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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    2 Jan • Holy Friendship

    Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, who share this memorial, were great friends. Their friendship brought them each closer to God. Friends can bring us closer to God and friendship itself is a model of what our relationship should be with God.
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    1 Jan • A Mother's Blessing

    On this Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, we remember what a blessing she was to Jesus and to us. As the new year begins, we also take the opportunity, like Mary, to ponder the past and open ourselves to the future.
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    31 Dec • Ready for a New Year

    The first chapter of the Gospel of John reminds us: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." As we prepare to welcome a new year, let us move forward with confidence that God's unfailing light will help us create all things new and shake off the darkness of the past year.
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    30 Dec • The Prophet Anna

    The Prophet(ess) Anna recognized the Christ child as the new messiah when he was presented in the Temple. Let us honor all the women whose resilient, prophetic, and steady faith has fed the church and our guided our own faith journeys.
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    29 Dec • Family = chaos

    On this Feast of the Holy Family, we recall Jesus being lost for days and finally found in the Temple, seemingly oblivious to the worry he caused his parents. Every family has some degree of chaos as different members pull in different directions. There is not only one way to be a "perfect" family. Families and churches are best when they let each member be the best version of who they really are, and then together they create their own best version of family.
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    28 Dec • Escaping the genocide

    On this Feast of the Holy Innocents, we remember how, warned by an an angel in his dream, Joseph fled with his family in the middle of the night to escape Herod's deadly wrath. There is still genocide and evil in our world, and we still need to listen to God about when to stand and when to run.
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    27 Dec • That your joy may be complete

    John, the apostle, shared with others about the Love of God he found in Christ so that his own joy would be complete. We have the same opportunity. Let us share with others what we have come to learn about Christ with those around around us, so that they might share in our joy and that our joy might be complete.
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    26 Dec • A crown of thorns

    On this Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, we remember how he earned his crown of martyrdom, being stoned to death for proclaiming Christ. He died knowing he had a place in heaven and praying for those who were killing him. We too are called to wear the crown of glory with the Father, to share his life forever.
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    A Season of Hope

    In this extra A Word of Hope video, Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP, Br. Joseph Hilliker, OP and Fr. Dick LaPata, OP share about what gives them hope in the this lovely season of Hope.

    To donate online go to: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/6jhhmd/
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    25 Dec • Peace on Earth

    When Jesus was born, the angels announced to the shepherds "Peace on Earth!" There is nothing that we need more in this world right now than peace over all the Earth. Let us pray for that, and look for that gift from God.
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    24 Dec • Salvation through forgiveness

    When Zechariah can finally talk after the birth his son, John the Baptist, he proclaimed that his son would, "give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins." This is what the Christmas season is all about: revealing the tender compassion of our God.
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    23 Dec • Be open to the miraculous

    The birth of John the Baptist was surrounded by miraculous events, so that it made people wonder, " ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him." This Christmas, let us all be open to experiencing the exceptional quality of God's presence in the miraculous things that happen around us.
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    21 Dec • God our Lover

    In our first reading from the Song of Songs, we encounter lovers who thrill to be in each other's company, and we remember God's love for his people, and Jesus' love for each of us. In the Gospel, Mary, full of love, rushes out to help her cousin Elizabeth, not worrying for herself. God loves each of us, and if we allow ourselves to be touched by that love, we respond both to God and to the world in overflowing love. Are you a lover? What would it take for you to become one this Christmas season?
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    20 Dec • Your own plans, or God's?

    King Ahaz refused to listen to God's plans to defend Israel, prefering to trust the fate of the country to his own plans. In contrast, upon hearing of God's surprisings plans for her, Mary said "let it be done unto me according to your word." Do we prefer our own plans for our life, or God's, and what does it cost us?
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    19 Dec • Embrace silence

    When it was announced to Zechariah that he would be a father in his old age, he doubted the Angel Gabriel and was struck dumb. His silence, however, gave him the opportunity to reflect on God's power. If you have doubts, embrace God is silent contemplation and you might be given all that you need in that powerful encounter.
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    18 Dec • Believing the unbelievable

    St. Joseph was confronted with the unbelievable situation of Mary's pregnancy, and he believed through the help of an angel, and a life of faith. Sometimes the demands of faith seem almost unbelievable to us, but if we live out our faith every day, we will have a greater ability to believe even difficult truths of our faith.
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    17 Dec • 42 generations of preparation

    In today's Gospel we hear the genealogy of Jesus going back 42 generations to Abraham, emphasizing that God has been on this bruising journey with us for a long time. In Advent, we are called not to remain aloof and pure, but to be more in touch with the world so that we can bring God's presence to it.
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    11 Dec • Bridging the divides

    On this Eve of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we remember that in her day, as in the days of Paul the Apostle, and still in our own, the Church was filled with all kinds of people, good and bad, and all kinds of divisions. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared dressed in native clothing, speaking the native tongue, cutting through divisions. We are meant to do the same.
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