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Jesus is God's own Son. We are called to be children of God, and Jesus points the way to become such.

Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, who share this memorial, were great friends. Their friendship brought them each closer to God. Friends can bring us closer to God and friendship itself is a model of what our relationship should be with God.

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.

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.

Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven as being like the leaven in dough that, though small, can grow and take over the whole measure of flour. Our hearts can grow with the love of God, but sometimes they get frozen. Let yours grow, and perhaps use the pope's new encyclical on devotion to the Sacred Heart to help.

On this feast of Sts. Simon and Jude we read of Jesus choosing the apostles. Each of us are also called to become his followers and receive an epiclesis, a transformation by the Holy Spirit turning us into the Body of Christ so that we can join in Christ's mission.

Saints Cosmas and Damian knew that their martyrdom would spread sparks far and wide to ignite the faith of the Christian community and thus embraced their faith. Let their example and their prayers reignite your own faith this day. Even though all things might seem hopeless, they are not for nought with the help of God.

As Jesus preached, he also healed, and when he sent his disciples out to preach, he sent them to heal as well. Thus we can ask ourselves if we heal others as we preach the Good News?

On this Feast of St. Augustine, who gave the Dominicans its Primitive Rule of Life, we are challenged to examine what day to day mundane chores of life help us to go forth into the world in love and service?

On this Memorial of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, we are confronted with the question of what is important to us and how do we attend to it?

God is the potter who will refashion us time and again until we are made perfect in the resurrection.

The prophet Jeremiah said to God, "When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart," Our prayer for you in bringing you A Word of Hope every day is that you too will devour the Word of God such that it could transform you as it has so many great saints, such as St. Dominic, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. Alphonsus Liguori.