A Word of Hope

Fr. Donald Goergen, OP points out that hope does not always come easily, and challenges us to cling to hope, trusting that our hope ultimately lies with Jesus.

Fr. Donald Goergen, OP asks us to take on the challenge of living as the Beatitudes envision, a quintessentially Christian life, that is pure of heart, poor in spirit, and completely focussed on God.

For the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas,Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP challenges us to navigate the storms of ideas we face in the modern world with the faith and steadfastness of Aquinas.

Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP reminds us that when doing God's, we need to have the patience of a farmer, who must wait for the crops to grow.

Br. Edward Van Merrienboer, OP advises us to grow and share our faith, lest it diminish instead.

Br. Edward Van Merrienboer, OP calls us spend time working on our friendship with Jesus and then sharing that friendship with others.

Fr. James Marchionda, OP explains how Jesus broadens out the Christian understanding of familial love to include all of the people we choose to call family.

On the day when the Church calls for prayers for the legal protection of the unborn, Fr. James Marchionda, OP reminds us to choose life, and to be people who project that Gospel message to others.

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP asks us to read the signs of the times, as Jesus did when he began his own ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist.

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP wonders why Jesus' family thought he was out of his mind when he was simply growing into his own ministry.

On the occasion of the sending of the Apostles, Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP muses on the role of encountering God through mediators—concluding that, even though we are imperfect ministers, when we proclaim the Good News, it is really Christ proclaiming it through us.

Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP, hearing how the crowd pressed upon Jesus, reminds us that we are limited ministers of the Gospel. We cannot do everything that we would like to respond to the needs of the people of God. The Good News is that we do not have to, since we can ask Jesus for help.

Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP, in response to Jesus' question "is it lawful to do good on the sabbath" asks us to consider if we are sometimes not doing the good we should with the gifts God gave us.

Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP, recalling the witness of St. Anthony of the Desert, reminds us that sometimes, you have to search for God, but if you do, you will find him, even in the desert.

Fr. James Marchionda, OP, noting how Jesus learned obedience from his suffering (Hebrews 5:1-10), asks us to think about what we learn from our own suffering, because it has much to teach us.

Fr. James Marchionda, OP, citing the prophet Isaiah, reminds us that it is too small a thing for God's blessings to stop with us. The blessings we receive are meant to pass through us to reach the entire world.

Fr. Brian Walker, OP reminds us of the Good News—that God is ready to help us do what is seemingly impossible.

Fr. Brian Walker, OP reminds us that, two and a half years into the pandemic, we still need to be amazed by Jesus and to know that God can heal us.

Br. Joe Trout, OP reminds us that if we only know the works of God, and not the ways of God, we really don't know God.

Br. Joe Trout, OP points out that, in the incarnation, Jesus became dependent on others. As we look at our own life, can we embrace our own dependency on others? On God?

Welcoming us back into Ordinary Time, Fr. Luke Barder, OP challenges that we cannot access our own worth, and we should strive to see ourselves and others as God sees us.... all of infinite value.

Fr. Luke Barder, OP celebrates the Baptism of the Lord, which reveals that we see the divine by looking at ourselves.

On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, when Christ was revealed to all the nations, Fr. James Marchionda, OP challenges us to be a part of the inclusivity that God intends for all people.

Fr. James Marchionda, OP, recalling Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana, done only because his mother pushed him into it, asks us also to do what we might rather not out of love for others.