There’s no doubt that people have many kinds of questions about heaven or resurrection and what it will be like. The Gospel this Sunday confronts us with the theme of resurrection and life after death.

In every age, discipleship has always been about adopting and living out a lifestyle that imitated Jesus and went against the cultural currents of the society, writes Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD.

While disciples are not removed from the social and cultural elements that make up the fabric of the society in which they live and work, they are expected to exhibit in words and deeds characteristics that can identify them as serving God’s kingdom – proclaiming the good news, calling people to repentance, working to promote values of harmony and justice, and making an option for the poor. These are the constants in the life of the disciples of Jesus and serve to determine their mission and vocation.

The SVD Mission Day, hosted by Dorish Maru College and Yarra Theological Union/University of Divinity, made a welcome return this month, following a two-year COVID hiatus, with speakers exploring the topic, ‘For a Missionary Church in a Wounded World’.

Keynote speaker at the Mission Day event was Fr Asaeli Rass SVD, Provincial. The Respondent was Sr Anne Jordan PBVM, of Cana Communities. The formal program was followed by Mass and a shared multicultural meal.

Two members of the Divine Word Missionaries’ Australia Province – Fr Dom Flores SVD and Fr Michael Nguyen SVD - have published books reflecting their life as missionaries.

Fr Dom’s book, entitled Sundays with Domingo, takes the form of a series of interviews with his younger friend, Pia Tenedero, while Fr Michael’s book, Writings of A Mendicant Monk, is a collection of his writings since 1995.

Fr Erwin Schmutz SVD was remembered for his very full life of service - as priest, missionary, medic and botanist – at his funeral Mass in the St Arnold Janssen Chapel, following his death in Sydney earlier this month.

Fr Erwin was born in Ingolstadt, on the River Donau in Bavaria, Germany, and spent 30 years as a missionary in Indonesia, then some years as a German Airforce chaplain, before arriving in the SVD AUS Province where he was chaplain to Adelaide’s German community for many years.

There are some really beautiful, powerful words and images offered us in this morning’s readings: how God sees the vast, immense universe around us, and all that exists in it.

It is a world away from Fr Niran Veigas’ previous missionary assignment in Russia to his new assignment in the Tiwi Islands, but the Indian-born priest is embracing the new challenge and looking forward to getting to know the people and helping to make a difference in their lives.

Fr Niran was born and raised in a Catholic family in the city of Mangalore, in southwest India and says he began discerning the possibility of being a priest as a young boy.

Last month, I received a letter from Superior General, Father Budi Kleden SVD, reappointing me as AUS Provincial for another term from January 1, 2023 to – December  31, 2025.

I was lost for words and humbled to be reappointed again knowing that I don’t really deserve such a position with responsibilities that never end! My request to you is please pray for me as I pray for you.

The parable about the pharisee and the tax collector, like all of Jesus’ stories, makes his listeners stop and think…  Here Jesus talks about two men, both of whom are honest. But there is a problem with one of them.

As the Church celebrates World Mission Sunday this week, Divine Word Missionaries in the Australia Province have reflected on the importance of their commitment to learn the language of the people with whom they are ministering.

The very first thing that Divine Word Missionaries do when they are assigned to a country is to learn the language, because it is in being able to communicate with the people that they learn more about them and their culture and really get to know and to love them in Christ.