Religion & Spirituality
Preaching for the Solemnity of Christ the King, Jordan Denari Duffner offers a reflection on experiencing and enacting the Reign of God - even in unexpected places: "God’s reign is not only something that we look forward to at the end of time, nor is it simply a realm that we will someday reach. It is also something that we can experience here, even if only in glimpses, and that we can work to build now. We experience the kingdom whenever we choose to live as if the justice, peace, and love of God’s reign are already present. Whenever we love our neighbor, give of ourselves to honor their dignity, or put ourselves on the line for their sake, we enact the kingdom. It may not be present in its fullness, and we may not see the fruits of our labor, but this experience of the kingdom is very real nonetheless." Jordan Denari Duffner is an author, educator, and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue, and Islamophobia. Her books are Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic (2017) and Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination (2021). Ms. Duffner is currently pursuing a PhD in Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. A former Fulbright scholar in Amman, Jordan, she is also an associate of the Bridge Initiative, where she previously worked as a research fellow. She currently teaches an undergraduate introduction to Islam course at Georgetown. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11212021 to learn more about Jordan, to view her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.