Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

22 Oct • The unity only God can give

A Word of Hope

Paul reminds us that all will be made one in Christ. Thus we know that our unity is more important and safeguarded than our participation in any group to which we belong.

Based on Ephesians 2:12-22

Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

(New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org)

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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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    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?
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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?
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    2 Jun • That all might have enough

    On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we remember Jesus' command to share this sacred meal "in remembrance of me." This still stands as a challenge to us to share our blessings with one another so that each one has enough.

    Based on Mark 14:12–16, 22–26:
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