V2Catholic.com A voice for the
poor Edited
by HK prison chaplain
Fr John Wotherspoon
O.M.I . 胡頌恆神父
jdwomi@gmail.com
Links, Search
& Archives Imitating
Pope
Francis
This
website's anti-drug campaign saves people from going to prison in HK
See & share inmates'
letters!
HK
Indon
Kenya
Nigeria
Phil
S.A.
S.Amer
Thail
Tanz
Ug
EU
How
campaign began
HK:how
long prison for trafficking?
www.AsylumSeekerHK.com
Tues March 21
Yesterday I was at Lo
Wu Women's Correctional Institution for about 6 hours. A new group
I'm trying to help is made up of women from Mainland China who were tricked by
Nigerians in Guangzhou to go to Kuala Lumpur and bring drugs to/through HK.
Because of their strict Confucian thinking about not lying, the group refused to
plead guilty (to get a shorter sentence) and now are serving extra long
sentences for losing their not-guilty cases. A test case is coming up in August,
when yet another Mainland woman is pleading not-guilty. I'm hoping that a
presentation of the "big picture" will help not only that woman, but
also those already sentenced. See this
report (in Chinese) of one Mainland woman acquitted last year after
serving 5 years. Photos of one of the Guangzhou Nigerians here!
(July 13, with letters from 2 of the Mainland women)
After the Royal Commission into clerical sexual abuse of
children:
Where to from
here?
Hong
Kong's "Jesus jockey" from Brazil!
To encourage more use of the Bible readings and the Pope's writings, below, I've
set up a WhatsApp Group .... asking for
readers to publish short comments/reflections/prayers on the readings/writings,
to promote access of this goldmine of good ideas for helping to live a life of
goodness. If you have WhatsApp, please let me know your phone number, and I'll
add you to the group: jdwomi@gmail.com
.... and I will say a special little prayer each day for the group. No need
to use your real name ... ok to use another name
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The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Numbers
25: For a while the
Israelites settled in the area of Shittim.
In that place the Israelite men gave themselves over to debauchery with the women of Midian.
The Israelites joined these women in sacrifices to local idols.
God therefore sent a plague to punish the Israelites
and thousands of people died.
God commanded Moses to execute Israelites
who had taken
part in sacrifices to local idols.
Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron
showed his loyalty and zeal by personally
executing one of the main offenders, at a time when most people didn't care what was happening.
Dear God, please help us
to care about what goes on around us
and what is happening in the world
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
86: Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call to you. All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord,
you who alone are God. Show me, Lord, your way, and guide my heart
so that I may walk in your truth. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my
heart
for your love to me has been great. O give your strength to your servant
and save your handmaid's son.
Dear Lord, thank you for
all your
love
Recording
Romans
10.1-4: I have a really great love for the Jews. I
pray to God for them to be saved.
They have a strong belief in God, but their zeal is misguided.
They can't see that friendship with God is a gift from God,
not just a matter of external practices.
Jesus, some people have mixed up ideas about
religion
(.. Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses).
Help them know the truth as you revealed it
Recording
Luke
15:11-24:
Jesus told this story: a man had two sons. The younger said
to his father "Father, give me the share of the estate that would
come to me".
So the father divided his property between them.
A few days later, the younger son left for a distant land where he wasted his money in wild living.
When he had used all his money, that country had a severe famine, and he
began to feel the pinch, so he got a job on a farm feeding pigs.
He would willingly have eaten the pigs' food, but
no one offered him anything.
Then he came to his senses and said "How many of my father's paid
servants have more food than they want, and I am dying of hunger.
I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be
called your son. Treat me as one of your paid servants."
So he left the place and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved
with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him
tenderly. Then the son said "Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son".
But the father said to his servants "Quick! Bring out the best robe
and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it. We are going to
have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has
come back to life. He was lost and is found."
Jesus, please help me understand how much you love me,
no matter what mistakes I make
Recordings 01
02 03
04
.jpg)
Reflection
on the above readings:
What a big difference between a God of
harshness in the first reading and a God of mercy in the Gospel. No wonder some
people ask how can he be the same God. My understanding:
much/most of the harshness in the Old Testament is "from man", not
"from God" ... in the sense that when it says "God commanded
killing" what the author should have written was "Moses/Joshua
commanded killing". This is the phenomenon of ascribing responsibility to a
higher authority in order to justify an action
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
39: Recording
This
is hardly to suggest that we cease warning against a cultural decline that fails
to promote love or self-giving.
The consultation that took place prior to the last two Synods pointed to the various symptoms of a "culture of the ephemeral".
Here I think, for example, of the speed with which people move from one affective relationship to another.
They believe, along the lines of social networks, that love can be connected or disconnected at the whim of the consumer, and the relationship quickly "blocked".
I think too of the fears associated with permanent commitment, the obsession with free time, and those relationships that weigh costs and benefits for the sake of remedying loneliness, providing protection, or offering some service.
We treat affective relationships the way we treat material objects and the environment: everything is disposable; everyone uses and throws away, takes and breaks, exploits and squeezes to the last drop. Then, goodbye.
Narcissism makes people incapable of looking beyond themselves, beyond their own desires and needs.
Yet sooner or later, those who use others end up being used themselves, manipulated and discarded by that same mindset.
It is also worth noting that breakups often occur among older adults who seek a kind of "independence" and reject the ideal of growing old together, looking after and supporting one another.
---------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text
Full Chinese text
36: Recording Caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness, since no one looking for quick and easy profit is truly interested in their preservation.
But the cost of the damage caused by such selfish lack of concern is much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained.
Where certain species are destroyed or seriously harmed, the values involved are incalculable.
We can be silent witnesses to terrible injustices if we think that we can obtain significant benefits by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the extremely high costs of environmental deterioration.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
13: Recording
The joy of evangelizing
always arises from grateful remembrance: the apostles never forgot
the moment when Jesus touched their hearts: "It was about four o'clock in
the afternoon". Together with Jesus, this remembrance makes present to us
"a great cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1), some of whom, as
believers, we recall with great joy: "Remember your leaders, those who
spoke to you the word of God" (Heb 13:7). Some of them were ordinary
people who were close to us and introduced us to the life of faith: "I am
reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother
Lois and your mother Eunice" (2 Tim 1:5). The
believer is essentially "one who remembers"
-------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
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 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, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon March 20 Feast of St Joseph
Many good things happened yesterday ... one of the best was last night at the usual Sunday night gathering for the poor at Yau Ma Tei .... with lots of volunteers, including the principal and a teacher with a marvellous band of boys from nearby Newman College. The sight of the students performing music and songs and then acting as waiters and then cleaning up .... inspiring!
A lesson here for HK:
Cost
of homelessness: Governments will save money by spending on accommodation
services, study finds
Letter
in English from a Russian woman in prison in HK for drug trafficking, warning
others to avoid her situation
- recruited by a Nigerian Drug Lord
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Feast of St Joseph
2 Samuel 7: After
David settled
into his palace and the land enjoyed peace, David thought about building a
temple for the Lord. Then through the prophet Nathan the Lord told David:
"I will establish your dynasty for ever. But it will be your son, not
yourself, who will build a temple for me." David praised God: "Who am
I, Lord, and what is my House, that you have helped me so much and promised me
so much? May my House continue in
your presence for ever. May you bless my House forever."
Jesus, Son of David, give peace to our world
My recording of this reading
Psalm
134: I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my
mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for
ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. "I
have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David
my servant: I will establish your dynasty for ever, and set up your throne
through all ages".
Jesus, Son of David, may your kingdom of peace come in our troubled world
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!
Jesus, Son of David, come into our world!
Recording
Matthew 1.18-24: This
is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph;
but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the
Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare her
publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this
when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what
is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him
Jesus,
because he is the one who is to save
his people from their sins.' When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of
the Lord had told him to do.
Jesus, Son of David, save your people from war and strife
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
Correction
to popular use: Joseph was the step-father,
not foster-father of Jesus, because
Joseph was the husband of Mary, and Mary was Jesus' biological mother. c.f.
What's
the difference between foster father and step father?
--------------------------------------------------------
Call
on Canadians to Support Refugee faqmilies who helped Snowden
(radio interview)
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
38: Recording We
must be grateful that most people do value family relationships that are
permanent and marked by mutual respect.
They appreciate the Church's efforts to offer guidance and counselling in areas related to growth in love, overcoming conflict and raising children.
Many are touched by the power of grace experienced in sacramental Reconciliation and in the Eucharist, grace that helps them face the challenges of marriage and the family.
In some countries, especially in various parts of Africa, secularism has not weakened certain traditional values, and marriages forge a strong bond between two wider families, with clearly defined structures for dealing with problems and conflicts.
Nowadays we are grateful too for the witness of marriages that have not only proved lasting, but also fruitful and loving.
All these factors can inspire a positive and welcoming pastoral approach capable of helping couples to grow in appreciation of the demands of the Gospel.
Yet we have often been on the defensive, wasting pastoral energy on denouncing a decadent world without being proactive in proposing ways of finding true happiness.
Many people feel that the Church's message on marriage and the family does not clearly reflect the preaching and attitudes of Jesus, who set forth a demanding ideal yet never failed to show compassion and closeness to the frailty of individuals like the Samaritan woman or the woman caught in adultery.
---------------------------------------------
Daniel Daring: Year
with Matthew - 12:
Christ, The
Law and The Prophets
Jesus brought the Law and the Prophets to perfection
---------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
35: Recording
In assessing the
environmental impact of any project, concern is usually shown for its effects on
soil, water and air, yet few careful studies are made of its impact on
biodiversity, as if the loss of species or animals and plant groups were of
little importance.
Highways, new plantations, the fencing-off of certain areas, the damming of water sources, and similar developments, crowd out natural habitats and, at times, break them up in such a way that animal populations can no longer migrate or roam freely.
As a result, some species face extinction.
Alternatives exist which at least lessen the impact of these projects, like the creation of biological corridors, but few countries demonstrate such concern and foresight.
Frequently, when certain species are exploited commercially, little attention is paid to studying their reproductive patterns in order to prevent their depletion and the consequent imbalance of the ecosystem.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
12: Recording
Though it is true that this mission
demands great generosity on our part, it would be wrong to see it as a heroic
individual undertaking, for it is first and
foremost the Lord's
work, surpassing anything which
we can see and understand.
Jesus is "the first and greatest evangelizer".
In every activity of evangelization, the primacy always belongs to God, who has called us to cooperate with him and who leads us on by the power of his Spirit.
This
conviction enables us to maintain a spirit of joy in the midst of a task so
demanding and challenging that it engages our entire life.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
Visit to centers in poor areas by Hong Kong benefactors from St Benedict's Parish in Shatin
------------------------------------------
(in
honor of March 19, St Joseph): Thief broke into convent of
Sisters of St Joseph. Then a voice was heard: Joseph is watching. Voice was
again heard: Joseph is watching. Thief uses torch....sees that "voice"
is a parrot. Thief goes on putting items in his sack. Voice then says to huge
guard dog: "Get him, Joseph!"
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Sun:
Africa
Mon: Europe
& Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia &
Pacific
Frid: South America
Sat: Central &
North America
Jesus,
today, Monday,
please bless the people of Europe
& Russia
And
praying for prisoners in one
part of China each day of the month:
On
this 20th of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Sichuan
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 20th of
the month, Jesus please bless the people of Gambia
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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Sun March 19
In
Pictures: Temple Street building inspires Australian artist to create meticulously detailed model
(I live in Temple Street, 5 mins from this building!)
Police
chief in China jailed for buying Australian homes with corrupt money
Fr
Harry Winter O.M.I.
Encounter
and Dialogue as Part of the Ecumenical Imperative: Fr.
Nicholas Gruner and His Lutheran Counterparts
Dialogue involves the head. Encounter involves the
heart
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Lent 3
Exodus
17: In one place where there was no water
the people grumbled against Moses:
"Give us water to drink or else we will die."
Moses asked God for help
and God told Moses to strike a large rock with his staff.
When Moses did this, water flowed from the rock.
In another place the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites.
Moses prayed while Joshua led the people in battle.
As long as Moses kept his arms raised up in prayer,
the Israelites were winning.
But when Moses let his arms down,
the Amalekites started winning.
So Aaron and Hur got Moses to sit on a rock
and they supported his hands until sunset.
Joshua and the people then won the battle.
Dear
God, please help us understand the power of prayer
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
95: Come ring out our joy to the Lord.
Hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him giving thanks.
With songs let us praise the Lord.
A mighty God is the Lord,
a great king above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth.
The heights of the mountains are his. To him belongs the sea, for he made it,
and the dry land shaped by his hands. Come in, let us bow and bend low.
Let us kneel before the God who made us.
For he is our God and we are the people who belong to his pasture.
Lord, you are our Creator. Our
life comes from you. We praise and love you, Lord
Recording
Romans
5.1-5: By faith and through Jesus we can live in the
friendship of God. We look forward to heaven and an end to all
suffering. In the meantime our suffering teaches us
patience.
Patience produces perseverance. Perseverance produces hope. This hope is not imaginary. It's real, since
the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has
been given to us.
Jesus, through your Holy Spirit, please give
me more hope
Recording
John
4.1-14: Jesus visited a Samaritan town. Near a well
there, Jesus said to a Samaritan woman "Give me a drink".
He also said to her "If you drink water from this well, you
will get thirsty again. But if you drink the water that I shall give, you
will never be thirsty again.
The water that I shall give will turn into a spring of eternal life inside
you".
Jesus, please give me a drink of your eternal
life water
- which is your Holy Spirit
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
Easter
coming soon ... Easter/Baptism/water ... so today's first reading and
Gospel have the theme of water. And in John 7.19 Jesus tells us that the living
water he gives is the Holy Spirit.
A most basic meal is bread and water. Well, (no pun intended), the Holy Spirit is Living Water, just as the Eucharist is Living Bread
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
37: Recording We
have long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral
issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient
support to families, strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to
marital life.
We find it difficult to present marriage more as a dynamic path to personal development and fulfilment than as a lifelong burden.
We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations.
We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them.
---------------------------------------------
From
a reader in Australia. A prayer the reader uses each morning:
Prayer for protection by the Blood of Jesus over my House and Family
-------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
34b: Recording
Often a vicious circle results, as human
intervention to resolve a problem further aggravates the situation.
For example, many birds and insects which disappear due to synthetic agrotoxins are helpful for agriculture: their disappearance will have to be compensated for by yet other techniques which may well prove harmful.
We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by scientists and engineers dedicated to finding solutions to man-made problems.
But a sober look at our world shows that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly.
We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
11: Recording
Saint Irenaeus writes: "By
his coming, Christ brought with him all newness".
With this newness he is always able to renew our lives and our communities, and even if the Christian message has known periods of darkness and ecclesial weakness, it will never grow old.
Jesus can also break through the dull categories with which we would enclose him and he constantly amazes us by his divine creativity.
Whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today's world.
Every form of authentic
evangelization is always "new".
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
Visit to 5 centers in poor areas by CAS Senior One students + Ke Ji College volunteers at Marco Polo
------------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight - with messages about
African inmates in HK prisons
-------------------------------------------
While
Lutherans may have only one tribe of
Fundamentalists, God has blessed the Roman Catholic Church with two
( in article, above, by Fr Harry Winter O.M.I.)
--------------------------------------
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 & Nth
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 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, today, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
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Sat March 18
Photos of last Thursday night's meal with homeless people who sleep at McDonald's. And last night I joined fellow Thursday night volunteers Paul and Tony for an inspection of some flats in Temple Street that Please God will soon be rented for some of the homeless people. We're getting there!
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Numbers
23-24: When Balaam came to the
king of Moab,
the king again tried to get Balaam to curse the Israelites.
But Balaam followed God's words and said:
"How can I curse people that God does not curse?
These people are specially blessed by God.
How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob.
How lovely are your dwellings, O Israel.
From you will come a mighty one
who will reign over countless peoples.
A star from Jacob will be leader".
Dear
God, please bless the Jewish people with peace and love
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
85: I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace.
Peace for his people and his friends
and those who turn to him in their hearts. His help is near for those who love him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met.
Justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice shall look down from heaven. The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps
Lord, please give more peace to
our world
Recording
Romans
9.1-5: There is a great sorrow in my heart. It's
with me day and night.
It's the situation of the Jewish people, how they
will not accept the Anointed One. I am willing to do anything to help them
accept Jesus. I am willing to undergo the greatest suffering if that would
help them believe. They are my nation, my family. They have been so blessed by God.
From their flesh and blood came Christ, who is God.
Jesus, God-made-flesh, I pray with Paul that
the Jewish people will believe in you
Recording
Luke
14.12-14: Jesus said to the meal guests "When you
give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, family, or rich neighbors.
Rather, when you have a party, invite the
poor, the crippled,
the lame, the blind. That they cannot repay you means you are
fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again".
Jesus, help me do more to help poor
people
Recording
From
Africa - beautiful!
Reflection
on the above readings:
The
above Gospel story is found only in Luke, not in Matthew or Mark or John. This
is not surprising, given that
Luke puts a special emphasis on helping the poor. Pope Francis reminds us that
all Christians should also have this emphasis in our lives ... a great love for
the poor.
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
36: Recording We
also need to be humble and realistic, acknowledging that at times the way we
present our Christian beliefs and treat other people has helped contribute to
today's problematic situation. We need a healthy dose of self-criticism.
Then too, we often present marriage in such a way that its unitive meaning, its call to grow in love and its ideal of mutual assistance are overshadowed by an almost exclusive insistence on the duty of procreation.
Nor have we always provided solid guidance to young married couples, understanding their timetables, their way of thinking and their concrete concerns.
At times we have also proposed a far too abstract and almost artificial theological ideal of marriage, far removed from the concrete situations and practical possibilities of real families.
This excessive idealization, especially when we have failed to inspire trust in God’s grace, has not helped to make marriage more desirable and attractive, but quite the opposite.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
34a: Recording
It may well disturb us to learn of
the extinction of mammals or birds, since they are more visible.
But the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms.
Some less numerous species, although generally unseen, nonetheless play a critical role in maintaining the equilibrium of a particular place.
Human beings must intervene when a geosystem reaches a critical state.
But nowadays, such intervention in nature has become more and more frequent.
As a consequence, serious problems arise, leading to further interventions; human activity becomes ubiquitous, with all the risks which this entails.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
10: Recording
The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a
higher plane:
"Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others".
Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!
Let us recover and deepen
our enthusiasm, that "delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even
when it is in tears that we must sow ... And may the world of our time, which is
searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive
the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected,
discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives
glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of Christ".
-------------------------------------
A long day at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre yesterday,
finishing with a couple of hours in the hospital section .... where inmates are
still talking about a recent guest: former HK Chief Executive Donald
Tsang.
--------------------------------------
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
2Sat:
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 18th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Ivory
Coast
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 Shandong
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
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Frid March 17
Happy St Patrick's Day!
Last night at a Jordan canteen, 3 volunteers and 11 special
guests had our 4th weekly "McDonald's Group" meal ....for homeless
people who sleep at McDonald's. We are still hoping and praying to find a home
for these guests ... and that home would be our venue on Thursday nights.
Report (in Chinese) in yesterday's Oriental Daily
of meeting I attended with Fr Franco Mella P.I.M.E. to lobby for a more
compassionate sentencing policy in HK. Hard
copy; on
line copy
-------------------------------------------
Fridays
of Lent:
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Numbers 21-22 (The
talking donkey!): As the Israelites
continued their journey,
a number of kings did battle with them.
One of these was Og, king of Bashan.
God said to Moses:
"Do not be afraid of him, for I have given him
into your power". Israel then easily defeated Og and occupied his land.
The king of Moab also wanted to attack the Israelites,
but before attacking, he consulted Balaam son of Beor
who was a type of prophet and could see the future.
Several times the king asked Balaam to curse the Israelites,
but each time he blessed them, because this is what God told him to do:
"You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed".
The king then summoned Balaam to his presence.
Balaam began his journey to the king, travelling on a donkey.
God sent an angel with a sword to block Balaam's way.
The donkey could see the angel, so she left the road to make a detour. Balaam hit her and made her return to the road.
On the road the donkey again saw the angel
and just lay down on the road.
Balaam was very angry and hit her with a stick.
Then God made the donkey speak:
"Why did you hit me? Haven't I always been faithful to
you?"
God now opened Balaam's eyes
and he saw the angel with a sword.
Balaam realized that the donkey had saved his life.
The angel then told Balaam to continue his journey
but to say to the king only what God said to say.
Dear
God, please stop people from being cruel to animals
My
recording of this reading 01
02 03
Psalm
84: How lovely is your sacred temple, Lord.
My heart is longing to spend time in your holy dwelling. Even sparrows and swallows are your
temple guests.
They build homes for their young near your altar. Blessed are the people who live and work in
your temple.
And blessed, too, are people who keep the memory of your temple in
their hearts. As they go through the troubles of life,
you give them strength to face the trials of each day. Lord, one day within your temple
is better than a thousand anywhere else.
Dear God, thank you for special
places of prayer
Recording
Romans
8.35-39: Nothing can separate us from the love of
Jesus, even if we are in big trouble of any kind. By the power of Jesus who loves us, we can get
through any trouble.
Jesus, when I am in trouble, help me remember
your love
Recording
Luke
14.7-11: At the leader's house, Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of
honor.
He said to them "When someone invites you to a meal, do not choose a
seat of honor. Rather, when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place
and sit there. Maybe your host will ask you to move to a seat of honor.
Everyone
who exalts himself, will be humbled. Whoever humbles himself, will be
exalted".
Jesus, please help me choose the lowest place
Recording
Reflection
on the above Bible readings:
A
donkey in the first reading and birds in the psalm .... animals feature
prominently in the Bible. In "Laudato Si"
Pope Francis often
mentions animals. I once tried to make a
list of all the animals mentioned in the New Testament. Some creatures are
given different names in different translations. Can you think of any animal
that has been forgotten?!
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
022: Recording In
this brief review, we can see that the word of God is not a series of abstract
ideas but rather a source of comfort and companionship for every family that
experiences difficulties or suffering.
For it shows them the goal of their journey, when God "will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more" (Rev 21:4).
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
033: Recording
It is not enough, however, to think of different
species merely as potential "resources" to be exploited, while
overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves.
Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost for ever.
The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity.
Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
009: Recording
Goodness always tends to spread.
Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others.
As it expands, goodness takes root and develops.
If we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good.
"The love of Christ urges us on" (2
Cor 5:14); "Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel" (1 Cor
9:16).
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
2007-03-17:
Ricci Memorial Center - stamps from Australia + St Patrick's Day English Corner.....+ Yunfu reflecting baby
------------------------------------------
Today's Psalm, above, speaks of sparrows and swallows being
in the Temple. Well, in January of 2016 when I was at a church in Mombassa,
Kenya there were not sparrows and swallows, but crows!
So noisy that the reader and priest could not be heard.
--------------------------------------
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 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, today, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thur March 16
Letter from a Tanzanian woman in prison for drug
trafficking - describing the poverty and unwise business decisions which led to
her to become a drug mule - Here
(March 9)
So many things, good and bad, which happen in the US today, will
happen in other countries in the near future.
This is one of the bad things, already knocking on the door of other
places.
Sex education topics for Grade 7-10 in Omaha public schools
- from this
report
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Numbers
21b: In order to avoid the
land of Edom,
the Israelites headed towards the coastline.
But the people again criticized God and Moses.
So God sent snakes among the people
and many people died.
The people then said to Moses "We have sinned; please pray for us to save us".
Moses prayed for them, and God heard his prayer.
God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole.
Anyone bitten by a snake could then look at the bronze snake
and live.
Jesus'
words (John 3.13):
"The Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him".
My
recording of this reading
Psalms
82-83: God says to corrupt officials:
"How long will you judge unjustly and mistreat the poor?
You should do justice for the weak and the orphan.
You should defend the afflicted and the needy.
You should rescue the weak and the poor.
You should set them free from the hand of the wicked". O God, please protect your people from
corruption and injustice.
Save us also from attack by other nations.
Let everyone know that you are the Lord of all the earth.
Lord, please stop corrupt
officials from hurting people
Recording
Romans
8.26-29:
When we are not sure of what to say in prayer,
we ask the Spirit to pray in us. We know that by turning everything to their
good, God blesses everyone who loves him. God the Father wants us to become living
images of his Son, so that his Son will be the eldest of many brothers and
sisters.
Jesus, brother Jesus, please help me to be
more like you
Recording
Luke 14.1-6: One Sabbath day Jesus went for a meal to the house of a religious leader. In
the house Jesus saw a man with dropsy.
Jesus asked the leaders present there "Is it against the Law to cure a man on the
Sabbath?" But they remained silent.
Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him away.
Then Jesus said to the leaders "Which of you here, if his son falls into a
well, will not pull him out on a Sabbath day?"
Again the leaders
remained silent.
Jesus, help me understand that "the Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath"
Recording
Reflection
on the above Bible readings:
Today's
Gospel reminds us that Luke was a medical doctor ... using the term
"dropsy" .... the only time it is used in the whole Bible. Seems to
mean "swelling" as in the image above. Bottom line: no matter how rare
or ghastly a diseases, no matter what name a disease had/has, Jesus can cure it.
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
021: Recording Jesus
himself was born into a modest family that soon had to flee to a foreign land.
He visits the home of Peter, whose mother-in-law is ill (cf. Mk 1:30-31) and
shows sympathy upon hearing of deaths in the homes of Jairus and Lazarus (cf. Mk
5:22-24, 35-43; Jn 11:1-44). He hears the desperate wailing of the widow of Nain
for her dead son (cf. Lk 7:11-15) and heeds the plea of the father of an
epileptic child in a small country town (cf. Mk 9:17-27).
He goes to the homes of tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus (cf. Mt 9:9-13; Lk 19:1-10), and speaks to sinners like the woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee (cf. Lk 7:36-50). Jesus knows the anxieties and tensions experienced by families and he weaves them into his parables: children who leave home to seek adventure (cf. Lk 15:11-32), or who prove troublesome (Mt 21:28-31) or fall prey to violence (Mk 12:1-9). He is also sensitive to the embarrassment caused by the lack of wine at a wedding feast (Jn 2:1-10), the failure of guests to come to a banquet (Mt 22:1-10), and the anxiety of a poor family over the loss of a coin (Lk 15:8-10).
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
32: Recording The
earth's resources are also being plundered because of short-sighted approaches
to the economy, commerce and production.
The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in the future, not only for food but also for curing disease and other uses.
Different species contain genes which could be key resources in years ahead for meeting human needs and regulating environmental problems.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
008: Recording
Thanks to this encounter with God's
love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our
narrowness and self-absorption.
Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization.
For
if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we
fail to share that love with others?
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
2007-03-16: Happy Birthday Marco Polo teacher Helen; visit with HK Rosa C to three hospitals
------------------------------------------
Baby in bucket and third head from left are computer jobs?
But others are real!
--------------------------------------
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
South 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, today, Thursday,
please pacify Al-Qaeda
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed March 15
My
article in yesterday's Ming Pao newspaper: Woo Kwok Hing - a Jordan baby
/2017-03-14-MP-Woo-Kwok-Hing.jpg){kind=link}
Yet another piece of good news from Canada:
Supermarket donation plan aids food banks and tackles waste
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
The
Psalter: Words for a pilgrim's journey
There were occasions when the abbey dog, a white standard poodle, would wander into the chapel to join us
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Numbers
20:
The Israelites arrived
at Kadesh in the desert of Zin.
They had no water, and complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron.
Moses and Aaron pleaded with God for help.
God told Moses to hit a rock with a branch
and in this way, order the rock to give water.
Water did in fact flow when Moses hit the rock,
but through lack of faith, Moses hit it twice.
So God said to Moses and Aaron:
"Because you did not fully trust me,
therefore you will not lead the people to the promised land".
When the Israelites moved on from Kadesh,
they asked the Edomites for permission to go through their land.
But the Edomites refused this request.
Later, on Mount Hor, Aaron died and was succeeded as High Priest by his son Eleazar.
Dear
God, please increase our trust in you
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
81: Ring out your joy to God our strength,
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.
Listen to the voice of the Lord: "I am the Lord your God
who brought you out from the land of Egypt. Let there be no foreign god among you,
no worship of a false god. O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways. At once I would subdue their foes.
But Israel I would feed with finest wheat and honey".
Lord, please help us to walk in
your ways
Recording
Romans
8.14-21: Everyone moved by the Spirit is a child of
God.
The Spirit lets us use children's language to speak to God
tenderly as "Abba, Father". Since we are God's children, we are also his
heirs, coheirs with Jesus,
sharing his suffering so as to share his glory. What we suffer in this life can never be
compared with the glorious life we will have in heaven. The whole of creation looks forward to sharing
the same glory, to sharing immortality.
Abba, Father, may everyone love and honor you.
Help everyone get to heaven
Recording
Luke
13.18-35:
Jesus said to the people "The kingdom of God is like a tiny seed
planted in the ground. It grows and becomes a big tree, and the birds
live in its branches.
The kingdom of heaven is like yeast mixed with flour until the flour
is leavened all through.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets who are sent to you. How
often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her
chickens under her wings, and you refused".
Jesus, may your kingdom grow in the hearts of more and more people
Recording
!
Reflection
on the above readings:
Everyone
moved by the Spirit
--------------------------------------------------------
Appeal to the most compassionate country in the world:
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
014: Recording Let
us once more take up the song of the Psalmist. In the home where husband and
wife are seated at table, children appear at their side "like olive
shoots" (Ps 128:3), that is, full of energy and vitality. If the parents
are in some sense the foundations of the home, the children are like the
"living stones" of the family (cf. 1 Pet 2:5) .
Significantly, the word which appears most frequently in the Old Testament after the name of God (YHWH, "the Lord"), is "child" (ben, "son"), which is itself related to the verb "to build" (banah).
Hence, Psalm 128, in speaking of the gift of children, uses imagery drawn from the building of a house and the social life of cities: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain ... Lo, sons are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate" (Ps 127:1, 3-5) . These images reflect the culture of an ancient society, yet the presence of children is a sign of the continuity of the family throughout salvation history, from generation to generation.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
031: Recording Greater
scarcity of water will lead to an increase in the cost of food and the various
products which depend on its use.
Some studies warn that an acute water shortage may occur within a few decades
unless urgent action is taken.
The environmental repercussions could affect billions of people; it is also conceivable that the control of water by large multinational businesses may become a major source of conflict in this century.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
007: Recording
Sometimes we are tempted to find excuses and complain,
acting as if we could only be happy if a thousand conditions were met.
To some extent this is because our "technological society has succeeded in multiplying occasions of pleasure, yet has found it very difficult to engender joy".
I can say that the most beautiful and natural expressions of joy which I have seen in my life were in poor people who had little to hold on to.
I also think of the real joy shown by others who, even amid pressing professional obligations, were able to preserve, in detachment and simplicity, a heart full of faith.
In their own way, all these instances of joy flow
from the infinite love of God, who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
------------------------------------------
Yesterday at the High Court a kind judge allowed the recent
TV program The
Last Run to be played ... in support of a South African woman being
sentenced. So I had the honor (?) of watching myself on the TV screen of Court
22
--------------------------------------
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 15th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Liaoning
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 15th of the month, Jesus please
bless the people of Zimbabwe
And
praying for one Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Wednesday,
please pacify Al-Shabaab
---------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Please also join me in praying for the very many deformed and handicapped people from China who are on the streets of HK as beggars...as well as deformed people in China itself ...like Hung Chun Cai
My Africa trips:
2015 - Tanzania, Malawi
2016 - Kenya, Uganda
--------------------
Video: What "gay marriage" did to Massachusetts
--------------------------------------------
Pope's surprise visit to drug treatment centre
Pope is practising what he preaches: "get out and mix with the poor"
HK
readers might like to join me in praying each day for one group of HK
prison inmates: Sun:
Lo Wu; Mon: C.I.C., Siu Lam, Tai Lam; Tue: Stanley
Wed: Hei Ling Chau Thu: Lantau
Fri: Lai Chi Kok
Sat: Hospitals, Pik Uk & other centres
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This website was launched in construction
mode in Hong Kong on November 20, 2011 - the Feast of Christ
the King.
The official launching
was
held on the Gold Coast, Australia, on January 20,
2012.
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Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I. 胡
頌 恆 神 父
jdwomi@gmail.com
HK
mobile (852) 6709 5674
China
mobile 13030213703 - out of
action for the time being
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