Today is the last day of the church year. The church year starts four Sundays before Christmas, so next week when I wish you all a happy new year, I hope to get a better response than blank stares. The last Sunday of the church is called both “Christ the King” Sunday, and “Reign of Christ” Sunday. This festival goes all the way back to 1925, when Pope Pius XI added it to the calendar. It was set as the last Sunday of the church year in 1970. When I learned this I was a little surprised. I love looking into the history of our traditions and practices; I love learning about their origins and finding out why we do things the way we’ve always done them. But this is a new tradition. This is a holy day that has been set as the last Sunday of the church year during my lifetime!
The surprising thin…