"Same-sex marriage" file

Islam File    The New Translation

II. THE WISDOM OF THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS

65 (a): Without repeating the entire theology of creation, we can ask what the great biblical narratives say about the relationship of human beings with the world.

 In the first creation account in the Book of Genesis, God’s plan includes creating humanity. After the creation of man and woman, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good” (Gen 1:31). 
The Bible teaches that every man and woman is created out of love and made in God’s image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26). 

This shows us the immense dignity of each person, “who is not just something, but someone. He/she is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself/herself and entering into communion with other persons”.[37]

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

One way to show more care for creation is to make an effort to read a bit of Laudato Si each day! Hope many readers are joining me in this venture. And then let's try to put the Pope's ideas into practice

Francis' day to pray underlines priority for environment

Today is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Heavenly Father, thank you for this beautiful world. Please help us humans take better care of it. 

Lord, may the growing globalization of indifference and selfishness be replaced by a spreading spirit of compassion and care.

Numbers 1-5

A census was taken of all the men aged twenty years and above.

The twelve tribes were told to pitch their tents all around the Sacred Tent site.

Each time they moved to a new place and pitched their tents, 
they would do so in the place allocated to each tribe. 

Dear God, may our homes never be too far from a church

Psalm 102

O Lord, listen to my prayer in my distress. Do not hide your face from me.

For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones burn away like a fire.

I forget to eat my bread. My skin clings to my bones.

All day long my foes revile me.
Those who hate me use my name as a curse.

But you, O Lord, will endure for ever. You will arise and have mercy on Sion.

You will hear the groans of the prisoners, and free those condemned to die.

I pray to you: "Do not take me away before my time has come,
you whose days last from age to age.

Lord, please help people who are in great distress 

Recording

Revelation 21.5-8

Then the One sitting on the throne said "Now I am making the whole of creation new. I am the Beginning and the End

I give Eternal Life to all  who die in my friendship

But for those whose evil deeds have removed themselves from my friendship, there is Eternal Death"

Jesus, have mercy on people who are rejecting your friendship

Recording

Recommended: check these readings early morning, think about them during the day, check them again at night. This habit gives us extra energy, courage, motivation, peace and compassion for each day 

 Matthew 27.57-66

Joseph from Arimathaea was a rich man who had become a disciple of Jesus. After Jesus died on Friday, he asked Governor Pilate for Jesus' body.

Joseph wrapped the body in a clean burial cloth and put it in his own new tomb in a rock cave. He then put a large stone at the cave's entrance.

The next day, Saturday,  the religious leaders went to Pilate and said "This imposter said he would rise from the dead after 3 days. Therefore you should secure the tomb in case his disciples steal the body and say he has risen from the dead".

Pilate gave them a guard and told them to secure the tomb. The guards took up their position at the tomb, and seals were put on the entrance stone.

Jesus in the tomb, please give eternal life to all who have died

Recording

Australia's deal to resettle asylum seekers in Cambodia goes flat
“In finding unprincipled partners for dirty deal-making, Australia and Cambodia seem well suited for each other. But as for refugee protection, this pair makes a mockery of the humanitarian spirit and purpose of the Refugee Convention and puts lives at grave risk”

All children should be removed from Nauru detention, Senate inquiry finds

Video

Need to beware as Tanzania Cyber Law takes effect today
So, this website can now be punished for naming and shaming government officials involved in drug trafficking?! (As can any media in any part of the world for criticizing corrupt Tanzanian officials?)

What did the bishop achieve?
"It shows once again that the people are ahead of the priests, the priests are ahead of the bishops and the bishops, caught in the nineteenth century, are either out of touch or in abject denial."

 105. Youth ministry, as traditionally organized, has also suffered the impact of social changes. Young people often fail to find responses to their concerns, needs, problems and hurts in the usual structures. 

As adults, we find it hard to listen patiently to them, to appreciate their concerns and demands, and to speak to them in a language they can understand. For the same reason, our efforts in the field of education do not produce the results expected. 

The rise and growth of associations and movements mostly made up of young people can be seen as the work of the Holy Spirit, who blazes new trails to meet their expectations and their search for a deep spirituality and a more real sense of belonging.

 There remains a need, however, to ensure that these associations actively participate in the Church’s overall pastoral efforts.

Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:

Sun: Africa        Mon: Europe & Russia     Tues: South Asia      Wed: East Asia  
Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific       Frid: South America       Sat: Central & North America 
  
Jesus, today, Tuesday, please bless the people of South Asia

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 1st of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Anwei

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 1st of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Congo

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, please pacify Boko Haram 

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 HK Asylum Seekers' File
(stopping South Asians from being "people smuggled" to HK)

"Same-sex marriage" file

Islam File    The New Translation

64. Furthermore, although this Encyclical welcomes dialogue with everyone so that together we can seek paths of liberation, I would like from the outset to show how faith convictions can offer Christians, and other believers as well, ample motivation to care for nature and for the most vulnerable of their brothers and sisters.

If the simple fact of being human moves people to care for the environment of which they are a part, Christians in their turn “realize that their responsibility within creation, and their duty towards nature and the Creator, are an essential part of their faith”.[36] 

It is good for humanity and the world at large when we believers better recognize the ecological commitments which stem from our convictions.

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

Tomorrow, Sep 1: World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation - a day for reflection on ‘the adoption of appropriate lifestyles’

Pope to lead liturgy for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Yesterday I watched this 2001 video The Dark Side of Fast Food: Why Does It Makes  You Sick / Fat / Tired, a talk by investigative journalist Eric Schlosser that examines the local and global influence of the United States fast food industry.

Talk is based on Schlosser's 2001 book Fast Food Nation

After watching above video, especially its second half, and hearing facts about the dangers of fast food, and hearing how McD's in particular targets children, and how obesity among children is linked to fast food ....I think I'll be avoiding McDonald's from now on if I can

Leviticus 26-27

God's words through Moses:

"If you  keep my commandments
I will bless you in every way:

- you will have rain at the right time
- the earth shall give its produce
- your land will know peace
- you will be fruitful and multiply
- I will be in your midst: I will be your God, and you shall be my people.

But if you ignore my words and break my commandments
- you will have no peace
- there will be no rain
- the earth shall not yield its produce
- sickness and pestilence will afflict you
- you will be scattered among the nations".

Dear God,  please help us to keep your commandments

My recording of this reading

Psalm  101  

My song is of mercy and justice.
I sing to you, O Lord.

I will try to walk with blameless heart. I will try to give my attention to what is good, not what is bad.

People who slander others, people of proud looks, these will not be my friends.

People who are good and do good, these will be my friends.

Dear Lord, please help me to avoid bad company

Recording

Revelation 21.1-4

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea

I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband

I heard a voice call from the throne: "You see this city? Here God lives among people. He will make his home among them. They shall be his people. He will be their God. His name is God-with-them

He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more sadness. The world of the past has gone

Jesus, may the thought of heaven give us courage here on earth

Recording

Matthew 27.45-54

Jesus was put on the cross about 9am. From about noon until 3pm there was darkness over all the land.

About 3pm Jesus cried out the words of Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

A little while later he again cried out in a loud voice. Then he died.

At that moment the holy curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom,  and there was a violent earthquake.

The Roman soldiers were terrified. Their leader called out "Truly this was a son of God".

Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for the salvation of the world

Recording

Click to enlarge:

Darlene Starrs (Blogger from Canada)

Jesus reveals who He is….
The rejection of the truth and the truthful person, or prophet occurs frequently in secular and church life.

As the Communist Party wages a war on history, it would do well to examine its own

'Huge strategic victory for China'
China completes construction of an archipelago of artificial islands in South China Sea

103. The Church acknowledges the indispensable contribution which women make to society through the sensitivity, intuition and other distinctive skill sets which they, more than men, tend to possess.

 I think, for example, of the special concern which women show to others, which finds a particular, even if not exclusive, expression in motherhood. I readily acknowledge that many women share pastoral responsibilities with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering new contributions to theological reflection. 

But we need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church. Because “the feminine genius is needed in all expressions in the life of society, the presence of women must also be guaranteed in the workplace” and in the various other settings where important decisions are made, both in the Church and in social structures.

10 years ago 

2005-08-30 CAS overseas staff for this semester + 2005-08-31 Louis' 25th & goodbye Amy

2005-08-27 Saturday night meal with the poor at Marco Polo + special guests Steve & Brenda

He was famous for his gentle sarcasm, such as "You should eat more fish. It's good for the brain."  So ...at the end of one year, his students presented him with an engraved tin of salmon!
- in tribute to the late Fr John Cranley O.M.I. (whose gentle sarcasm helped me pass many an exam) 
- from this M.A.M.I. newsletter , which also has a tribute to the late Fr Michael Clarke O.M.I. who taught me how to use classroom games and competitions as a way of motivating students

Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:

Sun: Africa        Mon: Europe & Russia     Tues: South Asia      Wed: East Asia  
Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific       Frid: South America       Sat: Central & North America 
  
Jesus, today, Monday,  please bless the people of Europe & Russia

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 31st of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tianjin

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 31st of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Nepal

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, please pacify ISIS 

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 HK Asylum Seekers' File
(stopping South Asians from being "people smuggled" to HK)

"Same-sex marriage" file

Islam File    The New Translation
   

61. On many concrete questions, the Church has no reason to offer a definitive opinion; she knows that honest debate must be encouraged among experts, while respecting divergent views. But we need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair.

Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems. 

But we can see signs that things are now reaching a breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and degradation; these are evident in large-scale natural disasters as well as social and even financial crises, for the world’s problems cannot be analyzed or explained in isolation. 

There are regions now at high risk and, aside from all doomsday predictions, the present world system is certainly unsustainable from a number of points of view, for we have stopped thinking about the goals of human activity. “If we scan the regions of our planet, we immediately see that humanity has disappointed God’s expectations”.[35]

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

The Globalization of the Technocratic Paradigm  (Phyllis Zagano)
Somehow, video is more "real" than the next door neighbor, and captures our attention to the decline of personal relationships

如何照顧人類共同的家園

1. 「我主啊，祢應受讚美」，亞西西的聖方濟這樣唱。這首美麗的歌、叫我們記起，我們共同的家，也是我們的姊妹，我們與她共生共存，她像一個美麗的母親把我們抱在她的懷裡：「我主啊，祢應受讚美，為了我們的姊妹、大地母親，她供養我們，管理我們，生產各種各樣的果實，和五顏六色的花和草」

Great news! An unofficial Chinese translation of Laudato Si is now available! 

The official translation will probably take another year (..groan..), but for now the unofficial translation can be used.

The Chinese title is 我主應受讚美 ("My Lord should indeed receive praise"). 

From today, this Chinese text is linked with the full English text, at left. God bless the hard-working people who made this translation!

Leviticus 21-23

God's words through Moses:

"Regard the priests as holy, for they offer holy sacrifice.

Keep the sacred festivals:
- every Sabbath
- the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread
- the First Sheaf
- the Feast of Weeks
- the first day of the seventh month
- the Day of Atonement
- the Feast of Tabernacles".

Dear God, thank you for special worship days and seasons 

My recording of this reading

Psalm  99

The Lord is king.  He is great in Sion. His power is seen throughout the world.

Among his priests were Aaron, Moses and Samuel. They prayed to the Lord and he answered their call.

Let peoples everywhere praise his name. He is holy, full of power.

 Lord, may all peoples know and love you 

Recording

Revelation 19.1-9

After this I heard the sound of a huge crowd in heaven singing: "Alleluia! Victory and glory and power to our God!"

The sound of the crowd  was like the sound of the ocean or the roar of thunder as they called out:

"Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God the Almighty has begun.
Let us be glad and joyful, and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb"

And an angel said "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb"

Jesus, even on this earth, may I start to hear the sounds of heaven

Recording

Matthew  27.32-44

As Jesus was taken to the place of crucifixion, a man name Simon, from Cyrene, was made to carry Jesus' cross.

Jesus was then nailed to the cross and hung on the cross. Two robbers were crucified with him,
one on his right and one on his left.

Above Jesus' head was a sign with the charge against him: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews".

People passing by that place made fun of Jesus. So did the religious leaders. They mocked and taunted him.

Jesus on the Cross, thank you for suffering so much for the salvation of the world

Recording

AFP tried to stop 40 Australians from being duped into becoming drug mules by scammers

Xi Jinping Rewrites History
False memory syndrome: Mao the victor over the Japanese

From archives of this website:

100. Those wounded by historical divisions find it difficult to accept our invitation to forgiveness and reconciliation, since they think that we are ignoring their pain or are asking them to give up their memory and ideals.

But if they see the witness of authentically fraternal and reconciled communities, they will find that witness luminous and attractive. 

It always pains me greatly to discover how some Christian communities, and even consecrated persons, can tolerate different forms of enmity, division, calumny, defamation, vendetta, jealousy and the desire to impose certain ideas at all costs, even to persecutions which appear as veritable witch hunts. Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?

Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:

Sun: Africa        Mon: Europe & Russia     Tues: South Asia      Wed: East Asia  
Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific       Frid: South America       Sat: Central & North America 
  
Jesus, today, Friday,  please bless the people of South America

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 28th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Beijing

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 28th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Lesotho

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, on this Muslim day of prayer, please bless all Muslims!

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 HK Asylum Seekers' File
(stopping South Asians from being "people smuggled" to HK)

	Below are some more pages from this most important book. Today: the story of China's biggest Africa contract -  with Congo
I have now finished reading "China's Silent Army" and I highly recommend it - especially for readers in Africa. The book is a wake-up call to how Beijing is harming so many parts of the world. See Guardian review:  A powerful piece of investigative journalism (with photo of Congo coal mine!)

"Same-sex marriage" file

Islam File    The New Translation

60. We need to acknowledge that different approaches and lines of thought have emerged regarding this situation and its possible solutions.

At one extreme, we find those who doggedly uphold the myth of progress and tell us that ecological problems will solve themselves simply with the application of new technology and without any need for ethical considerations or deep change.

At the other extreme are those who view men and women and all their interventions as no more than a threat, jeopardizing the global ecosystem, and consequently the presence of human beings on the planet should be reduced and all forms of intervention prohibited. 

Viable future scenarios will have to be generated between these extremes, since there is no one path to a solution. This makes a variety of proposals possible, all capable of entering into dialogue with a view to developing comprehensive solutions.

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

Catholic teachers eager to dive into papal encyclical
(This is good! ... "must read")

TVB:  People seeking refuge in Hong Kong have rights

This TV report gives the latest figures for asylum seekers now in HK ....and mentions how cash-strapped asylum seekers are being drawn into illegal work and more serious criminal activities to get money. 
As this situation continues to deteriorate, my hope is that the government will order a judicial inquiry ...an inquiry that will make practical recommendations to end the chaos. Two possible recommendations - 1: shut the door (no more allowed) - 2: then do something for the 10,000 trapped here. c.f. Time to shut door

Leviticus 19

God's words through Moses:

"Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

Honor your father and mother.

The Sabbath must be a holy day.

When you collect from harvest or vine, leave something for the poor and the stranger.

Be just, honest and truthful in your relationships.

Do not let hatred live in your heart".

Dear God, please help me live according to your sacred word

My recording of this reading

Psalm 98

Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand has brought salvation.

The Lord has made known his salvation. He has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy.

Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp, with the sound of music. Let the sea, the world and all peoples acclaim the King, the Lord.

Let the rivers clap their hands
and the hills ring out their joy at the presence of the Lord, for he comes to rule the earth.

He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.

Lord, may all peoples in all countries know your love and goodness

Recording

Revelation 18.1-4

I saw another angel, shouting at the top of his voice:

"Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. Gone for ever, never to return, is your life of magnificence and ease"

Another voice spoke from heaven:

"Come out, my people, away from Babylon, so that you do not experience her punishment"

Jesus, please help us not be contaminated by worldly values

Recording

Matthew 27.27-31

After the Roman soldiers scourged Jesus, they made fun of him:
- they put a red cloak on him.
- they made a crown out of thorns.
- they put a reed in his right hand.

Then they knelt in front of him saying "Hail, king of the Jews".

They spat on him.

They took the reed and hit him with it.

When they had finished making fun of him, they dressed him  in his own clothes and led him away to crucify him.

Jesus, please don't let me hurt other people by making fun of them

Recording

Man arrested over murder in Yau Ma Tei  - only a few minutes from my home. I passed this scene early yesterday morning on way home from Mass at St Paul's YMT.  May the dear woman R.I.P.  ....and I'll try to visit the man in prison in the near future

In Nigeria, Boko Haram is an equal opportunity terrorist group
Scholars insist the Islamic extremists are motivated by political, not religious, convictions, killing Muslims as well as Christians. But the Catholics whose relatives have been slaughtered don't buy it.

Famous Chinese Christians

Mainland flexes muscle on Hong Kong pastor

Joan Chittister

Two paths to peace:  the secular and the sacred
In 1953, according to CIA documentation, the CIA and the British MI6 removed democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh from office in order to give Shah Reza Pahlavi the power to stop Iran from nationalizing their oil fields.

A global community that offers people the chance to learn, connect, engage, travel and cherish life for the purpose of creating a sustainable future that works for all:
Pachamama Alliance

99. Our world is being torn apart by wars and violence, and wounded by a widespread individualism which divides human beings, setting them against one another as they pursue their own well-being. In various countries, conflicts and old divisions from the past are re-emerging.

 I especially ask Christians in communities throughout the world to offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternal communion. Let everyone admire how you care for one another, and how you encourage and accompany one another: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

 This was Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to the Father: “That they may all be one... in us... so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). Beware of the temptation of jealousy! We are all in the same boat and headed to the same port! Let us ask for the grace to rejoice in the gifts of each, which belong to all.

Beijing has chosen one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world for the biggest contract it has signed in Africa.
The pitfalls of the "contract of the century" between Congo and China:

Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:

Sun: Africa        Mon: Europe & Russia     Tues: South Asia      Wed: East Asia  
Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific       Frid: South America       Sat: Central & North America 
  
Jesus, today, Thursday,  please bless the people of S.E. Asia & Pacific

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 27th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tibet

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 27th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Uganda

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, please pacify Al-Qaeda

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 HK Asylum Seekers' File
(stopping South Asians from being "people smuggled" to HK)

    "Same-sex marriage" file

Islam File    The New Translation

59. At the same time we can note the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness. 

As often occurs in periods of deep crisis which require bold decisions, we are tempted to think that what is happening is not entirely clear.

Superficially, apart from a few obvious signs of pollution and deterioration, things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time. 

Such evasiveness serves as a licence to carrying on with our present lifestyles and models of production and consumption.

This is the way human beings contrive to feed their self-destructive vices: trying not to see them, trying not to acknowledge them, delaying the important decisions and pretending that nothing will happen.

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

Once-Rogue Forestry Giant Goes Green in Indonesia
Asia Pulp & Paper tries out ecosystem restoration 

Tanzania should do its bit on climate change

	Last week I started reading The Promise of a Pencil. For people who believe in helping the poor, this book has a really  powerful message
Page 43 tells how Adam, an American, was heavily influenced by Scott Neeson a  Scottish born Australian film executive turned philanthropist, and Executive Director of the Cambodian Children's Fund. People like Braun and Neeson are living inspirations calling our greedy world away from what Pope Francis calls "the globalization of indifference"

YouTube: Adam Braun on THE PROMISE OF A PENCIL

Leviticus 18

Do not marry a close relative. Do not have sex during time of menstruation. Do not practise sodomy. Do not have sex with an animal.

Dear God, please help us to respect the gift of sex

Psalm 97

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
the many coastlands be glad.

Cloud and darkness are his robes.
His throne is justice and goodness.

The skies proclaim his goodness.
All peoples see his glory.

Let those who serve idols be ashamed. Let all creation worship  the Creator.

Light shines forth for good people
and joy for the upright of heart.

Rejoice in the Lord, all good people. Give glory to his holy name.

Lord, you indeed are God of the universe

Recording

Revelation 15.1-4

Then I saw something great and wonderful: those who had fought against the beast and won, were singing the Song of the Lamb:

"Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God almighty. Just and true are all your ways, King of nations. All nations will come and adore you"

Jesus, may all the nations of the earth adore you

Recording

Matthew 27.1-26

Early in the morning, the religious leaders had Jesus bound with ropes. They then took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

The leaders accused Jesus of many crimes. To the governor's amazement, Jesus remained silent.

The leaders persuaded the crowd to demand the execution of Jesus. They called out to Pilate "Crucify him".

Pilate asked "Why? What has he done wrong?" The crowd shouted all the louder "Crucify him. Crucify him".

Pilate then washed his hands in front of the crowd and said "I am innocent of this man's blood". The crowd shouted "His blood be on us and on our children".

Pilate then ordered Jesus to be scourged and crucified.

Jesus,  help people who are condemned to death

Recording

Chris McDonnell (Wed UK blogger) 

Roger of Taize: May 1915 – August 2005
His reception of the Eucharistic Christ is well documented. It was a natural continuation of his personal search for a Christian unity where the intention and understanding over-rides rules, seeking a deeper faith that is life-giving. The forthcoming Synod would do well to be reminded of his example. 

John Allen

c.f. Michael Moore's revealing documentary: Sicko

Smuggling fears amid HK asylum surge

98. How many wars take place within the people of God and in our different communities! In our neighbourhoods and in the workplace, how many wars are caused by envy and jealousy, even among Christians! 

Spiritual worldliness leads some Christians to war with other Christians who stand in the way of their quest for power, prestige, pleasure and economic security.

Some are even no longer content to live as part of the greater Church community but stoke a spirit of exclusivity, creating an “inner circle”. Instead of belonging to the whole Church in all its rich variety, they belong to this or that group which thinks itself different or special.

Chaos after wife spots husband and mistress at a China football match on live TV

Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:

Sun: Africa        Mon: Europe & Russia     Tues: South Asia      Wed: East Asia  
Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific       Frid: South America       Sat: Central & North America 
  
Jesus, today, Wednesday,  please bless the people of East Asia

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 26th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Xinjiang

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 26th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Togo

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, please pacify Al-Shabaab 

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 HK Asylum Seekers' File
(stopping South Asians from being "people smuggled" to HK)

   "Same-sex marriage" file

Islam File    The New Translation

58. In some countries, there are positive examples of environmental improvement: rivers, polluted for decades, have been cleaned up; native woodlands have been restored; landscapes have been beautified thanks to environmental renewal projects; beautiful buildings have been erected; advances have been made in the production of non-polluting energy and in the improvement of public transportation. 

These achievements do not solve global problems, but they do show that men and women are still capable of intervening positively. 

For all our limitations, gestures of generosity, solidarity and care cannot but well up within us, since we were made for love.

--------------------
   
'The ocean is broken' Nothing could have prepared Ivan for the garbage all around him as he sailed the Pacific

In January when I visited Tanzania, at one stage I was very near Kilimanjaro 

80% of Kilimanjaro snow lost 
- because of global warming, forest fires and increasing human activities

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

Expedition sheds light on Pacific garbage

Leviticus 16-17

Instructions for the annual Day of Atonement:

Once a year Aaron or his successor must wear special vestments, and enter the sanctuary  past the veil.

Then he is to offer two goats to pray for atonement for the whole community of Israel.

One goat will be sacrificed in the Temple; the other is to be set free to go out into the desert - a symbol of the people's sins being carried away. 
(this story gives us the English word: "scapegoat")

Dear God, please forgive us,  and help us to forgive others

My recording of this reading

Recommended: check these readings early morning, think about them during the day, check them again at night. This habit gives us extra energy, courage, motivation, peace and compassion for each day

Psalm 96

O sing a new song to the Lord. Sing to the Lord, all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day. Tell among the nations his glory, and his wonders among all the peoples.

It was the Lord who made the heavens. Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and honor.

Bring an offering and enter his temple. Worship the Lord in his sacred place.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad. Let the sea and all within it thunder praise.

Let the land and all it bears rejoice, all the trees of the forest shout for joy.

Everyone and everything, give the Lord glory and honor.

Lord, you are our Creator. We love and praise you

Recording

Revelation 14.6-13

I saw an angel flying high in the sky,  sent to announce the Good News of eternity to every nation, race, language and tribe

He was calling: "Honor God and praise him. Worship the maker of heaven and earth and sea. The time has come for him to judge the world"

A voice from heaven said to me
"Happy are those who are the Lord's friends when they die. Now they can rejoice for ever,
since their good deeds go with them"

Jesus, may I live, grow and die in your friendship

Recording

 Matthew 26.69-75

Peter went to the place where the religious leaders had Jesus on trial.
A young woman in the courtyard of the place  said to him "You are a friend of the Galilean".

In front of the woman and people around her Peter said "I don't know what you're talking about".

Peter went to the gateway of the place, where another woman said to people around her "This man is a friend of the Galilean". Peter replied strongly "I don't know the man".

Not long after this a group of people said to Peter "You are his friend. We can tell by your Galilean accent".

Then Peter even more strongly replied "I do not know the man".

At that very moment, a rooster crowed. Peter remembered Jesus' words "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times".   Peter went outside and wept loudly.

Jesus, please help me not to deny you. Give me courage to say "I am a Christian"

Recording

Wave of Vietnamese seeking illegal employment

From a reader in Australia

ABC Foreign Correspondent documentary:
China - Tales of a City
A diving stock market, a wobbling economy and a new security crackdown: where is China heading? Tapping into voices you’ve never heard, Stephen McDonell reports on the changing face of the superpower.

 Thai turmoil continues

97. Those who have fallen into this worldliness look on from above and afar, they reject the prophecy of their brothers and sisters, they discredit those who raise questions, they constantly point out the mistakes of others and they are obsessed by appearances.

Their hearts are open only to the limited horizon of their own immanence and interests, and as a consequence they neither learn from their sins nor are they genuinely open to forgiveness. 

This is a tremendous corruption disguised as a good. We need to avoid it by making the Church constantly go out from herself, keeping her mission focused on Jesus Christ, and her commitment to the poor.

God save us from a worldly Church with superficial spiritual and pastoral trappings!

This stifling worldliness can only be healed by breathing in the pure air of the Holy Spirit who frees us from self-centredness cloaked in an outward religiosity bereft of God. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the Gospel!

My regular article in today's Ming Pao newspaper
with the topic: Explosives: Tianjin and Hong Kong 
is on Ming Pao website - click "Australian in HK".
Free access to article with recording today from about noon to 8pm HK time. Text without recording 

Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:

Sun: Africa        Mon: Europe & Russia     Tues: South Asia      Wed: East Asia  
Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific       Frid: South America       Sat: Central & North America 
  
Jesus, today, Tuesday,  please bless the people of South Asia

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

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 25th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Comoros

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, please pacify Boko Haram 

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 HK Asylum Seekers' File
(stopping South Asians from being "people smuggled" to HK)