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Dear St. Christopher’s Family,
Many of us grew up on J.R.R. Tolkien’s great trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Whether we were introduced to it as young people through the books and radio plays, or the animated John Huston adaptations, or the recent Peter Jackson epics, those of us who enjoy that kind of thing were carried away by the excitement of a last battle between orcs and men, good and evil. Of course, the story comes to an end after the battle, with Aragorn’s coronation, and the triumphant return of Frodo and the gang to the Shire. And what’s left? Of course, they live happily ever after in a new kingdom. And that’s sadly all we’re left with. Often I wonder what that sequel would be: the one that talks about the kingdoms that come after, when justice is actually established, and there is peace. It’s not an idea that will sell a lot of books or get picked up as a screenplay, but I think it’s worth thinking about.
This weekend marks another end: our Liturgical year closes with the last Sunday after Pentecost, commonly known as Christ the King Sunday (actually it closes with Vespers next Saturday evening, but that's why pedantic liturgists get stuffed in lockers). It is pretty common for us to look at endings and new beginnings and confuse the two. Often our excitement about something new keeps us from looking on the thing we're leaving behind and appreciating it (our perhaps grieving it). After coming through the drama of our story of faith, we find ourselves in that kingdom Jesus promised.
Our temptation is to appreciate the story we’ve just lived through, close the book, and ready ourselves for another story, a new enemy to conquer, or a major character in a bind who must find his way out. But Jesus spent his whole ministry preparing us for his Kingdom. In fact, we as the Church hold the pen that will write the sequel.
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