As I write this message, the world is in mourning for the people on board Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down by missile over Ukraine. In the wake of such violence, we pray for the gentle repose of their souls, that they may rest in peace, with God, their loving creator.

I learnt of this terrible incident after attending a meeting of newly appointed SVD Provincials in Rome, within days of climbing aboard a plane myself to return home to Sydney. The randomness of a routine flight ending in that way is hard to comprehend. For the families of those who died, it must be almost impossible to process that their loved ones are not coming home.

And yet, on this occasion, as Bishop Peter Comensoli said in his homily at a special Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday, “the downing of MH17 was not an innocent accident. It was the outcome of a trail of human evil”, carried out in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

What can we do in the face of such an event? Well, certainly we can individually and communally pray for, and be with, and comfort those who are grieving. And on a wider scale, we must never give up working for peace and encouraging politicians to do more to end these conflicts.

Tragic incidents such as these remind us of our shared humanity. The loss of the people aboard Flight MH17 was surely felt keenly not only by their families, of course, but by individuals and communities around the world. My own heart hurts whenever I think about it or see the terrible images on TV. I know that reaction is echoed by countless millions of people I’ve never met. Why? Because, our hearts are connected by their divine creation. God weeps over this murderous act and therefore so do we.

May the souls of those who died rest in eternal peace. And may we, who are one human family, take this moment to redouble individual and international efforts to work for true peace. Amen.

Yours in the Word,

Fr  Henry Adler SVD

Provincial