Letter in Spanish from a Venezuelan woman in prison in HK for drug trafficking. Here (Oct 9)

Items in Spanish put on social media by a relative of a Venezuelan inmate in prison in HK for drug trafficking.
Here (Sep 30)

Pope urges rehabilitation, clemency for prisoners

“I want to tell you, every time I visit a prison I ask myself: ‘Why them and not me?’ We can all make mistakes: all of us. And in one way or another we have made mistakes” 

This is the beginning of the end of HK

HK independence politicians banned by China as crisis grows
(Guardian's headline not accurate...)

On the menu of Sunday Nov 6, below, I posted the moving letter of a Benin prisoner in HK asking for help for his family. That same afternoon a kind HK reader sent help to the family by Western Union. An Australian reader is doing the same. God bless these two readers!

Genesis 4

Two of Adam and Eve's sons were Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer.  Abel was a shepherd.

Cain was jealous of his brother Abel.

God said to Cain: "Get control of yourself." But Cain let his anger take over, and he killed Abel.

God asked Cain, "Where is Abel?" Cain answered, "How should I know? I'm not his security guard."

God replied, "I can hear your brother's blood crying out to me from the ground. That same ground will no longer give you any crops."

Dear God, please help me not to get angry with other people

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 

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

Revelation 22.16-20

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you
for the sake of the churches

I am of David's line, the Root of David, the Bright Star of the Morning"

The Spirit and the Bride say: "Come". Let all who want eternal life say: "Come"

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Come Lord Jesus! Come into my heart! Come into our world!

Recording  

 Mark 7.24-30

Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
A foreign woman fell at his feet and begged him to expel a devil from her daughter

Jesus said "The children (= Jews)  should be fed first. It's not right to give the children's food to the house dogs (= foreigners)"

She replied "Ah yes, Sir, but the house dogs under the table can eat the children's scraps"

Jesus said to her "For expressing such great faith, you can go home happy. The devil has gone out of your daughter". 

She went home and found the child lying on a bed, and the devil gone

Jesus, please give sick people more faith in you

Recording 

Today's reading from Revelation is the final message of the final page of the Bible: Come, Lord Jesus! 

As each day's news brings more stories of our troubled world drifting into chaos, the basic thing any Christian can/should do is often pray "Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord, and give peace to our world. Come and give our world better leaders."

As an old song says:

"Come down, Lord, the world is ill,
Wracked with bloodshed the livelong day.
We must struggle for peace until
You show the way, you show the way.

Religious freedom in medicine at stake in 2016, Catholic docs say

Consider a Monarchy, America

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

213: Recording

In their preparation for marriage, the couple should be encouraged to make the liturgical celebration a profound personal experience and to appreciate the meaning of each of its signs. 

In the case of two baptized persons, the commitment expressed by the words of consent and the bodily union that consummates the marriage can only be seen as signs of the covenantal love and union between the incarnate Son of God and his Church.

In the baptized, words and signs become an eloquent language of faith. The body, created with a God-given meaning, “becomes the language of the ministers of the sacrament, aware that in the conjugal pact there is expressed and realized the mystery that has its origin in God himself ”

202: Recording

Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change.

We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone.

This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life.

A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal.

194: Recording 

This message is so clear and direct, so simple and eloquent, that no ecclesial interpretation has the right to relativize it. 

The Church’s reflection on these texts ought not to obscure or weaken their force, but urge us to accept their exhortations with courage and zeal. Why complicate something so simple?

 Conceptual tools exist to heighten contact with the realities they seek to explain, not to distance us from them. This is especially the case with those biblical exhortations which summon us so forcefully to brotherly love, to humble and generous service, to justice and mercy towards the poor. 

Jesus taught us this way of looking at others by his words and his actions. So why cloud something so clear? We should not be concerned simply about falling into doctrinal error, but about remaining faithful to this light-filled path of life and wisdom. For “defenders of orthodoxy are sometimes accused of passivity, indulgence, or culpable complicity regarding the intolerable situations of injustice and the political regimes which prolong them”.

A true story ... which I heard in full yesterday in the High Court: a drug mule from South America, having arrived in HK with some 50 pellets of cocaine in his stomach, decided not to deliver his drugs to the Drug Lords in HK. He had a change of heart and decided to give himself up ....so he went to Tsim Sha Tsui police station .....and, unable to speak much English, pointed to his stomach and said "drugs". A police officer thought the man just had stomach pains, so he wrote a note with the words "Queen Elizabeth Hospital".  Man went to QEH ...and tried again to surrender by presenting himself to police on duty at the hospital. Police sent him to outpatients and got him to register as a patient. Only when a doctor examined him, did people realise he had drugs in his stomach. For which he was arrested. And sentenced yesterday. 
(And: The fact that he gave himself up counted for not one iota. He got the same sentence as if he'd been arrested at HK airport. Not fair. I hope to help him when he appeals)

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 8th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Heilongjiang

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 8th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Sierra Leone

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)

While it's sad to think about our own death or that of a loved one, we can never be truly hopeless because of Christ's resurrection, Pope Francis said on All Souls day at a cemetery outside of Rome .

“The commemoration of the dead has a dual meaning,” Francis said Nov. 2. “Sadness mixes with hope, and this is what we all feel today in this celebration. The memory of our loved ones, in front of their remains, and hope.”

“But we also feel that this hope helps, because we too have to make this journey! All of us will make this journey. Sooner or later, but everyone. With pain, some more some less, but all. But with the flower of hope, with that strong thread of hope that is anchored in the hereafter.”

 Cemeteries are often sad places because they remind us of our loved ones who are gone, the Pope noted: “But in this sadness we bring flowers as a sign of hope, and also, I dare to say, of celebration – not now, but in the future.” 

Genesis 3

A creature hostile to God took the form of a snake and tempted the first man and first woman.

The snake tempted them to disobey God.

When God asked them why they disobeyed him, the man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the snake.

God said to the snake: "You are the enemy of the human race.
Someday a member of the human race will defeat you."

God said to the man and woman:
"From dust you came  and to dust you will return."

The first man's name was Adam (meaning "man"). The first woman's name was Eve (meaning "life").  

Dear God, please help me understand how evil in the world started when Adam and Eve disobeyed you

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 22.1-5

Then an angel showed me the River of Life, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
flowing crystal-clear through the middle of the city

Here God's servants will worship him. They will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads

It will never be night again. They will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them

Jesus, may your name be written on my forehead

Recording 

Mark 7.1-23

Some religious leaders asked Jesus "Why do your disciples ignore many external practices of our religion?"

Jesus answered, with the words of the prophet Isaiah: "This people honors me with external lip-service, while their hearts are far from me."

Jesus also said "It's not certain foods or lack of washing  that makes a person unclean. It's evil in the heart that makes a person unclean.

Evil intentions like murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that make a person unclean."

Jesus, please  clean my heart

Recording 

The River of Life (Revelation) is a symbol for the Holy Spirit.
A lovely prayer:
Flowing from the heart of Jesus, 
Living River, Holy Spirit,
fill our hearts
and flow through us

YouTube: Five minute interview in Cantonese with me (Oct 30) about prisoners and the poor receiving strength and courage and peace from using the Simple Bible

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

212: Recording

Short-term preparations for marriage tend to be concentrated on invitations, clothes, the party and any number of other details that tend to drain not only the budget but energy and joy as well. 

The spouses come to the wedding ceremony exhausted and harried, rather than focused and ready for the great step that they are about to take. 

The same kind of preoccupation with a big celebration also affects certain de facto unions; because of the expenses involved, the couple, instead of being concerned above all with their love and solemnizing it in the presence of others, never get married. 

Here let me say a word to fiancés. Have the courage to be different. Don’t let yourselves get swallowed up by a society of consumption and empty appearances. What is important is the love you share, strengthened and sanctified by grace. You are capable of opting for a more modest and simple celebration in which love takes precedence over everything else. Pastoral workers and the entire community can help make this priority the norm rather than the exception.

201: Recording

The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers. This should spur religions to dialogue among themselves for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building networks of respect and fraternity. 
Dialogue among the various sciences is likewise needed, since each can tend to become enclosed in its own language, while specialization leads to a certain isolation and the absolutization of its own field of knowledge. This prevents us from confronting environmental problems effectively. 
An open and respectful dialogue is also needed between the various ecological movements, among which ideological conflicts are not infrequently encountered. 

The gravity of the ecological crisis demands that we all look to the common good, embarking on a path of dialogue which demands patience, self-discipline and generosity, always keeping in mind that “realities are greater than ideas”.[143]

193b: Recording

The wisdom literature sees almsgiving as a concrete exercise of mercy towards those in need: “Almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin” (Tob 12:9). The idea is expressed even more graphically by Sirach: “Water extinguishes blazing fire: so almsgiving atones for sin” ( Sir 3:30 ). 

The same synthesis appears in the New Testament: “Maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). This truth greatly influenced the thinking of the Fathers of the Church and helped create a prophetic, counter-cultural resistance to the self-centred hedonism of paganism.

 We can recall a single example: “If we were in peril from fire, we would certainly run to water in order to extinguish the fire… in the same way, if a spark of sin flares up from our straw, and we are troubled on that account, whenever we have an opportunity to perform a work of mercy, we should rejoice, as if a fountain opened before us so that the fire might be extinguished”.

10 years ago today

Last night I watched the Pope's Mass for prisoners at St Peter's Basilica. And I had a strong wish/hope: someone please do something about the Vatican choir .... replace it with something better! Put the choir behind bars! Also please put in detention one priest who refused to give Communion on the hand ...forcing people to receive on the tongue.

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 7th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hebei

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 7th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Burkina Faso

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)

From an inmate from Benin:

       

Ever since he was arrested at the start of this year, an African inmate from Benin has been in great distress about the situation of his family. Their situation has been checked by a pastor in Benin who verified that their need for help is genuine and urgent.

Up to now I have not done anything to help the family ....I was trying to get the Benin pastor and his people to help ....but they themselves are extremely poor. Yesterday a moving letter (at left) arrived in the post from the inmate.

Today I'll try to send something by Western Union to the pastor to help the family. If anyone would like to join me in this project, please email me: jdwomi@gmail.com  

After Sweden, Pope Francis becomes an immigration 'realist'

c.f. Readings for "Sunday 32"

1 Maccabees 1

Some Jews abandoned their religion and made a pact with King Antiochus Epiphanes, a Seleucid king of the Greeks. 

Antiochus conquered many lands, including Israel. He plundered the Temple and forced the Jews to renounce their religion.

But many Jews courageously stood firm and were punished with death.

This was a sad and terrible time for Israel.

Dear God, please help us stay faithful to you

My recording of this reading

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 

2 Thessalonians 3.1-5

Pray that the Lord's message may spread quickly, and be received with honor as it was by yourselves

Pray that we may be protected from the interference of bigoted people

May your hearts focus on the love of God our Father and the fortitude of Christ

Jesus, don't let bigoted people influence me

Recording  

Recording  

Today's readings encourage us to think about the Big Picture: Why are we here on earth? Where did we come from? What's life all about? Where are we going? What happens after we die?

 How we live on this side of the grave determines what happens on the other side. 

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

211: Recording

Both short-term and long-term marriage preparation should ensure that the couple do not view the wedding ceremony as the end of the road, but instead embark upon marriage as a life-long calling based on a firm and realistic decision to face all trials and difficult moments together. 

The pastoral care of engaged and married couples should be centred on the marriage bond, assisting couples not only to deepen their love but also to overcome problems and difficulties. 

This involves not only helping them to accept the Church’s teaching and to have recourse to her valuable resources, but also offering practical programs, sound advice, proven strategies and psychological guidance.

All this calls for a pedagogy of love, attuned to the feelings and needs of young people and capable of helping them to grow interiorly. 

Marriage preparation should also provide couples with the names of places, people and services to which they can turn for help when problems arise. 

It is also important to remind them of the availability of the sacrament of Reconciliation, which allows them to bring their sins and past mistakes, and their relationship itself, before God, and to receive in turn his merciful forgiveness and healing strength.

200: Recording

Any technical solution which science claims to offer will be powerless to solve the serious problems of our world if humanity loses its compass, if we lose sight of the great motivations which make it possible for us to live in harmony, to make sacrifices and to treat others well. 

Believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to live in a way consonant with their faith and not to contradict it by their actions. 

They need to be encouraged to be ever open to God’s grace and to draw constantly from their deepest convictions about love, justice and peace. 

If a mistaken understanding of our own principles has at times led us to justify mistreating nature, to exercise tyranny over creation, to engage in war, injustice and acts of violence, we believers should acknowledge that by so doing we were not faithful to the treasures of wisdom which we have been called to protect and preserve.

Cultural limitations in different eras often affected the perception of these ethical and spiritual treasures, yet by constantly returning to their sources, religions will be better equipped to respond to today’s needs. 

193a: Recording

We incarnate the duty of hearing the cry of the poor when we are deeply moved by the suffering of others.  Let us listen to what God’s word teaches us about mercy, and allow that word to resound in the life of the Church.

 The Gospel tells us: “Blessed are the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). The apostle James teaches that our mercy to others will vindicate us on the day of God’s judgment: “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy, yet mercy triumphs over judgment” (Jas 2:12 -13). 

Here James is faithful to the finest tradition of post-exilic Jewish spirituality, which attributed a particular salutary value to mercy: “Break off your sins by practising righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your tranquillity” (Dan 4:27 ). 

10 years ago
 today

Tuition at Bahkita Center with HK Betty, HK Magdalene and
Goretti from Macau

A little girl asked her mother, 
"How did the human race start?"   The mother answered, 
"God made Adam and Eve and they had children, and so all mankind was made." 
Two days later the girl asked her father the same question. The father answered, 
"Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved." 
The confused girl returned to her mother and said, 
"Mum, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God,
 and Dad said they developed from monkeys?" 
The mother answered,  "Well, dear, it is very simple. 
I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his."  

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, Sunday, please bless the people of Africa

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 6th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hainan

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 6th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Liberia

And praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, please bless all Muslims in my own country 

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)

The Devil and Father Amorth: Witnessing “the Vatican exorcist” at work

- by the director of the movie "The Exorcist", after attending a real exorcism in Italy
(correction: "no NT writer knew Jesus" - not true) 

Why Pope Francis’ comments on women’s ordination are both business as usual and a big deal

Prisoners to be Pope Francis' special guests at Mass in St. Peter's

- including 50 from US!

At the end of the 8.30am Mass on Sunday Oct 16 at St Paul's Yau Ma Tei, the parish priest Fr David Lau and parishioners kindly presented me with a lovely birthday cake....which was immediately taken to Temple Street Park and shared with street sleepers: Photo Here

Genesis 1-2

God made the world. God made  the sun, the moon and the stars .... the whole universe. God said "Let there be light" and there was light.

God made the earth with all its plants and trees and animals and fish and birds.

God made the first people ..... the first man and first woman. God made them in his own image and said to them "Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth."

God saw all that he had made, and all of it was good, very good

Dear God, thank you for making such a beautiful world!

My recording of this reading

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 21.10-23

I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It had God's glory, and glittered like a precious diamond

There was no temple in the city, since the Lord God and the Lamb were themselves the temple

The city did not need sun or  moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and of the Lamb

Jesus, Light of the world, Light of Heaven, we adore you, Lord!

 Recording 

Mark 6.53-56

When Jesus got out of the boat on the other side of the lake,
people recognized him and news of his presence spread quickly.
From all around that area, sick people were brought to him.

Wherever he went, to village or town or farm, they laid down the sick in open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak.

All those who touched him were healed

Jesus, please heal my sick friends (.. names ..) by letting them,
through prayer, touch your clothing

Recording  

In many parts of the world, especially Africa, Christians frequently start a speech or sermon with the words "God is good", to which everyone replies "all the time". Then the speaker will say "all the time", to which everyone replies "God is good".  God who is good, made everything good (Genesis). Whatever has lost any of its goodness is healed/repaired/restored by Goodness Incarnate (Gospel)

Interfaith cooperation in action in Mount Isa
(Muslims praying in Catholic church)

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

210: Recording

In any event, if one partner clearly recognizes the other’s weak points, he or she needs to have a realistic trust in the possibility of helping to develop the good points that counterbalance them, and in this way to foster their human growth.

This entails a willingness to face eventual sacrifices, problems and situations of conflict; it demands a firm resolve to be ready for this. 

Couples need to be able to detect danger signals in their relationship and to find, before the wedding, effective ways of responding to them. 

Sadly, many couples marry without really knowing one another.

They have enjoyed each other’s company and done things together, but without facing the challenge of revealing themselves and coming to know who the other person truly is.

199: Recording 

It cannot be maintained that empirical science provides a complete explanation of life, the interplay of all creatures and the whole of reality.

This would be to breach the limits imposed by its own methodology. If we reason only within the confines of the latter, little room would be left for aesthetic sensibility, poetry, or even reason’s ability to grasp the ultimate meaning and purpose of things.[141]

I would add that “religious classics can prove meaningful in every age; they have an enduring power to open new horizons… Is it reasonable and enlightened to dismiss certain writings simply because they arose in the context of religious belief?”[142] 

It would be quite simplistic to think that ethical principles present themselves purely in the abstract, detached from any context. Nor does the fact that they may be couched in religious language detract from their value in public debate. The ethical principles capable of being apprehended by reason can always reappear in different guise and find expression in a variety of languages, including religious language.

Hong Kong lawyers to hold silent march over Beijing’s decision to intervene in LegCo oath row

China could ban HK lawmakers from legislature as crisis escalates

192: Recording

Yet we desire even more than this; our dream soars higher. We are not simply talking about ensuring nourishment or a “dignified sustenance” for all people, but also their “general temporal welfare and prosperity”.

 This means education, access to health care, and above all employment, for it is through free, creative, participatory and mutually supportive labour that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives. A just wage enables them to have adequate access

See the YouTube at this link - has had 46 million views! 
(If I had a vote, this is the person who would get my vote for US President!)

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, Saturday,  please bless the people of Central & North America

And praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month:
On this 5th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guizhou

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 5th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Chad

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

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)

Yesterday I spent seven hours at Lo Wu women's prison ....visiting inmates who are soon to face the High Court ...and others who are already sentenced but want help with study, want help for their families etc. 

I asked all inmates to pray for Judge Woo Kwok Hing in his bid to become HK's Chief Executive next year. From personally seeing his compassion for two African inmates earlier this year, I feel sure he will be open to a more merciful policy towards prison inmates. 

Sudan taxi driver saved 11 people from burning Brisbane bus

Diwali- The festival of lights

Sean McDonagh tells of his experience of the celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Fiji.

Other prophets - some words from Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Pride of heart leads us astray

See how they are listless, those whose souls are not at peace

Lord, I have heard of all your wonderful deeds in the past. Do them again in our day, Lord!

Even when everything seems hopeless, I trust in you Lord, I praise you Lord.

Seek the Lord, all you humble people. Seek integrity, seek humility.

In the days to come, people will say "We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you".

Rejoice heart and soul, people of Jerusalem. See, your king comes to you. He is humble and riding on a donkey.

Dear God, thank you for all the beautiful teachings and stories
 in  "The Old Testament", ("The First Testament").  I now look forward to your message in "The New Testament"  ("The Second Testament")

My recording of this reading

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 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

Mark 6.45-52

After feeding the crowd with 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus told his disciples to go by boat across the nearby lake.

Jesus stayed to send the crowds away. Then he went up into the hills to pray.

When it was dark, the boat was far from land, but battling large waves caused by a strong head-wind.

Jesus then walked on the water towards the boat. He called out to his disciples "Courage. It is I. Don't be afraid."

Then he got into the boat, and the wind stopped.

Jesus, please give me courage by helping me remember  that you are in my boat (my life)  

Recording  

As our troubled world becomes even more troubled, we need a daily dose of Bible reading to help us keep our feet, to give us wisdom, courage and strength for each day .... and to keep reminding us that this old world is just a preparation for Eternity (Revelation)

Children Targeted by Rainbow Agenda

The Joy of Love - Pope Francis' letter - on love in the family      Full English text 
Chinese text now available in book form ....but not yet on line

209: Recording

The timely preparation of engaged couples by the parish community should also assist them to recognize eventual problems and risks. 

In this way, they can come to realize the wisdom of breaking off a relationship whose failure and painful aftermath can be foreseen. 

In their initial enchantment with one another, couples can attempt to conceal or relativize certain things and to avoid disagreements; only later do problems surface.

For this reason, they should be strongly encouraged to discuss what each expects from marriage, what they understand by love and commitment, what each wants from the other and what kind of life they would like to build together. 

Such discussions would help them to see if they in fact have little in common and to realize that mutual attraction alone will not suffice to keep them together.

Nothing is more volatile, precarious and unpredictable than desire. 

The decision to marry should never be encouraged unless the couple has discerned deeper reasons that will ensure a genuine and stable commitment.

198: Recording

Politics and the economy tend to blame each other when it comes to poverty and environmental degradation. 

It is to be hoped that they can acknowledge their own mistakes and find forms of interaction directed to the common good. 

While some are concerned only with financial gain, and others with holding on to or increasing their power, what we are left with are conflicts or spurious agreements where the last thing either party is concerned about is caring for the environment and protecting those who are most vulnerable.

 Here too, we see how true it is that “unity is greater than conflict”.[140]

191: Recording

  In all places and circumstances, Christians, with the help of their pastors, are called to hear the cry of the poor.

 This has been eloquently stated by the bishops of Brazil : “We wish to take up daily the joys and hopes, the difficulties and sorrows of the Brazilian people, especially of those living in the barrios and the countryside – landless, homeless, lacking food and health care – to the detriment of their rights. Seeing their poverty, hearing their cries and knowing their sufferings, we are scandalized because we know that there is enough food for everyone and that hunger is the result of a poor distribution of goods and income. The problem is made worse by the generalized practice of wastefulness”.

10 years ago today

2006-11-04 Visit to poor areas by Grace & Orange with students from Guangdong
University of Business Studies + Apple from Council of Overseas Chinese Services

Senior counsel Benjamin Yu, acting for the Chief Executive and the Justice Secretary, told the High Court that the government has not asked Beijing for an interpretation over the row.

????????????????????   In this report

He said the administration has asked the National People's Congress (NPC) whether it has any plans for an interpretation, but has yet to receive a response.

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 4th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guangdong

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 4th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Mozambique

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)

I spent most of yesterday at the desk, preparing support letters for inmates soon to go to the High Court, doing research on the anti-drug campaign .... and answering mail and email (...sorry...I'm way behind). God created us male and female, but we invented mail and email!
 

‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ Are Redundant in Ontario

Ontario’s government is about to remove the terms “mother” and “father” from provincial laws

Maybe this should go in the "Smile" section below? But it's not a joke!

Could both Clinton and Trump lose race?!

Chris McDonnell   (UK blogger)

How small is small?

When we start to make judgements on others, we step on stones that are slippery and insecure

Also published here

Micah 5-7

Bethlehem, you are the least important town in Judah, but Israel's future ruler will come from you.

He will shepherd our people with the power of God. He himself will be our source of peace.

My people, remember what God has done for you. Remember how God wants you to live.

This is what God asks of you:
act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.

Lord, please help me act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with you

My recording of this reading

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 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

Mark 6.30-44

Once after Jesus had been healing and teaching many people all afternoon,  his disciples said to him "It's getting late and the people need to go and eat".

Jesus replied "They don't need to go. You feed them". The disciples replied "We have only 5 loaves and 2 fish".

Jesus got the people to sit on the grass. There were about 20,000 of them. Then he blessed the loaves and fish.

He handed the loaves and fish to his disciples. His disciples gave them to the crowd.

Everyone had plenty to eat. They even had 12 baskets of leftovers.

Jesus, please help the starving people of the world

Recording

YouTube: a lovely simple song based on today's first reading, from Micah

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

208: Recording

With the help of missionary families, the couple’s own families and a variety of pastoral resources, ways should also be found to offer a remote preparation that, by example and good advice, can help their love to grow and mature.

Discussion groups and optional talks on a variety of topics of genuine interest to young people can also prove helpful. 

All the same, some individual meetings remain essential, since the primary objective is to help each to learn how to love this very real person with whom he or she plans to share his or her whole life. 

Learning to love someone does not happen automatically, nor can it be taught in a workshop just prior to the celebration of marriage.

For every couple, marriage preparation begins at birth. What they received from their family should prepare them to know themselves and to make a full and definitive commitment. 

Those best prepared for marriage are probably those who learned what Christian marriage is from their own parents, who chose each other unconditionally and daily renew this decision.

In this sense, pastoral initiatives aimed at helping married couples to grow in love and in the Gospel of the family also help their children, by preparing them for their future married life.

Nor should we underestimate the pastoral value of traditional religious practices. To give just one example: I think of Saint Valentine’s Day; in some countries, commercial interests are quicker to see the potential of this celebration than are we in the Church.

197: Recording 

What is needed is a politics which is far-sighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis.

Often, politics itself is responsible for the disrepute in which it is held, on account of corruption and the failure to enact sound public policies

If in a given region the state does not carry out its responsibilities, some business groups can come forward in the guise of benefactors, wield real power, and consider themselves exempt from certain rules, to the point of tolerating different forms of organized crime, human trafficking, the drug trade and violence, all of which become very difficult to eradicate.

If politics shows itself incapable of breaking such a perverse logic, and remains caught up in inconsequential discussions, we will continue to avoid facing the major problems of humanity. A strategy for real change calls for rethinking processes in their entirety, for it is not enough to include a few superficial ecological considerations while failing to question the logic which underlies present-day culture. A healthy politics needs to be able to take up this challenge.   

190b: Recording

With due respect for the autonomy and culture of every nation, we must never forget that the planet belongs to all mankind and is meant for all mankind; the mere fact that some people are born in places with fewer resources or less development does not justify the fact that they are living with less dignity.

 It must be reiterated that “the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place their goods more generously at the service of others”.

 To speak properly of our own rights, we need to broaden our perspective and to hear the plea of peoples and regions other than those of our own country. We need to grow in a solidarity which “would allow all peoples to become the artisans of their destiny”, since “every person is called to self-fulfilment”.

70 years ago today

Pope Francis has asked us to remember and celebrate our baptism date:
Well - thank you Jesus for 70 years ago today! 1946   (c.f. this cemetery photo of grave of Fr R.H. Thompson who baptised me)

c.f. Pope - Find out the date of your Baptism and celebrate it

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 3rd of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Gansu

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 3rd of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Burundi

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)

From Sweden, Francis proposes six new Beatitudes for the modern era

Catholics and Lutherans sign joint declaration ‘accepting common path’

Pope takes Christian unity message to heartland of Protestant religion

More reports about Pope in Sweden

Canada to let 300,000 immigrants enter country in 2017

    "More immigrants for Canada would be a good policy for demographic reasons"

Psalm 27:

The Lord is my light and my help, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, before whom shall I shrink? Though an army encamp against me, even then would I trust.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek. Hide not your face. I am sure I will see your goodness in the land of the living.

Hope in the Lord, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!

Lord, please increase my remembering, my longing and my hope

Recording    

Philippians 3.20 - 41

Our homeland is in heaven. We wait for the Savior from heaven who will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body

He will do this by the same power he has as C.E.O. of the universe

So, do not stop running but remain faithful in the Lord

Jesus, please increase my longing for heaven

Recording  

Mark 16.1-8

Jesus died on Friday afternoon.
Early on Sunday morning, Mary of Magdala and two other women went to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body with spices

They had been wondering how they would roll away the large stone, but when they arrived, the stone had already been rolled away

When they went into the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe and they were full of awe. But he said to them  "Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen from the dead. Go and tell his disciples he  will see them in Galilee"

Jesus, when life seems hopeless, like a dead body in a tomb, please help us remember how you rose from the dead....and you can help us "rise" from any "hopeless" situation

Recording  

In Chinese culture there is a really strong tradition of remembering the Dead, praying that the Dead be at peace ... with two public holidays each year for this special purpose. In many Western countries All Souls Day used to serve a similar purpose. "It is a holy and good thought to pray for the Dead" (2 Maccabees 12.45)

What’s behind the war on the innocence of children?

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

207: Recording

I encourage Christian communities to recognize the great benefit that they themselves receive from supporting engaged couples as they grow in love.

As the Italian bishops have observed, those couples are “a valuable resource because, as they sincerely commit themselves to grow in love and self-giving, they can help renew the fabric of the whole ecclesial body. Their special form of friendship can prove contagious and foster the growth of friendship and fraternity in the Christian community of which they are a part”.

There are a number of legitimate ways to structure programs of marriage preparation, and each local Church will discern how best to provide a suitable formation without distancing young people from the sacrament. They do not need to be taught the entire Catechism or overwhelmed with too much information.

Here too, “it is not great knowledge, but rather the ability to feel and relish things interiorly that contents and satisfies the soul”.

Quality is more important than quantity, and priority should be given - along with a renewed proclamation of the kerygma - to an attractive and helpful presentation of information that can help couples to live the rest of their lives together “with great courage and generosity”.

Marriage preparation should be a kind of “initiation” to the sacrament of matrimony, providing couples with the help they need to receive the sacrament worthily and to make a solid beginning of life as a family.

A moving report

3.5 million Americans are homeless each year, including 1 million children on any given night. That seemed impossible to me. Then I met Jen

196: Recording 

What happens with politics? Let us keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity, which grants freedom to develop the capabilities present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of responsibility for the common good from those who wield greater power. 

Today it is the case that some economic sectors exercise more power than states themselves.

 But economics without politics cannot be justified, since this would make it impossible to favour other ways of handling the various aspects of the present crisis. 

The mindset which leaves no room for sincere concern for the environment is the same mindset which lacks concern for the inclusion of the most vulnerable members of society.

 For “the current model, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance, does not appear to favour an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak or the less talented to find opportunities in life”.[139]

190a: Recording

Sometimes it is a matter of hearing the cry of entire peoples, the poorest peoples of the earth, since “peace is founded not only on respect for human rights, but also on respect for the rights of peoples”.

Sadly, even human rights can be used as a justification for an inordinate defense of individual rights or the rights of the richer peoples.

I spent yesterday at Castle Peak Immigration Centre, visiting asylum seekers. In a room of about 30 men, at midday, something made me look up at the TV (which had no sound, just picture)....and there was a horse race in progress .....and the penny quickly fell...it was the Melbourne Cup! ...I watched the whole race live .... in a prison! And a further farthing fell....the same thing happened last year...in the same room....my visits to CIC usually being on the first Tuesday of each month! 

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 2nd of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Fujian

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 2nd of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Niger

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)