Missionary Society of St Paul - Australia

04/09/2026

“Where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”

6th September 2026 (Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year A)

Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20.

The gospel today is a reflection on our relationship as a Church community.
In the first section of today’s reading, we are informed about a process of reconciliation practised by the early Church community at the time this gospel was being written. If anyone were to notice that a member of the community has done something wrong, then one has the duty to take that person aside and ask about the mistake that has been noticed. This instruction is based on the fact that where two or three members of the community are gathered in Jesus’ name, then Jesus himself is present in their midst. Even when only the alleged offender and the one who has noticed the offense are gathered, since they both participate in the Church and love each other as members of the same community, then Jesus is also present with them. The person who has allegedly committed the offense does not need to be upset when she or he is taken aside, because it is Jesus himself who is inviting this member to examine her or his actions. The one who has noticed the offense, acting in love, is an angel, a messenger of love, inviting the alleged offender back into full communion with the Church. The presence of this love and the presence of Jesus in this private meeting helps them to listen respectfully to one another and to avoid judging one another. In the love of Christ we are all responsible for one another and we are called to seek what is good for one another.
If this first private encounter does not achieve the desired result and the alleged offender persists in the mistake, another angel or two are called in to witness. Including another one or two other members into this discussion helps the situation. Perhaps it is the one who observed the mistake that needs to be corrected and not the alleged offender. Moreover, if two or three members challenge the alleged offender in love and in Christ, then there is perhaps more chance that this member understands the mistake and repents.
If this second attempt too is unsuccessful, the issue is presented to the community that gathers around the table of the Lord. Together, as they celebrate the Eucharist, they become the Body of Christ and therefore more visibly incorporate Jesus himself. The community is not a court room, its role is not to condemn or to humiliate the alleged offender, but so that, faced with so much love, the member may find the courage to repent and return to the community.
Finally, if all else fails, and the member persists, now that the whole community is aware of this mistake, she or he is declared excluded from the community. This action is taken so that the member may understand the seriousness of the action committed. The member is not excluded from the community as a punishment but is a consequence of one’s actions. If the offense is of a serious nature and the member persists in the mistake, then the member has already removed herself or himself from the love and communion of the community.
The community is then invited to regard this member as a pagan, a sinner or a tax-collector. This is not a condemnation, but an act of love. By placing the member in the special category of pagans, sinners and tax-collectors, the community understands that this person requires more loving care and attention. In the gospel we observe Jesus who does not turn his back on pagans, sinners and tax-collectors, but reaches out to them and offers them healing, inviting them back into full communion. Jesus went out of his way to welcome sinners and tax-collectors, inviting them to repent from their sins.
As Church and Body of Christ, since Jesus himself is present in the community, the community has the authority to bind and to loosen; it has the authority to heal and to welcome back members who have gone astray. It is love that reaches out to all members inviting them to participate more fully in the life of the community.
The gospel does not tell us to be on the lookout to observe when any of our sisters or brothers does something wrong. We need to be humble enough to realise that we are all equally sinners and that we all fail in loving one another and in being messengers and images of Christ to one another. When we notice that anyone has done something wrong, the first thing we need to do is to examine our intentions with love and place him in God’s love. It is love, it is Christ, who is the source of the unity of the Church. In him alone we are all one.

Mario mssp

-------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

04/09/2026

In this Sunday's gospel reading we recognise that we are angels, messengers for each other. We help each other grow in the Love of Christ. Jesus also tells us that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is there in our midst.
This was an important teaching for the Servant of God Joseph De Piro. Out of his great love for his sisters and brothers he also wanted to reach out to those peoples who have not yet heard about the gospel. For this reason he also created the Missionary Society of St Paul so that this mission of evangelisation is carried out in community.
To read a gospel reflection based on the Life and Writings of the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, kindly click on the link below. Alternatively, you can copy this link and paste it in your internet explorer. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/08/31/sunday-reflection-23rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-3/

---------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

01/09/2026

28/08/2026

Even if Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah, he still did not understand what this meant and when Jesus mentioned the cross, Peter thought he could make Jesus change his mind. It often happens that we want to create God in our own image, rather than follow him.
The Servant of God Joseph De Piro understood that it was God who called and who, through his Spirit, led everyone. He accepted that 'unless it was the Lord building the house, his work would have been totally useless.'
Who is the God we believe in? Do we work for the Kingdom to be here on earth as it is in Heaven, or do we rather want our own kingdom here?
To read a gospel reflection based on the Life and Writings of the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, kindly follow this link. Alternatively, you could copy and paste this link into your internet browser. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/08/24/sunday-reflection-22nd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-3/

---------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

28/08/2026

“Get behind me! The way you think is not God’s way.”

30th August 2026 (Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year A)

Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 62(63):2-6,8-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27.

Last Sunday Simon Peter impressed us because at Jesus’ question: “Who do you say I am?” he answered correctly: “You are the Christ – the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!” We thought that he, at least, got the idea of who Jesus is. Moreover, Jesus told Peter that he was blessed because it was God the Father who had revealed this truth about himself. One can only imagine how Peter felt at that moment!
A few moments later, when Jesus was talking to his disciples about his coming passion, death and resurrection, Jesus tells Peter the rock that he is now a stumbling block! Why?
Today’s gospel reading and our reflection are very important for our personal life of prayer. Who do we really believe Jesus is?
Peter confessed that he believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, but what exactly did he understand with that statement? Who was the Messiah in Peter’s mind? In the Old Testament tradition, we have several images that the People of God hoped the coming Messiah would fulfil. Some expected the Messiah to be a second Moses, leading the people out of Egypt into a promised land. Others wanted the Messiah to be a second David, or a Judas Maccabeus, liberating the land from the rule of the Romans and re-establishing the kingdom of Israel. Others, still, thought the Messiah would be a great prophet form the past, John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremiah.
The gospel informs us that at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry he was tested to choose one of these models. If Jesus made stones edible, he would have resolved all the hunger of the world for all ages. If he chose to worship various idols of this world, power, authority, money, drugs, and presented himself in a way acceptable to all peoples, the whole world would have immediately followed him, like it follows its worldly idols. Jesus was also tempted to ‘jump off from a very high place’ so that the Father would send him all the angels to protect him, as was promised in the Psalms. Had this taken place, Jesus would have been shown to be the true Son of God and the whole world would have believed in him.
Jesus chose instead the way of humility, service and love. He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, washed the feet of the disciples, ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, touched lepers, and made God’s great love visible to all people. When Jesus challenged the elders, the temple priests and the scribes because they hijacked the Old Testament teachings and misrepresented the God of Love, Jesus knew that he would have to suffer passion and death. Anyone who challenges the established order of things is quickly set aside and destroyed.
From the gospel we know that the disciples did not understand who Jesus really was. Later, in the gospel, we will hear the two sons of Zebedee ask to be assigned the top two positions in Jesus’ (earthly) kingdom that they thought he was about to establish. The image of a suffering messiah did not fit in with their expectations. How could it be possible that the Messiah, The King of the Jews, should suffer and die? Peter, who now thought he had been granted authority in the group, pulls Jesus aside and reprimands him severely, informing him that there was no way this was the Father’s will for him!
Jesus quickly puts Peter back in his place, ordering him to get behind him and to follow him. The role of the disciple is to follow not to lead. It is not Peter’s role to instruct Jesus about the Father’s will, but to follow and listen to Jesus’ teaching. Indeed, if Peter wanted to be a disciple of Jesus, he too had to take up the cross and follow Jesus. It is not easy to follow Jesus!
In our own life as Christians we too fall into the same trap as Peter and the disciples. When we pray, we often pray to a magician and a transactional god. We often present ourselves to God in prayer with a shopping list of wishes in our hand. We tell God what we want and what we need and are extremely angry and upset when God does not grant us our wishes within the time frame we have set out for him. We often forget that the perfect prayer is “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”
We also turn our prayer into a bargaining experience, a transactional encounter. We tell God that if he gives us what we need, want or are asking for, we will pay him back by offering some type of sacrifice. This type of prayer is very similar to that offered at the Old Testament temple where people felt obliged to offer sacrifices of animals to appease God to be granted what they needed. We forget that God, the master of the universe, has no need of anything that he has given us. Nothing that we can offer back to God is ours but has been given to us by God himself! We obey and love God not so that God may reward us, but because he is Love and has loved us first!
What is my image of God? How does my prayer life reflect my relationship with God? Am I ready to put all my trust in God even when it requires me to pick up my cross and follow him, perhaps even to death?

Mario mssp

--------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

21/08/2026

In today's gospel Jesus asks his disciples who they think he was. Peter answers that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This was a great declaration of faith in Christ. This faith eventually led Peter to die for his faith.
The Servant of God Joseph De Piro was not asked to die for his faith in the same way as St Paul and St Peter did, yet he too expressed his deep faith in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of the Living God by giving up many things in life and living a life of poverty with those who were less fortunate.
Does our own faith lead us to give up our life for God?
To read a gospel reflection based on the Life and Writings of the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, kindly follow the link below. Alternatively, you may copy this link and paste it in your internet browser. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/08/17/sunday-reflection-21st-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-3/

------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

21/08/2026

“Who do you say I am?”

23rd August 2026 (Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year A)

Isaiah 22:19-23; Psalm 137(138):1-3,6,8; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20.

After having participated in two stories about faith, Peter walking on water and the Canaanite woman, we are now asked to confess our own faith in Christ. Jesus asks his disciples two simple questions: first, who do people say I am, and second, who do YOU say I am. It seems like Jesus wanted to gauge how successful his ministry has been with the crowds who gathered around him and with the disciples who followed him on a more regular basis.
In our contemporary world, there are also different levels at which people engage with Jesus and his message. At some level, all people of the world have heard about Jesus and have made up their mind about who he is. Some people have chosen to distance themselves from Jesus’ message while others recognise its beauty but do not commit themselves to living the values he preaches. At this level it is interesting to note that all people of good will, all people who love and reach out to their sisters and brothers in need, are somehow living the life of God and sharing in his love, even if they do not profess to be Christian.
Other people can be called culturally Christian. They were brought up in Christian families and with Christian values, attended Catholic schools, perhaps even baptised as Christian, but they are not committed to participate in the life of the community. If these people were asked ‘who do you say Jesus is’ they might answer ‘John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets of the Old Testament.’ These people have some opinion of who Jesus is, but they often have the wrong idea of who he is. Once again, these people are people of good will, they love and reach out to their sisters and brothers in need, they do live the values of the gospel, but they look at Jesus from a distance, they do not have an intimate relationship with him.
Finally, there is those who choose to commit themselves to living the Good News, those who are open to listen to the Word of God and try to live as true children of God. They do not only ‘tick the box’ to indicate their Christian identity but also try hard to make space for living a committed life wherever possible. These, like the Apostles, are ready to proclaim: ‘you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’
Perhaps one might note that at times we might find ourselves floating around from one group or category to another. At times we feel very enthusiastic about living our faith, and at other times we feel distant and isolated. The question in today’s gospel reading is for us to choose which group we really want to belong to. Who do I say Jesus is? The question is not whether I am living a good life or not, but rather, whether I choose to be a disciple or not. There are people who live good and holy lives, but who have not chosen to follow Jesus more closely. Others who have started the journey and are even baptised Christians but have perhaps grown tired and stopped by the wayside. Then there are those who choose to continue the journey, participating in the Kingdom of God and belonging to a community where they regularly eat and drink from the bread of life, the Word of God.
Faith and discipleship are a lifelong journey. We cannot stop moving forward, otherwise our faith will die. As faithful disciples we need to continue growing in our relationship with Jesus and nurturing in our faith in him.

Mario mssp

---------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

14/08/2026

“Son of David, take pity on me.”

16th August 2026 (Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year A)

Isaiah 56:1,6-7; Psalm 66(67):2-3,5-6,8; Romans 11:13-15,29-32; Matthew 15:21-28.

Before we start reflecting on today’s gospel reading, we need to admit that this narrative sounds very strange to our twenty-first century sensitivities. Our contemporary western culture is very sensitive to political correctness and discrimination. I am not criticising our culture, but this statement is important for us to place ourselves into the cultural milieu of the gospel.
The gospel according to Matthew was written by a Rabbi who has converted into Christianity for a community of Jewish Christians. In the contemporary milieu of the first century after Christ’s birth, it was common for the Jewish community to separate themselves from the non-Jewish, gentile unbelievers. While the Jewish community was the chosen people, the gentiles were often referred to as dogs. Jesus, his disciples and the Canaanite woman were aware of this and did not seem to be offended by this. In order not to be offended by today’s gospel narrative, we too need to accept this reality.
Matthew places today’s narrative in the gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon, and informs us that the woman was a Canaanite, therefore a non-believer. It is very interesting to note that this Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and addresses him as ‘Son of David,’ a Messianic title used by the Jews, calls him ‘Lord,’ and kneels before him. This woman might not belong to the Jewish religion but clearly believes that Jesus can perform the miracle she is asking for her daughter.
Last Sunday we were invited to reflect on the lack of faith of Peter, the leader of the Apostles and the first pope, who starts to sink because he cannot afford to fix his gaze squarely on Jesus. Today we are invited to contrast this story with that of a gentile woman who has enough faith to approach Jesus despite him seemingly ignoring her. Jesus called Peter, a ‘man of little faith,’ today he tells the woman ‘you have great faith!’ Perhaps it might be worth asking ourselves where we fit into this picture. Are we like Peter, people of little faith, or are we like the Canaanite woman, having great faith?
In his gospel Matthew often pushes his Jewish Christian listeners to look beyond their community and consider sharing the bread of the Good News with non-Jews. Some among his community thought that one had to be a Jew to become a Christian. This was one of the first great debates in the early Church and is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Paul was the great defender of reaching out to the gentiles while Peter and James sided with the Jewish community.
With today’s narrative Matthew teaches his community that although Jesus’ first mission was among the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel,’ there was still space for those who did not belong to the Jewish religion. The Jews were the people of the first covenant, and therefore they were the first to be fed by the Word of God. In the Old Testament God had communicated with his chosen people through the prophets and various other messengers, but the role of the Jews was to share their knowledge of God with all peoples. Those who were not Jews still had the right to eat of the scraps that fell from the master’s table. Indeed, as history has shown us, from the very beginning, Christianity has grown and taken root among the non-Jews.
The story of the Canaanite woman has great relevance to us in our Church today. Like the Jewish Christians of the first century, we are often tempted to think that we are the children of the second covenant and that no one else has the right to share with us in the benefits brought to us through the life death and resurrection of Jesus. We often think that only Christians (or, in some cases, Catholics) will enjoy the fullness of the Kingdom of God in Heaven while all other non-Christians will be left out because they have not accepted the Good News. Today’s gospel narrative teaches us that while this Canaanite woman was not a Jew, she still believed and had faith in God and asked for her daughter to by healed through the power of God.
Through our faith in Jesus, the Word of God, we have received the fullness of God’s message, but this does not deny those of other faiths from also sharing in the scraps that fall from our heavenly banquet. We can never limit God’s power. Because God has revealed to us the fullness of his glory, through his Son Jesus, does not stop God from also revealing himself to peoples of other faiths and to those who declare that they have no faith. God reveals himself to us through nature, through the Old Testament prophets and through Christ so that all may come to know him and share in his love.

Mario mssp

-------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣

14/08/2026

Woman you have great faith, Jesus tells the Canaanite woman who approaches him begging him to intercede for her daughter. Her faith was so great that she did not mind seemingly being rejected by him.
The Servant of God Joseph De Piro was a person of great faith. Only a person of great faith could achieve so much in his short life. De Piro believed that unless it was the Lord who built the house, the laborers would labor in vain. Like him we too need to have great faith.
This Saturday we also celebrate the feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, the Principal Patron of our Missionary Society.
If you would like to read a gospel reflection based on the Life and Writings of the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, please follow the link below. Alternatively, you may copy this link and paste it in your internet explorer. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/08/10/sunday-reflection-20th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-3/

--------
❓Are you a young male adult?
🔍 Is your heart burning with zeal to dedicate your life to God?
✝️ Are you searching for a religious community where you can live God’s will through missionary service?
🙋‍♂️ Get in touch with the Vocation Director Fr Bernard Falzon mssp on:
📞 +63 960 253 6977
💬 Whatsapp +63 960 253 6977
📧 email: [email protected]
👨‍💻 web page: https://web.depiromssp.org/
👍 Through this page
🏘 We invite you to become part of our community.
📖 Join us in proclaiming the Good News in the footsteps of St. Paul.
#️⃣