Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

18 July • "I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice"

A Word of Hope

In our Gospel today, Jesus argues with the Pharisees and declares definitively that God desires mercy more than following the letter of the law. In our dealing with ourselves and with others, are we more concerned about making sure that everyone is following the rules or about helping the people who are suffering?

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Welcome from Fr. Scott at St. Patrick’s, South Bend
00:19 Dominicans Assisting Between Pastors
00:31 Jesus vs. the Pharisees – Law vs. Mercy
00:40 Sabbath Scene: Disciples Pluck Grain
00:51 Pharisees Object to Breaking the Sabbath
01:00 Jesus Clarifies the Law’s Flexibility
01:07 “I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice”
01:20 Pharisees Miss the Point of Mercy
01:27 Law and Sacrifice Must Serve Mercy
01:39 Innocence of the Disciples – Feeding the Hungry
01:56 Feeding the Hungry Is Never Wrong
02:06 Mercy: Meeting Real Human Needs
02:14 Law Has Its Place, But Not Over Compassion
02:27 When Law Must Yield to Love
02:35 Seeing the Suffering of Others
02:45 Mercy as the Heart of Christian Action
03:01 Applies to Personal Life and Public Policy
03:14 Governing with Compassion Over Legalism
03:23 Let All Laws Serve Mercy and Healing
03:39 A Call to Be People of Mercy
03:48 That’s What God Desires Most

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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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  •

    30 Oct • Enter heaven through the gate

    Jesus said that the gate to heaven is narrow. The Good News is that there is a gate, and further, we know what it is—to act out of our love of God. Such motivated actions will not only lead us to heaven, they will draw others tp follow.
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    29 Oct • Waking up your heart

    Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven as being like the leaven in dough that, though small, can grow and take over the whole measure of flour. Our hearts can grow with the love of God, but sometimes they get frozen. Let yours grow, and perhaps use the pope's new encyclical on devotion to the Sacred Heart to help.
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    27 Oct • Seeing with eyes of faith

    A blind man heard Jesus was coming and so cried out, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!" The crowd tried to quiet him. Jesus healed him. Who could see more clearly who Jesus was, the blind man or the crowd? Can we see with those eyes of faith and trust that God can heal us?
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    26 Oct • Bad things happen to good people

    Sometimes bad things happen to good people and it is not their fault. Jesus , though innocent, was brutally killed. But when this happens, we can know that God it at our side at those times, and Jesus can identify with those who suffer. Perhaps we can ask God about it when we get to heaven, but in this life the best we can do is walk with others who are suffering.
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    24 Oct • The reality of divisions

    Jesus told his disciples that he came to bring not peace, but division. Jesus was seeking change, and that change would be opposed, bringing about divisions. In our world, we certainly still have the divisions, as any reference to politics will show, but do we want to heal them? Do we want to make a better world, or are we fighting just to fight?
  •

    23 Oct • Life happens. Adjust.

    Jesus told his disciples "if the owner of the house had known.. he would have been prepared.." But we all know what is best for us, and yet we are never prepared for all the twists and turns that life throws. May God give us the patience to adjust to the twists and turns of life.
  •

    21 Oct • Riches in heaven

    In the parable of the rich man who built barns to preserve his wealth we are reminded that the best things in life are given as gift to us from God, and not creations of our own hands. Thus, whether we succeed or fail in this life, we can rely on the work of grace to save us.
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    20 Oct • The greatest

    In today's Gospel we hear Jesus tell his disciples that among the Gentiles, rulers lord their power over their subjects, but that it cannot be that way with his disciples. Among them, the greatest is the one who serves the rest. In this elections season we hear much bravado from some who seek to sit in the seats of honor, but God would choose as leaders those who work to serve others rather than those who aggrandize themselves.
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    19 Oct • Hope in the midst of destruction

    In Paul's Letter to the Ephesians he asks that our hearts be enlightened to know the hope that belongs to being called by God. In our world still torn apart by war, can we let our hearts be lifted up to find a new way forward that brings forth life rather than destruction?
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    18 Oct • The still-too-small Kingdom of God

    Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist, who worked with Paul to spread the Christian Church around the vast Roman Empire. 2000 years later, the Roman Empire is gone but the Church remains—but now, like then, the Church struggles to be heard amid the noise of the wider society. May our life in Christ animate us to be sign of the Kingdom of God so that it might spread throughout our society and around the world.
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    17 Oct • Can we change?

    In today's Gospel, Jesus again condemns the Pharisees for being on the side of those who killed the prophets, demanding that they change on the inside, hear his critique, and thus change the way they behave. They do not listen to him. Are we open to Jesus' challenge to change our hearts, and will this change be reflected in new actions that show our love for God, for ourselves, and for those most in need?
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    16 Oct • Are we a burden or a blessing?

    In today's Gospel, Jesus condemns both the Scribes and the Pharisees because they love honor and legalism more than helping others. In the first reading St. Paul tells us that we should look at the fruits of our actions to know if they are in line with the Spirit: are our actions full of love, joy, and patience, helping others live better lives?
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    15 Oct • Get outside of yourself

    In the Gospel today, Jesus challenges the Pharisees to see beyond themselves, helping others by giving to the poor rather than worrying about being seen as adhering to externals such as following the letter of the law. Then they will be right with God. This is an ongoing challenge to you and me, that today we might give alms and be made more as God would have us be.
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    14 Oct • Our faith must always grow

    In today's reading, Jesus tells his detractors that they will be condemned because they have closed their minds to a greater truth about God that he was teaching. Are we open to learning something new about God, or might Jesus level the same charge at us?
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    12 Oct • Become more united in faith

    When someone praised his mother, Jesus said "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it," welcoming all believers to be equal members of his family, united in faith. United in faith, we can be better witnesses and stronger against the evil one.
  •

    10 Oct • Trust in prayer

    Does God really respond to our prayer? Jesus promised us that "if we knock the door will be opened." Our head might believe this, but our hearts sometimes doubt, and that gets in the way of prayer. Trust.
  •

    9 Oct • Find your voice

    Jesus taught his disciples the "Our Father" when they wanted to know how to pray. This is a prayer that does not supplant our own voice, but guides it into looking for the right things from God. Find your own voice in prayer. Ask for what you truly want and need.
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    7 Oct • Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us

    On this Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and marking one year since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, we join with Pope Francis to make this a day of fasting and penance, asking Mary to join in praying for peace in our world. She, who invoked a powerful miracle from Jesus with her comment "they have no more wine," will surely get a response when she tells him "they have no more peace."
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