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:

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    13 Mar • Earnest, persistent prayer

    Today in our reading we hear the prayer of Esther, who in a seemingly hopeless situation turns to God in earnest prayer and prevails against all odds. We are reminded of the importance of persistent prayer, especially when things seem impossible to resolve on our own. God is there for us.
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    12 Mar • Redeeming the whole world

    When the Ninevites believed the preaching of Jonah, they all repented in sackcloth and ashes—even the animals! We are all bound up in sin together, so while we begin with ridding ourselves of our own sinful behaviors, we do not end there. We have to deal with all the sins of society against one another and against the environment.
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    10 Mar • Closer to God each day

    The people were led into the desert for 40 years to learn to rely on God. Jesus was led into the desert for 40 days hear God's word. This Lent, let us walk day by day further into God's loving embrace.
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    9 Mar • Prepare to resist

    Jesus was led into the desert to fast for 40 days, and only at the end of that fast are we told that he was hungry and needed to resist the temptations of the devil. Lent is a time to prepare to resist temptation when Lent is over.
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    7 Mar • The fasting God really wants

    The prophet Isaiah assures us that the fast that is acceptable to God is " to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free." Let us make sure that this is part of our Lenten committment.
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    6 Mar • Pick up your cross daily

    Jesus admonished his followers that they had to pick up their cross daily and follow him. We all have good days and bad days, days when we are excited to be followers of Christ and days when we simply can't stand to pick up the cross of helping others in our seemingly hopelessly broken world. Fortunately, we can do this together, as a community.
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    1 Mar • Following your inner light

    Little children believe with their whole person, while adults tend to believe only with their minds. Perhaps this is why Jesus told his disciples that they had to receive the Kingdom of God as a little child. We can relearn as adults to follow our inner light and see the world more truly.
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    28 Feb • Divorce and God's plan

    When asked if divorce was legal, Jesus responded that it was against God's plan for men and women, so that once yoked together, a man and woman should not be separated. There are many ways we do not live up the fullness of God's plan. Should Palestinians and Jews be divorced and separated from one another? Is it alright to have different worship styles at different masses, or should we all simply be one big church? Although it does not image the fullness of God's plan, are these separations always a failure, or are they sometimes the best way forward?
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    27 Feb • Freeing your true self

    Jesus said, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." We often think that our sins and pettiness and cruelty are just who we are and cannot change. But these are part of a false self. Jesus challenges us to find our better self, our true self, that can overcome sin with God's grace.
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    23 Feb • Stop judging and you will not be judged

    Jesus challenges his disciples to love their enemies. This is difficult, but we can start with some of the other challenges he makes, such as, "stop judging and you will not be judged." This includes to stop judging ourselves so harshly so that our hearts might soften towards others as well.
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    22 Feb • The Chair of Peter

    Today we celebrate The Feast of the Chair of Peter, the office of the pope, and hear Jesus promise to give the keys of the kingdom to Peter and to the church so that the gates of Hades will not be able to prevail against it. Today, we still celebrate the blessings of this great gift a by being in communion with one another in the church.
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    21 Feb • Lose your life to save it

    In today's Gospel, Jesus challenges the crowd that those who wish to become his followers must be willing to lose their lives in the process so that they might find life. This new life in Christ will be worth the struggle and the sacrifices. What are we willing to sacrifice for it?
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    20 Feb • God's ways are not our ways

    In today's Gospel, Peter is reminded that God's ways are not our ways when he confesses that Jesus is the Christ but then rebukes Jesus when Jesus says that he will be rejected and killed for it. When God is doing something we don't expect or even want, it is time for us to trust that God has greater plans than our own. This can be disturbing, but it ultimately leads to a greater blessing.
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