Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

A new problem facing us "oldies":  yesterday in the after lunch break of the OMI annual retreat in Sheung Shui, I walked 25 mins to (and then 25 mins back from) a nearby seniors home where retired OMIs Fr John Chai and Fr Stan Sun live. I joined them at 2.30 for their afternoon tea ....at which one of the staff kindly gave me a cup of tea and something to eat....at which I had the thought "Does she know I'm a visitor or does she think I live here?"! 

The problem: being mistaken for a resident when visiting a seniors' home!

1 Maccabees 8

Judas had heard about the Romans: how they had conquered many lands and yet acted in a friendly way to other nations.

Judas therefore sent representatives to Rome and an alliance was agreed to with the Romans.

Judas' aim was to obtain protection and peace for Israel.

Dear God, may peace and justice be the aim of all leaders

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path. He is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil. My cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

Thank you, Lord, for being my good shepherd

Recording 

Ephesians 6.18-24

Pray all the time, asking for what you need.

Pray in the Spirit on every possible occasion.

Never tire of praying.

Pray for me that I may proclaim the Good News boldly

Grace and eternal life to everyone who loves our Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus, help me to put Paul's teaching into practice in my life

Recording 

 John 6.42-51

The people criticized  Jesus saying "We know his father and mother. How can he say he has come down from heaven?"

Jesus replied "I am the bread of life. If you eat this bread which has come down from heaven, you will live forever

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever

And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world"

Jesus, living bread come down from heaven, please help me understand how you give your flesh for the life of the world

Recording 

Pope Francis tells teens 'happiness is not an app you can download'

Ming Pao staff attend news award dressed in black
Chief Executive CY Leung said press freedom is the corner stone of Hong Kong and the government will safeguard this core value (?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)

The Joy of Love - Pope Francis' letter - on love in the family      Full English text

17:   (Recording of 17:)  Parents have a serious responsibility for this work of education, as the Biblical sages often remind us (cf. Prov 3:11-12; 6:20-22; 13:1; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:17). Children, for their part, are called to accept and practice the commandment: “Honour your father and your mother” (Ex 20:12).

Here the verb “to honour” has to do with the fulfilment of family and social commitments; these are not to be disregarded under the pretence of religious motives (cf. Mk 7:11-13). “Whoever honours his father atones for sins, and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure” (Sir 3:3-4).

29:   (Recording of 29:) 

One particularly serious problem is the quality of water available to the poor.

Every day, unsafe water results in many deaths and the spread of water-related diseases, including those caused by microorganisms and chemical substances.

Dysentery and cholera, linked to inadequate hygiene and water supplies, are a significant cause of suffering and of infant mortality.

Underground water sources in many places are threatened by the pollution produced in certain mining, farming and industrial activities, especially in countries lacking adequate regulation or controls. 

It is not only a question of industrial waste. Detergents and chemical products, commonly used in many places of the world, continue to pour into our rivers, lakes and seas.

288:   (Recording of 288:) Mary is the woman of prayer and work in Nazareth, and she is also Our Lady of Help, who sets out from her town “with haste” (Lk 1:39) to be of service to others. This interplay of justice and tenderness, of contemplation and concern for others, is what makes the ecclesial community look to Mary as a model of evangelization. 

We implore her maternal intercession that the Church may become a home for many peoples, a mother for all peoples, and that the way may be opened to the birth of a new world. It is the Risen Christ who tells us, with a power that fills us with confidence and unshakeable hope: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5)

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 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 Boko Haram 

Letters from (mainly African) inmates in Hong Kong prisons - and other drug trafficking items:   2016

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

1 Maccabees 7

Some Jews who were disloyal to Judas joined with supporters of the new king, Demetrius, to plot the overthrow of Judas.

Nicanor, one of the king's generals, was sent to defeat Judas
and exterminate the Jews.

But when the battle took place, Nicanor himself died and his army was routed.

Once again the land experienced peace for a while.

Dear God, please protect us from people who are disloyal

My recording of this reading

Psalm 22 (a) (Many things in this psalm happened to Jesus when he was put to death. This psalm prophesizes Jesus' death)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? I call to you for help, but day and night you give no reply.

I am a worm and not a man.
Everyone who sees me makes fun of me.

They taunt  me: "He trusted in the Lord, why doesn't the Lord help him?"

Like water I am poured out, my bones no longer connected. My throat is parched, my tongue sticks to my jaws.

Many evil people attack me. They make holes in my hands and my feet. They await my death.

They divide my clothing among them, they throw a dice for my robe.

Recording 

Psalm 22 (b)

Yet I know Lord, that  you are good and holy. I know how you heard the cries of our ancestors and you helped them.

It was you who took me from the womb and entrusted me to my mother's breast.

To you I was committed from my birth, from my mother's womb you have been my God.

Lord, I trust in you even now. I trust you will not scorn my prayer.

Even now I praise you as my Creator. May all the nations know and worship you.

Lord, please help people who are in big trouble right now,
especially people whose lives are in danger

Recording 

John 6.35-40

Jesus said to the people "The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world

I am the bread of life. Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry. Anyone who believes in me will never be thirsty

It is my Father's will that whoever believes in me will have eternal life"

Jesus, living bread from heaven, please help more and more people believe in you and love you

Recording 

   Darlene Starrs (Blogger from Canada)

The Joy of Love - Pope Francis' letter - on love in the family   Full English text  

16:  (Recording of 16:)  The Bible also presents the family as the place where children are brought up in the faith. This is evident from the description of the Passover celebration (cf. Ex 12:26-27; Deut 6:20-25) and it later appears explicitly in the Jewish haggadah, the dialogue accompanying the rite of the Passover meal. 

One of the Psalms celebrates the proclamation of faith within families: “All that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us, we will not hide from our children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children” (Ps 78:3-6). 

The family is thus the place where parents become their children’s first teachers in the faith. They learn this “trade”, passing it down from one person to another: “When in time to come your son asks you… You shall say to him…” (Ex 13:14). Thus succeeding generations can raise their song to the Lord: “young men and maidens together, old and young together!”(Ps 148:12).

28:   (Recording of 28:)

Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Sources of fresh water are necessary for health care, agriculture and industry.

Water supplies used to be relatively constant, but now in many places demand exceeds the sustainable supply, with dramatic consequences in the short and long term. Large cities dependent on significant supplies of water have experienced periods of shortage, and at critical moments these have not always been administered with sufficient oversight and impartiality.

Water poverty especially affects Africa where large sectors of the population have no access to safe drinking water, or experience droughts which impede agricultural production. Some countries have areas rich in water while others endure drastic scarcity

Religious groups ‘must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party’ – Pres. Xi Jinping

287b:   (Recording of 287b:)

Along this journey of evangelization we will have our moments of aridity, darkness and even fatigue. Mary herself experienced these things during the years of Jesus’ childhood in Nazareth: “This is the beginning of the Gospel, the joyful good news. However, it is not difficult to see in that beginning a particular heaviness of heart, linked with a sort of night of faith – to use the words of Saint John of the Cross – a kind of ‘veil’ through which one has to draw near to the Invisible One and to live in intimacy with the mystery. And this is the way that Mary, for many years, lived in intimacy with the mystery of her Son, and went forward in her pilgrimage of faith”.[217]

Australian leaders keep unspoken vow of silence on China’s human rights record

I watched the whole of this video - very interesting:
The Resurrection Argument That Changed a Generation of Scholars - Gary Habermas at UCSB

A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question, "Boys and girls, what do we know about God?"
A hand shot up in the air. "He is an artist!" said the kindergarten boy.
"Really? How do you know?" the teacher asked.
"You know - Our Father, who does art in Heaven.."

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 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 ISIS 

Letters from (mainly African) inmates in Hong Kong prisons - and other drug trafficking items:   2016

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

Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

Panama papers: 
Calls for HK Development Secretary to resign

Ming Pao cartoonist draws just a dot in protest

Ming Pao staff demand answers over sudden firing of respected editor

1 Maccabees 4

The army of Antiochus was led by Gorgias and had 40,000 men.
Judas and his men numbered only 3,000.

Judas implored God for help and then fought bravely. The army of Gorgias was routed.

The next year another force, numbering 60,000 men, was sent against Judas who had 10,000 men.

Once again by prayer and courage, Judas was victorious.
Judas gave thanks to God, and then went to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem Judas re-dedicated the Temple and re-built the city walls

Dear God, please give me the courage of Judas

My recording of this reading 

Psalm 19
(sun + law = the "sun-in-law" psalm)

The heavens proclaim the glory of God, the starry skies are the work of his hands.

The stars can't speak, but they are God's handwriting. The sun is God's love shining on  the whole world.

The universe is a masterpiece, and so is God's law which shines in our hearts.

The precepts of the Lord enlighten our lives each day. The law of the Lord gives joy and wisdom to our hearts.

The decrees of the Lord are to be desired more than gold, they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

But often we are unaware of  our errors. Lord, please protect us from making mistakes.

Lord, may the words of my mouth
and the thoughts of my heart  be pleasing to you

Recording  

Ephesians 5.21-33

In your families, treat each other as Christ wants you to:

Wives, in your husbands see Christ the head of the Church.
Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the Church

When men and women get married, they become one body.
This sacred action helps us understand the relationship between Christ and the Church

Jesus, please help husbands and wives to love each other the way you love the Church

Recording  

John 6.16-21

That evening, the disciples got into a boat to cross the sea to Capernaum. The wind became strong and the sea became rough

They had rowed about 4km when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, coming towards them

They were frightened, but he said "It is I. Do not be afraid"

He got into the boat, and it quickly arrived at Capernaum

Jesus, help me remember that you are in my boat

Recording  

The Joy of Love - Pope Francis' letter - on love in the family      Full English text

13:   (Recording of 13:) This encounter, which relieves man’s solitude, gives rise to new birth and to the family. Significantly, Adam, who is also the man of every time and place, together with his wife, starts a new family. Jesus speaks of this by quoting the passage from Genesis: “The man shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be-come one” (Mt 19:5; cf. Gen 2:24) . The very word “to be joined” or “to cleave”, in the original Hebrew, bespeaks a profound harmony, a closeness both physical and interior, to such an extent that the word is used to describe our un-ion with God: “My soul clings to you” (Ps 63:8). The marital union is thus evoked not only in its sexual and corporal dimension, but also in its voluntary self-giving in love. The result of this union is that the two “become one flesh”, both physically and in the union of their hearts and lives, and, eventually, in a child, who will share not only genetically but also spiritually in the “flesh” of both parents.

Jesus, please help Filipinos vote for the best candidate in presidential elections on May 9 .... and may this guy come last!

25a:   (Recording of 25a:) Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. 

Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in coming decades. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial activities or resources which can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural disasters, and their access to social services and protection is very limited. 

286b:   (Recording of 286b:)  Mary was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor swaddling clothes and an abundance of love. 

 She is the handmaid of the Father who sings his praises. She is the friend who is ever concerned that wine not be lacking in our lives.  She is the woman whose heart was pierced by a sword and who understands all our pain.

 As mother of all, she is a sign of hope for peoples suffering the birth pangs of justice. She is the missionary who draws near to us and accompanies us throughout life, opening our hearts to faith by her maternal love. As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles and she constantly surrounds us with God’s love.

10 years ago today

2006-04-22,23 Weekend meals for migrant worker families at Xavier, Marco Polo, Assisi &
Mazenod centers + visitors from University of Finance & visitors from Macau
(Clara 1, Clara 2, Goretti & Joseph)

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 22nd of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Zhejiang

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 22nd of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Rwanda

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

Letters from (mainly African) inmates in Hong Kong prisons - and other drug trafficking items:   2016

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

At Hong Kong's High Court, 2 Indonesian female asylum seekers yesterday each received prison sentences of about 20 years (which means c. 9 years after cuts) for drug trafficking

Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

Ming Pao defends sacking of top editor

Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leung said he believes Ming Pao dismissed Keung to please the Central government, while Democratic Party leader Emily Lau, who formerly headed the Journalists Association, warned of a chilling effect on local media.

Ming Pao newspaper union ‘extremely angered’ by sudden firing of executive chief editor

Sir David Attenborough radio interview about the Great Barrier Reef

"Seventy per cent of all fish species are dependent on the coral reef at some stage in their lives ... If we were to lose coral reefs, the biological and ecological destruction of life in the ocean would be enormous"

1 Maccabees 3

Judas led the people in many successful battles. He often said that it is easy for a great number of soldiers to be defeated by a few.

"Victory in war does not depend on the size of an army. It is from heaven that strength comes".

As Judas' fame spread, King Antiochus ordered a huge army to attack Judas.

Dear God, please help us put our trust in you rather than in anyone or anything else
My recording of this reading

Psalms 17-18

Lord,  when trouble breaks out on every side, please protect and help me.

For you are my strength, my rock, my fortress, my savior. I love you, Lord who save me because you love me.

Lord, you are my lamp who lightens my life. I will praise you among the nations.

Lord, you are worthy of all praise

 Recording

John 6.1-15 (a)

Near the Sea of Galilee, a large crowd followed Jesus, attracted by the way he healed so many sick people

Jesus climbed a hillside and sat there with his disciples.  Seeing the huge crowd, Jesus said to one of his disciples  "How can we feed so many people?"

The disciple Andrew said "There's a young boy here with 5 loaves and 2 fish. But what good is that for such a huge crowd?"

Recording

(what can you see?!) 

John 6.1-15 (b)

Jesus said "Make the people sit down". The crowd of about 20,000 sat down on the grass

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all the people. He did the same with the fish. Everyone ate as much as they wanted to

The people, seeing this miracle, said "He really is God's great prophet".  Jesus, aware that they wanted to make him king, slipped away and went up the hill by himself

Jesus, please bless my prayers and actions to help others, just as you blessed the loaves and fish

Recording

Brendan Hoban

The Joy of Love - Pope Francis' letter - on love in the family      Full English text

12:   (Recording of 12:) 
In speaking of marriage, Jesus refers us to yet another page of Genesis, which, in its second chapter, paints a splendid and detailed portrait of the couple. First, we see the man, who anxiously seeks “a helper fit for him” (vv. 18, 20), capable of alleviating the solitude which he feels amid the animals and the world around him. The original Hebrew suggests a direct encounter, face to face, eye to eye, in a kind of silent dialogue, for where love is concerned, silence is always more eloquent than words. It is an encounter with a face, a “thou”, who reflects God’s own love and is man’s “best possession, a helper fit for him and a pillar of support”, in the words of the biblical sage (Sir 36:24). Or again, as the woman of the Song of Solomon will sing in a magnificent profession of love and mutual self-bestowal: “My beloved is mine and I am his… I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (2:16; 6:3).

In letter to CDF, theologians and bishops call for reform of Vatican doctrinal investigations
Letter-writers include Irish Redemptorist Fr. Tony Flannery, Paul Collins, Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Loretto Sr. Jeannine Gramick, St. Joseph Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, and Australian Bishops William Morris & Pat Power

Happy 90th Birthday today Queen Elizabeth!
If more leaders were like you, our world would be a better place.
You have always been a wonderful example of reconciliation - never more than when you courageously toured Ireland in 2011    (c.f. great photos here)

23b:   (Recording of 23b:)  It is true that there are other factors (such as volcanic activity, variations in the earth’s orbit and axis, the solar cycle), yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity. As these gases build up in the atmosphere, they hamper the escape of heat produced by sunlight at the earth’s surface. The problem is aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system. Another determining factor has been an increase in changed uses of the soil, principally deforestation for agricultural purposes.

Syphilis Rates Among Gay Men Highest Since Before Start Of HIV Epidemic

286a:   (Recording of 286a:) Through her many titles, often linked to her shrines, Mary shares the history of each people which has received the Gospel and she becomes a part of their historic identity.

 Many Christian parents ask that their children be baptized in a Marian shrine, as a sign of their faith in her motherhood which brings forth new children for God. There, in these many shrines, we can see how Mary brings together her children who with great effort come as pilgrims to see her and to be seen by her.

 Here they find strength from God to bear the weariness and the suffering in their lives. As she did with Juan Diego, Mary offers them maternal comfort and love, and whispers in their ear: “Let your heart not be troubled… Am I not here, who am your Mother?”

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 21st of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Yunnan

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 21st of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Benin

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

Letters from (mainly African) inmates in Hong Kong prisons - and other drug trafficking items:   2016

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

Five Hongkongers could face death penalty over one of China’s biggest cocaine seizures

Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

Recommended by a reader in Australia: A 5 minute video
- "The Catholic Guy"

Much to admire about Amoris Laetitia

I think the Pope made a deliberate choice not to use “gaudium”, but “laetitia” this time.  “Gaudium” conveys the image of the joy that goes with good news: a new job; the footy team won; lotto paid out.

On the other hand, “laetitia” connotes a joy that is more felt than described: the joy of nurturance; of intimacy; of love.

Chris McDonnell   (Wed UK blogger)

Rooted in our past

The cold construct of legalism that has edges so sharp that they cut if you brush against them, has no place in a Christian faith whose roots are deep and secure in well-watered ground

One Maccabees 2

Mattathias was a Jew loyal to his religion at a time when most people were not loyal.

When the king's representative came to the town of Mattathias
and started forcing people to take part in pagan ceremonies,
Mattathias killed the representative.

Mattathias then called on everyone loyal to God to join him in the desert.

Mattathias  soon had a small army which gradually won control of many parts of the country and restored observance of God's law.

When Mattathias was coming to the end of his life he appointed his son Judas as his army successor.

Dear God, help us to be loyal to you like Mattathias

Psalm 16

Please protect me, Lord, I take refuge in you. You are the only source of all true happiness.

I bless you, Lord, who guide and lead me. Even at night you direct my heart.

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad. My body shall rest in safety now and always.

You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, at your right hand, happiness for ever.

Thank you, Lord, for the little joys you give us each day
....and the big joy you've prepared for us in Heaven.

Recording 

Ephesians 5.10-20

Try to discover what the Lord wants of you. Have nothing to do with the futile works of darkness

Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you

Be very careful about the sort of life you live. Follow your enlightened mind, not your unruly passions

Avoid drunkenness. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Sing prayer songs when you are together, and when you're by yourself, keep on singing to the Lord in your heart, always giving thanks to God

Jesus, make my heart sing right through the day

Recording 

John 5.36-46

Jesus said to the religious leaders "The healing and teaching my Father has given me to do, testify that the Father sent me

You study the Scriptures, realizing that in them there is the message of life. Now these same Scriptures focus on me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life

If you really believe what Moses wrote, you would believe in me, since it was I that he was writing about"

Jesus, please help me understand how everything in the Bible is related to you. Help me understand that "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of you"

Recording 

The Joy of Love - Pope Francis' letter - on love in the family     Full English text

11:   (Recording of 11:) 

The couple that loves and begets life is a true, living icon – not an idol like those of stone or gold prohibited by the Decalogue – capable of revealing God the Creator and Saviour. For this reason, fruitful love becomes a symbol of God’s inner life (cf. Gen 1:28; 9:7; 17:2-5, 16; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3-4). This is why the Genesis account, following the “priestly tradition”, is interwoven with various genealogical accounts (cf. 4:17-22, 25-26; 5; 10; 11:10-32; 25:1-4, 12-17, 19-26; 36). The ability of human couples to beget life is the path along which the history of salvation progresses. Seen this way, the couple’s fruitful relationship becomes an image for understanding and describing the mystery of God himself, for in the Christian vision of the Trinity, God is contemplated as Father, Son and Spirit of love. The triune God is a communication of love, and the family is its living reflection. Saint John Paul II shed light on this when he said, “Our God in his deepest mystery is not solitude, but a family, for he has within himself fatherhood, sonship and the essence of the family, which is love. That love, in the divine family, is the Holy Spirit”.6  The family is thus not unrelated to God’s very being.7  This Trinitarian dimension finds expression in the theology of Saint Paul, who relates the couple to the “mystery” of the union of Christ and the Church (cf. Eph 5:21-33).

Real revolution in Pope’s family letter may come in muddy shoes
"Married couples are a lifelong vocation, and we give them six evenings or a weekend to prepare for marriage and then tell them to have a great life," expert says. "It makes no sense."

23:   (Recording of 23:) 

The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. At the global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential conditions for human life. 

A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.

In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon. 

Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.

Jesus, please help Filipinos choose the best of the five candidates in May 9 Presidential Election!  (not this monster or the son of Marcos...)

After a rough start to the year, with major outages effecting thousands of unhappy customers, is it any wonder that Telstra decided their time is better spent focussing on their core service, rather than a campaign bent on coercing Australians to believe a lie about marriage? Sadly, Telstra have since bowed to public pressure and rejoined the campaign.

285:   (Recording of 285:) 

 The close connection between Mary, the Church and each member of the faithful, based on the fact that each in his or her own way brings forth Christ, has been beautifully expressed by Blessed Isaac of Stella:

 “In the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal sense of the virgin mother, the Church, is understood in an individual sense of the Virgin Mary... 

In a way, every Christian is also believed to be a bride of God’s word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful... Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will dwell forever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul”.

10 years ago today

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 20th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Sichuan

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 20th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Gambia

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

Letters from (mainly African) inmates in Hong Kong prisons - and other drug trafficking items:   2016

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