Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

My experience is that African media tend to inflate figures about the number of Africans in prison in Mainland China ....although I also have heard first hand reports about the atrocious conditions of prisons in Mainland China. 

‘Over 2,000 Nigerians dying in Chinese prisons’

Man deported from China smuggles notes from Dongguan prison

A lot of food for thought here:

Brendan Hoban:
A Lost Tribe - priests at risk

Genesis 22

Abraham loved God very dearly.

Once when God put him to the test, Abraham was even willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac
if that was what God wanted.

When God saw Abraham's love and obedience, God renewed his promise to make Abraham and Isaac's descendants as many as the stars of heaven

Dear God, please help us love and obey you

Psalm 112

Happy are people who love and honor the Lord, who take delight in his commands. The children of such people will be blessed.

Such people are a light in the darkness for others. Such people are generous, merciful and just.

They take pity and help those in need. They conduct their affairs with  integrity.

Open-handed they give to the poor. Their justice and goodness will never be forgotten.

Lord, please help me do more for the poor

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

Acts 3.9-16

When people saw the former crippled man walking, they couldn't believe their eyes. So Peter said to them "Why are you so surprised? Do you think John and I made this cripple walk?

It is by our faith in Jesus that this man has been restored to health.

Jesus is the Holy One, the Just One, the Prince of Life whom you handed over to Pilate for crucifixion. But God raised him from the dead

Jesus, Prince of Life, please increase my faith in you. Please give me a faith that can bring your  healing to handicapped people

Recording  

 Mark 10.28-30

On behalf of all the disciples, Peter asked Jesus "What about us?  We have left everything to follow you."

Jesus replied "You will be leaders in the church on earth.

Anyone who has left home, family or country for the sake of my name, will receive a 100-fold blessing in this life, and will also receive eternal life in Heaven."

Jesus, please bless all Gospel workers

Recording 

In today's reading from Acts 3.9-16, Jesus is called "the Prince of Life".
In today's world, where there is so much promotion of "the culture of death", 
we urgently need the help of the Prince of Life to follow and promote "the culture of life"  

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

227: Recording

We pastors have to encourage families to grow in faith. 

This means encouraging frequent confession, spiritual direction and occasional retreats. It also means encouraging family prayer during the week, since “the family that prays together stays together”.

When visiting our people’s homes, we should gather all the members of the family and briefly pray for one another, placing the family in the Lord’s hands.

It is also helpful to encourage each of the spouses to find time for prayer alone with God, since each has his or her secret crosses to bear. Why shouldn’t we tell God our troubles and ask him to grant us the healing and help we need to remain faithful? 

The Synod Fathers noted that “the word of God is the source of life and spirituality for the family. All pastoral work on behalf of the family must allow people to be interiorly fashioned and formed as members of the domestic church through the Church’s prayerful reading of sacred Scripture. The word of God is not only good news in a person’s private life but also a criterion of judgement and a light in discerning the various challenges that married couples and families encounter”.

216: Recording

The rich heritage of Christian spirituality, the fruit of twenty centuries of personal and communal experience, has a precious contribution to make to the renewal of humanity.

 Here, I would like to offer Christians a few suggestions for an ecological spirituality grounded in the convictions of our faith, since the teachings of the Gospel have direct consequences for our way of thinking, feeling and living. More than in ideas or concepts as such, I am interested in how such a spirituality can motivate us to a more passionate concern for the protection of our world.

 A commitment this lofty cannot be sustained by doctrine alone, without a spirituality capable of inspiring us, without an “interior impulse which encourages, motivates, nourishes and gives meaning to our individual and communal activity”.

Admittedly, Christians have not always appropriated and developed the spiritual treasures bestowed by God upon the Church, where the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us.

205b: Recording 

I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor!

 It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare.

 Why not turn to God and ask him to inspire their plans? I am firmly convinced that openness to the transcendent can bring about a new political and economic mindset which would help to break down the wall of separation between the economy and the common good of society.

US election result is excellent argument for monarchy

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 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, 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)

Hong Kong’s asylum seekers demand better support to help and protect refugee children

Letter from a Zambian woman in prison in HK - facing a charge of drug trafficking ....warning others not to imitate her. Here (Nov 1)

Letter from a South African woman, a  mother of three young children, in prison in HK facing a charge of drug trafficking.... tricked to take drugs to HK from Dubai. Here (Nov 14)  

My post yesterday morning on a Nigerian blog has had about 400 views. Here

This is really good:

Pope's homily for Solemnity of Christ the King

(The Good Thief) simply looking at Jesus, believed in his kingdom.  He was not closed in on himself, but rather – with his errors, his sins and his troubles – he turned to Jesus

Genesis 20 & 21

Abraham and his wife Sarah were old people but God blessed them with a son. They named their son Isaac.

Sarah again made life difficult for Hagar and Hagar's son.

Hagar and her son had to leave Abraham's home but God protected them and found them a new home.
 
Dear God, please don't let me make life difficult for anyone else

My recording of this reading

Psalm 111

I will thank the Lord with all my heart. Great are the works of the Lord, to be pondered by all who love him.

His goodness stands firm for ever. The Lord is compassion and love.

His precepts are for all peoples and all times. He is to be honored by all nations.

To love and honor the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Dear Lord, please help me to love and honor you every day

Recording 

Acts 3.1-10 

One afternoon about 3pm, Peter and John went to the Temple for prayer. A beggar asked them for money. He was crippled from birth

Peter said to him "I don't have any silver or gold. But I do have something to give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!"

Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand up. Immediately, his feet and ankles became firm and he could walk.
He was so happy he started jumping around. He went into the Temple, praising God

Jesus, there are so many crippled people in the world. Please heal them

Recording 

Mark 10.17-27

A young man asked Jesus
"Master, what do I have to do to get to Heaven?"

Jesus replied "Keep the commandments: do not kill;  do not commit adultery; honor your father and mother; care for others as much as you care about yourself".

The young man said "I have kept all these commandments. What else do I need to do?"

Jesus said "If you want to do something really special with your life, go and sell all your possessions, give the money to the poor, then come and follow me as one of my disciples".

When the young man heard these words he went away sad, because he was very rich.

Jesus then said to his disciples "It is hard for a rich person to get to Heaven".

Jesus, please don't let riches endanger my eternal life

Recording 

This is good - YouTube: Walking and Leaping song (Acts 3.1-10)

New O.M.I. cardinal - aged 87, in Lesotho - unable to attend promotion ceremony. See end of this report

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

226: Recording

Young married couples should be encouraged to develop a routine that gives a healthy sense of closeness and stability through shared daily rituals. 

These could include a morning kiss, an evening blessing, waiting at the door to welcome each other home, taking trips together and sharing household chores. 

Yet it also helps to break the routine with a party, and to enjoy family celebrations of anniversaries and special events.

We need these moments of cherishing God’s gifts and renewing our zest for life. 

As long as we can celebrate, we are able to rekindle our love, to free it from monotony and to colour our daily routine with hope.

Passionate letters in Spanish from a Colombian inmate - trying to say everything he can to stop other people taking drugs to HK. Here (June 20 to Nov 7)

215: Recording

In this regard, “the relationship between a good aesthetic education and the maintenance of a healthy environment cannot be overlooked”.[150]

 By learning to see and appreciate beauty, we learn to reject self-interested pragmatism. If someone has not learned to stop and admire something beautiful, we should not be surprised if he or she treats everything as an object to be used and abused without scruple.

 If we want to bring about deep change, we need to realize that certain mindsets really do influence our behaviour. 

Our efforts at education will be inadequate and ineffectual unless we strive to promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature. Otherwise, the paradigm of consumerism will continue to advance, with the help of the media and the highly effective workings of the market.

205a: Recording

I ask God to give us more politicians capable of sincere and effective dialogue aimed at healing the deepest roots – and not simply the appearances – of the evils in our world!

 Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good.

 We need to be convinced that charity “is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones)”

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 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 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)

This is a most important story - it shows how what is putting women in prison in HK is going on in many other places:

Australian love-scam victim in Cambodian jail after being tricked by Nigerian Drug Lord

Notice the similarities between this story and the one at right re "Frank" !

The story of "Frank Ukadike" - real name as on false passport: Urbain Azowou(z?) - a Nigerian Drug Lord operating in HK. How he tricked a local Filipina domestic worker

Today's Gospel - Lk 23.42

YouTube: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom

Venezuela - situation continuing to deteriorate. People becoming ever more desperate for food. See this O.M.I. update

No wonder the Nigerian Drug Lords in Venezuela can easily recruit drug mules to go to HK. 

c.f. Readings for Feast of Christ the King

2 Samuel 4 & 5

After Ishbaal, son of Saul,  was murdered, David became king of Israel as well as king of Judah.

David was 30 years old when he became king. He reigned over Judah for 7 years. Then he reigned over all Israel and Judah for 33 years.

David continued to fight against the Philistines. God blessed David in all his campaigns.

Dear God, may all of Israel be blessed with peace

My recording of this reading

Psalm 122

I rejoiced when I heard them say
"Let us go to God's house."

And now our feet are standing 
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

For the peace of Jerusalem pray
"Peace be to your homes."

For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.

Lord, may your peace be in our hearts and homes

Recording 

Colossians 1.15-20

Christ is the image of the unseen God. In him were created all things. All things were created through him and for him

Before anything was created, he existed. He holds all things in unity

The Church is his body. He is its head

God wants all things to be reconciled through him who brought peace by his death on the Cross

Jesus, God the Son become man, may our world find reconciliation and peace in you

Recording  

Luke 23.42-49

One of the criminals hanging on a cross mockingly said to Jesus
"Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well"

But the other criminal rebuked the first one and said "We are paying the penalty for our crimes. But this man has done nothing wrong"

"Jesus", he said, "remember me when you come into your kingdom"

Jesus replied "I promise you, this day you will be with me in Paradise"

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom

Recording  

A beautiful prayer for the Feast of Christ the King:

Jesus, I acknowledge you as Universal King.
All that has been created has been made for you.
Exercise over me all the rights that you have.
I renew my Baptismal promises, renouncing Satan and all his works
and I promise to try to live as a good Christian.
Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer you all my actions
that all hearts may recognize your love and know the peace of your kingdom.

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

225: Recording

Couples who have learned how to do this well can share some practical suggestions which they have found useful: planning free time together, moments of recreation with the children, different ways of celebrating important events, shared opportunities for spiritual growth. 

They can also provide resources that help young married couples to make those moments meaningful and loving, and thus to improve their communication. 

This is extremely important for the stage when the novelty of marriage has worn off.

Once a couple no longer knows how to spend time together, one or both of them will end up taking refuge in gadgets, finding other commitments, seeking the embrace of another, or simply looking for ways to flee what has become an uncomfortable closeness.

 As Trump promises deportations, Los Angeles officials promise resistance   

  “We are not going to engage in law enforcement activities solely based on someone’s immigration status."

214: Recording

Political institutions and various other social groups are also entrusted with helping to raise people’s awareness. So too is the Church. All Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education. 

It is my hope that our seminaries and houses of formation will provide an education in responsible simplicity of life, in grateful contemplation of God’s world, and in concern for the needs of the poor and the protection of the environment. 

Because the stakes are so high, we need institutions empowered to impose penalties for damage inflicted on the environment. But we also need the personal qualities of self-control and willingness to learn from one another.

Breaking news

204: Recording

We can no longer trust in the unseen forces and the invisible hand of the market.

 Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth: it requires decisions, programs, mechanisms and processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality.

 I am far from proposing an irresponsible populism, but the economy can no longer turn to remedies that are a new poison, such as attempting to increase profits by reducing the work force and thereby adding to the ranks of the excluded

From hearing the stories of Filipinas and African women tricked by Nigerian Drug Lords I now have a better understanding of how love-starved women are tricked by the Drug Lords' smooth talk. It's as if any kind words of flattery cause such poor women to turn off their brains and run on heart-pilot alone. As in the two stories at top of today's menu!

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 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 The Gambia

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)

Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

After attending the High Court yesterday morning in support of a Filipina charged with drug trafficking, I had a long chat with two Filipino reporters who work for HK's two local Filipino newspapers. Good news: the papers will now use my internet material to warn people about the danger of being tricked by Drug Lords.

The rest of yesterday was largely spent helping asylum seekers ....one big problem at the moment being accommodation for asylum seekers recently released from detention. There are a number of exhibitions on in HK these days, and accommodation rental prices are exorbitant.

A kind friend has begun the task of translating into English the letters of South American inmates written in Spanish. First letter is - Here

Genesis 19

The men of Sodom practised sodomy. They wanted to abuse the two angels who looked like men when the angels visited the home of Abraham's nephew, Lot.

So the angels struck the threatening men with blindness.

Then the angels told Lot and his family to leave Sodom immediately because it would soon be destroyed.

As soon as Lot and his family had left Sodom the town was destroyed by a volcanic storm

Dear God, please help people avoid sodomy

My recording of this reading

Psalms 109 & 110

O God whom I praise, do not be silent, for people are bombarding me with  words of hate.

They speak to me with lying tongues and attack me without cause.

They repay me evil for good.
While I pray for them,  they show me hatred.

I have become an object of scorn. Help me, Lord my God.

Lord, when people are unkind to me, please give me the grace to pray for them

Recording  

Acts 2.37-47

The crowd was deeply moved by Peter's words, and asked "What should we do?"  Peter replied "You must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then you too will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". That day about 3,000 people were baptized

These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to a life of sharing and caring, to the Breaking of Bread, and to prayer

Many miracles were worked by the apostles, and this made a deep impression on everyone. Each day the Lord added new members to their group

Jesus, please help me remain faithful to the Christian way of life

 Recording 

Mark 10 (13 - 16) & 9 (37 & 42)

Some people brought their little children to Jesus. They hoped Jesus would  put his hands on the children and bless them.

Jesus' disciples told the people to go away and not bother Jesus.
But Jesus said "Don't stop the little children from coming to me". Then he put his hands on them and blessed them.

Jesus also said "Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me. But anyone who causes scandal to one of these little ones,  commits a great crime"

Jesus, please help all children to know you from their earliest days. Please don't let parents prevent children from coming to you. Please heal children who have been scandalized  by adults

Recording  

Today's first reading (Genesis 19) is one of many passages in the Bible that is watered down or reinterpreted by people who say that the Gay life-style is ok. But doctors don't water down the harmful effects of sodomy - see Here 

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

224: Recording

This process takes time. Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary.

Time is needed to talk things over, to embrace leisurely, to share plans, to listen to one other and gaze into each other’s eyes, to appreciate one another and to build a stronger relationship.

Sometimes the frenetic pace of our society and the pressures of the workplace create problems.

At other times, the problem is the lack of quality time together, sharing the same room without one even noticing the other. 

Pastoral workers and groups of married people should think of ways to help young or vulnerable couples to make the most of those moments, to be present to one another, even by sharing moments of meaningful silence.

213: Recording 

Ecological education can take place in a variety of settings: at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere. Good education plants seeds when we are young, and these continue to bear fruit throughout life. 

Here, though, I would stress the great importance of the family, which is “the place in which life – the gift of God – can be properly welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth.

 In the face of the so-called culture of death, the family is the heart of the culture of life”.[149]

 In the family we first learn how to show love and respect for life; we are taught the proper use of things, order and cleanliness, respect for the local ecosystem and care for all creatures. 

In the family we receive an integral education, which enables us to grow harmoniously in personal maturity. In the family we learn to ask without demanding, to say “thank you” as an expression of genuine gratitude for what we have been given, to control our aggressivity and greed, and to ask forgiveness when we have caused harm.

These simple gestures of heartfelt courtesy help to create a culture of shared life and respect for our surroundings.

203: Recording

The dignity of each human person and the pursuit of the common good are concerns which ought to shape all economic policies. 

At times, however, they seem to be a mere addendum imported from without in order to fill out a political discourse lacking in perspectives or plans for true and integral development. 

How many words prove irksome to this system! It is irksome when the question of ethics is raised, when global solidarity is invoked, when the distribution of goods is mentioned, when reference is made to protecting labour and defending the dignity of the powerless, when allusion is made to a God who demands a commitment to justice.

 At other times these issues are exploited by a rhetoric which cheapens them. Casual indifference in the face of such questions empties our lives and our words of all meaning. 

Business is a vocation, and a noble vocation, provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by a greater meaning in life; this will enable them truly to serve the common good by striving to increase the goods of this world and to make them more accessible to all. 

10 years ago
 on this day

Yesterday morning I was at the High Court, in support of a Filipina charged with drug trafficking. When the defence barrister began his speech, he said that the Filipina's father was in court. So I turned round (I was in a front seat ... near the defendant) but could see only one other man (apart from two friends with me) ...and that man seemed younger than the Filipina. Then the penny fell: I was the father!

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 19th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shanxi

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 19th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Sudan

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)

Eight arrested after $54-million drug seizure

"Since the inception of Taskforce Blaze a year ago this month, Australian and Chinese investigations have resulted in the seizure of approximately six tonnes of drugs

Pope refuses to fall into 'trap' set by Cardinal Burke

 But the truth is that when it comes to marriage and divorce a “one size fits all” solution doesn’t work, and Francis knows it

- c.f. today's Gospel, below!

Lawyer who helped draft Basic Law says Beijing interpretation has destroyed ‘one country, two systems’

(from a reader in UK):

Maidenhead Mosque Faith Visit to France    

Amongst the Maidenhead Mosque congregation there are many whose fathers and grandfathers fought in two world wars.  Recently Maidenhead Mosque joined UK Faith Leaders to commemorate the terrorist attacks in Paris and Normandy

Genesis 18

One day at Mamre, God and two angels appeared to Abraham. At first, God and the angels looked like men.

Following the ancient custom of hospitality Abraham prepared a feast for them.

God told Abraham that the town of Sodom was going to be destroyed because of the evil done there.

Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom. God agreed to postpone Sodom's destruction for a while.

Dear God, please help people avoid sodomy

 Recording

Psalm 108

My heart is ready, O God. I will sing, sing your praise. Awake, lyre and harp. I will awake the dawn.

I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples, praise you among the nations, for your love reaches to the heavens, and your truth to the skies.

O Lord, come and deliver us today. Help us with your right hand.

Give us help in difficult situations. With your help we shall be brave.

Lord, we need your help every day 

Recording

Acts 2.22-36

Peter said to the crowd "You know that Jesus of Nazareth was a man from God. You know all about the miracles he worked

This same Jesus has been raised from the dead by God. There are many witnesses to his resurrection

Jesus has been taken up to God's right hand. He has received the Holy Spirit from the Father. He has poured out the Holy Spirit on us

Know for sure that Jesus whom you crucified is the Messiah and he is Lord"

Jesus, Messiah Lord, please pour your Holy Spirit into my heart

Recording

Mark 10.1-12

One day some religious leaders put Jesus to the test by asking him "Is it against the Law of Moses for a man to divorce his wife?"

Jesus replied "God created male and female, for the two to become united as one body. What God has united, no one should separate."

The religious leaders then asked "But why did Moses allow divorce?"

Jesus replied "Moses allowed divorce because people were so hard of heart. But divorce was not God's plan.

So I say to you, anyone who walks out on their partner and marries someone else, is guilty of adultery."

Jesus, please help married people stay together

Recording

Spot the similarity:
Today's Gospel - Mark 10: the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus.
Top of today's menu:  Four cardinals trying to trap Pope Francis.
- both traps concerning the same topic: divorce

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

223: Recording

The Synod Fathers observed that “the initial years of marriage are a vital and sensitive period during which couples become more aware of the challenges and meaning of married life.

Consequently, pastoral accompaniment needs to go beyond the actual celebration of the sacrament (Familiaris Consortio, Part III). 

In this regard, experienced couples have an important role to play. 

The parish is a place where such experienced couples can help younger couples, with the eventual cooperation of associations, ecclesial movements and new communities. 

Young couples need to be encouraged to be essentially open to the great gift of children. 

Emphasis should also be given to the importance of family spirituality, prayer and participation in the Sunday Eucharist, and couples encouraged to meet regularly to promote growth in their spiritual life and solidarity in the concrete demands of life. 

Liturgies, devotional practices and the Eucharist celebrated for families, especially on the wedding anniversary, were mentioned as vital factors in fostering evangelization through the family”.

212: Recording

We must not think that these efforts are not going to change the world. 

They benefit society, often unbeknown to us, for they call forth a goodness which, albeit unseen, inevitably tends to spread. 

Furthermore, such actions can restore our sense of self-esteem; they can enable us to live more fully and to feel that life on earth is worthwhile.

202: Recording

The need to resolve the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed, not only for the pragmatic reason of its urgency for the good order of society, but also because society needs to be cured of a sickness which is weakening and frustrating it, and which can only lead to new crises. 

Welfare projects, which meet certain urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses. As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems. 

Inequality is the root of social ills

I spent yesterday "at the desk", apart from a visit to an inmate at Queen Elizabeth Hospital late in the afternoon.
My life these days is more and more dedicated to "prevention rather than cure" ... i.e. stopping people from going to prison, rather than visiting them in prison.
But to be honest, I'd prefer to be behind bars instead of behind a computer!

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 18th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shandong

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 18th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Ivory Coast

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)

Duterte’s war on drugs creating generation of orphans

"Must read":  (George Monbiot)

The Deep History Behind Trump’s Rise

How a ruthless network of super-rich ideologues killed choice and destroyed people’s faith in politics

Clare Condon S.G.S.

When does freedom of speech cross the line?

It seems that calumny is no longer regarded as an evil and as destructive of the fabric of society or individuals

What about other countries?!!!

Cuba pardons 787 convicts after Pope's clemency call

Psalm 107 (a)  (Desert ..)

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His great love is without end.

Let them say this, those the Lord has helped, people from east and west, north and south.

Some people wandered in the desert, lost and unable to find their way to safety.

In their hunger and thirst they cried to the Lord for help. He rescued them and showed them the way to safety.

Let them thank the Lord for his love, for he fills the hungry with good things.

My recording of this reading

Psalm 107 (b)  (Prison ..)

Some people were prisoners in misery and chains, living in darkness and gloom.

In their distress they cried to the Lord for help. He rescued them and restored their freedom.

Let them thank the Lord for his goodness, for he shatters the iron bars of prisons.

Recording

Psalm 107 (c) (Sickness ..)

Some people were sick on account of their sins, unable to eat, and close to death.

They cried to the Lord in their need. He healed them and saved them from the grave.

Let them thank the Lord for his love, for the wonders he does for us.

Recording

Psalm 107 (d) (Storms ..)

Some people sailed to the sea in ships and were caught in terrifying storms.

They cried to the Lord in their need, and he calmed the sea and wind.

Let them thank the Lord for his love, for the wonders he does for us.

Whoever is wise should meditate on these things and reflect on the love of the Lord.

Thank you Lord, for your rescuing love

Recording

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

222:    Recordings   01  02

The pastoral care of newly married couples must also involve encouraging them to be generous in bestowing life. 

“In accord with the personal and fully human character of conjugal love, family planning fittingly takes place as the result of a consensual dialogue between the spouses, respect for times, and consideration of the dignity of the partner. 

In this sense, the teaching of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae (cf. 1014) and the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (cf. 14; 2835) ought to be taken up anew, in order to counter a mentality that is often hostile to life…

Decisions involving responsible parenthood presupposes the formation of conscience, which is ‘the most secret core and sanctuary of a person. There each one is alone with God, whose voice echoes in the depths of the heart’ (Gaudium et Spes, 16). 

The more the couple tries to listen in conscience to God and his commandments (cf. Rom 2:15), and is accompanied spiritually, the more their decision will be profoundly free of subjective caprice and accommodation to prevailing social mores”.

The clear teaching of the Second Vatican Council still holds: “[The couple] will make decisions by common counsel and effort. Let them thoughtfully take into account both their own welfare and that of their children, those already born and those which the future may bring. 

For this accounting they need to reckon with both the material and the spiritual conditions of the times as well as of their state in life. 

Finally, they should consult the interests of the family group, of temporal society and of the Church herself. The parents themselves and no one else should ultimately make this judgment in the sight of God”.

Moreover, “the use of methods based on the ‘laws of nature and the incidence of fertility’ (Humanae Vitae, 11) are to be promoted, since ‘these methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them and favour the education of an authentic freedom’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2370). 

Greater emphasis needs to be placed on the fact that children are a wonderful gift from God and a joy for parents and the Church. Through them, the Lord renews the world”.

211b: Recording 

There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle.

 Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices. 

All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings. Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses our own dignity.

201: Recording

No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because their own lifestyle demands more attention to other areas. This is an excuse commonly heard in academic, business or professional, and even ecclesial circles.

While it is quite true that the essential vocation and mission of the lay faithful is to strive that earthly realities and all human activity may be transformed by the Gospel, none of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice:

 “Spiritual conversion, the intensity of the love of God and neighbour, zeal for justice and peace, the Gospel meaning of the poor and of poverty, are required of everyone”.

 I fear that these words too may give rise to commentary or discussion with no real practical effect. That being said, I trust in the openness and readiness of all Christians, and I ask you to seek, as a community, creative ways of accepting this renewed call.

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 17th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shaanxi

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 17th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Malawi

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)

Note the very last sentence of this report:

Senior bishop of Hong Kong Catholic diocese opposes independence, embraces Chinese identity

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

Islam File    The New Translation

"Same-sex marriage" file

To go with today's Gospel, below

Chris McDonnell   (UK blogger)

The simple beauty of place

We all have moments and places that we recognise for their simplicity and beauty, places of calm where we can bring our troubled selves before the Lo rd and recognise his beauty expressed in our very being and in all about us

Genesis 17

God appeared to Abraham and said to him "I will make an everlasting covenant with you and your descendants.

As a sign of this covenant, all your males must be circumcised.
Baby boys must be circumcised when they are eight days old.

Also, Sarah your wife, even though she is old, will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac."

Dear God,  please bless all the babies in the world

Psalm 106

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His great love is without end.

They are happy who do what is right, who at all times remember what is just.

When our ancestors came out of Egypt, they forgot the greatness of God's love.

Each time they strayed, God forgave them. But still they continued to forget God who was their saviour, God who had done such great things for them in Egypt.

O Lord, our God, please don't let us forget your love

Recording   

Acts 2.11-18

When  people heard the apostles' group speaking in many different languages, some said the apostles were drunk

Peter stood up with the Eleven and said to the crowd: These people are not drunk. It's only 9am....too early to drink. What is happening is what God said through the prophet Joel:

'I, the Lord, will pour out my spirit on all peoples. They will prophesy and see visions. I will pour out my spirit on everyone'

Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on all peoples, all nations

Recording 

Mark 9.38-41

Jesus' apostle John, said "Master, we saw a man who is not one of our group casting out devils in your name. Because he was not one of us, we tried to stop him"

Jesus said "You must not stop him. No one who works a miracle in my name is going to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us

In fact, even someone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to me,  will be rewarded"

Recording 

Yesterday on day 2 of the 3 day  O.M.I. in-service program at Sheung Shui, we 15 Oblate priests visited two elderly Oblates in a nearby nursing home. One of them, Fr Peter King aged 93, shared a few words with us, using the thumb and index finger of his right hand to make a gun ....saying that each time we reject people we are like someone pointing a gun at them. But then he held up his hand so that the thumb and finger formed the letter "L" ....saying how Jesus taught us to treat people with Love, not "guns".  What a beautiful application of Mark 9, above ....don't see people as "us" and "them"!

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

221: Recording

Among the causes of broken marriages are unduly high expectations about conjugal life. 

Once it becomes apparent that the reality is more limited and challenging than one imagined, the solution is not to think quickly and irresponsibly about separation, but to come to the sober realization that married life is a process of growth, in which each spouse is God’s means of helping the other to mature. 

Change, improvement, the flowering of the good qualities present in each person - all these are possible. 

Each marriage is a kind of “salvation history”, which from fragile beginnings - thanks to God’s gift and a creative and generous response on our part - grows over time into something precious and enduring.

Might we say that the greatest mission of two people in love is to help one another become, respectively, more a man and more a woman? Fostering growth means helping a person to shape his or her own identity. Love is thus a kind of craftsmanship. 

When we read in the Bible about the creation of man and woman, we see God first forming Adam (cf. Gen 2:7); he realizes that something essential is lacking and so he forms Eve and then hears the man exclaim in amazement, “Yes, this one is just right for me!” We can almost hear the amazing dialogue that must have taken place when the man and the woman first encountered one another. 

In the life of married couples, even at difficult moments, one person can always surprise the other, and new doors can open for their relationship, as if they were meeting for the first time. At every new stage, they can keep “forming” one another. Love makes each wait for the other with the patience of a craftsman, a patience which comes from God.

211a: Recording 

Yet this education, aimed at creating an “ecological citizenship”, is at times limited to providing information, and fails to instil good habits.

The existence of laws and regulations is insufficient in the long run to curb bad conduct, even when effective means of enforcement are present.

If the laws are to bring about significant, long-lasting effects, the majority of the members of society must be adequately motivated to accept them, and personally transformed to respond. 

Only by cultivating sound virtues will people be able to make a selfless ecological commitment. 

A person who could afford to spend and consume more but regularly uses less heating and wears warmer clothes, shows the kind of convictions and attitudes which help to protect the environment.

200: Recording

Since this Exhortation is addressed to members of the Catholic Church, I want to say, with regret, that the worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care.

 The great majority of the poor have a special openness to the faith; they need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith. 

Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care.

10 years ago today

Missionary in Africa, before church service each Sunday, used to put artwork at front door to help people know what the sermon would be about. One Sunday he put up a painting of Hell. But then, while he was in the sacristy getting ready for his service, he heard a commotion at the front door ....so he went to check what was happening ...and was not very happy seeing people singing and dancing in front of the painting of Hell. He very unhappily said to the people "How can you be happy about Hell?". To which they replied "Pastor ...look closely ....all the people in the painting are white. No black people in Hell"!

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 16th of the month,  Jesus please bless the prisoners of Qinghai

And praying for one of the world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 16th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Afghanistan

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)