As we gather on this 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Word of God reminds us of the enduring invitation to find rest in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.

There was a company, which was working in the forest and looking for a woodchopper. One day, two woodchoppers applied for the job. The manager said that they would only accept one. So he invited both of them to a test.

Today's short gospel passage from Matthew gives us something really precious -- a beautiful insight into the joyful heart of Jesus.

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.

There is much talk in the Catholic Press these days about the up-coming Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia in 2020.  We are being reminded that it is an occasion for us to be renewed in our faith and to deepen our commitment to living out that faith.

Members of the SVD AUS Province and Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters joined together in July for their annual retreat, based on the theme of ‘A holiday with the Lord’.

The retreat was led by Fr Gregory Pinto SVD, who travelled from Rome, where he is currently serving his second term as a member of the General Council of the Divine Word Missionaries.