The centenary of Pius XI's great 1925 encyclical Quas Primas on the divine-human, individual-social Kingship of Jesus Christ has seen the release of two new books of considerable interest to tradition-loving Catholics.
Published in multiple bestselling Spanish editions and now at last in English, Fr. Javier Olivera Ravasi tells the harrowing tale of the Cristeros War as seen through the eyes of its immediate protagonists on both sides—a story of unbelievable wickedness, corruption, and brutality, opposed by unprecedented Catholic action, bravery, and sacrifice. A tale of simple men, women, and children who fought for their country, their faith, and their heavenly King. A tale of brilliant young intellectuals who debated just war theory with bishops and the pope. A tale of martyrs from all walks of life who died with "Long live Christ the King and the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe!" on their lips.
Quite apart from its value as a detail-rich account of an important but still too-little-known civil war, the parallels to our present situation are numerous and seem to be increasing day by day. The Cristero Counterrevolution thus possesses more than mere historical interest; it is a case study in political action, organized resistance, and Catholic reconquest, as well as a case study of the limits of political and ecclesiastical authority. Fr. Ravasi's book is widely considered the finest one-volume treatment of the subject ever written.
The second is my latest work, His Reign Shall Have No End: Catholic Social Teaching for the Lionhearted.
In recent decades, Catholic Social Teaching has often been reduced to a grab-bag of catechetical truisms and welfare policies driven by modern secular, egalitarian, and pluralist assumptions. His Reign Shall Have No End repristinates this noble branch of moral theology by tracing it back to the world-changing mystery of the Incarnation, whereby the Son of God became Head and Ruler of mankind in regard to natural and supernatural goods alike. The kingship of Jesus Christ—a revealed truth given consummate formulation by Pius XI in Quas Primas but expounded at length across the remarkable encyclicals of Leo XIII—is nothing less than the master key to Catholic Social Teaching’s coherence; it is, more to the point, the essential condition for the flourishing of nations no less than the beatitude of individuals. Where this kingship is ignored or denied, individuals, families, whole societies decompose like a body deprived of a soul; wherever it is welcomed in faith, Christian life revives and Christendom stirs from slumber.
The reaction of reviewers has been enthusiastic. For example, Dr. C.C. Pecknold, Associate Professor of Theology at The Catholic University of America, writes: “This is the best book on Catholic Social Teaching I have ever read! Not only does Dr. Kwasniewski give a true account of the Church’s perennial teaching on a range of central questions, he helps readers identify and skewer counterfeit versions of the Faith.” Similar are the words of Dr. Sebastian Morello, Wolfgang Smith Chair in Philosophy, St Mary’s University, London: “Whether it is the issue of property rights, or freedom of speech, or democratic processes and the rule of law, or any other issue that plagues contemporary political discourse, Kwasniewski demonstrates that the Lord’s Kingship is the ultimate answer, and that outside His Kingdom there is only chaos and confusion.”
The Cristero Counterrevolution and the Battle for the Soul of Mexico (6" x 9", 316 pp.) is available in paperback, hardcover, or ebook directly from the publisher, Os Justi Press, or from Amazon sites around the world.
His Reign Shall Have No End (5.5” x 8.5”, 348 pp.) is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook from its publisher, Arouca Press, from Os Justi Press by special agreement with the publisher, or from Amazon sites around the world.
You can "look inside" either publication at its Os Justi or Amazon page.
May these books help deepen the faith of many Catholics in the divinely-revealed mystery of the kingship of the God-Man Jesus Christ, a truth much neglected and even outright denied, yet one that stands at the foundation of the Church as Kingdom of God, about which we are told to pray every day: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
