Knowing who Jesus is and what following him means is something that each one of us as Christians needs to grow more deeply in every single day. It is a lifetime journey.

There is a distinct message of hope and a call to mutual help in the readings offered to us this Sunday.

The Divine Word Missionaries this month celebrated 125 years in Papua New Guinea with a range of celebrations, giving thanks to God for all the blessings bestowed on the mission, the people, and the missionaries themselves.

SVD Superior-General, Fr Paul Budi Kleden, was special guest at the celebrations, having made it all the way from Rome, despite the COVID-related difficulties in international travel.

Jesus today sends forth his disciples to preach repentance and bring healing to peoples’ lives. The mandate is clear; no possessions, depend on the generosity of the people, but preach repentance and bring healing.

To borrow again a story from my friend, Fr Bel San Luis, there was a very devout man who is in his house when there was a huge deluge in town.

There was this story of a boy who was playing on a cruise liner with his alphabet blocks. Then in a few minutes, the ship encountered a storm.

A new book, co-edited by Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD, is set to shine a light on some of the creative pastoral responses implemented around the world in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Pastoral Creativity Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Experiences’ chronicles the pastoral responses that pastoral agents, ordained and lay, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic from first-person narratives woven together to form a tapestry of rich and moving personal stories.

Children from low-income families in SVD parishes in Beungkan Province, Thailand are preparing for the new school year with fresh educational supplies thanks to an initiative from their Parish Priest, Fr Truong Le SVD.

Fr Truong cares for the parishes of Immaculate Conception Church and Jesus of Nazareth Church in Beungkan Province, near the Mekong River, bordering Laos. It is the newest province in Thailand and one of the poorest.

One of the exciting events in Track and Field is the 4 X 100 metre relay. There’s a team of four athletes and they’re standing 100 metres apart and the first athlete runs for 100 metres then they pass the baton to the next athlete and the fourth athlete gets the baton and runs straight until the finish line.

During this Easter time, I have become increasingly aware of how caring and tender Christ is towards those who are close to him.