Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

A Word of Hope

A Word of Hope by Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP.

Join us for a powerful daily Catholic homily reflecting on the Gospel of John, where Jesus heals the son of a royal official in Cana. In this insightful Catholic reflection, Fr. Samuel delves into Jesus' challenging words about signs and wonders, and explores the true nature of faith. Discover how miracles serve as signs pointing to Jesus' divine identity and our ultimate salvation, rather than mere displays of power. Learn how to cultivate a deeper relationship with God, beyond seeking earthly blessings, and embrace the promise of eternal life.

This Lenten season, let this homily guide you in strengthening your faith in Jesus and understanding the profound love God has poured into your heart. We give thanks for the miracles, but most importantly, for the gift of faith in the Holy Spirit. #catholicfaith 
#Homily #DailyHomily #Lent #CatholicChurch #Gospel #Jesus #Faith #Miracles #Christianity

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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    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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    2 July • Let God lead us to justice

    God promised to punish Israel for its injustice, and Psalm 5 cries out, "the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful" and promises that they will not stand before him, and then asks, "Lead me O Lord in your righteousness." If only we will turn and trust God, he will save us from whatever storm threatens us and lead us to justice.
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    1 July • Cross over to the other shore *** Bonus Video ***

    Today we have a bonus video from Fr. Greg Heille—a very challenging message from the prophet Amos, who chastises the people from building their prosperity on the backs of the poor. However, Amos also acknowledges that God stole the land from the Amorites to give to them, and thus, blessings seem to almost always come at the expense of others. Perhaps, to make sense of this, we need to cross over to a new understanding, crossing over to the other shore where God lives.

  • 29 Jun • Who is God to you?

    Jesus asked Peter, “But who do you say that I am?” This question is important for every one of us to answer: Who is Jesus for us? Who is God for us? And, we are also called to pass our answers on to others.
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    28 Jun • Jesus has made us worthy of God's love

    A leper came up to Jesus saying, "“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus replied, “I do will it. Be made clean” and the man was healed. Jesus also wills us to be worthy of God's love, and so we are. Share this Good News today with someone who needs to hear it.
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    27 Jun • Simply try to be faithful

    Jesus rejected people who claimed to to great deeds in his name, embracing instead people who listened to his words and acted on them. We do not have to have success in our ministry, we simply need to listen to Jesus and to try to be faithful to his words.
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    26 Jun • The gift of the Bible

    In our scripture today, Hilkiah rejoiced because he found a long lost book of Moses in the Temple in Jerusalem. But there was also consternation, because the new book showed how far they had strayed from their own tradition. For us today, reading the Bible often reminds us in a helpful way of what God wants for us.
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    24 Jun • Moving on...

    John the Baptist was not named after his father, Zechariah, because he was not to follow in his father's footsteps. Instead, he was the herald of something new, The Reign of God in Christ Jesus. Do we have sufficient faith to say yes to God when asked to break with the past and move in a new direction?
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    22 Jun • God or mammon?

    Jesus famously said that we cannot serve two masters, God and mammon. If we serve God first, then we can have healthy attitude towards our own material goods, not clinging to them, but using them to help those who do not have enough.
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