On this Solemnity of Christ the King I invite you to consider what Steven Pressfield has to say about kingship in his novel GATES OF FIRE (1998). Pressfield’s fictional account tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, a titanic clash between the freedom loving Greeks and the colossal Persian empire.
My dear parishioners, in 1621 the Wampanoag Indians shared a memorable meal with the Plymouth colonists they had befriended and to whom they entrusted priceless knowledge of the New World. In 1863, President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a perpetual celebration to be held annually on the last Thursday of November. This national holiday was to be observed by all citizens whether at home in America, or at sea or in foreign lands. Soon American families everywhere celebrated this autumn harvest feast.