The Reign of Christ incarnate in the secular society

Prof. Louis Aldrich - Taipei

    The topic of my talk is "the Reign of Christ incarnate in the secular society".  First let us follow Pope Pius XI's understanding of how the hypostatic union through which the Word became incarnate is the foundation of Jesus Christ's Kingship.  Quoting Cyril of Alexander, Pius
XI tells us: "Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but is his by essence and by nature"; and then continues "His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures."  But not only by nature is Christ our King, but also as Redeemer, for He has purchased us at a great price: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled."
Hence, as members of His Mystical Body  we are no longer our own, but live in and through and for Him (QUAS PRIMAS, On the Feast of Christ the King,13).

    Christ's Kingship, according to Pius XI, is exercised through a three-fold power: law giver, judge and executor of the law.  Though Christ's kingdom is preeminently spiritual, "it would be a grave error to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power (On the Feast of Christ the King,14 and 17)."  In fact, it is only by acknowledging the Kingship of Christ
that governors of nations, whether elected or as different types of monarchs, can establish secure, prosperous and peaceful rule.  For, if God and Jesus are excluded from public life, and a strictly human authority is asserted, the true basis of a stable public authority is destroyed (On the Feast of Christ the King, 18).  On the other hand, if secular governments "are persuased that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King, they will
exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the common good and also the human dignity of their subjects (On the Feast of Christ the King,19)."

    In the last forty years we see that as Catholic nations have more and more excluded the Divine King from secular affairs, the common good and human dignity have suffered catastrophic wounds; wounds so deep that even the long term survival of these nations is called into question.
Nations such as Spain, Italy, France and Austria, having rejected the Divine King's clear teaching on the intrinsic evils of contraception and abortion, find their citizens increasingly unwilling or unable to marry and have children.  In fact, only through a radical re-conversion to Christ the King, do these slowly dying secularized  nations have any hope of a future that is secure, prosperous and peaceful.