Dominican Friars

Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

A Word of Hope

11 April • Threatened for Doing Good? Jesus' Example

Why was Jesus threatened with stoning for doing the Father's work? Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP reflects on this passage from John 10 in the Word of Hope homily for Friday, Fifth Week of Lent.

As Lent nears its end, the liturgy confronts us with Jesus' imminent suffering. This homily explores the clash between Jesus' good works and the accusations of blasphemy He faced for revealing His divine identity. Discover the Lenten call to awaken our own identity as children of God and boldly perform works of love and justice, following Jesus' path towards the Paschal Mystery.

Daily Catholic reflection based on the Mass readings. Recorded at Our Lady of the Rosary Priory, Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

#Lent2025 (Use current year) #CatholicHomily #Jesus #GospelOfJohn #John10 #FifthWeekOfLent #PaschalMystery #SonOfGod #Faith #CatholicChurch #DailyReflection #WordOfHope #Suffering #GoodWorks #ChristianLiving

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:

A Word of Hope for April 2, 2023

Apr 2, 2023 by Fr. Brendan Curran, OP

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP asks us if we are ready for what is coming in this Holy Week, challenging us not to simply skip to the Resurrection at Easter without experiencing all that goes in between.
A Word of Hope for April 1, 2023

Apr 1, 2023 by Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Fr. James Marchionda, OP asks if we have the faith to be able to be led by Jesus, the Good Shepherd? If we do, God can lead us out of sorrow and discord to the place where we should go.
A Word of Hope for March 31, 2023

Mar 31, 2023 by Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Fr. James Marchionda, OP challenges us to see that people wanted to kill Jesus because they harshly misjudged him, and so we should think twice about the people we judge harshly.
A Word of Hope for March 30, 2023

Mar 30, 2023 by Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP reads a passage of Jesus fighting with Jews in the Temple and then hiding when they tried to stone him, and then he asks when should we fight, and when should we walk away?
A Word of Hope for March 29, 2023

Mar 29, 2023 by Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the people of his day who claim to have God as their Father, that if that were true, they would be living as God would have them live. Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP asks us to apply this same lesson in our own lives.
A Word of Hope for March 28, 2023

Mar 28, 2023 by Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP

Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP, recalling the lifting up of the bronze serpent in the desert to heal the people bitten by serpents, is not a cruel joke of God. Rather, it teaches us that our sins are not to be overlooked but redeemed, because even our worst rebellion, when joined with God's mercy, can be a source of salvation.
A Word of Hope for March 27, 2023

Mar 27, 2023 by Fr. Yamil A. Samalot Rivera, OP

Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP asks us to adopt the mind and heart of Jesus, who, when confronted with a woman "caught in the very act of adultery," did not condemn her, but in mercy offered her a new life. May we, in God's mercy, also offer a new life to those who need it most.
A Word of Hope for March 26, 2023

Mar 26, 2023 by Fr. Yamil A. Samalot Rivera, OP

Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, OP, celebrating Jesus raising Lazarus back to life, challenges all of us to look around our world in an act of social friendship and raise up others who we find threatened by the death of hunger, racism, and violence.
A Word of Hope for March 25, 2023

Mar 25, 2023 by Br. Ed Van Merrienboer, OP

Br. Ed Van Merrienboer, OP celebrates the Annunciation of the Lord, reminding us of how our salvation only came about because of Mary's "yes" to God's invitation, and how we should likewise say "yes" to God's invitation in our own lives.
A Word of Hope for March 24, 2023

Mar 24, 2023 by Br. Ed Van Merrienboer, OP

Br. Ed Van Merrienboer, OP notes the controversies surrounding Jesus—Some are impressed by his miracles while others see his interpretation of Judaism as a threat—and challenges all of us not to judge others too quickly, but to celebrate the good works they do.
A Word of Hope for March 23, 2023

Mar 23, 2023 by Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Fr. James Marchionda, OP notes that Moses advocated on behalf of the people of Israel before they were even sorry for their sins. In the same way, God is ready to forgive us even before we ask. Let us ponder that.
A Word of Hope for March 22, 2023

Mar 22, 2023 by Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Fr. James Marchionda, OP advises us to finish out Lent not thinking about what we are giving up, but about the awesome power of God's forgiveness—a God who refuses to forget us no matter what we do.
A Word of Hope for March 21, 2023

Mar 21, 2023 by Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP unpacks a vision of the Prophet Ezekiel, how a trickle of grace flowing from the Temple grows as it encounters the world, so that it can become a blessing to the nations.
A Word of Hope for March 20, 2023

Mar 20, 2023 by Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP, on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, talks about how God's promises always work out, but not always in the way that we would think—as the family we develop as we live our lives isn't necessarily the family we are born into.
A Word of Hope for March 19, 2023

Mar 19, 2023 by Br. Joseph Trout, OP

Br. Joe Trout, OP confronts the reality of suffering, reminding us that we can never know the totality of God's plan, we can never fully understand the challenges and difficulties we face. But we can trust that the world is in the hands of a God who loves us, and that, in the end, all will be well.
A Word of Hope for March 18, 2023

Mar 18, 2023 by Br. Joseph Trout, OP

Br. Joe Trout, OP comments on why God wants love from us, rather than sacrifice. One reason is that God wants us to live our day approaching everyone we meet with the love that God has for them—the love God has shown to us.
A Word of Hope for March 17, 2023

Mar 17, 2023 by Fr. Brian Walker, OP

Fr. Brian Walker, OP notes that today's Gospel reading quotes the Shema, the central affirmation of Judaism. Not only is God One, but this One God is always walking with us to renew our faith.
A Word of Hope for March 16, 2023

Mar 16, 2023 by Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP likens the Synod on Synodality to Jesus healing a mute man so that he could speak. Just as Jesus was criticized as doing something evil for healing the man, some criticize Pope Francis for starting the Synod, and see letting people speak freely as evil and divisive.
A Word of Hope for March 15, 2023

Mar 15, 2023 by Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Fr. James Marchionda, OP points out that Jesus does not want to move us beyond the law of God, but beyond following the letter of the law, so that we might fulfill the law.
A Word of Hope for March 14, 2023

Mar 14, 2023 by Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Fr. James Marchionda, OP reminds us that our willingness to forgive needs to be infinite, since we are asking for an infinite amount of forgiveness from God.
A Word of Hope for March 13, 2023

Mar 13, 2023 by Fr. Jordan DeGuire, OP

Br. Jordan DeGuire, OP reminds us that our ways are not God's ways, and challenges us this Lent to be open to listening to God.
A Word of Hope for March 12, 2023

Mar 12, 2023 by Fr. Peter Lewitzke, OP

Br. Peter Lewitzke, OP breaks open the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well, pointing out that Jesus neither condemns her nor approves of her life, but offers her a better way—and she accepts it and passes on the Good News to others.
A Word of Hope for March 11, 2023

Mar 11, 2023 by Fr. Luke Barder, OP

Fr. Luke Barder, OP, citing the words of the Prophet Micah to shepherd the poor, and the example of St. Margaret of Castello doing just that, encourages us to have a face-to-face encounter with the poor this Lent.
A Word of Hope for March 10, 2023

Mar 10, 2023 by Fr. Luke Barder, OP

Fr. Luke Barder, OP asks us to think about what saps our faith, and then to have the courage to take that to God in prayer, and ask God to offer us a solution, rather than trying to solve it for ourselves.

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