Videos

Feeling discouraged? Ready to give up? Father Brendan Curran shares a powerful message from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus calling his disciples to 'go deeper' after a night of empty nets. This Thursday devotional explores how God calls us to persevere through failed exams, financial struggles, health challenges, and social division. Join the Dominican Promoter for Justice and Peace as he reminds us that God never gives up on us, even when we're ready to quit. Perfect for anyone facing difficult times and seeking spiritual encouragement.

Connecting Luke's Gospel about the "narrow gate" to modern immigration issues, the Ukraine war, and Christian social justice. Speaking from Chicago's Martin dePorres Community Chapel, Fr. Curran challenges Catholics to see refugees and immigrants as God's messengers, drawing parallels between Isaiah's "fugitives" and today's displaced peoples. This Catholic sermon addresses real-world applications of Gospel teachings on dignity, inclusion, and Christian responsibility in times of crisis.

On this Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, we hear how Peter, witnessing the event, wanted to make three tents on teh spot to fix it in memory. But we are not called stay in these sacred moments, but to use them as fuel for our spiritual journey, which will be difficult sometimes. So today, remember the moments when you have been on that mountain top with God, and let it empower you to go back down that mountain and share the Good News with a hungering world.

In our Gospel today, the disciples are in a storm at sea and Jesus comes walking on water towards them. Frightened, Peter asks Jesus to prove it is really him by having him come to him over the water. Peter starts to come, but then is afraid, and has to be rescued by Jesus.
Life is often frightening, but Jesus is always beckoning us to leave the safety of our boat, to trust in him, walk towards him over unsafe waters, to do the work we need to do. And Jesus will always be there to catch us if we fall. Have faith and overcome your fear.

Join Fr. Brendan Curran, OP in this Know Before You Go video for the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time. In the first reading (Genesis 18:20-32), Moses and God go to Sodom, where people have been gossiping about how bad they are. Moses gets God to admit that he is in the end forgiving, and would forgive Sodom for the smallest reason. Are we quick to condemn groups of people (think immigrants, muslims) because we have heard rumors about them?

In today's Gospel, a woman who had been suffering hemorrhages for 12 years, pushed through the crowd because she had the conviction that if she just touched the hem of Jesus' cloak she would be healed. Fr. Brendan saw that same faith last week when an old man in a wheelchair pushed through the crowd to receive communion first, convinced that God would nourish him with this sacrament. Let us all trust that God can heal us if we merely touch the hem of his cloak.

Jesus sent out 72 disciples to take nothing with them but his message of peace and welcome. Whenever they were not welcomed, they were to simply move on in hope that the next town would welcome them. As we celebrate Independence Day, let us remember that our great nation has always been a place of welcome and opportunity for those seeking a better life. Where do we need to extend that charitable welcome today? Where is God sending us?

Rooted in scripture and animated by Catholic social teaching, this homily challenges us to live boldly in the Spirit—compelled, called, and inspired to be a voice of faith in the face of injustice and despair.

As we stand in the sacred days between Ascension and Pentecost, this homily invites us to find hope in our brokenness and be renewed in our mission to feed the sheep.

Join Fr. Brendan Curran, OP in exploring the readings for Ascension Sunday, where we don't so much celebrate Jesus' leaving, but in his leaving his mission to us, promising the gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable us to accomplish it.

Delve into Jesus' profound statement from the Gospel of John: "I am the bread of life." Discover what it means to be nourished by Christ for eternal life and how we, like the indigenous communities in Chiapas, are called to share the blessings we've received.

In this reflection, Fr. Curran draws inspiration from the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 8:1b-8), highlighting the courage of St. Philip. Following the martyrdom of St. Stephen and amidst the persecution of the early Christian church, Philip boldly went to Samaria to proclaim the Good News of God's healing love, transforming lives even in the face of threats and shaming.