Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

A Word of Hope

On this Feast of Pentecost we celebrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which manifest God's love inside each of us, allowing us to reach out to others in love to preach the Gospel.

Based on Acts 2:1–11

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’

(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)

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. You can see them here, and you can have them emailed to you each morning by signing up for our email service:

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    26 Dec • The first Christian martyr

    On this Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, we pray for young Christians who will undoubtedly have their faith tested, that we might help them to grow through this towards a deeper more mature faith, and that we can let them know that they are signs of hope for us.
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    24 Dec • In the quiet of the night

    In the readings for Midnight Mass we hear the story of the savior being born in a little town, laid quietly in a manger, noticed only by his parents and shepherds brought there by the proclamation of angels—God not coming with trumpet blasts, but unfolding over time from this quiet beginning.
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    23 Dec • God helps families

    The holidays can be stressful for families, but the prophet Malachai assures us that God will "To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers."
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    18 Dec • The demands of justice

    To fulfil the demands of righteousness and mercy, Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly. Instead, God showed him a deeper justice and mercy. It is through our deeper commitment to justice that we can find a deeper mercy.
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    17 Dec • The heart of joy

    On this Gaudete Sunday, we are reminded that our truest joy comes when we recognise that the greatest joy we come to know it that of the joy of Christ, which can never be taken away from us.
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    16 Dec • The circle of life

    As we approach Christmas, the Gospel today reminds us of Jesus' death, underscoring that his birth is connected to his death in the great circle of God's plan. May we see arc of our own lives, birth to death, circumscribed into this story as well.
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    15 Dec • Be open to something new

    Jesus revealed new insights into God's plan for the world, but many in his day were not open to hearing anything new, believing they already had the complete truth. Are we open to hearing God today, and learning something new?
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    12 Dec • Our Lady of Guadalupe

    On this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrating an apparition of Mary in 16th century Mexico in which Mary appeared to Juan Diego as an indigenous woman, let us inculturate our own faith and make it more a part of our own modern American experience.
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    9 Dec • Pass it on

    In our Gospel today, Jesus passes his healing ministry on to his disciples. Are we willing to pass along our own ministries to the next generation, or do we think that we are more irreplaceable than Jesus?
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    8 Dec •The big impact of tiny things

    On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we ponder the conception of Mary, the Mother of God, an event that was so tiny it could not have been seen or apprehended when it happened, and yet haad enormous consequences for the world, and we open our eyes to try to apprehend the many ways God still works marvels in our world through tiny events.
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    7 Dec • Watching our words

    On this Memorial of St. Ambrose, whose words were as sweet as honey, we are challenged to look at our own use of words. Do they reflect the Word Incarnate? Can we speak more clearly and charitably to others, so that our words have a greater positive effect?
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    6 Dec • Hear and speak the Word

    As Jesus cured the deaf and the mute, at baptism we pray the "ephratah", blessing the ears that they might receive the Word of God and the mouth that is might proclaim it. After baptism, we never lose this intimate connection to God.
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    5 Dec • Gifts of the Holy Spirit

    Isaiah prophesies a time when the Spirit of the Lord will come upon the world and bring a peace so profound that "the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb." This Advent, we are challenged to open ourselves to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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    4 Dec • We are small

    When the centurion says to Jesus, "I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof," he is not saying he is sinful, but that he is small and Jesus is great. When we see ourselves as small, we become open to the greatness of God's gifts for us.
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