Evening star., 1926-02-14

Lord and King of Kings in manl1oio
ceremonies of veneration.
AS in her oldest offices or praise
and in her ancient sacramentarles
she mas used these expressions OF
honor all expressing one ana the
same thing is Il marvellous variety OF
voices. so i'm her. public prayers OF
fered daily To the Divine Majesty ana
in the immolation OF the immaculate
Victim she uses them at present IN
this perpetual laudation of Christ as
King it is easy to perceive the most
beautiful agreement between our own
and the Oriental Rites, SO that In this
matter also it is right to say: The
law of prayer determines the law or
belief"
The HypOstatic Union.
Cyril of Alexandria indicates the
foundation on which this dignity and
power of Our Lord rest: In one word,
He AnaS dominion over every crea-
ture not eXtorted by violence, nor
acquired from any sources other than
His essence and nature huke, Ky
that is. His principality is founded on
the admirable union which is called
"hypostatiC. whence it follows not
only that Christ is to be adored as
God by angels and men. but also that
dlStlS anu iHtll opCN Suo
jectS His empire as man.
Thus. by the very title of ''hypo-
static" union Christ possesses power
over every creature. What could be
more agreeable, or sweet, to think
upon than that Christ has empire
over us, not only by a. natural right
but by an acquired right also, viz.
by His redemption: Would that all
forgetful men would recall of what
value we are in the Savior's eyes
You were not redeemed with cor
ruptih!e things as gold or silver
but With the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb unspotted' and
undetiled' Il Peter, 1870.
We are no longer our own. since
Christ has bought us with a great t
price" Corinthians, vi.20). Our
very bodies are the members OF
Christ" Il Corinthians. vt15).
Now. in order to show briefly the
effect and the nature of this princi-
pality, it consists. as need scarcely
be said. of that threefold power with
out which principality is meaning
less. The testimonies concerning the
universal empire of our Redeemer
already adduced and cited from the
sacred Scriptures are more than sutii.
cient proof of this, and it is an ar
ticle OF Catholic faith that Christ
Jesus has been given to all men as
Redeemer in Whom they trust and
as a laWmaker also Whom they obey.
The gospels narrate not SO much
that He founded laws as that the
laws constituted Him a founder.
Whosoever shall keep His precepts,
they, according to the Divine Master,
now in one phrase and now in an
other. are to experience His charity
and TO dwell in His love Dohn. xiv. Is:
XV.l0l
Spiritual Kingdom.
The judicial power given TO Him
by his His Father. Jesus spoke of to
the Jews. when they accused Him of
violating the Sabbath rest by His mar
velous cure of the intirm man: For
neither doth the Father Judge any
man. but hath given all judgment to
the Son" tJohn. V. 22l. in which is
comprised. since 1t cannot be sepa-
rated from judgment. that He may
confer by His own right reward and
punishment on men still living.
Besides, that power which is called
executive must also be attributed to
Christ. since it is necessary that all
obey His Empire and submit to that
imposition of punishments on the
contumaciouS from which there can
be no escape
However. the texts which We have
cited above plainly show, and Christ
Our Lord by His manner of action
confirms the fact. that this kingdom
is in special manner spiritual and
concerned with spiritual things. In
fact. on more than one occasion when
the Jews and even the Apostles them
selves enormously thought that Christ
would stablish liberty for the people
and restore the Kingdom of Israel.
He deprived them of this vain opinion
and hope.
Proclaimed King bv surrounding
multitude of admirers, He deprecated
both the name and the honor by
fleeing and hiding. Before the Roma n
governor, He declared His Kingdom
is not of this earth. 1t is a kingdom
as described in the Gospels into
which men may prepare to enter by
doing penance into which they can
not enter except by faith and bap-
tism. This baptism. though an ex-
ternai rite. signifies nevertheless and
effects interior regeneration. This
Kingdom is opposed only by that of
satan and the powers of darkness.
and 1t requires of its citizens not only
that, with mind detached from riches
and earthly goods, they cultivate re-
finement Of morals and thirst and
hunger after justice. but also that
they deny themselves and take up
their cross
4 Perpetual Victim.
Since. however Christ has acquired
the Church as it's Redeemer by His
blood. and as Priest He is perpetu
ally offering himself as a victim for
sin. who does not see that this His
royal function itself takes on and
shares in the nature of both these
titles? 1t is shameful error to deny
to Christ as man has empire over any
civil thing whatsoever, since He has
from His Father the most absolute
right over all created things, as all
things have been placed in His power
However, as long as He lived on
the earth He abstained from exer-
clsing such dominion and, although
lie despised the possession and the
effort to acquire human things, vet
He allowed and still allows them to
their possessors. According to the
very beautiful words, He depriveth
not of mortal things who giveth
heavenly kingdom" (hymn, Epiph
any. Therefore. the principality of
Our Redeemer embraces all men, on
which point we gladly make our own
the words Of our predecessor Of i'm.
mortal memory, Leo XIII:
His empire extends not only over
Catholic nations and those who, hav.
Ing been duly washed in the waters
of holy baptism, belong of right to
the church. although erroneous opin.
ions keep them astray, or dissent from
her teaching cuts them off from her
care; it comprises also all those who
are deprived Of the Christian faith, so
that the whole human race Is most
truly under the power of Jesus
Christi
Nor should individuals think that
domestic and civil groups, because
they form society, are less under