Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these insults; for his kingly dignity demands that the State should take account of the commandments of God and of Christian principles, both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing for the young a sound moral education.” (Paragraph #32) Quas Primas was primarily addressed to the Church hierarchy. Nevertheless, Pope Pius XI wanted the Feast of Christ the King to impact the laity. “The faithful… will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. …He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls… It is Our fervent desire…that those who are without the fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of Gods kingdom, we may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.” (Paragraph #33) God’s love for his people is beyond reproach. He is our Shepherd King. Though at times we are astray and in pursuit of our own personal cares and glory, we are nevertheless lovingly led by this Shepherd to where there is restful waters and there is nothing else we will ever want. Resources: vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19221223_ubi-arcano-dei-consilio_en.html vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas_en.html merriam-webster/dictionary/secularism
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:30:53 +0000
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