There’s a saying: “A good start is a job half done.” On this first day of Jesus’ public ministry this is not just a good start but also a rousing start.

One day, I was reading my Facebook page as I always do at certain times of the day and I saw this beautiful quote, “God doesn’t say NO to our prayers. God has three answers, either he says, YES, AT A LATER TIME, or I HAVE A BETTER IDEA.

Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, one of the most basic tenets of our Christian belief and underlying principle of our faith.

For those who watch the Olympics, one of the so-called “blue ribbon” or glamour events is the 100-metre dash. It is a race where most of the time it will be over in about 10 seconds.

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.

The Arnoldus Family has this month celebrated the 125^th anniversary of the founding of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration (SSpSAP).

The Sisters were founded by St Arnold Janssen, who also founded the Society of the Divine Word and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (SSpS) in Steyl, Holland in the late 1800s.

As this edition of In the Word lands in your inbox, I am preparing to represent the Divine Word Missionaries and the communities we serve at the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, which begins on Sunday. Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, parish priest in Alice Springs, will also be attending as part of the Darwin Diocese’s delegation, due to his role as Episcopal Vicar for the Diocese’s Central Region.

Of course, none of the members of the Plenary Council have ever taken part in something like this before, as the last Australian Plenary Council was held in 1937, so there is both excitement and some trepidation at what is to come.

"May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all." This statement speaks about St Arnold Janssen’s vocation and it could be a mantra prayer for Arnold throughout his religious life, writes Fr Phuong Vu SVD. 

I believe this statement prayer has been embedded in all the SVD confreres’ hearts. It is comfortable to all of us, it also motivates our mission ministries, and it nurtures our spiritual life. 

The month of May reminds us of our devotion to Mary our Mother. I remember going on a number of pilgrimages to well-known shrines dedicated to Mother Mary. Another thought that comes to mind when I think of the Rosary, is St. John Paul II, who had a tremendous devotion to Mother Mary. He always encouraged the faithful to cling to our Mother Mary by praying the Rosary.

I was privileged to view a video shown on EWTN News Nightly channel in May 2019 on Pope John Paul II demonstrating his love and care towards children and youth. When children were asked why they liked Pope John Paul II they replied, “He is like us, especially because he is like CHRIST”.

The SVD senior confreres have written or shared a compilation of 'Prayers during this time of Pandemic'.

It is part of the Divine Word Missionaries commitment to reaching out to others, especially during this time when many have been feeling isolated and anxious.