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

Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

Tuesday April 29

Today's Bible Blog
a 4-course menu:
- the worst way to face a problem
- ridiculing believers is nothing new
- inside stuff more important than outside stuff
- man born blind able to see ....after falling down stairs!

God bless the kind readers who check this Bible Blog each day. May this Bible Blog give us extra hope, wisdom, compassion, courage and peace for our daily lives

This is the Swahili-English dictionary I've been buying

	Follow like the leader Why is it that, with so much talk about leadership, there is a bankruptcy of dependable and decisive leadership at every level of society and in every field of business, politics, justice, religion, economics, peace making, education, etc. To lead like Jesus is never a matter of power, position, or privilege – nor is it subject to the metrics of measurable results, profit margins, opinion polls, and investor or donor confidence	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

	New saints help bring factions together

	Oxfam slams Australian banks Australia's big four banks are financing companies accused of land grabbing and child labour, according to Oxfam

	Workplace safety issues in South Korean ferry disaster

	South Sudan warning for Australia's hate speech champions

	The Hidden Rebellion: coming soon on film This factual film under way details the suppressed story of valiant Catholics during the French Revolution. The number of those killed by the French Revolution’s conscripted army range from 150,000 upwards, out of a native population of 800,000. The equivalent percentage today would be 44 million Americans

Recommended by a reader:	Abuse at Christian Brothers schools in Western Australia

Pope Francis Full text	148. Certainly, to understand properly the meaning of the central message of a text we need to relate it to the teaching of the entire Bible as handed on by the Church. This is an important principle of biblical interpretation which recognizes that the Holy Spirit has inspired not just a part of the Bible, but the Bible as a whole, and that in some areas people have grown in their understanding of God’s will on the basis of their personal experience. It also prevents erroneous or partial interpretations which would contradict other teachings of the same Scriptures. But it does not mean that we can weaken the distinct and specific emphasis of a text which we are called to preach. One of the defects of a tedious and ineffectual preaching is precisely its inability to transmit the intrinsic power of the text which has been proclaimed.

	Bad Bernie was in prison for seven years. The day he got out, his wife and son were there to pick him up. He came through the gates and got into the car. The only thing he said was, "F.F." His wife turned to him and answered, "E.F." Out on the highway, he said, "F.F." She responded simply, "E.F." He repeated, "F.F." She again replied, "E.F." "Mom! Dad!" their son yelled. "What's going on?" Bad Bernie answered: "Your mother wants to eat first!"

	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 This website's Hong Kong file (encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)


John W mini-Blog	As you may have guessed from the articles selected for this website's menu, I have mixed feelings about the canonisation of John XXIII and John Paul II. Not least because it was a gigantic display of male clericalism. Something tells me it was not Pope Francis' cup of tea. He's more comfortable mixing with the poor than leading a liturgy like that. Maybe that's because what the world and the Church need is more mixing with the poor and less display by leaders

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 29th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Chongqing Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Canonisation of John XXIII and John Paul II:
ABC Guardian Pope Francis' homily Tablet

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Monday April 28

Today's Bible Blog - a four-course menu:
- what is The Gideon Society?
- something that is good for our health
- offering up difficulties as a prayer
- the meaning of "I AM"

God bless the kind readers who check this Bible Blog each day. May this Bible Blog give us extra hope, wisdom, compassion, courage and peace for our daily lives

Darlene Starrs (Canada)	The weeds will grow among the wheat! Following and serving Christ is not a popularity contest. If we are truly with Christ, we will have enemies! It’s probably a true sign of Pope Francis’s Christian vocation, if, by speaking and acting in the name of Christ, he is drawing heat	This 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

	Nauru refugees to be given five-year work visas (at last some good news...DG!)

Beautiful Easter Song	YouTube (with lyrics): He is Risen

John Allen	Cardinal O'Malley reflects on popes' canonizations

	Report in Australian media: Chinese tourists call for boycott on Hong Kong after clash with locals

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

Pope Francis Full text	147. First of all, we need to be sure that we understand the meaning of the words we read. I want to insist here on something which may seem obvious, but which is not always taken into account: the biblical text which we study is two or three thousand years old; its language is very different from that which we speak today. Even if we think we understand the words translated into our own language, this does not mean that we correctly understand what the sacred author wished to say. The different tools provided by literary analysis are well known: attention to words which are repeated or emphasized, recognition of the structure and specific movement of a text, consideration of the role played by the different characters, and so forth. But our own aim is not to understand every little detail of a text; our most important goal is to discover its principal message, the message which gives structure and unity to the text. If the preacher does not make this effort, his preaching will quite likely have neither unity nor order; what he has to say will be a mere accumulation of various disjointed ideas incapable of inspiring others. The central message is what the author primarily wanted to communicate; this calls for recognizing not only the author’s ideas but the effect which he wanted to produce. If a text was written to console, it should not be used to correct errors; if it was written as an exhortation, it should not be employed to teach doctrine; if it was written to teach something about God, it should not be used to expound various theological opinions; if it was written as a summons to praise or missionary outreach, let us not use it to talk about the latest news.

	I used to say that Pope John Paul II went around the world giving last rites to dictators. He went to the Philippines under Marcos, Haiti under Duvalier, Chile under Pinochet, and they all fell - Cardinal O'Malley (in report above)

	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 This website's Hong Kong file (encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)


John W mini-Blog	Most days I try to play one or two (or three) games of chess at www.chess.com My level is now 800 (...a beginner). As you play you can exchange text/chat messages with the other player. Usually towards the end of a game I put a simple message: Thank you for game - John W (my website: www.v2catholic.com). Yesterday at the end of a game with a player from the US, I received a reply "If I'd known you were a Catholic I would not have played you". Player left the chat before I could respond

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 28th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Beijing Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

April 27

Second Sunday of Easter

Readings of today's Mass
(Gospel - faith; 2nd reading - hope; 1st reading - love)

Reflection by Daniel Daring:
Challenge from First Christians
This challenging article is on themes often mentioned by Pope Francis: greed, inequality, the need to live more simply, the failure of the "trickle down" economic theory

John XXIII and John Paul II, united in heaven

John Paul II could have intervened in abuse crisis - but didn't

Canonisations: the good vs the great

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!

Iranian mother who spared her son's killer:
'Vengeance has left my heart' (what a moving story...)

Nigerian abducted girls' families fast losing hope of rescue
(Let's keep these girls in our prayers each day)

"The liver is attacked by fear and preoccupation, the heart is attacked by fear and emotional shocks. The skin is attacked by anxiety. The gallbladder is attacked by bitterness and jealousy. The nerves are attacked by emotional shocks. Eczema may be caused by suppression and inhibited desires. Rheumatism may be caused by bitterness and grudges." Quoted in Anne S. White Healing Adventure, p. 93

Aborted babies incinerated in Oregon to provide electricity

Student's story indicative of how bitter cross-border war has become (c.f. earlier report on this story from a reader in Australia)

'Bring children to pee in Hong Kong':
Mainlander starts campaign after public urination clash

'Tortured' Indonesian maid named one of Time magazine's top 100 most influential people

Quoted in today's reflection by Daniel Daring, at top of menu

In 1967, Paul VI wrote with indignation: “Countless millions are starving, countless families are destitute, countless men are steeped in ignorance; countless people need schools, hospitals, and homes worthy of the name. In such circumstances, we cannot tolerate public and private expenditures of a wasteful nature; we cannot but condemn lavish displays of wealth by nations or individuals; we cannot approve a debilitating arms race.” (Populorum Progressio, 53)

Pope
Francis

Full text

146. The first step, after calling upon the Holy Spirit in prayer, is to give our entire attention to the biblical text, which needs to be the basis of our preaching. Whenever we stop and attempt to understand the message of a particular text, we are practising “reverence for the truth”. This is the humility of heart which recognizes that the word is always beyond us, that “we are neither its masters or owners, but its guardians, heralds and servants”.

This attitude of humble and awe-filled veneration of the word is expressed by taking the time to study it with the greatest care and a holy fear lest we distort it. To interpret a biblical text, we need to be patient, to put aside all other concerns, and to give it our time, interest and undivided attention.

We must leave aside any other pressing concerns and create an environment of serene concentration. It is useless to attempt to read a biblical text if all we are looking for are quick, easy and immediate results.

Preparation for preaching requires love. We only devote periods of quiet time to the things or the people whom we love; and here we are speaking of the God whom we love, a God who wishes to speak to us. Because of this love, we can take as much time as we need, like every true disciple: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”.

Headline in yesterday's South China Morning Post:
"Backers of pee protest face wee problem"
c.f. HK story above - urination clash

Another letter (in English) from a Tanzanian inmate in a Hong Kong prison - explaining the reasons for this campaign by inmates

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

This website's Hong Kong file
(encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)

John W mini-Blog

Many thanks Fr Lau and parishioners of St Paul's Parish Yau Ma Tei for donating the proceeds of this year's Holy Thursday collection to support the Sunday night gathering for the poor at St Paul's

For HK readers: every Sunday night, 9.30pm, AM 1044, "Brother" Bruce phones me for a little chat about prison ministry

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 27th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tibet
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month



World Intellectual Property Day



         

        April
        26  
        Saturday
        of Easter Week
         
         
        

Today's
Bible readings
        

First
reading: 

uneducated laypeople
 vs religious leaders

(whose side was God on?)

Brendan Hoban:

Is Catholicism now deemed to be old-fashioned, irrational, and unacceptable?

Irish situation true of many parts of the world. A most important article.
How to reverse the trend?
One basic ingredient:
more love for the Bible

c.f. 'God' is banned from Disney films,
say Frozen songwriters

	Cardinal laments 'fatigue' of Christian Europe, celebrates African example	The unjust treatment of Bishop Bill Morris Tribalism lives on, for better and for worse

	The Tablet parts ways with longtime Vatican analyst Robert Mickens

	ANC's glory fades as South Africa's 'born free' generation votes Interesting item in story above "Cardinal laments...": John Paul II spoke out in the 1980s against the apartheid regime in South Africa, even refusing to kiss the country's ground when the papal plane was forced by weather to land there in 1988

See mini-Blog, below	Pope John Paul II crucifix crushes man to death in northern Italy

Pope Francis Full text	145. Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it. With great affection I wish to stop for a moment and offer a method of preparing homilies. Some may find these suggestions self-evident, but I consider it helpful to offer them as a way of emphasizing the need to devote quality time to this precious ministry. Some pastors argue that such preparation is not possible given the vast number of tasks which they must perform; nonetheless, I presume to ask that each week a sufficient portion of personal and community time be dedicated to this task, even if less time has to be given to other important activities. Trust in the Holy Spirit who is at work during the homily is not merely passive but active and creative. It demands that we offer ourselves and all our abilities as instruments which God can use. A preacher who does not prepare is not “spiritual”; he is dishonest and irresponsible with the gifts he has received.

	Easter joke: As the funeral went through town, someone forgot to close the back door of the hearse. Before long the precious cargo had fallen out and went rolling down the street. It rolled into a chemist shop and the corpse sat up and asked: "Have you got anything to stop this coffin?"

	Australian Navy seizes $290 million of heroin off Kenya coast I have linked this story in a post about two new Tanzanian drug mules arrested recently at HK airport - at Jamii Forums c.f. Tanzania President (whose son is a drug lord?) calling for tighter airport security 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 This website's Hong Kong file (encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)


John W mini-Blog	No doubt people will see all sorts of significance in the fatal fall of the John Paul II statue in Italy (see story, above). Jesus, you who said to ask for anything, please let that man come back to life ... and attend the canonisation on Sunday!

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 26th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Xinjiang Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month





        Today's
Bible readings
        

        

        April
        25  Friday
        of Easter Week

        World Malaria Day

        


  
    
      
        

        Anzac
        Day 
        (Australia
        & New
        Zealand) 
        

        Anzac
        Day reflection 
        (John
        W, 2013)
        

        Why
        must a war define us?

        

        Today, Anzac Day, a good day to re-read

         Bishop
        Power's 2003 call for peace,

         when George Bush was in
        Australia




        

Fireplace Peter  
(c.f. today's
        Gospel)

Peter had denied Jesus three times, so Jesus got him to profess his love three times.
But there's more than the number three linking these two stories.
There's also the fact that both happened near a fire.
When Peter denied Jesus, Peter was warming himself near a fire.
When Jesus asked "Do you love me?", he was near a fire with fish cooking on it.

There's also the fact that both stories happened near dawn:
The denial story, which is profoundly tragic in mood, is set in the dark of night, just before the dawn is signaled by a cock. The profession of love scene, hope-filled and positive in mood, is set just after the dawn, in the increasing light of early morning.

Jesus chose this scene-of-the-crime setting to bring about a complete healing of memories in Peter's mind. To scrub every bit of charcoal from his heart. As the penny fell about being in a fire place for a second time, Peter might well have said "touché, Lord, you know I love you".

At the first fire, Peter "wept bitterly". The Gospel doesn't say it, but we might well expect that at the second fire Peter also cried - tears of joy and love as well as sorrow.

To bring about deeper healing and cleansing in our own minds and hearts, we can recall our own fireplaces and dawns, as we say with Peter and maybe with tears: "Lord, you know I love you. Lord, you know I love you. Lord, you know I love you".

	Bishop Robinson - 'John XXIII was one of the greatest popes' The peacemaker pope The politics of saint-making New papal saints have flaws as well as greatness	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

	South Sudan- supermodel draws world's attention to crisis at home

	Pope’s phone call to woman in irregular marriage: "OK to receive Communion" Married priests- Dublin's Archbishop Martin also 'open'

	Qatar maids detained by authorities after having passports confiscated

	Hockey warns of crisis without tough measures to cut budget spending ?????????? Pensions need to be cut ....but money available for fighter planes????? Government to spend $12 billion on 58 more next-generation F-35s

Pope Francis Full text	144. To speak from the heart means that our hearts must not just be on fire, but also enlightened by the fullness of revelation and by the path travelled by God’s word in the heart of the Church and our faithful people throughout history. This Christian identity, as the baptismal embrace which the Father gave us when we were little ones, makes us desire, as prodigal children – and favourite children in Mary – yet another embrace, that of the merciful Father who awaits us in glory. Helping our people to feel that they live in the midst of these two embraces is the difficult but beautiful task of one who preaches the Gospel.

	For Anzac Day: this poem written by my dear father at Tobruk in Libya, North Africa in 1942

	Disturbing news: two more Tanzanian men were arrested in the past two weeks on arrival at HK airport for drug trafficking. More details in Tanzania File soon 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 This website's Hong Kong file (encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)


John W mini-Blog	One more YouTube video of my previous life in China: Christmas Day Party in 2007 at the Marco Polo Centre Previous two videos are on menus of the last two days, below

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 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

Does anyone know who this "heretic" was?! To whom is Pope Francis referring?
Please let me know: jdwomi@gmail.com

"Many thinkers in the Church were persecuted, as well. I think of one, now, at this moment, not so far from us: a man of good will, a prophet indeed, who, in his writings reproached the Church for having lost the way of the Lord. He was summoned in short order, his books were placed on the index [the list of works that were banned or restricted to experts because of their problematic, erroneous and even heretical content], they took away his teaching positions – and thus, this man’s life ended – and it was not so long ago. [Now] time has passed, and today he is Blessed. How is it, though, that he, who yesterday was a heretic, is today a Blessed of the Church? It is because yesterday, those who had power wanted to silence him because they did not like what he was saying. Today the Church, who, thanks be to God knows (how to) repent, says, ‘No, this man is good!’. Moreover, he is on the way to sainthood: He is a Blessed.” - Pope Francis, homily of April 4, 2014





        April
        24  
        Thursday
        of Easter Week

        World Tuberculosis Day

        International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims

         


        

Today's
Bible readings

	A very disturbing article. Shame USA, shame, shame, shame! Retaliation Against Hunger Strikers at US prison	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`

	One man reflects on a drug war—and market—without end

	For Communism he was: The most dangerous enemy in the world On the other hand: Unsteady Halo: The Canonization of Pope John Paul II

	Bishops' border Mass may have epitomized a return to witness

A late April 1 joke???	Cardinal Bertone's lavish 6,500-square-foot Vatican apartment

	Brunei's Sharia law switch threatens Christianity

Pope Francis Full text	143. The challenge of an inculturated preaching consists in proclaiming a synthesis, not ideas or detached values. Where your synthesis is, there lies your heart. The difference between enlightening people with a synthesis and doing so with detached ideas is like the difference between boredom and heartfelt fervour. The preacher has the wonderful but difficult task of joining loving hearts, the hearts of the Lord and his people. The dialogue between God and his people further strengthens the covenant between them and consolidates the bond of charity. In the course of the homily, the hearts of believers keep silence and allow God to speak. The Lord and his people speak to one another in a thousand ways directly, without intermediaries. But in the homily they want someone to serve as an instrument and to express their feelings in such a way that afterwards, each one may chose how he or she will continue the conversation. The word is essentially a mediator and requires not just the two who dialogue but also an intermediary who presents it for what it is, out of the conviction that “what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake”

	Yesterday at Hei Ling Chau Drug Treatment Centre, an inmate asked about a book I promised to give him some weeks ago. When I checked my notebook, I found I'd forgotten his book, so I said sorry and promised to bring it next time ...to which he wittily replied in court room judicial language: "that's ok. I give you another chance"!

	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 This website's Hong Kong file (encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)


John W mini-Blog	On yesterday's blog, below, a video from China in 2005. Today, another video from China - English classes in Zhaoqing in 2007

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 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

China 'world's most Christian nation' in 15 years





        April
        23  
        Wednesday
        of Easter Week

        World
        Book and Copyright Day,

         English
        Language Day

        


        

Today's
Bible readings

YouTube of today's first reading:
Walking and leaping

Chris McDonnell
(Wed UK blogger)

Walking a dusty road together (A beautiful reflection on today's Gospel)

The Joy of the Gospel asks each one of us to walk beside others whose journey may be difficult and whose feet are sore. The arm to lean on, the hand on the shoulder, the attentive listening to their story, all are reflective of the Emmaus Road

atican 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
Reflections on the 16 documents
of Vatican II

Ethnic massacre in South Sudan
Rebels slaughtered hundreds of civilians when they seized the South Sudan oil hub of Bentiu, hunting down men, women and children who had sought refuge in a hospital, mosque and Catholic church, the United Nations said.
Let's keep SS in our daily prayers:
Jesus, Risen Lord, please give peace to South Sudan

Reflection of an inmate in a Hong Kong prison:
When a child is born
Often when a child fails, or does not live up to his parents’ expectations, they experience disappointment, forgetting that that ‘failure’ may well be the path to success. God, of course, has no plans for anyone to fail, but can use each failure as a lesson

Chicago police face overwhelming gun crime as 45 people shot over weekend (Jesus, please help US bite the bullet on gun laws)

Happy Birthday!

Frederick Ozanam An inspiration for people aged around 20!

Wealth inequality is back with a vengeance
In many developed countries the top 10 per cent, and even more worryingly the top 1 per cent, control an increasing proportion of their country's wealth

North Korea: the new generation losing faith in the regime

A plague of killer robots

Francis encountering curial opposition, cardinal says

Bishops need to be courageous, listen to the people
(re married men being ordained priests)

1984 Document criticised Tridentine Mass permission

Pope Francis

Full text

Words which set hearts on fire

142. Dialogue is much more than the communication of a truth. It arises from the enjoyment of speaking and it enriches those who express their love for one another through the medium of words. This is an enrichment which does not consist in objects but in persons who share themselves in dialogue.

A preaching which would be purely moralistic or doctrinaire, or one which turns into a lecture on biblical exegesis, detracts from this heart-to-heart communication which takes place in the homily and possesses a quasi-sacramental character: “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ”.

In the homily, truth goes hand in hand with beauty and goodness. Far from dealing with abstract truths or cold syllogisms, it communicates the beauty of the images used by the Lord to encourage the practise of good.

The memory of the faithful, like that of Mary, should overflow with the wondrous things done by God. Their hearts, growing in hope from the joyful and practical exercise of the love which they have received, will sense that each word of Scripture is a gift before it is a demand.

Three prisoners are being executed via firing squad. The police are about to execute the first one when he yells EARTHQUAKE!
The police go running and the prisoner escapes before the police realize there's no earthquake.
Right before they execute the second one, he yells TORNADO!
Of course, there is no tornado, but the prisoner escapes before the police reralize that.
It was the turn for the third to be executed. The police go "Readyyy... Aim..."....and the third man yells "FIRE!"

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

This website's Hong Kong file
(encouraging local drug addicts to come off drugs)

John W mini-Blog

The Easter Monday public holiday gave me a chance to catch up on a few things, one of which I've been meaning to do for some 9 years! - to put on line a 2005 TV video report of my team's work for the poor in Zhaoqing, China. The TV report is now linked at this file of photos of the visit. TV report is in Chinese, but its pictures are worth checking

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

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	`Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I. 胡頌恆神父` Email: jdwomi@gmail.com Hong Kong mobile (852) 6709 5674 China mobile 13030213703 - out of action for the time being Mail address: PO Box 74013 Kowloon Central Post Office, Kowloon , Hong Kong

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