As you receive this edition of In the Word, we have just entered into the season of Lent, a time which calls us especially to look at how we can become closer to God and to our neighbour.

This is an important time of reflection and action for all Christians – a time of taking spiritual stock – and for us, as Divine Word Missionaries, it is a time to dig deep and consider afresh how we are meeting the needs of those we are called to accompany and serve.

On Christmas Day we celebrated the remarkable mystery of God becoming one of us.  God wanted to show the great love that God has for us, and so putting aside the glory of divine transcendence God became one of us as a poor, defenceless child. 

There’s no doubt that people have many kinds of questions about heaven or resurrection and what it will be like. The Gospel this Sunday confronts us with the theme of resurrection and life after death.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the word of God accompanies us in the ascent of Jesus to Jerusalem, where the Lord will celebrate his “exodus,” that is, the Paschal Mystery of his death and resurrection.

The teaching of Jesus in today’s Gospel begins with a story that is reported to him by some people about a group of Galileans massacred by Pilate while offering a sacrifice in the Temple.

As I thought about this saying I tried to think about some Christian that I may have met in my 59 years of priestly ministry who was a slave of money. I could not think of a single person.

Divine Word Missionaries confreres around the AUS Province have been taking time out for spiritual renewal this month, with a series of retreats being held around Australia and Thailand.

The retreats took place in Sydney, Melbourne and Alice Springs during July and another will be held in Bangkok for members of the Thai District in early August.

Leadership for mission is based on inclusivity, dialogue and encounter and it must be deeply anchored in a trusting relationship with God and a desire to share the joy of the Gospel, a visiting US religious sister told the recent Mission: One heart many voices conference in Sydney.

Dr Carol Zinn ssj, a Sister of St Joseph from Philadelphia and Executive Director of the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious, was a keynote speaker at the conference co-hosted by Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia.

One Saturday afternoon, after an AA Meeting, one woman came up to me and said: “Larry, I don’t have a Higher Power I can relate to.  Can you recommend something I might read that could help me?”

Diversity is an undeniable fact about humanity. Diversity exists in gender, age, culture, religion, social and economic class, and a host of other things that make one person’s life different from that of another. Looking at how there are so many differences that exist among individuals and cultures in the world, one might conclude that there cannot be any unifying factor that connects everyone.

Although it might seem that way, in fact, all people no matter what age or ethnicity do share at least this thing in common—everyone is endowed with a conscience.