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

HK, Macau, South Korea:
- Holiday for Buddha's Birthday

Tuesday May 6

Today's Bible Blog
a 4-course menu:
- who has only faulty material to work with?
- when I fear, I will _ r u _ t in you
- who fishes in troubled waters?
- Jesus' death is relevant like a parent's death

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

Tanzanian held over Sh500bn heroin haul - see below, "Drugs"

	Ron W. Nikkel (USA) Is Forgiveness Worth it? For us to see any worth in forgiving our offenders is to fix our eyes not on what the offender has done but on who the offender is as a human being bearing the image of God and infinitely loved by God.		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

	Cambodia plan poor policy It is not only bad policy but also unfair for the Government to send asylum seekers to a poor country like Cambodia when it is Australia that should be honouring its responsibilities

	China's embattled elite turning to 'decadent' superstitions c.f. Tables have turned on China's ex-security chief

	Catholic church leaders prepare for grilling by UN human rights panel

	To Bishops of Sri Lanka the Pope points to the Church as a living image of coexistence between the Sinhalese and Tamil

Pope Francis Full text Summary	155. In this effort we may (need to think of) some ordinary human experience such as a joyful reunion, a moment of disappointment, the fear of being alone, compassion at the sufferings of others, uncertainty about the future, concern for a loved one, and so forth. But we need to develop a broad and profound sensitivity to what really affects other people’s lives. Let us also keep in mind that we should never respond to questions that nobody asks. Nor is it fitting to talk about the latest news in order to awaken people’s interest; we have television programmes for that. It is possible, however, to start with some fact or story so that God’s word can forcefully resound in its call to conversion, worship, commitment to fraternity and service, and so forth. Yet there will always be some who readily listen to a preacher’s commentaries on current affairs, while not letting themselves be challenged.

		Did an Irish person help design the flag of India???

	Tanzanian held over Sh500bn heroin haul A Tanzanian national is among suspects seized over the record $312 million (about Sh500 billion) heroin intercepted by an Australian navy ship last month off the Kenyan coast 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	Last Sunday at Sheung Shui train station, as I stood having a drink and sandwich in my usual spot near the top of a staircase before going to nearby Lo Wu Womens' Prison, a phone company - Three - was having a sales promotion next to my spot. First time to see them there. A young local Chinese guy in charge of the promotion team saw me standing and spontaneously gave me a chair from their display area. I had not asked for the chair...in fact I had not even seen it. As they say in the movies: "What a nice man". Or, as Pope Francis says, acts of kindness are signs of God's presence in a big city. God bless the man and Three!

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 6th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hainan Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

This week (Monday May 5 to Friday May 9) I'm on the annual retreat for HK Oblates. We are at St Paul's House of Prayer in Sheung Shui, New Territories ....can see the skyscrapers of Shenzhen (in China) in the distance.

Thank you for a prayer this week ...and I'll say a special one each day for this website's readers. Menu will be in slim mode this week.

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Pope Francis Calls For 'New Mentality' On Vatican Finances

Monday May 5

Today's Bible Blog
a 4-course menu:
- when people used to want to have children
- we all need a daily shower
- the best form of government
- what's the shortest verse in the Bible?

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)	As Pentecost approaches As Pentecost approaches, I find myself musing about the marvellous events of over 2,000 years ago. Imagine, somewhere across the world, in Palestine, was a seemingly ordinary man, born of a seemingly ordinary woman, doing extraordinary things, like miracles, and preaching with what could only be described as divine wisdom	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

	This website's April 2014 statistics. God bless all kind readers! May this little website help us keep up with what is happening in society and in the Church ....and encourage us, following the example of Pope Francis, to do our bit in helping more people know and live by the joy of the Good News

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

Pope Francis Full text Summary	154. The preacher also needs to keep his ear to the people and to discover what it is that the faithful need to hear. A preacher has to contemplate the word, but he also has to contemplate his people. In this way he learns “of the aspirations, of riches and limitations, of ways of praying, of loving, of looking at life and the world, which distinguish this or that human gathering,” while paying attention “to actual people, to using their language, their signs and symbols, to answering the questions they ask”. He needs to be able to link the message of a biblical text to a human situation, to an experience which cries out for the light of God’s word. This interest has nothing to do with shrewdness or calculation; it is profoundly religious and pastoral. Fundamentally it is a “spiritual sensitivity for reading God’s message in events”, and this is much more than simply finding something interesting to say. What we are looking for is “what the Lord has to say in this or that particular circumstance”. Preparation for preaching thus becomes an exercise in evangelical discernment, wherein we strive to recognize – in the light of the Spirit – “a call which God causes to resound in the historical situation itself. In this situation, and also through it, God calls the believer”

	On a HK tea shirt ...English not so great, but excellent idea: Keep calm ... and lovely on (sic)

	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	Yesterday, the first Sunday of the month, I was at Lo Wu Womens' Prison for Mass ....and once again I came away with the feeling that women (apart from people who are dangerous to society) should not be put in prison. There should be some other way for them to make up for their mistakes. Putting them in prison produces more prisoners ....from their neglected families

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 5th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guizhou Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

May 4 Third Sunday of Easter

Readings of today's Mass

YouTube: The road to Emmaus in art

Reflection by Daniel Daring:
Jesus, the Anti-Depressant
They faced the setting sun setting and with the sun all their hope was sinking as well. There was night and darkness awaiting them. But something happened that changed everything, something that was not planned by them:
a stranger approached them and began to ask questions

World Press Freedom Day

Today an important day in China's history:
The May 4 Movement

On this day in 1942:
The Battle of the Coral Sea,
in which some 50,000 Americans died to protect Australia from invasion

Fr Harry Winter O.M.I. (USA) :
Pope Francis' letter The Joy of the Gospel, and EcumenismI may be reading too much into Francis' intention. But I'm convinced that the outcome of Protestant Evangelicals and Roman Catholics both studying this letter will push us into convergence regarding our daily encounter with Christ for the sake of sharing the Gospel.

Pope Francis:
Thank you Holy Spirit

Inspiring photos:

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

Hundreds missing after landslide consumes Afghan village
Whenever we hear of a tragedy like this, let's immediately pray:
Jesus, please help! "Lord, save us, we are perishing!"

Jesuit high schools in the age of Francis
- relevant for all Catholic institutions

A Lost Generation?
The authors declare at fault “the inability, and sometimes unwillingness of parents to model, teach and pass on the faith to their children. At precisely the same moment, older, more communal, taken-for-granted forms of religious practice and catechesis were eroding and sometimes collapsing in American Catholicism.”

A Little Thing Called the Pill
Swedish oncologist Hakan Olsson concluded that pill use before the age of 20 increases a young woman’s breast cancer risk by more than 1000 percent

Remembering the Nakba
- Israeli group puts 1948 Palestine back on the map

Pope: Church must manage assets with "transparency" and "efficiency"

Are married priests next on Pope Francis’ reform agenda?

Pope
Francis

Full text

Summary

153. In the presence of God, during a recollected reading of the text, it is good to ask, for example: “Lord, what does this text say to me? What is it about my life that you want to change by this text? What troubles me about this text? Why am I not interested in this? Or perhaps: What do I find pleasant in this text? What is it about this word that moves me? What attracts me? Why does it attract me?”

When we make an effort to listen to the Lord, temptations usually arise. One of them is simply to feel troubled or burdened, and to turn away. Another common temptation is to think about what the text means for other people, and so avoid applying it to our own life.

It can also happen that we look for excuses to water down the clear meaning of the text. Or we can wonder if God is demanding too much of us, asking for a decision which we are not yet prepared to make.

This leads many people to stop taking pleasure in the encounter with God’s word; but this would mean forgetting that no one is more patient than God our Father, that no one is more understanding and willing to wait. He always invites us to take a step forward, but does not demand a full response if we are not yet ready. He simply asks that we sincerely look at our life and present ourselves honestly before him, and that we be willing to continue to grow, asking from him what we ourselves cannot as yet achieve.

YouTube: Cats and dogs meeting babies for the first time
(5 million views)

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

Twice in the last four nights I've helped a woman who was sleeping on the streets to find accommodation. One woman was a local Chinese lady (her husband is in prison), the other a Sri Lanka asylum seeker (cruelly evicted by landlord). HK urgently needs emergency shelters, especially for women

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 4th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guangdong
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Check
these photos
of Pope !

Saturday May 3

Today's Bible Blog
a 4-course menu:
- c'mon!
- bankruptcy
- reaction
- stones

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

On tomorrow's menu (Sunday May 4): Fine article by Fr Harry Winter O.M.I. Pope Francis' letter "The Joy of the Gospel" and Ecumenism

Michael Kelly S.J.	Next item on the Catholic reform agenda - clerical celibacy c.f. Step forward for married men is giant step backward for women c.f. German priest asks pope to waive his vow of celibacy	The unjust treatment of Bishop Bill Morris Tribalism lives on, for better and for worse

	Hindu Shankara masters decry Narendra Modi

	Abbott and Hockey more Prince John than Robin Hood What Pope Francis thinks about Abbott's Audit

	Is minimum wage hike just a baby step? It is a "scandal that the richest country in the world has allowed over 23 million children in working poor families to become the norm."

	Concern grows over rise of Asian Buddhist fundamentalism ... Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand ....

	New era for Irish-Vatican relations as Kenny invites Francis to visit and Vatican lifts sanctions against censured priest

MH370 & Korean ferry	NCR's calling to report the eternal in time

Pope Francis Full text Summary	*Spiritual reading* 152. There is one particular way of listening to what the Lord wishes to tell us in his word and of letting ourselves be transformed by the Spirit. It is what we call lectio divina. It consists of reading God’s word in a moment of prayer and allowing it to enlighten and renew us. This prayerful reading of the Bible is not something separate from the study undertaken by the preacher to ascertain the central message of the text; on the contrary, it should begin with that study and then go on to discern how that same message speaks to his own life. The spiritual reading of a text must start with its literal sense. Otherwise we can easily make the text say what we think is convenient, useful for confirming us in our previous decisions, suited to our own patterns of thought. Ultimately this would be tantamount to using something sacred for our own benefit and then passing on this confusion to God’s people. We must never forget that sometimes “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”

	Joe Hockey says giant wind turbines are utterly offensive, but he is powerless to close those outside Canberra (in this story) (Sadly, Australian government is dirty about clean energy)

	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	May I encourage readers to check www.scmp.com this Sunday, May 4, for a feature story on the use of heroin in Hong Kong. Congratulations to the *South China Morning Post* for continuing to cover this most important story

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 3rd of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Gansu Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

YouTube:
David Garibaldi painting Jesus

Friday May 2

Today's Bible Blog
a 4-course menu:
- what to do about ruthless power-hungry people
- video of 2011 Cardinal Bergoglio hand-clapping Mass
- young people at wild alcohol parties
- Korean captain who abandoned ship before passengers

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

Coming up on menu of Sunday May 4: Fine article by Fr Harry Winter O.M.I. Pope Francis' letter "The Joy of the Gospel" and Ecumenism

	US shopper was reaching for a receipt inside a shopping bag when she found a letter pleading "HELP" - from a Cameroon prisoner who had been teaching English in China, and was in prison being forced to make bags	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

	Girls brave violence for their education in northern Nigeria

	Bishop urges government to put people first in economic debate

	Wu Wanping released after serving 20 years in prison. His crime: advocating an end to one-party rule

	U.S. conservatives frightened & confused by pope's moral world Conservatives squawk over pope's tweet on inequality

	Li's Africa trip 'not just about oil' Going to Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria

	Xi Jinping's visit to Xinjiang ends in attack that leaves three dead, 79 injured President pledges action on terrorism after attack

	Kenyatta signs marriage bill into law, legalising polygamy Men may marry as many women as they want. Women are not allowed to marry more than one man

	The Holy Soviet empire Animosity between the Russian Orthodox Church and the old Soviet Union seems forgotten in eastern Ukraine, where symbols mix to create a fascinating fusion identity

	Australian Church lashes plan to ship refugees to Cambodia

Pope Francis Full text Summary	151. We are not asked to be flawless, but to keep growing and wanting to grow as we advance along the path of the Gospel; our arms must never grow slack. What is essential is that the preacher be certain that God loves him, that Jesus Christ has saved him and that his love always has the last word. Encountering such beauty, he will often feel that his life does not glorify God as it should, and he will sincerely desire to respond more fully to so great a love. Yet if he does not take time to hear God’s word with an open heart, if he does not allow it to touch his life, to challenge him, to impel him, and if he does not devote time to pray with that word, then he will indeed be a false prophet, a fraud, a shallow impostor. But by acknowledging his poverty and desiring to grow in his commitment, he will always be able to abandon himself to Christ, saying in the words of Peter: “I have no silver and gold, but what I have I give you”. The Lord wants to make use of us as living, free and creative beings who let his word enter their own hearts before then passing it on to others. Christ’s message must truly penetrate and possess the preacher, not just intellectually but in his entire being. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the word, “today, just as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led by him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find by himself”.

	On the back of a plumber's vehicle: Old plumbers never die - they just go down the drain

	Drugs and weapons seized in raids on homes in Australia Nigerian detainee accused of running drugs ring from inside Australian immigration detention centre 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	After reading the story of Gideon a few days ago, I understood a little bit more of a basic message: success (..not talking about exams...!) doesn't depend on numbers but on the Lord. Which principle applies to all sorts of areas in our lives ....even to this little website!

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 2nd of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Fujian Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Solitary Nation (PBS documentary)
Jesus, please bless the leaders who are trying
to stop the madness that is US incarceration

May Day - International Workers' Day

Thursday May 1

Readings for Mass of St Joseph the Worker

A: God finished his work of creation

B: Offer up your work as a prayer

Psalm: Lord, bless the work of our hands

Gospel: Jesus the son of a worker, a carpenter
(also Son of The Worker, the Father!)

Prayer: Dear Jesus, please bless all workers, and help us offer our work as a prayer

	Peter J Wilkinson: The Francis Effect: Joy and Fresh Hope? Talk to Spirituality in the Pub Meeting, Sandringham, 23 April 2014 I would like to talk about the pastoral leadership charism of Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome: how we have recognized it, where it is leading him, how he is using it to lead the Church of our times, and how I would assess his achievements to date	This site's full statistics for April 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`

	Sultan of Brunei unveils strict sharia penal code - starts today (... check the bags under sultan's eyes ...?)

	Kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls taken as brides by militants, relatives told

	John Allen: Sainthood for two popes more Woodstock than World’s Fair

	Oklahoma Botches Clayton Lockett's Execution

	Australia edges closer to a refugee deal with Cambodia (this is shameful....bribing one of the world's poorest countries)

	Chilean cardinals close to pope stained by abuse cover-ups

Pope Francis Full text	150. Jesus was angered by those supposed teachers who demanded much of others, teaching God’s word but without being enlightened by it: “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves will not lift a finger to move them”. The apostle James exhorted: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness”. Whoever wants to preach must be the first to let the word of God move him deeply and become incarnate in his daily life. In this way preaching will consist in that activity, so intense and fruitful, which is “communicating to others what one has contemplated”. For all these reasons, before preparing what we will actually say when preaching, we need to let ourselves be (seasoned) by that word which will also (season) others, for it is a living and active word, like a sword “which pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. This has great pastoral importance. Today too, people prefer to listen to witnesses: they “thirst for authenticity” and “call for evangelizers to speak of a God whom they themselves know and are familiar with, as if they were seeing him”.

	Mississippi weather man flees studio during tornado - video Labor Day joke: Journalist to Pope John XXIII: how many people work here at the Vatican? John 23 to journalist: about half of them

	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	More than one of the recent "Near Death Experience" books speak about encountering God as "unconditional love". "Unconditional" = "no conditions" = "no matter how well or badly you treat me, I will treat you well". Our usual love is very conditional: "he/she was unkind to me, therefore I'll avoid them in the future". Maybe the translation of 1 John 4.8 should be translated as "God is unconditional love", rather than "God is love"

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 1st of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Anhui Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

In "Mickey's Magical Christmas" there is a 20 minute cartoon version of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. The cartoon is excellent for all ages from upper primary ....and in an enjoyable way helps people appreciate and remember Dickens' message of compassion and justice for the poor - a message our world of today urgently needs to hear.
(HK readers welcome to borrow
my copy of this video!)

See this new Eureka Street article:
Dickens' song for the poor

International Jazz Day !

Wednesday April 30

Today's Bible Blog
a 4-course menu:
- "what do we want?" ...good leaders!
- 2 YouTube songs from the one psalm!
- best way to pray for "enemies"
- world's best-ever Leader

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

Chris McDonnell
(Wed UK blogger)

Ecce homo

In the early days of the Church, the cross as a symbol did not feature the figure of the Christ, but still became the sign of the Christian people. Early figures showed, not a Christ in suffering but a Risen Christ triumphant, a majestic Christ, in front of the cross and that image is again evident in some churches

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
Reflections on the 16 documents
of Vatican II

George Monbiot: The Shooting Party

So now you might have to buy your own crutches, but you’ll get your shotgun subsidised by the state

Politics in India still a man’s game

Francis' emphasis on social justice ‘could alienate US evangelicals’

Pope Francis

Full text

149. The preacher “ought first of all to develop a great personal familiarity with the word of God. Knowledge of its linguistic or exegetical aspects, though certainly necessary, is not enough. He needs to approach the word with a docile and prayerful heart so that it may deeply penetrate his thoughts and feelings and bring about a new outlook in him”.

It is good for us to renew our fervour each day and every Sunday as we prepare the homily, examining ourselves to see if we have grown in love for the word which we preach.

Nor should we forget that “the greater or lesser degree of the holiness of the minister has a real effect on the proclamation of the word”. As Saint Paul says, “we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts”.

If we have a lively desire to be the first to hear the word which we must preach, this will surely be communicated to God’s faithful people, for “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”. The Sunday readings will resonate in all their brilliance in the hearts of the faithful if they have first done so in the heart of their pastor.

How a prisoner coordinated a Tanzania bank robbery !

Australia's drug trade at record high

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

Charles Dickens - some people say his novels spared England from having a French Revolution ....by influencing society to change peacefully to have more compassion for the poor. Everything written about him is worth reading - like the new Eureka Street article above on today's menu - because all his writing has the theme of compassion and justice for the poor ....which our present world urgently needs

On this 30th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shanghai & Tianjin
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

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

	Ron W. Nikkel: 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

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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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