Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

31 Oct • Finding unity amidst differences

A Word of Hope

St. Paul advises us to to stand against the power of the devil. God unites, the devil divides. In this election season, we must not give in to division, even though we must in truth acknowledge differences. The key is to see that God created us all to be united. Then we are motivated to to get to know one another and come to understand our various motivations and opinions, so we can love one another despite our differences.

Based on Ephesians 6:10-20

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

(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. 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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    25 July • Standing with Jesus

    The mother of James and John asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left in the Kingdom. Jesus asked them if they could drink from the cup he drank from, and they said they could. While Jesus could not give them these positions in the Kingdom, he promised they would drink from his cup, and they both suffered for the Kingdom as he did, but in very different ways. We cannot know where witnessing to the Kingdom will lead us, but we trust God to make the most of our lives if we do.
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    24 July • God will give you the words

    God called Jeremiah to become a prophet and promised to give him the words to speak when it was time. In life, we often find it difficult to know what to say at times. In conversations that matter, we should be open to prayer and allowing God to inspire us with the right words to say.
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    20 July • God Fights for Us Tenderly

    Under attack from the Pharisees, Jesus appropriated the words of the prophet Isaiah as his own, "He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick until he brings justice to victory." Jesus fights for us, but he does so fearlessly but tenderly, and would never crush or harm us. We should love others as he loves us.
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    19 July • Enter into God's Divine Life

    Jesus defends his disciples picking grain on the sabbath not because he has no care for the law, but because he is the new place of encounter with God, and by being with him, his disciples are fulfilling the command for resting on the sabbath. How can we draw nearer to God today?
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    18 July • Rest for your soul

    Jesus said: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." He did not say that he would take away our burden, but he will refresh us and give us the strength to carry our burdens.
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    17 July • God will not abandon us

    From the prophet Micah today, we hear that even though we sin, God will not abandon us, but will save us, even when we fail. We should not take advantage of this message, having appropriate shame for our sins, but should take hope that what God has created, God will not abandon, despite our sin.
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    15 July • Truth and Division

    Jesus challenged his disciples that his words might bring division in families, because the truth he brings is more important than any kind of truth we have created for ourselves. The Good News is that Jesus will never stop fighting for us. Sometimes that fight will be painful, but it will be worth it.
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    11 July • Welcoming the stranger

    Jesus instructed his disciples go about and cure the sick without cost, because, "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." St. Benedict made this hospitality to travelers a hallmark of his monasteries as a sign of the coming Kingdom of God, and we are also called to carry on this tradition today.
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    9 July • God is at work in our lives

    God instructed Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife as sign of both Israel's unfaithfulness and God's enduring love. When we gaze on a crucifix we can see both our sin in crucifying our saviour and God's love in enduring that for our salvation. Let us embrace that duality.
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    7 July • Your choice

    Jesus was a popular preacher, except in his own hometown, where he was rejected and amazed at the people's lack of faith such that "he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them." Faith is a communal dynamic with an individual component such that even when the majority rejects a particular belief, a few individuals can still choose to believe and be healed.
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    6 July • Starting again, but this time better

    When the Israelites came back from the Babylonian Exile, they rebuilt the temple and started over, but without a king and welcoming people from every nation to join them. Jesus was also rebooting Judaism, saying that we should put new wine in new wineskins. Where do we need a religious reboot?
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    5 July • How to reach this particular person?

    Jesus called Matthew the tax collector to follow him, and he came immediately. With others, Jesus knew he had to be more subtle. As we reach out to share the Good News with others, we need to always think about what approach we should use to best reach them—the direct approach, or long years of open handed friendship.
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    4 July • God's law brings freedom

    The law of God is not to be followed blindly because it is designed to bring us freedom. However, this is not always obvious to us, and thus we need to study God's Law, particularly when we disagree with some part of it and feel like setting it aside. Every part is made for our flourishing.
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