For each of us, this has been a unique experience of Lent and Holy Week, reflects Fr Asaeli Rass SVD.
When I arrived in Myanmar few days ago, much of the suburbs of Yangon were still in darkness and reports of ongoing armed conflict in northern Shan, Rakhine and Kachin are adding uncertainty about the future of this beautiful country. I too am conscious of what’s happening in Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and science has not completely eradicated COVID-19. It is shocking to think how much the world has changed in such a brief time. Now we enter all of this, into the epic stories of the Paschal Triduum.
An international gathering of SVD Lay Partners in Italy was an “inspirational and transformative” event for Helen Festejo, who represented the Australia Province.
“It was very enriching,” Helen said of the meeting which took place in Centro Ad Gentes, Nemi, outside of Rome, from mid-February to early March.
Well, here we are, about to enter into the Paschal Triduum, those most sacred three days in which we immerse ourselves in the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
When I think of Easter, I think of hope. Hope that through the resurrection, the brokenness and the woundedness we see in our lives and in our world will not have the final word.
Most of us when we were children may have tried to figure out what would happen if we put a seed in a glass of water. At first, it seems nothing is happening, then maybe after a few days, the outer shell of the seed begins to crack, then slowly a little green sprout springs out of the seed until a little bud form and a green leaf slowly unravels.
Today’s Gospel passage is a part of the dialogue of Jesus with Nicodemus, a Jewish Pharisee and religious leader, who had come to Jesus expressing a sincere belief from his very heart.
There is some reassuring and challenging teaching presented to us in the readings of today’s liturgy!
The Divine Word Missionaries in the Indian state of Odisha are running a range of projects to support people living in the marginalised slum communities and to give them the education, skills, motivation, leadership animation, and financial assistance to help lift them out of poverty, reports Society Matters mission magazine.
Fr Rasal Xess SVD, the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Coordinator for the SVD India East Province (INE) said the urban poverty is characterised by exclusion, including inadequate and insecure housing and basic services, limited access to services like health, nutrition and water sanitation.
In his Lenten Message for 2024, Pope Francis recalls that Lent "is a season of conversion, a time of freedom" because "God does not want subjects, but sons and daughters" and, citing the Book of Exodus, he emphasises that the Word of God addresses each one of us personally today: "I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery".
Along these lines, the Holy Father emphasises that "it is time to act, and in Lent to act also means to pause, to pause in prayer, in order to receive the word of God, to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister" because "love of God and love of neighbour are one love".
Fr Manh Le SVD has been a missionary with the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon and now Australia’s Indigenous peoples, on Palm Island, and his ongoing search into Indigenous spirituality recently led him to participate in an ecumenical conference exploring the role of the churches in Indigenous history since European settlement.
He said the Tribal Voice for Justice: An Indigenous Theological Revolution conference in Melbourne was an opportunity to delve deeper into his understanding of indigenous spirituality, and the need for ongoing personal and communal conversion in indigenous matters.
The Presentation Parish in Thailand celebrated its feast day recently with a special Mass and shared meal attended by the local bishop, parishioners and villagers, including people from other faiths.
The parish is situated on the banks of the Mekong River between the Thai-Laos borders and the villagers came together to decorate the church beautifully for the celebration and prepare special food to share together afterwards.
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