Pope Francis

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

DG - Since August 3, 2013, this website has saved many dozens of Africans from going to prison in HK.
See "Drugs", below

V2Catholic is now on Facebook.
God bless kind FB editor in Melbourne

Imitating Pope Francis Francis



  
  
    
      
        Today
        is the anniversary (and birthday!) of Corrie
        ten Boom
         Her
        powerful  movie:  
        The
        Hiding Place

Movie
review     The
book     YouTube
interview
     "There's not a pit so deep

     where God is not deeper still"
     "You never know Christ is all you need , 

 until
    Christ is all you have"
Other
books by Corrie
        
      
        

      
      
        
      
        April
        15 

        

          Tuesday of Holy Week

        
        Today's
        Bible readings
Let's
        use the readings to reflect on what Jesus went through this week.

        His mental suffering and anxiety must have been extreme. Not much sleep
        these nights? Let's also remember the Corrie ten Booms in prison right
        now

		Thanks to that lilac dress, 'Queen meets Pope' was a surprise win for women		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

		Jesuit Scholar: Pope's 'Evangelii Gaudium' Directly Refutes GOP Budget Proposal

		Global partnership gathers in Mexico amid faltering progress and scepticism

		Sparking the moral imagination of the masses I cannot believe that if most Australians knew the personal circumstances of so many refugees they would not be moved Asylum seeker protest models 'habits of the heart' c.f. comment from a friend: within 20 years, wealthy countries will be paying asylum seekers to migrate, to support their ageing populations

		71 killed in blast at Nigerian bus station, more than 100 injured Let's keep up a daily prayer for the world's hotspots: Central African Republic, South Sudan, Nigeria, Syria, Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, South China Sea

		Russia spent more of its wealth on arms than US in 2013 (may both nations turn their spears into ploughshares)

	R.I.P.	Brian Harradine Harradine- blueprint for power of one May the world have more leaders like this great man of principle

Pope Francis Full text		134. Universities are outstanding environments for articulating and developing this evangelizing commitment in an interdisciplinary and integrated way. Catholic schools, which always strive to join their work of education with the explicit proclamation of the Gospel, are a most valuable resource for the evangelization of culture, even in those countries and cities where hostile situations challenge us to greater creativity in our search for suitable methods.

			Click to enlarge! (Thank you Pat for sending this!)

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


John W mini-Blog		Happy reunion yesterday with former schoolmate Joseph Mula Also yesterday: Happy arrival of Hindi edition of Doctor Jesus

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 15th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Liaoning Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

April 14
Monday of Holy Week

Today's Bible readings

Mary the sister of Martha washing Jesus' feet at the start of Jesus' last week before his death

Darlene Starrs (Canada)	Holy Week 2014 The smell of the palm might well serve as a reminder of the fragrance of Christ, especially during Holy Week	his website's kind bloggers (past and present) with archives of articles: Bakhita Hazel C Daniel Daring Inigo Joachim Brian Lewis Judith Lynch Martin Mallon Chris McDonnell Bill Mulcahy Des O'Donnell Darlene Starrs TASMAD David Timbs Peter Wilkinson Harry Winter John Wotherspoon This website tries to stop "tanks" (war, global warming, exploitation of the poor, globalisation of indifference, liturgical "reform of the reform" & other anti-Vatican II forces etc) Weekly Archive of main page menus Previous archives 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 John W: Previous Daily Blogs

	Letter (in English) from a Hong Kong drug addict in a HK detention centre - asking that drug addicts be treated as patients rather than criminals

	Statement of the Association of Catholic Priests: – Pope Francis and the ordination of married men

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

Pope Francis Full text	133. It is not enough that evangelizers be concerned to reach each person, or that the Gospel be proclaimed to the cultures as a whole. A theology – and not simply a pastoral theology – which is in dialogue with other sciences and human experiences is most important for our discernment on how best to bring the Gospel message to different cultural contexts and groups The Church, in her commitment to evangelization, appreciates and encourages the charism of theologians and their scholarly efforts to advance dialogue with the world of cultures and sciences. I call on theologians to carry out this service as part of the Church’s saving mission. In doing so, however, they must always remember that the Church and theology exist to evangelize, and not be content with a desk-bound theology.

	Today's Gospel - feet being washed. Holy Thursday coming soon - feet being washed. Pope no doubt will wash and kiss some special feet on Holy Thursday (like last year). Last night at the Yau Ma Tei weekly gathering for the poor, Deacon Edwin Ng and I did some foot washing and foot wiping. As I remembered how the Pope not only washes but also kisses, I jokingly said to Edwin as we began "I'll wash, you kiss". But in fact I did kiss (the men's) feet

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


Francis wishes to release Vatican II's bold vision from captivity	Over the past three years I've twice gone through all the documents of Vatican II to prepare some simple reflections for this website. All 416 reflections are here ....and will be linked permanently on the Wednesday menu of this site (at right side). The more I study the documents the more I see the great beauty and value in them ....but also the more I see how they need updating, having been written 50 years ago when the world and the Church were very different from now

John W mini-Blog	The inmate I helped bail out last week (see Friday menu, below) came last night to our weekly gathering for the poor at Yau Ma Tei and, in football language, he played "on the ball" the whole time....whenever there was a job to be done, he was there....happy to help set up, happy to serve the meal, happy to clean up, happy to do any job that needed doing ....just happy to be back on the field after a stint behind bars. Such should be our attitude as we reflect on what God has done for us ...which is what Pope Francis says: our main motivation for spreading the Good News is our joy and gratitude for what God has done for us ...making us want others to share the same joy

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 and Russia On this 14th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jilin Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

April 13 Palm Sunday

Readings of today's Mass

Reflection on today's readings by Daniel Daring:
Our kenotic Lord
The kenotic Christ who hangs on the cross and cries “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” reveals to us a form of God that we are least familiar with: a loser, a victim, a sufferer

Song using the words of today's second reading at Mass:
The Philippians Hymn

David Timbs
(Australia)

Tom Hoopes and the JPII Catholics

Francis has halted the fabrication of JP II’s regressive Cold War Catholicism and the duplicitous pretence of Ratzinger’s Reform of the Reform. Restoration has taken on a refreshing, unexpected twist and assumed a surprising new incarnation. It will not be held hostage to euro-centric ideology again

Pope Francis:
Thank you Holy Spirit

Inspiring photos:

Link

Link
Links
01 02
Link

Link

2014-03-10Bergoglio-Mass-in-streets.jpg (14759 bytes)
Link

Link

Link

Newness, harmony, mission

Engagements of Pope Francis

Zenit.org - reports from Rome

Many thanks for checking
this website each day

St Paul on Metro/Tube/MTR!

Little girl telling the story of Jonah
- brilliant!

The plight of Tanzanian women silently suffering in China

Pope asks forgiveness from those sexually abused by priests

Pilgrimage to Rome shines light on early church's women leaders

Getting Out of Oil

Catholic universities can make a difference through divestment

A married priesthood would right many wrongs

Canberra-Shanghai school deal part of Chinese investment trip

Radical HK politician "Long Hair" in confrontation at Shanghai airport

Great front page headline in South China Morning Post:
Long Hair's trip to Shanghai cut short !

Pope
Francis

Full text

Culture, thought and education

132. Proclaiming the Gospel message to different cultures also involves proclaiming it to professional, scientific and academic circles. This means an encounter between faith, reason and the sciences with a view to developing new approaches and arguments on the issue of credibility, a creative apologetics which would encourage greater openness to the Gospel on the part of all.

When certain categories of reason and the sciences are taken up into the proclamation of the message, these categories then become tools of evangelization; water is changed into wine. Whatever is taken up is not just redeemed, but becomes an instrument of the Spirit for enlightening and renewing the world

It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter.
When the family returned home, they were carrying several pieces of palm.
Johnny asked them what they were for.
"People waved them as Jesus walked by," his father told him.
"Wouldn't you know it," Johnny fumed, "the one Sunday I don't go and he shows up."

New letter (in English) from a Tanzanian inmate in a HK prison
- an appeal to the Tanzanian Ambassador in Beijing for a repatriation agreement between Tanzania and China

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

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

Francis wishes to release Vatican II's bold vision from captivity

Vatican II Reflection - 416

The fate of society depends on the use of the media,
and at the moment the media is contributing to a great dumbing down of society

John W mini-Blog

Holy Week Computer:

Move failures, mistakes, disappointments, sins, tragedies, suffering

to Good Friday folder

Then download and install Easter Sunday program in that folder

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, Sunday, please bless the people of Africa

On this 13th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jiangxi
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

The humble style of Cardinal Ranjith of Sri Lanka
- from this (extreme) link. He's a good friend of the Sri Lanka president (who is responsible for crimes like this one).
Here's a sample of Ranjith's kind words to his priests about liturgy. (c.f.r.!)

International Day of Human Space Flight (!)

Saturday April 12

When we, for our part, aspire to diversity, we become self-enclosed, exclusive and divisive; similarly, whenever we attempt to create unity on the basis of our human calculations, we end up imposing a monolithic uniformity. This is not helpful for the Church’s mission.

(see below, Pope Francis: The Joy of the Gospel)

Today's Bible readings * *

* God's rescue plan for Israel, for the human family

* Rescue by the death of Jesus

	M arried men could be ordained priests if world's bishops agree ------- Pope says human trafficking is 'a crime against humanity'	The unjust treatment of Bishop Bill Morris Tribalism lives on, for better and for worse

	Desmond Tutu calls for boycott of fossil fuel industry Good news: divestment gathering momentum Coal is no cure

	Michael Kelly S,J. The canonisation of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII – an event of telling significance

	Speaking of China Australia is bereft of a coherent national narrative for its relationship with China. It falls to Tony Abbott to do something about this on his current visit

	Britain and Ireland bury the hatchet What a great person of reconciliation the Queen is!

	Scripture's not so clear on divorce

	Latest newsletter from Christian Healing Ministries

Pope Francis Full text	131. Differences between persons and communities can sometimes prove uncomfortable, but the Holy Spirit, who is the source of that diversity, can bring forth something good from all things and turn it into an attractive means of evangelization. Diversity must always be reconciled by the help of the Holy Spirit; he alone can raise up diversity, plurality and multiplicity while at the same time bringing about unity. When we, for our part, aspire to diversity, we become self-enclosed, exclusive and divisive; similarly, whenever we attempt to create unity on the basis of our human calculations, we end up imposing a monolithic uniformity. This is not helpful for the Church’s mission.

	Flight of fancy: Vatican hawk story was an April Fool's prank !

	DV on tomorrow's menu: another new letter from a Tanzanian inmate in a HK prison This website's Tanzania File (stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK) - letters from Tanzanian inmates in Hong Kong prisons 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


Francis wishes to release Vatican II's bold vision from captivity	Vatican II Reflection- 415 Given the huge importance of the media in our lives, we need to have a dedicated Media Sunday

John W mini-Blog	A happy experience yesterday ...not the first time such an experience ....I was able to pay an inmate's bail which allowed him to be released from detention an hour or two later. Not "a sheep station", only HK$500, but he couldn't afford it. Now he is free, instead of waiting in detention until his trial on May 30. Same inmate is a regular "guest" at our Sunday night gathering for the poor ....all the more reason to help him. Can't help thinking that this is what Easter is all about. Jesus went bail for us, paying not in HK dollars but in his Blood.

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, Saturday, please bless the people of Central & North America On this 12th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jiangsu Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Fridays of Lent:

Prayer before a Crucifix

The Jesus Stabat Mater

Friday April 11

A sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial character,
its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life of God’s holy and faithful people for the good of all

(see below, Pope Francis: The Joy of the Gospel)

Today's Bible readings * *

* One week before Good Friday:
Jeremiah's situation a foretaste of Jesus' situation

* Momentum building up for arrest and killing of Jesus

	Good Samaritans come to the aid of miracle twins (Stories like this are a welcome balance to "globalisation of indifference" stories)	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

	Success teaches you nothing (by a Hong Kong prison inmate) In John’s Gospel, when Jesus’ friend Lazarus was lying mortally ill on his bed, he might have thought that God had forgotten him. But what he did not know was that God was preparing him for a testimony that would shock the world though Christ’s miracle of raising him from the dead

	Obama, deporter-in-chief: the shame of immigration policy, one family at a time More than 2million immigrants kicked out. The vast majority of cases from minor crimes

NCR Editorial:	An engaged laity demands answers on finances, abuse What were the bishops thinking? Why don't they get it?

	Following Keating's lead on reform The world stands on the threshold of something only Australia and China have achieved over the past few decades: a long period of genuine, sustained productivity-based growth, writes Alan Kohler

	"Pope Francis' emphasis on a poor Church for the poor" gives support to this article written before his election: The Word-Crucified in the theology of Aloysius Pieris S.J - see especially the section on Fr Michael Rodrigo O.M.I.

Pope Francis Full text	Charisms at the service of a communion which evangelizes 130. The Holy Spirit also enriches the entire evangelizing Church with different charisms. These gifts are meant to renew and build up the Church. They are not an inheritance, safely secured and entrusted to a small group for safekeeping; rather they are gifts of the Spirit integrated into the body of the Church, drawn to the centre which is Christ and then channelled into an evangelizing impulse. A sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial character, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life of God’s holy and faithful people for the good of all. Something truly new brought about by the Spirit need not overshadow other gifts and spiritualities in making itself felt. To the extent that a charism is better directed to the heart of the Gospel, its exercise will be more ecclesial

	Vatican hires hawk to protect doves Woman hits attacker over the head with saucepan

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


Francis wishes to release Vatican II's bold vision from captivity	Vatican II Reflection - 414 Many Catholic papers are too clerical

John W mini-Blog	Yesterday I visited a large immigration detention centre in Hong Kong ....with a sickening feeling that although an "anyone welcome anytime" policy is not practical for any country/region, at the same time, in many parts of the world, there is a growing globalisation of indifference and even hostility towards poor people who want to have a better life for themselves and their families. So, if poor people do manage to get inside our borders, we lock them up until they can be deported or persuaded to leave

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 11th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hunan Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

A shepherd carries his sheep - see below

Thursday April 10

This is always a slow process and at we can be overly fearful. But if we allow doubts and fears to dampen our courage, instead of being creative we will remain comfortable and make no progress whatsoever. In this case we will not take an active part in historical processes, but become mere onlookers as the Church gradually stagnates

(see below, Pope Francis: The Joy of the Gospel)

Today's Bible readings

US President: Abraham Lincoln.
"Abraham" means "father of a multitude".
Abraham is mentioned in today's first reading, psalm and Gospel

Chris McDonnell (Wed UK blogger)	A shepherd carries his sheep The vision of the Church that Francis has offered us in this last year: care and concern for those less fortunate, a Church of the Poor, not lorded over by Church princes but served by those who truly see themselves as servants. This attitude should influence the manner in which Bishops treat the priests of their Diocese, the relationship between priest and people in our parishes and the way we Christians treat each other	This site's full statistics for March 2014 To publish an article on this site please contact Fr John Wotherspoon omi: jdwomi@gmail.com If you find a broken link in this website, please contact: jdwomi@gmail.com 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 W'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`

	Hong Kong's English Catholic Paper, the Sunday Examiner: Refugee union hopes to gain a bigger voice (click to enlarge)

	Pope Francis condemns killing of Jesuit priest in Syria Dutch Jesuit Fr Frans van der Lugt shot dead in besieged Syrian city of Homs

	Study indicates wide rejection by US clergy of new translation The new translation

	Argentina Archbishop defends decision to allow baptism of lesbian couple’s child

	US man cleared of Brooklyn killing after 25 years in jail

	Paolo Sorrentino to make TV series about fictional Italian-American pope

Anniversary today	Teilhard de Chardin (1955) Teilhard quotes

Pope Francis	129. We should not think, however, that the Gospel message must always be communicated by fixed formulations learned by heart or by specific words which express an absolutely invariable content. This communication takes place in so many different ways that it would be impossible to describe or catalogue them all, and God’s people, with all their many gestures and signs, are its collective subject. If the Gospel is embedded in a culture, the message is no longer transmitted solely from person to person. In countries where Christianity is a minority, then, along with encouraging each of the baptized to proclaim the Gospel, particular Churches should actively promote at least preliminary forms of inculturation. The ultimate aim should be that the Gospel, as preached in categories proper to each culture, will create a new synthesis with that particular culture. This is always a slow process and at we can be overly fearful. But if we allow doubts and fears to dampen our courage, instead of being creative we will remain comfortable and make no progress whatsoever. In this case we will not take an active part in historical processes, but become mere onlookers as the Church gradually stagnates.
Full text

	To go with today's Mass readings: How come a people descended from AbraHAM are not allowed to eat pork?!

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


Francis wishes to release Vatican II's bold vision from captivity	Vatican II Reflection - 413 The way to reach Facebooking young people is by Christian Facebooking young people....encouraging young Christians to use Facebook not in a "preachy" way but in an engaging and friendly way to witness to the values of Jesus

John W mini-Blog	Two days ago as I went towards Jordan MTR Station, I noticed a woman beggar on the footpath of Jordan Road ....sheltering from the rain...up against a wall....with her begging bowl on the footpath. I gave her a few dollars + a copy of Doctor Jesus , but as I continued my walking I saw someone selling umbrellas and decided to get one for her (she didn't have one). When I returned, there she was attentively reading the booklet. God, please bless her.

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 & the Pacific On this 10th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hubei Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Why are we building new walls to divide us? (interactive)

Using satellite imagery, users' pictures, video and first-hand testimony,
Guardian reporters across the world chart the new walls being built
to divide people from their neighbours

(...to go with article below: Barriers without grace)

Wednesday April 9

In this preaching, which is always respectful and gentle, the first step is personal dialogue, when the other person speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs

(see below, Pope Francis: The Joy of the Gospel)

Today's Bible readings *

"The truth will make you free"
(today's Gospel):
- the truth can set us free from all sorts of complicated/messy situations

Ron W. Nikkel: Barriers without grace

Where is the good news of Jesus in all of this? Does the church only exist to protect its assets, its property, its sense of decorum by keeping the troublesome and the needy at arms length and out of sight by barricading itself behind locked gates and fences?

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? (updated)

This website's previous
Reflections on Vat II Documents

Whose feet will Pope wash this Holy Thursday?
Holy Thursday Mass of Pope Francis

Weigel criticizes Cardinal O'Malley, bishops over border Mass

John Allen:
The day immigration reform became a ‘pro-life’ cause

c.f. David Timbs: George Weigel – his hubris and relativism

China syndrome haunts Abbott's Japanese jaunt

Push for harsh sentances can be costly

Thousands expected to rally on Palm Sunday in protest at 'harsh' treatment of asylum seekers

Bishop Pat Power: an opportunity for the wider community to give expression to ''what's deep in the heart of many''

Pope Francis

Full text

128. In this preaching, which is always respectful and gentle, the first step is personal dialogue, when the other person speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs.

Only afterwards is it possible to bring up God’s word, perhaps by reading a Bible verse or relating a story, but always keeping in mind the fundamental message: the personal love of God who became man, who gave himself up for us, who is living and who offers us his salvation and his friendship.

This message has to be shared humbly as a testimony on the part of one who is always willing to learn, in the awareness that the message is so rich and so deep that it always exceeds our grasp.

At times the message can be presented directly, at times by way of a personal witness or gesture, or in a way which the Holy Spirit may suggest in that particular situation.

If it seems prudent and if the circumstances are right, this fraternal and missionary encounter could end with a brief prayer related to the concerns which the person may have expressed.

In this way they will have an experience of being listened to and understood; they will know that their particular situation has been placed before God, and that God’s word really speaks to their lives.

An old punster made the king the butt of most of his jokes. Consequently, he was loved by the people, but hated by the king.

The king endured the ridicule for months. One day, after hearing people in the streets repeating some of their favorite quips, he had had enough. He had the following statement posted around the royal city:

"By royal decree, anyone who tells a pun will be hanged by the neck until he is dead."

The old punster kept telling his jokes, including puns. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged at dawn in a week's time.

The king's conscience was pricked. He didn't want to execute a citizen for merely telling jokes. So the king sent a message to the hangman on the morning of the execution, telling him that the old man was to be given a pardon if he promised never to tell another pun.

The old man couldn't imagine living in a world where he could not tell a pun. So he replied, "No noose is good news," and died gladly.

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

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

Francis wishes to release Vatican II's bold vision from captivity

Vatican II Reflection - 412

The training of Christians to work in the media should be a top priority of the Church

John W mini-Blog

Speaking of media (above, Vatican II reflection): "Brother" Bruce Aitken kindly plans to phone me about 9.30 each Sunday night for a few words of encouragement for inmates - during his weekly program "The Hour of Love" on Metro Radio
- AM: 1044

On this 9th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Henan
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

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