The years following the Great War of 1914-18 were years of trouble and turmoil. Many nations struggled to come to terms with the horrors that had befallen the world. Before long and further war erupted, driven by the expansionist will of Adolf Hitler, and so the 1920s and 30s are known now as the “inter-war years”. The Bishop of Rome published a letter to the whole Church and the whole world, to put before everyone the vital importance of Jesus as the ruler over all. The year was 1925 and already dictators were flourishing in the shape of Benito Mussolini, and new forms of government in Soviet Russia, where first Lenin and then Stalin would rule with an iron fist. With the new nationalism there arose the new secularism, a world ruled without reference to God. In our world today, we are accustomed to secularism, and the Church has had to accommodate itself to an ever-changing world. In some places the Church has had too much influence in the political sphere. In other places the Church is still persecuted and required to submit to the will of the Government.
Today’s feast prompts us to think about the rule of the Lord in our personal life and in our public and social life. The kingdom that He proclaims is the kingdom of truth, and that claim puts all of us on the spot. “All who are on the side of truth listen to My voice,” says the Lord.
“Love one another, as I have loved you.” “Love your enemies and do good to those who persecute you.” The teaching of Jesus shows us that every human being is to be loved and honored and respected.