Fraught times

This is not a good year for a Sunday celebrating "Christ the King." We are -- properly -- in a No Kings mode these days in the corner of the US populace I live in. 

The Christian liturgical observance is actually quite modern -- and came along in response to threats to human life and dignity in Europe only one century ago.

Originally, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast as a direct counter to the totalitarian claims of the modern state. The immediate threat in 1925 was, of course, communism on one hand, and the looming threat of fascism on the other. In more general terms, the annual celebration of this feast with its particular focus on the lordship as well as the universal and eternal scope of Christ’s reign was promulgated to stand as a witness over against any and all secularizing tendencies of the contemporary world.

... All worldly claims to ultimate loyalties are rendered relative. For Christians, reflecting on this is part and parcel of taking stock, both personally and as a community, at the inception of a new [liturgical] year. -- What Are We Waiting For?: Re-Imaging Advent for Time to Come by William H. Peterse

Okay -- American Christians and non-Christians alike are being reminded of the need to use the good brains we are born with to discern how to live, thrive, and resist under the rule of a monarchical pretender. 

As one liturgical cycle ends and another begins, let's keep up the good work of justice and compassion and remember that no false king can claim to determine for us how we ought to live.