At first reading of this Sunday’s Gospel, we might be seriously wondering what Jesus is talking about. We all thought that Jesus came to this world as a “Prince of Peace”.

The SVD Australia Province celebrated joyfully recently when Shouzheng Peter Wang SVD professed his perpetual vows as a Divine Word Missionary and was ordained to the diaconate.

Peter’s ordination as a deacon was the latest step in a vocational journey which began back in his home country of China and brought him to Australia.

Today, all the three readings are well linked and invite us to trust in God, who in fact cares for us day and night. And the Gospel text for this 19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time speaks of the importance of living without fear and always trusting in God.

I am a former Brother who dedicated 18 years to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). I spent six months as a brother candidate and worked at Arnold Printing in Ende, followed by another six months as a postulant. I then entered the SVD Novitiate in Ende, Flores, for two years and underwent an additional year of formation as a junior Brother, writes Joseph Pegu.

Afterwards, I worked for five years at PT Ani Pty Ltd, Arnold Printing in Ende, and in the secretariat of the SVD Ende province. After completing a six-month program for my perpetual vows, I took those vows on September 8, 1992, and received my first mission placement in the SVD Province of Australia.

A contractor needed one more man to chop down trees for export. One day, two men appeared willing to do the job but only one could be employed so what the contractor did was to put the two men to a test, they were to chop down as many trees as they could in an eight-hour shift and the man who chopped down more trees got the job.

To borrow a story from a good friend of mine, Fr Bel San Luis, SVD, there was a man who wanted to have a lot of money so badly that he promised the devil to do his work in exchange for a copy of the newspaper a day ahead before it was published so that he could get the winning Lotto number in advance.

This Sunday’s Gospel is surely at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. It begins with Jesus instructing his followers how to pray. He says those words that Christians cherish, the Our Father, and then he talks about asking for things and receiving what we need.

Saints Peter and Paul Church in Lower Hutt, New Zealand has celebrated its 175^th anniversary, with a series of joyous jubilee events.

Parish Priest, Fr Raja Kommareddy SVD, said the celebrations, which took place over the whole weekend of June 28 and 29, marking the parish’s patronal feast, were a wonderful testimony to the community’s vibrant faith and multicultural richness.

A recent workshop for members of Religious Institutes highlighted the importance of good governance and administration within the Church, saying it must be aligned with mission and carried out with collaboration and transparency.

Several Divine Word Missionaries took part in the ‘Introduction to Ecclesial Governance and Administration’ workshop, which was an initiative of Catholic Religious Australia.

The Divine Word Missionaries’ annual retreats are now underway, with Augustinian priest, Fr Joseph Lam, leading the SVD Marsfield community in reflections on the theme, ‘Missionaries of Hope’.

Each district of the SVD AUS Province will have a week’s retreat, given by local presenters, providing spiritual nourishment and renewal for confreres.