IVANO BURDIAN mssp

Australian missionary currently residing in Canada

Of late, I have been reflecting on how, through people, we least expect, our Father reaches out to us.  I would like to share one of these moments.

Soon after finishing my secondary schooling I stopped going to the Sunday mass.  It was boring and meaningless.  For the next three to four years I joined the ranks of the “Natalini e Pascualini”.  In the first couple of years of my science degree, the friends I made had no interest in religion and were carefree.  It suited me fine so I took these years easy. Come the third year, I decided it was time to knuckle down and make sure I finished well enough to become an Industrial Chemist.

I have been reflecting on how, through people we least expect, our Father reaches out to us.

As a consequence, I had less time for my past friends and made new ones in my Chemistry classes. Two, in particular, were important.  Peter, an Anglican from Singapore, and Andrew, an Aussie born-again Christian. While I didn’t always see eye to eye with them on religious issues, the commitment of their faith made a deep impression and challenged me to question, “What about me, where do I stand with my God, my faith and my people?” By the end of that year, I was once again part of a parish community.