Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

21 Dec • God our Lover

A Word of Hope

In our first reading from the Song of Songs, we encounter lovers who thrill to be in each other's company, and we remember God's love for his people, and Jesus' love for each of us. In the Gospel, Mary, full of love, rushes out to help her cousin Elizabeth, not worrying for herself. God loves each of us, and if we allow ourselves to be touched by that love, we respond both to God and to the world in overflowing love. Are you a lover? What would it take for you to become one this Christmas season?

Based on Song of Songs 2:8-14 and Luke 1:39-45

Song of Songs 2:8-14

The voice of my beloved!
  Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
  bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
  or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
  behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
  looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me:
‘Arise, my love, my fair one,
  and come away;
for now the winter is past,
  the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
  the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtle-dove
  is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
  and the vines are in blossom;
  they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
  and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
  in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face,
  let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
  and your face is lovely.

Luke 1:39-45

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

(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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    20 Dec • Your own plans, or God's?

    King Ahaz refused to listen to God's plans to defend Israel, prefering to trust the fate of the country to his own plans. In contrast, upon hearing of God's surprisings plans for her, Mary said "let it be done unto me according to your word." Do we prefer our own plans for our life, or God's, and what does it cost us?
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    19 Dec • Embrace silence

    When it was announced to Zechariah that he would be a father in his old age, he doubted the Angel Gabriel and was struck dumb. His silence, however, gave him the opportunity to reflect on God's power. If you have doubts, embrace God is silent contemplation and you might be given all that you need in that powerful encounter.
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    18 Dec • Believing the unbelievable

    St. Joseph was confronted with the unbelievable situation of Mary's pregnancy, and he believed through the help of an angel, and a life of faith. Sometimes the demands of faith seem almost unbelievable to us, but if we live out our faith every day, we will have a greater ability to believe even difficult truths of our faith.
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    17 Dec • 42 generations of preparation

    In today's Gospel we hear the genealogy of Jesus going back 42 generations to Abraham, emphasizing that God has been on this bruising journey with us for a long time. In Advent, we are called not to remain aloof and pure, but to be more in touch with the world so that we can bring God's presence to it.
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    11 Dec • Bridging the divides

    On this Eve of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we remember that in her day, as in the days of Paul the Apostle, and still in our own, the Church was filled with all kinds of people, good and bad, and all kinds of divisions. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared dressed in native clothing, speaking the native tongue, cutting through divisions. We are meant to do the same.
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    10 Dec • Mary, the New Eve

    On this Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto, we see Mary as the new Eve. Through the disobedience of Eve, our relationship with God was wounded. Yet Eve received a promise that God would restore this relationship, and the promise is fulfiled through the obedience of Mary, the New Eve, who said "let it be done to me according to your word." Might we repeat those words with Mary today?
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    8 Dec • Finding fulfillment

    The Apostle Paul assures us that God will bring the good work started in us to completion and so we will be fulfilled. In Advent, we remind ourselves that we cannot do this for ourselves and need God's saviour. Let us place that trust in God now so that we can find the completion of this hope in the future.
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    5 Dec • Building a firm foundation

    Jesus said that those who listen to him and acted on his word were like those who built their house on a firm foundation. While the foundation of a real house might be difficult to fix, the Good News is that we can strengthen the foundations of our faith every day by simply living out our faith. Thus we need not worry about our lack of faith or what might come if we simply live each day according to our faith.
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    4 Dec • A saviour for all

    Isaiah promised that he coming saviour will provide a rich feast for all peoples, not just for some. Jesus on the mountain miraculously healed all the sick and provided food for everyone. When we see small gains for some at the expense of others, know that this is not the promise, and work and pray and hope for more. To accept a second-rate saviour is to give up on the real one.
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    3 Dec • The Good News is revealed to the childlike

    Jesus said that although the the Good News was hidden from the wise and the learned, it was revealed to the childlike. "The learned" had too many expectations about how God would exactly fulfil this promise and so could not see that it was being fulfilled differently than their expectations. The childlike have no expectations and are thus free to see what is and trust it, even it they do not understand it fully. That is the childlike faith we should have.
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    1 Dec • Do not be distracted

    As we begin a new liturgical year, the Prophet Jeremiah reminds us of God's promise to raise up for us "The Lord of Justice." Yet we are also reminded in the Gospel not to let the anxieties of life distract us from our duty to always stand on God's side, full of joy, vigilant for the cry of the poor, joining in spreading the message that our salvation is near.
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    30 Nov • We have heard and thus believe

    St. Paul assures us that all who call on God will be heard. Yet we can only believe because we have been told. Christian life is inherently communal, and thus we celebrate in community the passing of the seasons, and our gratefulness to God.
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    29 Nov • Born anew

    The Book of Revelation speaks of a new heaven and a new earth coming to be as the old world passes away. December is the Month for Peace, and this year the Dominicans are focussing on Haiti where amidst great destructions, some courageous Dominicans are trying to bring forth new signs of hope.
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    28 Nov • The action of gratitude

    Jesus healed ten lepers and only of them came back to thank him. It is important not only to be grateful in our hearts, but to take action on that gratitude by saying "thank you" or passing on our blessings to others so that they also might be blessed.
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