The Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ

(I Class)

The royalty of Christ rests upon a twofold basis. He is our King by right of birth and by right of conquest. The first refers us to the personality of the Son of God, whereby, in His divine nature as God and by virtue of the hypostatic union, He is the sovereign Lord and Master. The second places before us the God-Man coming down on earth to rescue fallen man from the slavery of Satan, and by the labors and sufferings of His life, and passion, and death, to win a glorious victory for us over sin and hell.

Commemoration of St. Evaristus, Pope, Martyr

St. Evaristus, successor of St. Anacletus I, governed the Church for nine years; he was condemned to death under Trajan in 109.

Sunday in Lourdes was a great day. Having determined not to hear Mass again in the bare boards closet chapel, we looked for an opportunity to hear Mass in one of the basilicas. Not only was there a 9:30 Mass offered in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, but it said also that it would be offered in Latin! We arrived early and found a seat where we could park Maria's stroller. Then much to my delight I noticed altar cards arranged on the altar. We had unknowingly come to a traditional Latin Mass, and not just any Mass, but that for the Feast of Christ the King, which on the traditional calendar is always celebrated on the last Sunday of October. What a gift from our Lady, to be able to hear such a Mass!

Regarding the Feast of Christ the King, by the way, Pope Pius XI's very brief 1925 Encyclical Letter Quas Primas, by which he instituted the feast day, is an excellent read. His intention was that this feast day would be a reminder to nations that they also "are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ" (32).

After Mass, we set out to try to obtain another plenary indulgence by visiting the same four holy sites as before. When we returned to the basilicas we were pleased to encounter a long and beautiful eucharistic procession.

Later that evening we watched the sun go down behind the basilicas before setting out for dinner.

At 9:00 pm we were all back on the bus for another overnight drive, this time heading North-East through France toward Nevers, where the body of St. Bernadette lies incorrupt.