Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

10 July • I am your brother, Joseph

A Word of Hope

In the Old Testament story of Joseph, his brothers, who had sold him into slavery, were dying of famine, and they came to Joseph for food, not recognising him. Instead of condemning them, he said to them, "I am your brother, Joseph" and gave them food. In the same way, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin introduced himself to a Church that was hurting with the line "I am your brother, Joseph." To whom do we need to be brother and sister, extending not condemnation but God's compassion?

00:00 Introduction – Fr. Tom Lynch in Chicago
00:17 Joseph in the Bible: Forgiveness and Brotherhood
00:35 Joseph Greets His Brothers
00:52 Cardinal Bernardin: “I Am Your Brother Joseph”
01:06 Healing a Wounded Church
01:24 Josephs of the Past and Present
01:40 A Legacy of Compassionate Leadership
01:55 A Challenge for Us Today
02:13 Extending Brotherhood and Sisterhood

A Word of Hope with dove

Every day the Chicago Dominicans offer "A Word of Hope" video to bolster our faith through these trying times. We welcome any feedback you have at hope@opcentral.org . You can see them all below, or you can see other preaching by a particular person by clicking on his name, and you can have them emailed to you each morning by signing up for our email service:

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    9 July • Jesus: The faithfulness of Joseph plus the power of God

    In the Old Testament story of Joseph, son of Jacob, he is faithful to God no matter what. But when famine hits the land there is only so much he can do to help people. Like Joseph, Jesus is faithful to God no matter what, but Jesus is able to multiple loaves and fish when people are hungry, or turn bread into his body for us when we are in need. Let us trust Jesus who is not only faithful, but able to give us what we need, and even more than we hope for.
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    8 July • Inheriting the Vineyard

    In today's Gospel, Jesus sees the needs of the world and is not discouraged or overwhelmed. Jesus responds by noting to his disciples that the great needs bode a great harvest if they would be willing to be sent into the vineyard. You and I are not simply called to be God's friends, but to be the rightful inheritors of God's work in saving the world. The only question is will we join in?
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    7 July • Faith that Heals

    In today's Gospel, a woman who had been suffering hemorrhages for 12 years, pushed through the crowd because she had the conviction that if she just touched the hem of Jesus' cloak she would be healed. Fr. Brendan saw that same faith last week when an old man in a wheelchair pushed through the crowd to receive communion first, convinced that God would nourish him with this sacrament. Let us all trust that God can heal us if we merely touch the hem of his cloak.
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    6 July • Sent to Share God's Welcome

    Jesus sent out 72 disciples to take nothing with them but his message of peace and welcome. Whenever they were not welcomed, they were to simply move on in hope that the next town would welcome them. As we celebrate Independence Day, let us remember that our great nation has always been a place of welcome and opportunity for those seeking a better life. Where do we need to extend that charitable welcome today? Where is God sending us?
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    5 July • Seasons of Our Lives

    In our Gospel today, John the Baptist's disciples ask Jesus why they have to fast while his disciples do not. Jesus answers them that it is because he is with them that they have to feast, but that their time to fast will come. In our own lives there will be times when we need to fast and times when we need to feast, not because of our own choice, but because of where God is leading us in this season of our life.
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    4 July • Hold On to the Truth

    St. Paul urged us to hold on to whatever was true, honorable, and just (Phil 4:8). Bartolomé de las Casas heard the preaching or Fray Antonio Montesinos OP about the evils of the Encomienda system and gave up his own encomiendo and slaves to become a Dominican friar and spent his life working to free the indigenous people of the Americas and develop and helping to develop what became the foundation of international law so that all people could be free. We owe it to God to relearn our own history to see what still needs to be done.
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    2 July • Growth Requires Turmoil, and is Worth It

    In today's Gospel from Matthew 8:28-34, Jesus heals two demoniacs by sending their demons into swine who then hurled themselves into the sea and died. Confronting our own demons often looks this tumultuous, yet if we will allow, God is there to help us through it. What demons do you need to cast out? Can you suffer the tumult and allow God to help?
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    1 July • Why are you terrified?

    In today's Gospel, we hear of Jesus who calms the storm when he is in the boat, and asks, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Do we realize that he is always with us in the boat in whatever storm comes our way? If not, perhaps we can do something as simple as attend Mass more often to wake up to this realization.
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    30 June • Be a person of life, and let the dead bury the dead

    On this Memorial of the First Martyrs of Rome, we hear Jesus tell a reluctant disciple, "Let the dead bury the dead, you come follow me," reminding us that we do not celebrate the martyrs' deaths but the fact that life and the faith endure no matter what. Christians are called to go out and preach that Good News. In parallel, the first reading recounts Abraham bargaining with God to not destroy Sodom because of the sins of the society for the sake of the just people who also live there. We are not to look only at the sins of a society without also seeing the good in it as well, and rather than simply condemning the sin, we can call forth and nurture the good.
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    29 June • Upon This Rock

    On this Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, as we remember the 100th anniversary of St. Dominic Church in Denver, Fr. Luke ponders the enduring mission of the church to reach out to the world to bring God's gift of love and inclusion to all. To be church today, we must still go out to bring Christ to the world for the Glory of God.
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    28 June • God Does the Impossible, Can We Attempt the Difficult?

    When God showed up at Abraham's door as three angels posing as travelers, Abraham offered them hospitality in the form of a feast. God, in return, promised that in a year Sarah would have a son. Sarah, being old, secretly laughed at the prospect, but God made it happen. Do we offer hospitality to the poor who show up at our door? Do we trust God's promises to us?
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    26 June • God Works with Our Bad Decisions

    God promised Abram and Sarai a child, but when that promise was slow in coming, they decided to have Abram sleep with Sarai's maidservant Hagar instead. This was a bad decision, but God still kept his promise to Abram and Sarai, and God made the descendents of Ishmael, Hagar's child, more numerous than one could count. God is not limited by our bad decisions, and whether or not we are faithful, God's plans will come to pass.
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    25 June • God's Unshakable Hope in You

    God placed his hope in Abram, and so Abram placed his trust in God. Even when we head down the wrong path, God still hopes in us with unshakable confidence. Find that hope in yourself today so that you can place your own trust more firmly in God, no matter the challenges.
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    22 June | United in the Body and Blood of Christ

    When Paul related Jesus' words instituting the Eucharist, it was to remind a fractious community that this Sacrament calls us to come together as one Body in Christ. Do we still feel united by the Body and Blood of Christ? Do we care for one another, both physically and spiritually? May Jesus draw us into a closer unity.
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    21 June | God-given Opportunities to Grow

    Paul asked God three times to have a "thorn taken from his flesh", but his prayer was denied. It was an opportunity for him to learn to trust God more. Whether we feel close to God in prayer or far away, it is an opportunity to grown in our relationship with God.
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    18 June | Find that Trust in God's Abundant Gifts

    Paul tells us that those who sow sparingly, reap sparingly, while those who sow abundantly reap abundantly. We can find delight in sowing abundantly when we realize how abundantly God has given to us, so that we no longer fear the world, but trust God. Do what it takes to foster that trust in yourself today.
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    16 June | The New Laws of Jesus Calling Us to More

    In the Jewish world of Jesus' day, there were many interpretations of laws and their meaning. Jesus moved away from a minimal understanding of what God required of us and pushed his disciples to put their entire soul into the divine work of reconciliation, and thus help bring about the Kingdom of God.
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