Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

21 Nov • Pointing to God

Remote video URL

In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." His mother, Mary, lived in such a way as to always point to God rather than to herself. We should do the same.

Based on Matthew 12:46-50

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’

(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)

See all the Word of Hope videos at http://opcentral.org/hope

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:

  • A Word of Hope for June 10, 2023

    Fr. James Marchionda, OP, lauding the generosity of our supporters, reminds us that our generosity needs to extend to kindness with one another, to patience, and to kindness, and our willingness to give of ourselves.
  • A Word of Hope for June 6, 2023

    Fr. Don Goergen, OP, in his last Word of Hope before he takes a sabbatical, pulls at some of the tangled connections between faith and politics. We need to make political decisions based on our faith, but should not allow the Church to dictate political decisions. Complicated? Yes, but important to ponder.
  • A Word of Hope for June 4, 2024

    For Trinity Sunday, Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP sits down with his mother, Arlene, to explain how parents are a good image of the Trinity—we don't have to understand them, we simply thrive living in the love that they provide.
  • A Word of Hope for June 3, 2023

    Br. Joe Trout, OP recalls how the authorities of Jesus' day sought to trip him up by asking him trick questions, and how Jesus refused to play their games. In the same way, we should not feel a need to respond to people who are just looking for a fight.
  • A Word of Hope for June 2, 2023

    Br. Joe Trout, OP unpacks the complex story of Jesus cursing the fig tree, wrapped around the cleansing of the Temple, with a note about prayer at the end. Confused? You won't be after today's episode of A Word of Hope: https://www.opcentral.org/hope
  • A Word of Hope for June 1, 2023

    Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP shares a reading from Sirach about the beauty and wisdom of God's creation, and relates this vision of the world to that of evolution, suggesting that the more beautiful picture is when these come together.
  • A Word of Hope for May 29, 2023

    On this feast of Mary, the Mother of the Church, Fr. Andrew Carl Wisdom, OP points out that Mary receives this particular grace not because she first said "yes" to God in the Annunciation, but that she continued to cooperate with God's plan every day, even at the foot of the cross. In the same way, we need to say "yes" to God every day, in everything we do.
  • A Word of Hope for May28, 2023

    Fr. James Marchionda, OP notes that at Pentecost, people from different lands speaking in different languages came together, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, they were united and could understand one another. In the same way, when we are doing God's work, we cannot let differences divide.
  • A Word of Hope for May 27, 2023

    On his last day as Provincial, Fr. James Marchionda, OP recalls how the apostle Paul preached even while in jail, and challenges us all to life up to our call to preach the Good News every day, despite whatever challenges we face.
  • A Word of Hope for May 26, 2023

    Fr. Brendan Curran, OP recalls how Jesus gave Peter a second chance after he denied him three times, so if we feel as if we have failed as a Christian, we should "try, try again", trusting that God will always give us another chance.
  • A Word of Hope for May 23, 2023

    Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP reminds us that Jesus shared everything that he knew of the Father with us in order to deepen our friendship with God, because, friendship deepens the more we know about the other.
  • A Word of Hope for May 21, 2023

    Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP recalls the disciples doubting right up to the Ascension of Jesus, and challenges us to use the occasion to strengthen our own faith in the full message of Jesus so that we can challenge our own fear and proclaim his message to the whole world.