Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

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On this Feast of Pentecost we celebrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which manifest God's love inside each of us, allowing us to reach out to others in love to preach the Gospel.

Based on Acts 2:1–11

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’

(New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org)

Every day the Chicago Dominicans offer "A Word of Hope" video to bolster our faith through these trying times. You can see them here, and you can have them emailed to you each morning by signing up for our email service:

  • 4 Aug • Listen anew

    A Word of Hope by Fr. Charles Bouchard, OP.
    Jesus was discounted by the people of Nazareth because he was too "familiar." Is Jesus' message too "familiar" to us or are we willing to listen to it anew?
  • 3 Aug | Don't judge, benefit from differences

    A Word of Hope by Fr. James Marchionda, OP
    Jesus shares the parable of the wheat and the tares growing together to let us know that we are not to judge those who are different from ourselves, that is God's job at the end of time. But can we benefit from learning from people who are different from us?
  • A Word of Hope for July 31, 2023

    Jesus's parables liken the Kingdom of Heaven to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a large bush and yeast, which grows to fill the dough. Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP points out that in both of these, the Kingdom grows from something small over time, so that we have to be patient and let the Kingdom grow around and within us.
  • A Word of Hope for July 29, 2023

    Martha, Mary, and Lazarus became such close friends of Jesus that their home was a refuge for him and set a context for one of his greatest miracles, the raising of Lazarus. Pointing to this reality, Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP encourages us to try to create such a close friendship with Jesus so that we might be able to be witnesses to the resurrection to a society that is so easily marred by death.
  • A Word of Hope for July 26, 2023

    The Israelites grumbled against God in the desert, and God heard them and sent manna. Fr. James Marchionda, OP thus reminds us to be honest in our prayer, praise when we can, and grumble when we have to, because God hears and responds to it all.
  • A Word of Hope for June 25, 2023

    The mother of James and John asked Jesus to sit at his right and at his left in the Kingdom. Fr. James Marchionda, OP asks us to think about what we ask God for? Is it riches and fame, or to be fruitful in our ministry?
  • A Word of Hope for July 23, 2023

    Commenting on the parable of the weeds and wheat growing up together, Fr. Brian Walker, OP reminds us that we all have choices, and as Christians, we need to make sure that our choices reflect our faith, lest we go astray and lead others astray as well.
  • A Word of Hope for July 22, 2023

    On the Feast of Mary Magdalen, Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP extolls how here close friendship with Jesus allowed her to endure his crucifixion and to be the first to experience his resurrection and receive the instruction to go out and preach about it. She can be a model for all of us, who are similarly empowered by our friendship with Jesus to go out and speak about his resurrection to those who need to hear the Good News.
  • A Word of Hope for July 21, 2023

    Moses did not feel himself worthy of the task God called him to, but God gave him the grace to do it. In the same way, Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP reminds us that God calls each of us, sinners though we might be, and provides us with the grace to do the task God needs us to do.
  • A Word of Hope for July 19, 2023

    God called Moses in the Burning Bush and challenged Moses to trust that he would accomplish all that God wanted. In the same way, Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP asks us to trust God first, knowing that we might not get an affirmation that we are on the right path until our work for God is completed.
  • A Word of Hope for July 18, 2023

    Jesus said "woe to you" to those who witnessed his great deeds but did not heed them, so Fr. James Marchionda, OP reminds us to pay attention to the great deeds that people are doing around us each day, because these loving and often heroic actions of individuals are a living sign of our loving God.
  • A Word of Hope for July 13, 2023

    Joseph (of "The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat") was sold into slavery by his brothers, but when the tables were turned and they were in need, he forgave them. Jesus sent out the disciples telling them to take nothing with them, no sack nor extra pair of sandals. Fr. Brendan Curran, OP reminds us that we all tend to carry around a lot of baggage that we need to put down if we are do the Lord's work, and we particularly need to learn to forgive one another.