Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

31 January • Navigating the Storms of Personal Sins & Global Chaos

A Word of Hope

Fr. Bob explores the powerful Gospel story of Jesus calming the storm and its profound relevance to the chaos in our lives and the world. He begins by reflecting on water as an ancient symbol of chaos and danger, drawing parallels from creation to the disciples' terror in the storm-tossed boat. Jesus' ability to calm the raging seas reveals His divinity, love, and power for His people.

But what about the storms we create ourselves? Father Bob connects this to King David's dramatic fall, a "storm" of lust, adultery, and murder that David inflicted upon himself. He highlights how David's confession to Nathan offered a moment of calm amidst his self-created chaos, much like the peace found in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Finally, Father Bob addresses the external storms—the world's troubles, personal tragedies—that we don't ask for but must endure. He powerfully asks: Is Jesus in our boat? This reflection encourages us to seek that interior calm to face external turmoil, reminding us that with Christ, we can endure even the storms of martyrdom, finding hope in His abiding presence.

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### ⏰ Timeline

  0:00:00 Welcome & Introduction from Fr. Bob Keller in Grand Rapids, Michigan
  0:00:19 The Gospel Story: Jesus Calming the Storm
  0:00:29 Water as a Metaphor for Chaos & Danger (Old Testament & Creation)
  0:00:51 The Disciples' Fear & Jesus' Divine Power
  0:01:19 Jesus' Divinity, Love, and Power for His People
  0:01:25 Personal Storms: When We Cause Our Own Chaos
  0:01:35 King David's Self-Inflicted Storm of Lust, Adultery, and Murder
  0:02:05 The Calm of Confession: David Admits His Sin
  0:02:25 The Sacrament of Reconciliation Calms Our Hearts
  0:02:36 External Storms: The World's Troubles & Unasked-for Hardships
  0:03:03 The Question: Is Jesus in Our Boat?
  0:03:07 Seeking Interior Calm to Endure External Storms
  0:03:21 Disciples Endured Storms & Martyrdom: Our Hope in Christ
  0:03:35 Concluding Thoughts on Hope

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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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    29 June • Upon This Rock

    On this Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, as we remember the 100th anniversary of St. Dominic Church in Denver, Fr. Luke ponders the enduring mission of the church to reach out to the world to bring God's gift of love and inclusion to all. To be church today, we must still go out to bring Christ to the world for the Glory of God.
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    28 June • God Does the Impossible, Can We Attempt the Difficult?

    When God showed up at Abraham's door as three angels posing as travelers, Abraham offered them hospitality in the form of a feast. God, in return, promised that in a year Sarah would have a son. Sarah, being old, secretly laughed at the prospect, but God made it happen. Do we offer hospitality to the poor who show up at our door? Do we trust God's promises to us?
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    26 June • God Works with Our Bad Decisions

    God promised Abram and Sarai a child, but when that promise was slow in coming, they decided to have Abram sleep with Sarai's maidservant Hagar instead. This was a bad decision, but God still kept his promise to Abram and Sarai, and God made the descendents of Ishmael, Hagar's child, more numerous than one could count. God is not limited by our bad decisions, and whether or not we are faithful, God's plans will come to pass.
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    25 June • God's Unshakable Hope in You

    God placed his hope in Abram, and so Abram placed his trust in God. Even when we head down the wrong path, God still hopes in us with unshakable confidence. Find that hope in yourself today so that you can place your own trust more firmly in God, no matter the challenges.
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    22 June | United in the Body and Blood of Christ

    When Paul related Jesus' words instituting the Eucharist, it was to remind a fractious community that this Sacrament calls us to come together as one Body in Christ. Do we still feel united by the Body and Blood of Christ? Do we care for one another, both physically and spiritually? May Jesus draw us into a closer unity.
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    21 June | God-given Opportunities to Grow

    Paul asked God three times to have a "thorn taken from his flesh", but his prayer was denied. It was an opportunity for him to learn to trust God more. Whether we feel close to God in prayer or far away, it is an opportunity to grown in our relationship with God.
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    18 June | Find that Trust in God's Abundant Gifts

    Paul tells us that those who sow sparingly, reap sparingly, while those who sow abundantly reap abundantly. We can find delight in sowing abundantly when we realize how abundantly God has given to us, so that we no longer fear the world, but trust God. Do what it takes to foster that trust in yourself today.
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    16 June | The New Laws of Jesus Calling Us to More

    In the Jewish world of Jesus' day, there were many interpretations of laws and their meaning. Jesus moved away from a minimal understanding of what God required of us and pushed his disciples to put their entire soul into the divine work of reconciliation, and thus help bring about the Kingdom of God.
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    14 June | Saying "Yes" with Sincerity

    Jesus tells us not to swear by God, but to let our "yes" mean "yes" and our "no" mean "no." Perhaps this is not an injunction against oath-taking, which is an integral part of our modern world, but an injunction to be completely sincere in our words, so that our words and our life make a sincere and total "yes" to God.
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    13 June | Growing Entails Many Little Deaths

    St Paul tells us the death is in work in us, and we can all feel that in our lives: in trials, anxiety, and sleepless nights. But these deaths are part of growth, as we transition from our old life of hopelessness to a new life of hope in Christ. So today, look within and ask God to put these anxieties to death and open the door to the new life Jesus promises.
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    12 June | Transformed Completely by Our Encounter with Christ

    When Moses met God on the mountain in the burning bush, he was so transformed by the experience that his face shown with a radiant light. Our encounter with Jesus Christ transforms us even more thoroughly so that we might shine in every way for others. Today, let us look within to experience the presence of God and the transformation that this has brought so that we might make the Gospel more present in our world.
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    9 June | Finding God Within

    In proclaiming Mary as the Mother of the Church, we acknowledge that the Church is her son, Jesus, and all of us who are part of the church, are part of the Body of Christ and have God dwelling in us.
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    8 June | What Unites Us?

    In building the Tower of Babel, people were trying to wall themselves off from others and impose unity through force. That kind of unity never works and in the end always falls apart. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit united people by dwelling inside them, thus uniting each to God. This unity lasts unto eternity, and it also sends us out right now to encounter others rather than walling us off from them.
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