Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

30 April • From Pope Pius V to Pope Francis: Go Out & Evangelize!

A Word of Hope

On April 30th, as Dominicans remember Pope St. Pius V and the Church mourns Pope Francis, Fr. Luke Barder, OP, delivers a Word of Hope reflecting on the call to go out and evangelize. This homily connects the bold actions of the apostles in the first reading (Acts) and Jesus's own mission ("God so loved the world" from John) to Pope Francis's vision for a Church that reaches beyond itself. Discover inspiration from these witnesses as the Church reflects on Pope Francis's legacy and looks toward the coming of a new pontiff.

#CatholicHomily #PopePiusV #PopeFrancis #Dominican #FrLukeBarderOP #EasterSeason #ActsOfTheApostles #GospelOfJohn #Evangelization #ChurchHistory #Saints #WordOfHope #Sermon #CatholicTeachings #ChristianLiving

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:

* indicates required

Email Format

  •

    27 Jun • Simply try to be faithful

    Jesus rejected people who claimed to to great deeds in his name, embracing instead people who listened to his words and acted on them. We do not have to have success in our ministry, we simply need to listen to Jesus and to try to be faithful to his words.
  •

    26 Jun • The gift of the Bible

    In our scripture today, Hilkiah rejoiced because he found a long lost book of Moses in the Temple in Jerusalem. But there was also consternation, because the new book showed how far they had strayed from their own tradition. For us today, reading the Bible often reminds us in a helpful way of what God wants for us.
  •

    24 Jun • Moving on...

    John the Baptist was not named after his father, Zechariah, because he was not to follow in his father's footsteps. Instead, he was the herald of something new, The Reign of God in Christ Jesus. Do we have sufficient faith to say yes to God when asked to break with the past and move in a new direction?
  •

    22 Jun • God or mammon?

    Jesus famously said that we cannot serve two masters, God and mammon. If we serve God first, then we can have healthy attitude towards our own material goods, not clinging to them, but using them to help those who do not have enough.
  •

    19 Jun • Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving

    Jesus told his disciples to practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving not so that others might see, but with sincerity, knowing that God will see these righteous deeds. These are the basic actions of every Christian disciple, all of which direct us back into right relationship with God.

  • 18 Jun • Respond to your God-given gifts

    Jesus said to love our enemies. We do that not because they deserve it, but as a response to the love of God already poured out on us in our own lives. We show our thanks for God's unconditional love in the way we live, by loving others unconditionally.
  •

    17 Jun • Do not resist an evildoer

    Jesus said, "you have heard, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil." This is a difficult saying for us to embrace. It is difficult not to retaliate against evil, but God says "no." To help, imagine what God thinks looking at the devastation in the cities of Ukraine and Gaza.
  •

    16 Jun • Let God be God

    In Jesus' parables of the Kingdom of God, he teaches us that God is always working within us in hidden ways to bring about great things. We just need to trust that grace, and let God be God.
  •

    15 Jun • Speaking with integrity

    Jesus said not to swear to the truth but to simply let our "yes" be yes and our "no" be no. In this world, we accept that people lie and therefore need these markers that this time we are not lying. But in the Reign of God, everyone will simply speak the truth all the time, and so we should move in that direction now.
  •

    13 Jun • Anger against a brother or sister

    The law says "thou shalt not kill", but Jesus adds that even if we are angry with our brother or sister we are liable to judgement. Even more radically, if our brother or sister has reason to be angry with us, we also need to heal that division before we come to the altar. Relationship is a two way street.
  •

    11 Jun • Salt and Light for the whole world

    Jesus told his disciples that they are to be the salt of the earth and lamps on a lampstand. Thus, we are called to bring the light of Christ to everyone around us that is struggling with darkness, or to allow others to shine their light on us if we are in darkness.
  •

    10 Jun • The double gift of mercy

    In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." When we extend mercy to others, we are also blessed, so this gift is doubled. When we are wronged it is quote natural to want vengeance, Intead, we would be better off to seek justice tempered with mercy.
  •

    8 Jun • Burning with love

    On this memorial of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, we remember Mary as having the perfect human heart, untouched by sin. In iconography, Mary's Immaculate Heart is pictured in flames, recalling the burning bush that Moses encountered on Mount Horeb from which God spoke of his desire to save humanity. Mary's heart was grafted on to God's heart when she said agreed to become the Mother of God. Even though we see in the Gospel that Mary did not always understand the plan of God, her burning love never wavered.
  •

    7 Jun • Love takes flesh

    For the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are invited to see Jesus as the absolute love of God taken flesh so that we might be able to enter heaven—a proof of the love of God for us.
  •

    6 Jun • The center of our faith

    Seeking to understand the center of faith, a scribe asked Jesus, "what is the first commandment:" The answer was to love God with all of your heart, understanding and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is the center of our faith, not rubrics and sacrifice.
  •

    5 Jun • As my ancestors did

    St. Paul tells us that he worships God "with a clear conscience as my ancestors did" even though his faith is moving in a different direction. Are we still open, in good faith, to allowing the Power of God to lead us in new directions in our understanding of scriptures?
Subscribe to A Word of Hope