MSSP Philippines

30/05/2026

The LINK - Newsletter of the MSSP Australia Region (Issue 16 - May 2026)

29/05/2026

This Sunday we celebrate the great mystery of God who is one Holy Trinity of persons. As we meditate this great mystery we understand that God is a God of relationships, love, forgiveness and mercy. Since we are called to grow into an image and likeness of God, we too are called to a life of relationships with our sisters and brothers, love, forgiveness and mercy.
The Servant of God Joseph De Piro lived a life of relationships and love. From a young age he wanted to live and work at St Joseph's Home in Santa Venera, so that he could live in community with the other priests working there. Moreover, he always lived either in one of the orphanages under his care, or with the members of his young Missionary Society.
To read a reflection on this gospel, based on the Life and Writings of the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, kindly follow the link below. Alternatively, you may copy the link and paste it in your internet browser. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/05/25/sunday-reflection-the-solemnity-of-the-most-holy-trinity-year-a-3/

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❓ 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 Vocation Director Br. Rush Tinhay mssp through the following channels:
📱 Whatsapp:
+63 9626121204
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🌐 Or through this page https://www.facebook.com/rush.tinhay

🤝 We invite you to become part of our community.
📣 Join us in proclaiming the Good
News in the footsteps of St. Paul.

#️⃣

29/05/2026

“Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.”

31 May 2026 (Trinity Sunday; Year A)

Exodus 34:4-6,8-9; Daniel 3:52-56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18.

At the end of the Easter Season, the Church now continues its pilgrimage along the gospel according to Matthew during the Sundays in the Ordinary Time of the year – a time when there are no major festivities like Christmas or Easter. The first two Sundays of this liturgical season are taken up by the feasts of the Holy Trinity and the Body and Blood of Christ. The Church invites us to reflect on these two foundational mysteries in our Christian life.
One reason for celebrating this feast of the Trinity is for us to reflect more deeply about what God we worship. In our world there are many different gods and idols. Some gods are offered us by our secular world, like money, work, gadgets, gambling etc, other gods are religious. Different religions call god by different names and have their own different image of god. Even within our Christian religion we have created different images of God, different from the God revealed to us by Jesus Christ. In the book of Genesis we are told that God created us in God’s own image and likeness, and often we return him the favour and create him in our own image and likeness! Often we hear people speak about a God who acts like a tough judge, a policeman God, waiting in the darkness behind street corners ready to pounce on us each time we break the law. Today’s celebration offers us an opportunity to revisit our image of God.
The image of God we worship is very important for us. Since we are created in the image and likeness of God we are invited to grow and develop into the fullness of this image. Jesus himself often encourages us in the gospels to be holy, merciful and forgiving because God our Father is holy, merciful and forgiving. If our image of God is that of a God who punishes and condemns, then we will condemn and punish our sisters and brothers who do not fit into our image of what a human person should live like. Today’s readings present us with different images of God. In the first reading from the book of Exodus, God reveals himself to Moses as ‘a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.’ Paul speaks to us of a God who is a Trinity of persons living in peaceful harmony. In the gospel Jesus speaks about the Father’s great love for us.
In today’s readings we are reminded that God is a relationship of beings. God is described as Father, Son and Spirit. Obviously, these are human categories because God is genderless. We understand that God has always been like a parent, a parent who eternally loves his child in such a perfect way that the love itself is a third person. We often describe God as the Lover, the Beloved and Love itself.
Since God is a relationship of beings that can only love one another, we too are invited to imitate this community of love and, even in our own human weakness, try to love our sisters and brothers. God’s love is eternal and ever giving. In his great love God gave us his own Son so that he could show us the love of the Father. In Jesus, born as one of us, we discover the Father and the Spirit. When we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when we enter into a relationship with Jesus, then we enter into a relationship with the Father himself and with the Spirit of God.
In today’s gospel reading John the evangelist clarifies that God did not send his Son to condemn us. Every human parent struggles to condemn a son or a daughter, regardless of their actions. Every loving parent will find it within herself or himself to reach out to a daughter or a son who is in trouble. If we can understand this of human parents, how much more God, love itself, is always ready to reach out and forgive us our many sins. Indeed, for God, no sin is big enough to destroy the image of Christ within us. God condemns our sinful actions but never condemns us and, each time we are prepared to turn back to him, then God is happy to welcome us back. In the gospel according to Luke we read of the beautiful parable referred to as ‘the Prodigal Son,’ and in the gospel according to John we read of the adulteress woman who is brought to Jesus. In both cases, God is always ready to be loving, merciful and forgiving. We have received the Spirit of God, the Life and Love of God, and when we allow the Spirit to work within us, we too are able to be loving, merciful and forgiving to our sisters and brothers.
As we celebrate this feast of the Holy Trinity, let us be ready to destroy all our false images of God that we have created in our life and let the Spirit lead us to grow into the real image of God that Jesus has come to reveal to us.

Mario mssp

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❓ 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 Vocation Director Br. Rush Tinhay mssp through the following channels:
📱 Whatsapp:
+63 9626121204
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🌐 Or through this page https://www.facebook.com/rush.tinhay

🤝 We invite you to become part of our community.
📣 Join us in proclaiming the Good
News in the footsteps of St. Paul.

#️⃣

22/05/2026

After the celebration of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Jesus promised us that we would share in the life of God through his Spirit. In the gospel Jesus breathes on the disciples and gives them a Spirit of peace - peace be with you - and a spirit of forgiveness - the sins you forgive are forgiven.
In his ministry, the Servant of God Joseph De Piro often had to face people who opposed him or contradicted him. At times he even encountered people who tried to destroy what he was trying hard to build. Through the Holy Spirit which was in him, the Servant of God was able to continue to love everyone, even his 'enemies.' He always forgave and continued in his ministry.
On the example of the Servant of God, we too ought to try hard to continue loving and forgiving even those who do not agree with us.
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, copy this link and paste it into your internet browser. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/05/18/sunday-reflection-pentecost-sunday-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 Vocation Director Br. Rush Tinhay mssp through the following channels:
📱 Whatsapp:
+63 9626121204
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🌐 Or through this page https://www.facebook.com/rush.tinhay

🤝 We invite you to become part of our community.
📣 Join us in proclaiming the Good
News in the footsteps of St. Paul.

#️⃣

22/05/2026

“Receive the Holy Spirit.”

24 May 2026 (Pentecost Sunday of Easter; Year A)

Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 103(104):1,24,29-31,34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23.

After the experience of the ascension of Jesus into heaven the Church experienced what Jesus had promised them: the coming of the Spirit of God, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit. Once again the readings today present us with two slightly different accounts of this experience of the early Church. The gospel of John tells us that on the day of the resurrection, while the apostles and some disciples were gathered in a room, locked away for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus was in the midst, he breathed on them and imparted to them his spirit. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke, using a number of Old Testament images, links this experience to the Jewish feast of Pentecost. As we read these two texts we pick up a number of images and symbols that inform us about the role of the Holy Spirit.
In the gospel according to John, the evangelist speaks of peace and forgiveness. The Spirit of God is a spirit that brings peace. When Jesus shares with us the Holy Spirit he is inviting us into the life of God himself. We can only imagine that in the Holy Trinity there is perfect unity, love and peace and hence one of the fruits of this Spirit is this peace that is from God. Yet peace does not mean lack of conflict. In his text Luke uses the images of a strong wind and fire, two images that can cause great change and conflict. The gospel also speaks of the need for us to forgive one another when we rub against each other.
Luke compares the experience of the Holy Spirit to a strong wind. The wind represents the breath of God, which we also read about in today’s gospel and in the book of Genesis when God breathed his spirit on the humanity he had created. When we observe the wind, we notice that we do not know where the it starts or where it ends, as Jesus points out to Nicodemus in the gospel according to John. Moreover, strong wind sweeps away and destroys. The Church has often invited us to open the windows of our hearts to let the Spirit into our lives to breathe into us a new life. The old stuff needs to be pushed away to let the Holy Spirit create newness within our life.
The image of what looks like tongues of fire works in a similar way. Fire too has a power to create, clean and destroy, all at the same time. While fire destroys old growth, fire clears the understorey in the bush, it releases chemicals that fertilise the soil and creates space for new life to grow. Moreover, fire purifies precious metals, cooks our meals and warms our homes. While fire can be violent, it can also be creative and warm. If we want to be children of the Spirit, as Jesus invites us to be, we cannot expect to be allowed to sit quietly in our small corner and simply watch the world go around us. The Spirit, like wind and fire, will force us to move out of our comfort zone into dangerous and unknown new experiences. If we commit ourselves to live the life of the Spirit, we need to expect to become new people.
Luke places this strange experience on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, a feast that celebrates the giving of the word of God, the Torah, to the Jewish people. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of peace, forgiveness and love, is the new law brought to us by Jesus. The Holy Spirit opens the word of God to us and invites us into a new journey of trust and discovery in God.
Finally, after experiencing the Holy Spirit, the Church is born. Luke explains how the apostles immediately leave the room they were gathered in and go out to preach the Good News to all gathered there. Their fear of the Jewish leaders is gone and, full of courage, they are ready to go out and face the crowds. The Spirit is a spirit of courage and a missionary spirit. The Church full of the Holy Spirit goes forth proclaiming the Good News. While in the book of Genesis, in the story of the tower of Babel, we are told that due to sin, humanity could no longer communicate with each other, because God confused their languages. Through the Spirit the effect of sin is reversed and now people from all nations can understand the apostles speak in a language they all can understand. Indeed, the Church goes out to preach the Good News to all peoples in different languages and with different cultures.
We celebrate the feast of Pentecost today. We welcome the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that is the life of God within us. Let us be open to let the Spirit work in and through us so that we too may become missionaries to our world.

Mario mssp

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❓ 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 Vocation Director Br. Rush Tinhay mssp through the following channels:
📱 Whatsapp:
+63 9626121204
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🌐 Or through this page https://www.facebook.com/rush.tinhay

🤝 We invite you to become part of our community.
📣 Join us in proclaiming the Good
News in the footsteps of St. Paul.

#️⃣

17/05/2026

16/05/2026

15/05/2026

Some time after the resurrection (forty days), the early Christians understood that they will no longer be experiencing the physical presence of the Lord in their midst. The question arose as to how they could continue to keep him present with them. In the gospels we find various experiences of this. The main understanding was that it was when the community gathered 'in his name' and especially when they gathered as a family at the table of the Eucharist that Christ will be always present among them. Christ lives, no longer in the Jerusalem Temple or on the mountain, as it was believed, but within the community. It is we who make him present in the world today.
The Servant of God Joseph De Piro understood this concept. He not only lived in community and worked hard to create community wherever he was, he also devotedly celebrated the Eucharist and understood that it was the presence of God in the world. Moreover, he was always ready to be the presence of Christ to others, all those who came across his way. Like him we too need to continue to always live Christ, love as he did and be of service to everyone, especially those who are poor and marginalised.
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 can copy and paste the link into your internet browser. Thank you.
https://web.depiromssp.org/2026/05/11/sunday-reflection-the-ascension-of-the-lord-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 Vocation Director Br. Rush Tinhay mssp through the following channels:
📱 Whatsapp:
+63 9626121204
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🌐 Or through this page https://www.facebook.com/rush.tinhay

🤝 We invite you to become part of our community.
📣 Join us in proclaiming the Good
News in the footsteps of St. Paul.

#️⃣

15/05/2026

“Go, make disciples.”

17 May 2026 (Ascension Sunday of Easter; Year A)

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 46(47):2-3,6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20.

After a period of time (the Acts of the Apostles mentions forty days) the early Church understood that they had to find a way how to live their faith without having Jesus physically present among them. Today we celebrate the moment the Church came to this understanding. It is interesting that our texts, the four gospels and the book of the Acts of the Apostles, give us different descriptions of how this happened. While each year we read the description provided by Luke in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in the gospel today we read the concluding verses from the gospel according to Matthew.
The gospel according to Matthew, unlike the gospel according to Luke, does not conclude with the scene of Jesus ascending into heaven, but with has come to be known as ‘the great commission;’ the disciples are sent forth to preach the Good News, make disciples and baptise them (immerse them) into the life of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Today’s scene is full of images and symbolism that the early disciples used to describe their experience of Jesus. Earlier, on the day of the resurrection, Jesus had sent a message to ‘his brothers’ inviting them to meet him ‘in Galilee.’ In the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, Galilee is the place where Jesus started his ministry and where he had met and first called the disciples to follow him. Following the events of the passion and death of Jesus, when all the disciples abandoned him, Jesus now invites them back to Galilee, back to where it had all started. As we have seen in many parables and narratives in the gospel, Jesus never gives up on us but is always ready to invite us to start again, to go back to Galilee and to renew our first commitment to the gospel. This call is for us also today; let us go back to Galilee, let us rediscover our initial enthusiasm that led us to follow Jesus.
Jesus meets the disciples on the mountain. In scripture, mountains are places where one is nearer to God (above). In the Old Testament we see Moses and Elijah who climb up the mountain to encounter God. Moreover, on the mountain, Moses receives the Ten Commandments. In the gospel according to Matthew, on the mountain Jesus becomes the new Moses, the new lawgiver, inviting the disciples to live according to the Beatitudes. On the mountain also Jesus is transfigured to allow three of his disciples see who he really is. Jesus now invites the disciples (us) to go up the mountain once again. He invites us to recommit to living according to the new law he has given us. Are we ready to love, be of service to the poor and the needy, hunger and thirst for justice,
The disciples realise that this is not an easy call. They had come to know and love Jesus, for three years they had followed him, yet at the moment of trial they were the first ones to deny ever knowing him and to run away from him. Would they now be able to climb up the mountain again and start all over again? Perhaps at times, like the disciples, we too hesitate. Our egoistic selves like to be served first. We find it difficult to wash the feet of our sisters and brothers and to fight for justice and for what is right. The good news is that Jesus is not worried by any of this. He is always ready to call us back to follow him, to welcome us back into his fold, and to start all over again. Jesus is aware of our weaknesses and never gives up on us. Are we ready to keep on trying to stay on the mountain in God’s presence?
The early Church community came to understand that although Jesus was no longer visibly present among them in the body, they could still experience him whenever they come together as a community. It is when they are gathered, in the gospel according to John, that Jesus is among them, and in the gospel according to Luke, it is in the Eucharist that they recognise him. In today’s gospel reading Jesus promises his disciples that he will be always with them. It is now up to us to make Jesus present in our midst by the way we live the Good News.

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 Vocation Director Br. Rush Tinhay mssp through the following channels:
📱 Whatsapp:
+63 9626121204
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🌐 Or through this page https://www.facebook.com/rush.tinhay

🤝 We invite you to become part of our community.
📣 Join us in proclaiming the Good
News in the footsteps of St. Paul.

#️⃣