Pope's Encyclical:
The Joy of the Gospel

(see: need to cancel "archive" in some search results) V2Catholic.com   A voice for the poor 
Edited by Hong Kong prison chaplain Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I.  胡 頌 恆 神 父   

DV  A new menu 7 days a week to encourage people who are trying
 to follow the example of Pope Francis by concern for issues like these

 
Imitating Pope Francis Francis 

I was halfway through my first visit to the prisons of Latin America and was overwhelmed by the dreadful specter of futility; I could not get the sights and sounds and smells of human agony out of my mind.  Pursued by “bad news” in the stories and tears of imprisoned men and women I found it impossible to sleep.  What could I have possibly said or done to give a sense of comfort to the anguished, or relief to the exploited and tormented, and hope to those who were deprived of freedom - suffocating under the despair and futility of their situation?

Vatican II & Renewal (1)

16 Documents of Vatican II

A Call to Action
Assn Catholic Priests Ireland
Bp Pat Power
Bp Geoff Robinson
Bruce Duncan
Catalyst for Renewal
Catholica
Catholics for Ministry  
Catholics for Renewal 
STANDUP4VATICAN2
The Swag
VII - Voice of the Church
We Are Church

Excellent articles on Mission
  Hugh McMahon SSC

The inability of governments to tax the proceeds of growth, either because so much is given away in corporate tax breaks, or has escaped offshore into tax havens

Housing campaigners denounce 'shocking waste' of homes lying empty while millions cry out for shelter

Asylum seekers opt for abortion in face of conditions in Nauru

The morality of Manus Island can no longer be avoided

Ucanews report

85. One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, “sourpusses”. 

Nobody can go off to battle unless he is fully convinced of victory beforehand. If we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents.

 While painfully aware of our own frailties, we have to march on without giving in, keeping in mind what the Lord said to Saint Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. 

Christian triumph is always a cross, yet a cross which is at the same time a victorious banner borne with aggressive tenderness against the assaults of evil.

 The evil spirit of defeatism is brother to the temptation to separate, before its time, the wheat from the weeds; it is the fruit of an anxious and self-centred lack of trust

This website's Tanzania File
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- with links to all letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from South American inmates in HK prisons

Avoid expressions, judgments and actions which do not represent the condition of our separated brethren with truth and fairness and so make mutual relations with them more difficult

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday, please bless the people of South Asia

On this 25th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Ningxia
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Darlene Starrs
(Canada)

It is my contention, that to be truly Vatican II, Pope Francis must do away with the archaic belief that Christ would not call women to teach, preach, and sanctify - the duties identified with Holy Orders

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John W:
Previous Daily Blogs

Bank bosses to get millions in share payments in bonus cap dodge

Visit to Hei Ling Chau Drug Treatment Centre with Dicky and Ben 

Interactive Bible Quiz - James

Based on the actual words of the Bible. 
How many times can you get 3/3 ?!

84. The joy of the Gospel is such that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything. The evils of our world – and those of the Church – must not be excuses for diminishing our commitment and our fervour.

 Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us to grow. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that “where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more” 

Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds. Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council, we are distressed by the troubles of our age and far from naive optimism; yet the fact that we are more realistic must not mean that we are any less trusting in the Spirit or less generous. 

In this sense, we can once again listen to the words of Blessed John XXIII on the memorable day of 11 October 1962: “At times we have to listen, much to our regret, to the voices of people who, though burning with zeal, lack a sense of discretion and measure. In this modern age they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin … We feel that we must disagree with those prophets of doom who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand. In our times, divine Providence is leading us to a new order of human relations which, by human effort and even beyond all expectations, are directed to the fulfilment of God’s superior and inscrutable designs, in which everything, even human setbacks, leads to the greater good of the Church”.

The Mexican drug lord adept at playing the system

This website's Tanzania File
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- with links to all letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from South American inmates in HK prisons

May all Christians respect each other and work for church unity

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday, please bless the people of Europe & North Asia

On this 24th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Inner Mongolia
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

David Timbs
(Melbourne)

Zuhlsdorf – you can’t make this stuff up, but he makes a comfortable living out of it

Pope Francis:
Thank you Holy Spirit

Inspiring photos:

cf
cf		report 01  02

Newness, harmony, mission

Engagements of Pope Francis

Many thanks for checking
 this website each day

St Paul on Metro/Tube/MTR!

Little girl telling the story of Jonah - brilliant!

What an example for leaders! 
Usually a Pope arrives last at a meeting, and is given a warm welcome. But not this Pope. Last Thursday for his first meeting with the 100+ cardinals, he arrived first, and was at the door to welcome all the cardinals as they arrived, greeting them one by one. (source) 
(c.f. custom of some pastors: at door to welcome people as they arrive)

Benedict XVI attends the Consistory  - good news!

Francis' address to Consistory

Wikipedia

International church reform groups seek meeting with Pope

Please sign Amnesty petition, below, (Menu of Feb 21).   I have signed it. 
It makes me ashamed to be an Australian. 
How can Australia treat people in such a shameful way?

82. The problem is not always an excess of activity, but rather activity undertaken badly, without adequate motivation, without a spirituality which would permeate it and make it pleasurable. 

As a result, work becomes more tiring than necessary, even leading at times to illness. Far from a content and happy tiredness, this is a tense, burdensome, dissatisfying and, in the end, unbearable fatigue. 

This pastoral acedia can be caused by a number of things. Some fall into it because they throw themselves into unrealistic projects and are not satisfied simply to do what they reasonably can.

 Others, because they lack the patience to allow processes to mature; they want everything to fall from heaven. Others, because they are attached to a few projects or vain dreams of success. Others, because they have lost real contact with people and so depersonalize their work that they are more concerned with the road map than with the journey itself.

 Others fall into acedia because they are unable to wait; they want to dominate the rhythm of life. Today’s obsession with immediate results makes it hard for pastoral workers to tolerate anything that smacks of disagreement, possible failure, criticism, the cross.

This website's Tanzania File 
 (stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
-  letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from South American inmates in HK prisons

 Ecumenism is not an option  (...c.f. YouTube of Pope, at top of menu!)

p.s. Tomorrow DV  .... a mouse-scanner!

On this 23rd of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guangxi
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

The unjust treatment
 of Bishop Bill Morris

Tribalism lives on, for better and for worse

Manus Island violence- shocking but not surprising

Archbishop of Canterbury joins CofE bishops and other Churches to back Nichols in welfare reform row

(and every good wish to new OMI cardinal today:
Orly Quevedo from Cotabato in the Philippines!)

81. At a time when we most need a missionary dynamism which will bring salt and light to the world, many lay people fear that they may be asked to undertake some apostolic work and they seek to avoid any responsibility that may take away from their free time.

 For example, it has become very difficult today to find trained parish catechists willing to persevere in this work for some years. Something similar is also happening with priests who are obsessed with protecting their free time. ((!))

This is frequently due to the fact that people feel an overbearing need to guard their personal freedom, as though the task of evangelization was a dangerous poison rather than a joyful response to God’s love which summons us to mission and makes us fulfilled and productive. 

Some resist giving themselves over completely to mission and thus end up in a state of paralysis and acedia  ((a new word for me! jw))

A priest dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy who's dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter addresses this cool guy, 'Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven ? ' The guy replies, 'I'm Jack, retired airline pilot from Houston.' Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the pilot, 'Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom.' The pilot goes into Heaven with his robe and staff.

Next, it's the priest's turn. He stands erect and booms out, 'I am Father Bob, pastor of Saint Mary's for the last 43 years.' Saint Peter consults his list. He says to the priest, 'Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom. 'Just a minute,' says the good father. 'That man was a pilot and he gets a silken robe and golden staff and I get only cotton and wood. How can this be?

'Up here - we go by results,' says Saint Peter. 'When you preached - people slept. When he flew, people prayed.'

Vatican II's Vision Mission Statement about Ecumenism  

On this 22nd of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Zhejiang
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

The truth about Manus Island Detention Centre  (I have signed petition)

c.f. Australia justifies its 'white trash of Asia' nickname

and Morrison's law of intended consequences

Liturgy - New Translation

1998 ICEL Sacramentary
Misguided Missal 
The new translation
Ghastly process/result

Ron Schmit:
 1962 Mass a condemnation of Vatican II

PrayTell

------------------------------------------

Spirituality

 Sacred Space 
 Daily prayer online.
Available in 19 languages

Jackie Evancho  - To Believe

Pray-as-you-go.org
Daily prayer with 
beautiful music

Whole text of 1966 Jerusalem Bible

Previous Smiles file

Excellent new website: 
Hong Kong Helpers Campaign

This article has been added to this file:  Too Western/European 

 It has to do with the deepest and inmost decisions that shape their way of life. This practical relativism consists in acting as if God did not exist, making decisions as if the poor did not exist, setting goals as if others did not exist, working as if people who have not received the Gospel did not exist.

 It is striking that even some who clearly have solid doctrinal and spiritual convictions frequently fall into a lifestyle which leads to an attachment to financial security, or to a desire for power or human glory at all cost, rather than giving their lives to others in mission. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary enthusiasm!

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from S. American inmates in HK prisons

Catechism of 1971 vs Catechism of 1992

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday, please bless the people of South America

On this 21st of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Yunnan
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Seminarians at Vatican II, 1962-65   (Second edition)

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Why I collect rubbish for Pope

Taking a stand

Navigation Aids      

  Standing up to bullies

"Reform of reform" agenda

Too Western/European 

Abortion - a true story

"Same-sex marriage": two elephants
 in the men's room     

     Near Death Experiences

Globalisation of Indifference

Tale of Two Brains

John's other sites: 

www.doctorjesus.org

www.riccicenter.com 

www.simplebible.info 

www.china8.org 

  www.jesustower.com 

www.oneminuteenglish.com 

China Library
 - essential reading for anyone interested in China's Christian history

c.f. Qatar World Cup- 400 Nepalese have died

Previous report: Hunger strike by asylum seekers in Hong Kong

c.f. My Statement Before the Judge

79. At times our media culture and some intellectual circles convey a marked scepticism with regard to the Church’s message, along with a certain cynicism. As a consequence, many pastoral workers, although they pray, develop a sort of inferiority complex which leads them to relativize or conceal their Christian identity and convictions.

 This produces a vicious circle. They end up being unhappy with who they are and what they do; they do not identify with their mission of evangelization and this weakens their commitment.

 They end up stifling the joy of mission with a kind of obsession about being like everyone else and possessing what everyone else possesses. Their work of evangelization thus becomes forced, and they devote little energy and very limited time to it.

Last Monday at a HK hospital custodial/police section, I was told a Tanzanian man had been arrested at HK airport for drug trafficking. The first such case for more than six months. Will double check this case before updating Tanzanian file (possibly he was arrested for possession rather than trafficking)
This website's Tanzania File 
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping S. Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from South American inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

May all nations beat their swords into ploughshares,
and beat their military chaplains into pastors

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Thursday, please bless the people of South East Asia  

On this 20th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Sichuan 
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Chris McDonnell
(Wed UK blogger)

A few years ago, the pub near Westminster Cathedral, in London, named “The Cardinal” in memory of Henry Manning, was going to change its name to The Windsor Castle. Nichols and others led the campaign in opposition. They were successful. The Cardinal remains the name of the pub and shortly Vincent Nichols, the boy from Crosby who still supports the Reds, becomes the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. May his time in office be blessed by the Lord.

c.f. England's new cardinal shares concerns for Britain's poor

Vatican II - Renewal (2)

Hans Küng: 
 Letter to bishops  

Revolution to stop authoritarianism 

Fr Joseph Ratzinger: 
Writings on Vat II 

Robert Mickens:  
Vatican Implosion

Nicholas Lash:     Vatican II: 
Of Happy Memory - and Hope?

Robert McNally:  
Crisis & Criticism in the Church 

Priests 9 Masses a day
 - need to ordain married men

The evil of compulsory celibacy

Link between compulsory celibacy and sexual abuse

Why are women not being
 ordained to priesthood?

This humble Successor of Peter continues to astound the world by acting in a very normal way.  It is but the latest instance of what in Rome has become known as 'the scandal of normality.'

Ensuring for our lay faithful their rightful place: Recognizing the God-given talents and potentialities of the lay faithful, we will, in the first place, listen more to their voice. Hence, we commit ourselves to establish Pastoral Councils in every diocese.

The Good Oil

Gary Everett: Gatherings from the grassroots

So what might be the outcomes of the October Synod on the Family? 
Here are four possible outcomes.

78. Today we are seeing in many pastoral workers, including consecrated men and women, an inordinate concern for their personal freedom and relaxation, which leads them to see their work as a mere appendage to their life, as if it were not part of their very identity. 

At the same time, the spiritual life comes to be identified with a few religious exercises which can offer a certain comfort but which do not encourage encounter with others, engagement with the world or a passion for evangelization.

 As a result, one can observe in many agents of evangelization, even though they pray, a heightened individualism, a crisis of identity and a cooling of fervour. These are three evils which fuel one another. 

This website's South America file 
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from South American inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

Bishops of larger dioceses have very little time for two-way sharing with priests, religious and laity

On this 19th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shanxi
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

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Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I.  胡 頌 恆 神 父   
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