Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

8 August • St. Dominic: Always Talking about God or With God

A Word of Hope

Today we celebrate the Feast of our Holy Father Dominic, the joyful and sociable friar who was always talking about God or with God.  One might think that a man of constant prayer might not be so sociable, but for Dominic, God was at his side in everything he did, and this brought joy into every encounter he has with others. You and I could also live our days in the presence of Christ, and so infuse everything we do with divine and holy joy. Try it today!

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Welcome to Word of Hope
00:05 – Celebrating the Solemnity of St. Dominic
00:09 – Who Was St. Dominic? Joyful Preacher of Grace
00:22 – A Corrupt Church and a Cheerful Friar
00:34 – Always Talking About or With God
00:45 – A Saint Both Social and Prayerful
00:53 – Living with God in All Things
01:07 – Playing Life with God as a Companion
01:30 – Dominic’s Life: Prayer and Service with Christ
01:54 – We Can Pray Always, Even Doing Chores
02:13 – Let God’s Joy and Light Fill Your Daily Life
02:30 – Resurrection Hope in Every Moment
02:39 – The Source of Dominic’s Joy
02:53 – Ask for St. Dominic’s Intercession
03:06 – Preach Grace with Joy to the World
03:13 – Final Blessing and Farewell

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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    7 August • Trusting God's Greater Plan amidst Suffering

    In today's Gospel, Peter saying to Jesus, "God forbid that you should suffer" earns him a harsh rebuke, that he is thinking as human beings do, not as God does. It is difficult for us to see the people we love suffer and trust that God is at work in the midst of this suffering, and has already prepared a resurrection to redeem it. So today, try to put on the mind of God when accompanying people who suffer, trusting that God indeed has a plan to save this person.
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    6 August • Use those Sacred Moments as Fuel for your Journey

    On this Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, we hear how Peter, witnessing the event, wanted to make three tents on teh spot to fix it in memory. But we are not called stay in these sacred moments, but to use them as fuel for our spiritual journey, which will be difficult sometimes. So today, remember the moments when you have been on that mountain top with God, and let it empower you to go back down that mountain and share the Good News with a hungering world.
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    5 August • Overcoming Fear with Faith

    In our Gospel today, the disciples are in a storm at sea and Jesus comes walking on water towards them. Frightened, Peter asks Jesus to prove it is really him by having him come to him over the water. Peter starts to come, but then is afraid, and has to be rescued by Jesus.
    Life is often frightening, but Jesus is always beckoning us to leave the safety of our boat, to trust in him, walk towards him over unsafe waters, to do the work we need to do. And Jesus will always be there to catch us if we fall. Have faith and overcome your fear.
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    4 August • Trust and Embrace Your Calling

    Today we celebrate the memorial of St. John Vianney, the Curé D'Ars, who, though he was not considered a stellar candidate for priesthood, turned out to be such a good confessor that he would spend up to 18 hours a day in the confessional to meet the demands of pilgrims who came to confess to him, telling God that it was worth the suffering to help the people. In our first reading today, Moses is so tired of listening to the people grumble in the desert about having to eat manna (again!) that he asks God to just kill him. In the Gospel, Jesus tries to get away on his own after the death of John the Baptist, but ends up feeding the multitude "because they were like sheep without a shepherd." All three of these are examples working overtime to answer God's call to care for the needs of the people in front of them. We need to trust our own vocation and call, and trust that God will give us the strength to fulfil it if we only ask.
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    3 August • Called to Virtue, not Greed

    The readings for Mass today have a series of warnings against greed, which causes us to try to possess things rather than to takes care of them and put them to the best use for all. We are called to virtue, to be stewards of creation, rather than to greed.
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    2 August • Land and Food Justice

    In our reading today from the Book of Leviticus, we hear about the Jewish concern for land justice and food equity, having rules that overcome the inequities of agricultural land ownership. In the United States, 14% of the food is produced by black farmers, though they only own 4% of the agricultural land. Also, in St. Louis, MO there are food deserts in the black community and people working to fix them. Worse still, is the crushing food and land injustice in Gaza that drives the unrest. To create a world of hope, we need to work at overcoming these injustices.
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    1 August • Responding to Love

    In our Gospel today, the people of Jesus' hometown needed him to prove he was worthy before they would believe in him. Do we need God to work our own private miracle for us before we believe? Our faith in God should not be transactional, "give me this and then I will believe." Faith is a relationship with God which should naturally deepen as a response to the love God pours out on us each day. May you know and grow in Christ's love.
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    31 July • God Dwelling With Us

    In the first reading for Mass today (Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38), we hear about the Tent of Dwelling, where Moses could always encounter God because God dwelled there. In our days, we have tabernacles in Catholic churches where we know God is always present. Avail yourself of these.
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    30 July • A Broader Vision of Preaching the Good News

    In the Letter to the Ephesians, we see Paul's vision that the Church is called to proclaim Christ to the entire universe, even the "principalities and authorities in the heavens." As we ponder our own role in God's plan, know that it includes even one day preaching to extraterrestrials, and let that broaden out your vision.
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    28 July • Fear shrinks life, Faith nourishes it

    On this Monday in Ordinary time, we look at fear and faith. In the first reading, the Israelites let the seed of fear grow in the desert, and so turned from God towards a golden calf. In the Gospel, Jesus assures us that faith is like a mustard seed that, though small, grows into a preposterously large tree that nourishes the life of all around. Give in to faith, not fear, and watch your life grow.
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    25 July • Choosing Hope in the Midst of Suffering

    On the Feast of St. James, we hear the words of St. Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed." Jesus did not come to remove suffering or to have us ignore it. He came so that, knowing his power and presence, we would be empowered to choose hope even in the midst of suffering.
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    24 July • Are You Open to Having More Faith?

    Jesus said, "to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." He was speaking of faith, not material wealth. Do we have a faith that is open to growing and increasing? If not, we will lose it.
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    22 July • Open to the Risen Christ

    Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalen, who was the first to encounter the Risen Christ, and the first to preach his resurrection. Mary was searching for his corpse, but found him resurrected, transformed, and glorified, and she believed. Are we ready to let the Glorified Christ define himself for us, or do we hold on to our version of the earthly Jesus?
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    21 July • Approaching God with Openness

    In today's Gospel the Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus. But he has already given them a sign which they refuse to believe. Can we approach God with an openness, letting God's revelation surprise us, or have we already decided that we know who we are and who God is?
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    20 July • Jesus, the One Thing Necessary

    In today's Gospel we have the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary. Mary sits at Jesus' feet to hear his teaching, and Martha complains that she has to do all of the work of hospitality. In reality, they are both doing the work of being a follower of Christ, but we all need to know the most important task of a Christian is to fall more and more in love with Jesus. So whether we are accomplishing the tasks that need to be done or taking the time to rest with Jesus, our attention should be Jesus, the one thing necessary.
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    19 July • Managing Diversity

    When the Israelites left Egypt, they also left with "people of various ancestry" who joined them in the desert. This diversity became problematic in the desert, but by God's plan, it is an essential part of the story of God's "chosen people." The parishes of St. Patrick and St. Hedwig were separated int eh 19th Century to accommodate diversity and now have to work to manage that diversity as they once again become one parish. Managing diversity is always difficult, but it is essential if we are going to all be God's children.
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    18 July • "I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice"

    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?
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    17 July • Rest for the Weary

    In our Gospel today, Jesus tells us that he will give rest to the weary. Life is sometimes a struggle. Jesus is not minimizing that, but assuring us that he can help us in the worst of times by accompanying us. We never have to suffer alone.
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    16 July • The Tangible Faith of Children

    In our Gospel today, Jesus tells us that our faith should be "childlike." Children's understanding of the world is based on personal experience and first-hand knowledge. Let us develop that kind of faith—not the God whom we have heard about, but the God whom we have met.
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