Artisans of God’s Reign

Two years ago, writing for the same solemnity we celebrate today, I began my reflection like this: 

As far as images of God go, I am really not a fan of ‘Our Lord, King of the Universe.’ The emphasis on God as dominating male conqueror, the ultimate embodiment of power and military might, feels not only inaccessible, but deeply troubling to me.

Yikes. Little did I know then how much more viscerally, how much more urgently I would be recoiling at this imagery, if taken only at face value, today. Liberating possibilities certainly still abound in the work of the Catholic feminist theologians about whom I previously shared. I recommend their Spirit-filled reimagining wholeheartedly. But so much has happened since 2023—in our world, our Church, our country, our homes, and our own hearts. I am different now. I imagine you are too. 

A few days before this writing, the Catholic, Jesuit high school where I minister celebrated Mass on the Memorial of the Jesuit Saints and Martyrs. While there was much to appreciate about the liturgy, I have found myself stuck for days on this single line from the Collect (Concluding Prayer): “[Grant], we pray, that by imitating their courage and faith, we may become artisans of God's reign of justice and love…”

What does it look like to be an artisan of God’s reign of justice and love? 

Who are the artists, the craftspeople, the mechanics, the molders and shapers, both literal and figurative, who are co-creating with the Spirit the world God longs to see? Who are the leaders among us whose healthy authority is rooted in Christ, whose freedom enables them to imagine and build something new? What can they teach us? How can we be more like them?

Grateful for countless examples of such Christ-centered artisans, I feel called to honor the handiwork of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership in Chicago. What a beautiful, heartbreaking privilege it was to gather outside the Broadview Detention Center on All Saints Day for the People’s Mass, in spiritual communion with our detained sisters and brothers inside. CSPL’s commitment to God’s reign of justice and love enabled 2,000 people to participate in this nonviolent expression of faith-filled solidarity and resistance in the face of oppression.

Prophetic lay and ordained leaders collaborated in hopes of bringing the Eucharist to the people detained at Broadview. Led by 91-year old-Mercy sister JoAnn Persch, the small coalition was told no, despite following all protocols with care and precision. Our community gathered found comfort and strength in the Sacrament, and in the sacramental music, dance, and ritual CSPL’s team and collaborators made possible. Like Jesus, CSPL “[centered] the voices of the marginalized and [proclaimed] God’s presence dwelling in all who struggle.” I am in awe of them. I want to be more like them.I said it before, and I’ll say it again: 

As we celebrate this solemnity, I am grateful for a Leader who traded authoritarianism, greed, violence, nationalism, fear, and autonomy for community, abundance, peace, inclusion, trust, and interdependence. Christ’s building of Kin-dom over Kingdom motivates me to do the same.

There is only one King we’re called to follow…not only in words, not only with personal stances, but with whatever action is possible within the reality of our life’s circumstances. However incompletely, however imperfectly, may we seek each day to become artisans of God’s reign of justice and love together.

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Katie Davis-Crowder is an Ignatian-trained educator and spiritual director, a singer and writer, and a presenter and retreat guide in Chicago. Passionate about the intersections of spirituality, social justice, and the arts, she holds an MDiv from Loyola Chicago and a BMus in musical theatre from Catholic U. Katie loves exploring nature with her partner Kevin and their sweet toddler and rambunctious rescue pup. katiedaviscrowder.com