A few years ago I talked to my cousin from the United States over the phone and we chatted for quite a while, and, while I know that she knows me, somehow in her voice she seemed a little bit bewildered.
With my time as Provincial drawing to a close at the end of this year, and still plenty of things to cross off the ‘to-do’ list, there hasn’t been much time for reflection on these past six years.
But as I write this column, it is a chance to take a few moments and consider what God has done in our Province and to give thanks for blessings received.
After the resurrection of Jesus the disciples hid themselves behind locked doors for fear of the authorities. Now one can lock oneself in a room because one believes that the world is unfriendly and hostile, and so prevent the world from entering the room, but then one also can’t get out. Since the crucifixion the disciples had bunched together behind locked doors in fear and anxiety. It must have been like hell.
However there is a way out of this terrible fear. Into this room of trapped people comes Jesus with his gift of peace and he says, “Peace be with you”.
Among the different doctrines of our faith, nothing is more mysterious than the dogma of the Trinity.
Let me start with a story that I read from an article by a good friend of mine, Fr Atilano Corcuera, SVD.
At the scene of the Ascension, St Luke, the author of The Acts of the Apostles, makes mention of two men dressed in white who say to the Twelve:
During the last supper discourse, Jesus gives his Peace to his disciples. He tells them, Peace I leave with you, my own peace I give you.
The Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters have elected and installed a new Provincial and leadership team for their Australia Province.
Sr Shalini Philomina Mathew SSpS (Sr Philo), who had most recently been pastoral associate at St Mark’s Parish, Inala, has taken on the leadership role, following the completion of Sr Sarita Kurikattil’s term as Provincial.
Some days all of us surely wonder if what we’re doing in our day-to-day life is really making a difference for the Kingdom of God. We have frustrations and difficulties and we wonder if we’re on the right track.
But this month, as I reflected on the foundations of the Society of the Divine Word, I was reminded yet again, that we don’t have to see the end goal of what we’re doing. It is enough to pray, to do our best, and to do our bit.
“What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”
That’s the question we are being urged to consider as the Church in Australia embarks on the journey toward Plenary Council 2020. A tall order perhaps, but the key might be found in the Plenary Council logo: ‘Listen to what the Spirit is saying’.
