God created everything by his words. He created in an orderly fashion. For six days, the things he created were all good. He was satisfied and fulfilled with what he had done. Then, he created human beings not by word but from his own creation, the earth (dust). He formed the human beings accordingly, with his tender loving care and breathed his breath on his new creation, reflects Fr Jun Perez SVD.

Everything the human beings needed was in their midst. They lived in perfect harmony with other creatures because they were a part of nature, co-existing with all. God gave them the responsibility to be the care taker of his creation.

Last year I had finished a school Mass and after these Masses I always stand at the Church entrance and say goodbye to the pupils as they leave the Church, reflects Fr Clement Baffoe SVD. On this particular day, a prep student who was with his mother asked me an important question. The little boy looked at my face when leaving the Church and asked: “Are you Jesus?” I hastily replied: No! But Jesus is my friend. Both the mother and I had a laugh and they left.

The boy's question left me with many questions than answers. What has the little boy heard about Jesus? What did he see in me to then ask if I was Jesus? Is the boy searching for Jesus? And perhaps for the boy, who is this Jesus he’s been told about?

As my 20^th anniversary to priesthood is approaching this year, I am tempted to look back and see for myself what I have achieved, or not achieved, and what are my hopes and dreams for my future, writes Fr John Quang SVD.

During those 20 years, I have been through a number of ministries: parish, formation, social communications, with migrant workers, provincial counsellor. Through my various ministries, I’ve found that I spend lot of time worrying about formulating vision/mission statements. These are important as far as they help us to have a purpose and show us how to gear ourselves towards that achievement. They are a means, not an end in themselves. No one dies for a statement. But people are willing to live and die for their conviction.

In my ministry, I have had a few families talk to me about their challenges, mostly with their children. Most often some parents come to me distraught and needing answers. Do I pretend to have the answers to their questions and challenges? No! However, being a priest I often try to let them understand their problems with their children from the biblical perspective, writes Fr Clement Baffoe SVD.

In this reflection, I would like to use two biblical illustrations that perhaps might help you as well think of your own family problems broadly? Do I intend to answer your questions? No! However, if at the end of this reflection you find some meaning or comfort, we will together raise our hands and say: thanks be to God.

Today I was reading the Gospel story from Luke (18:35) on the blind man who called out to Jesus and then to our amazement, Jesus asks him “what do you want me to do for you?” and the man answers, “Lord, please let me see?”. If you spend some time with this ‘parable’, and I really mean it is a parable and not simply a nice little story, you can see that it can push you to different levels of understanding, writes Fr Nick de Groot SVD.

Another way of talking about “spending some time with the parable” is contemplation. In the quiet and silence of your heart, the Word of God will bring you to a different place, to a wider and bigger understanding, a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of many things – self, others, God, and everything.

Recently I was reading the book “Seeking Spirituality” by Ronald Rolheiser, reflects Fr James Aricheera SVD. I found this book to be a good guide for those who are seeking spirituality. According to him, three main things hinder one from interiority and spiritual experiences. They are “Narcissism, pragmatism and unbridled restlessness”.

To get a general understanding of them he writes, “Defined simply, narcissism means excessive self-preoccupation; pragmatism means excessive focus on work, achievement, and the practical concerns for life; and restlessness means an excessive greed for experience, an over-eating, not in terms of food but in terms trying to drink in too much of life”. When I reflected further on this, I realised that many of us have those things in us, but we are not aware of it.

As we move toward the Australia Province Chapter in 2021, we reflect more deeply on our mission and spirituality. 

The Australia Province is set in many regions and its ministries have many characteristics, but there is one spirit of mission and at its heart is the Trinity.

God or Jesus doesn’t choose us because we are more gifted or holy than others. God chooses us because we are the ones available at a particular time and place, writes Fr Michael Knight SVD.

Sometimes when we look at ourselves or our confreres we wonder: “Couldn’t God or Jesus have done better than this?”

The call to be born again during Lent is all about our willingness and openness to recognise the goodness, the giftedness, the God and Jesus presence in the minds and hearts of our neighbour, writes Fr Michael Knight SVD.

During Lent then we are all called to die to our old selves so that a new self and a new community can be born.

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.