Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

11 Oct • Through Awe to Action

A Word of Hope

Reflecting on Saturday of the 27th week in Ordinary Time and today’s short Gospel: a woman praises Mary, and Jesus replies, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” This brief talk explains why mere awe or admiration—notably at miracles, saints, or beautiful worship—can separate us from Jesus if it isn’t transformed into imitation and action. Using Jesus’ teaching about gathering and scattering, Brother Joe urges listeners to replace empty wonder with obedience, community, and lived discipleship. Ideal for Catholics preparing for Mass, Scripture reflection groups, and viewers wanting practical spiritual encouragement.

#HearAndObserve #WordOfHope #GospelReflection #Catholic #Discipleship #FaithInAction #Blessed #Scripture #BrotherJoeTrout

Timestamps:
00:00–00:10 — Intro: Word of Hope (Saturday, 27th week)
00:10–00:40 — Gospel setup: woman interrupts while Jesus is speaking
00:40–01:10 — Jesus’ response: “Blessed are those who hear and observe”
01:10–01:40 — Context: casting out demons — gather vs. scatter; beware of mere awe
01:40–02:10 — Why awe can separate us (beauty, saints, worship without imitation)
02:10–02:35 — Call to action: let awe become imitation and obedience
02:35–02:50 — Practical invitation: follow Christ and enter his blessedness
02:50–02:55 — Closing blessing

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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    A Word of Hope for June 4, 2024

    For Trinity Sunday, Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP sits down with his mother, Arlene, to explain how parents are a good image of the Trinity—we don't have to understand them, we simply thrive living in the love that they provide.
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    A Word of Hope for June 3, 2023

    Br. Joe Trout, OP recalls how the authorities of Jesus' day sought to trip him up by asking him trick questions, and how Jesus refused to play their games. In the same way, we should not feel a need to respond to people who are just looking for a fight.
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    A Word of Hope for June 2, 2023

    Br. Joe Trout, OP unpacks the complex story of Jesus cursing the fig tree, wrapped around the cleansing of the Temple, with a note about prayer at the end. Confused? You won't be after today's episode of A Word of Hope: https://www.opcentral.org/hope
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    A Word of Hope for June 1, 2023

    Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP shares a reading from Sirach about the beauty and wisdom of God's creation, and relates this vision of the world to that of evolution, suggesting that the more beautiful picture is when these come together.
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    A Word of Hope for May 29, 2023

    On this feast of Mary, the Mother of the Church, Fr. Andrew Carl Wisdom, OP points out that Mary receives this particular grace not because she first said "yes" to God in the Annunciation, but that she continued to cooperate with God's plan every day, even at the foot of the cross. In the same way, we need to say "yes" to God every day, in everything we do.
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    A Word of Hope for May28, 2023

    Fr. James Marchionda, OP notes that at Pentecost, people from different lands speaking in different languages came together, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, they were united and could understand one another. In the same way, when we are doing God's work, we cannot let differences divide.
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    A Word of Hope for May 27, 2023

    On his last day as Provincial, Fr. James Marchionda, OP recalls how the apostle Paul preached even while in jail, and challenges us all to life up to our call to preach the Good News every day, despite whatever challenges we face.
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    A Word of Hope for May 26, 2023

    Fr. Brendan Curran, OP recalls how Jesus gave Peter a second chance after he denied him three times, so if we feel as if we have failed as a Christian, we should "try, try again", trusting that God will always give us another chance.
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    A Word of Hope for May 23, 2023

    Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP reminds us that Jesus shared everything that he knew of the Father with us in order to deepen our friendship with God, because, friendship deepens the more we know about the other.
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    A Word of Hope for May 21, 2023

    Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP recalls the disciples doubting right up to the Ascension of Jesus, and challenges us to use the occasion to strengthen our own faith in the full message of Jesus so that we can challenge our own fear and proclaim his message to the whole world.
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    A Word of Hope for May 20, 2023

    As do the readings for today, Fr. James Marchionda, OP celebrates the continuation of ministry in the Church down to our present day, and offers thanks to those who have helped our province expand its ministries.
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    A Word of Hope for May 16, 2023

    Fr. Brian Walker, OP reminds us that as we look around and see emptiness, no signs of what we pray for and hope for, in reality, we need to remember the empty tomb of Jesus, which was a sign that he is risen and is already gone ahead of us and is everywhere.
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    A Word of Hope for May 13, 2023

    Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP notes how Paul is constantly adapting his preaching as he goes out to different places, and asks us to think if we are adapting our own message to the people we are trying to reach, so that our own preaching can be more effective.
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