A Word of Hope for Oct 28, the Feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude, with Fr. Chuck Dahm, OP from St. Pius V Parish in Chicago.
We are all called together to grow in Jesus Christ and become His Body. That's the message of today's readings — but what does it actually look like?
St. Paul tells the Ephesians that we are being built together into a temple, a dwelling place of God. Yet that image can be misleading. A temple is a building, something set apart from the people. But we are not a building. We are a people — the People of God, the Body of Christ, joined to Him through our baptism.
In today's reflection, we look at how the Church has changed through history, the direction the Second Vatican Council gave us for being a faith community active in the world, and the honest truth that we are not yet exactly like Jesus Christ — but we can be closer than we are. That is our struggle, not only as individuals, but as parishes and as the universal Church.
Today's invitation: Let's be compassionate like Him. Understanding and forgiving like Him. And let's struggle like Him for the Kingdom of God, so that the Reign of God comes even more alive in our world.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 – Called to grow into the Body of Christ
0:17 – How the Church has changed through history
0:38 – The direction of the Second Vatican Council
0:55 – A temple? Or a people?
1:24 – St. Paul: We are the Body of Christ
1:33 – Growing as individuals and as a community
1:59 – The challenge: we aren't yet like Jesus
2:19 – Let's be more like Jesus Christ
2:36 – Helping the Reign of God come alive
📖 TODAY'S READINGS
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Ephesians 2:19-22 – Built on the foundation of the apostles, growing into a temple sacred in the Lord
Luke 6:12-16 – Jesus chooses the Twelve
🙏 A Word of Hope is a short daily reflection on the Gospel, offered to help you carry one word of hope into your day.
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💬 In the comments: Where have you seen your parish or community grow more like Christ?
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