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 May 30
This is an important case ... many women
being thus tricked:
Filipina
hotel worker cleared of money laundering and
see: Money launderers stink up
HK's enforcement charade
Letter
in English from a Pakistani man in HK - describing how
he became involved in the drug scene, and warning others not to make the same
mistake - here (May 29)
Letter in English from a
Brazilian man in prison in HK for drug
trafficking - saying how he tried to help his family, but in fact made things
worse - here
(May 8)
Letter in Russian by a Russian man arrested at HK airport for
drug trafficking - here
(May 29)
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To prepare for Pentecost (May 15) let's reflect on the Holy Spirit each day this week:
The seal is a symbol close to that of anointing. "The Father has set his seal" on Christ and also seals us in him. Because this seal indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, the image of the seal (sphragis) has been used in some theological traditions to express the indelible "character" imprinted by these three unrepeatable sacraments. - CCC 698
In this week before Pentecost let's often pray each day: Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on our world!
------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judges 12-13: Jephthah
was judge in Israel for 6 years.
For the following 25 years,
Ibzan (7 years), Elon (10 years) and Abdon (8 years) were
judges. After these judges, the
Israelites again were unfaithful to the Lord
and so they were oppressed by the Philistines for 40 years. It was then that the
angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife
and said to her:
"You are barren and have had no child.
But you will soon conceive and bear a son.
No razor is to touch his head,
for he shall be dedicated to the Lord from his mother's womb.
It is he who will rescue Israel from the Philistines". The woman gave birth to
a son and called him Samson.
The child grew and the Lord blessed him.
Dear
Lord, please bless all barren women
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
146: My soul, give
praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days. Put no trust in
princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help. Take their breath, they
return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing. They are happy who are
helped by Jacob's God,
whose hope is in the Lord our God, who alone made heaven
and earth,
the seas and all they contain. It is he who gives
bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free. It is the Lord who
gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down. It is the Lord who
protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan. It is the Lord who
loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for
ever,
Zion's God, from age to age.
Lord, please increase my trust
and faith in you
Recording
Galatians
6.14-18: As for me, the only thing I boast about is the
Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me,
and I to the world. It does not matter if a person is circumcised
or not.
What matters is that we become a new creature. From now on, I want no more trouble from you.
The scars on my body were suffered for the sake of Jesus. May his grace be with you.
Jesus, may I look at everything in the world
from up on your Cross
Recording
John
10.1-10: Jesus said to the religious leaders "I
am the gate of the sheepfold. If anyone enters the sheepfold by some other
means than the gate, that person is a thief. The person who enters by the gate is the
shepherd of the flock. The sheep hear his voice as he calls each one by
name and leads them out of the sheepfold. When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of
them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy. I have come so that people may have life, not just now but for
ever".
Jesus, Good Shepherd, please help more and
more people hear your voice and follow you
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
So many
leaders today care more about power and status than about the people they are
supposed to serve. Jesus, please give the world better
leaders ...leaders like you, the Good Shepherd!
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
137: Recording
Take
time, quality time. This means being ready to listen patiently and attentively
to everything the other person wants to say.
It requires the self-discipline of not speaking until the time is right.
Instead of offering an opinion or advice, we need to be sure that we have heard everything the other person has to say.
This means cultivating an interior silence that makes it possible to listen to the other person without mental or emotional distractions.
Do not be rushed, put aside all of your own needs and worries, and make space.
Often the other spouse does not need a solution to his or her problems, but simply to be heard, to feel that someone has acknowledge their pain, their disappointment, their fear, their anger, their hopes and their dreams.
How often we hear complaints like: "He does not listen to me." "Even when you seem to, you are really doing something else." "I talk to her and I feel like she can’t wait for me to finish." "When I speak to her, she tries to change the subject, or she gives me curt responses to end the conversation".
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
85a: Recording: God has written a precious book, "whose letters are the multitude of created things present in the universe".
The Canadian bishops rightly pointed out that no creature is excluded from this manifestation of God: "From panoramic vistas to the tiniest living form, nature is a constant source of wonder and awe. It is also a continuing revelation of the divine".
The bishops of Japan, for their part, made a thought-provoking observation: "To sense each creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God's love and hope".
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
81: Recording
At a time when we most need a missionary dynamism
which will bring salt and light to the world, many lay people fear that they may
be asked to undertake some apostolic work and they seek
to avoid any responsibility that may take away from their free time.
For example, it has become very difficult today to find trained parish catechists willing to persevere in this work for some years. Something similar is also happening with priests who are obsessed with protecting their free time. ((!))
This is frequently due to the fact that people feel an overbearing need to guard their personal freedom, as though the task of evangelization was a dangerous poison rather than a joyful response to God's love which summons us to mission and makes us fulfilled and productive.
Some resist giving themselves over completely to mission and thus end up in a state of paralysis and acedia ((a new word for me! jw))
-------------------------------------
Philippine
bishop goes undercover to check on how parishes welcome the poor!
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun: Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia,
Pacific
Frid: South
America
Sat: Cent, N 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 30th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shanghai
And praying for one of
the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 30th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Haiti
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon May 29
On the day flight from Melbourne to HK last Friday I watched 3 powerful movies: The Birth of a Nation (see menu of May 27, below), Gleason (see menu of May 28, below) and Lion ...about which I agree with the critics: the second half (set in Australia) is not as good as the first half (set in India) but the story is so moving that like some of the reviewers I too was in tears a number of times, especially at the end. Which means all three movies had me crying! Which is good for the eyes! (Tears cleanse the eyes!)
Vatican-approved bishop seized for a fourth time in China
Philippine
archbishop approves Duterte's martial law against IS
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Today is the feast day of Blessed Joseph Gerard O.M.I. (1831-1914) Missionary to Southern Africa. Blessed Joseph Gerard, pray for us!
---------------------------------------------------------
To prepare for Pentecost (June 4), let's reflect on the Holy Spirit each day this week:
Cloud
and light. These two images occur together in the manifestations
of the Holy Spirit. In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the
cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God,
while veiling the transcendence of his glory - with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the
tent of meeting, and during the wandering in the desert, and with Solomon at the
dedication of the Temple.
In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the
Virgin Mary and "overshadows"
her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. On the mountain of
Transfiguration, the Spirit in the "cloud
came and overshadowed" Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and
"a voice came out of the
cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!' Finally, the
cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples
In this week before Pentecost let's often pray each day: Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on our world!
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judges
10-11: The
Israelites yet again served false gods,
and once more they were oppressed,
this time by the Ammonites. The
Israelites appealed to Jephthah to help them.
Jephthah was the son of a prostitute.
His brothers had driven him from home
and would not give him a share of their father's inheritance. Jephthah
went into exile and became a famous soldier. Jephthah
agreed to help the Israelites
after they agreed to make him their future leader. Jephthah
tried to reason with the Ammonite king,
but the king refused to negotiate a peace agreement. The spirit
of the Lord then came on Jephthah
and he led the Israelites to victory over the Ammonites.
Dear Lord, may
your spirit give courage to all leaders
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
145: I will give you glory, O God my king.
I will bless your name day after day. The Lord is great, worthy of all praise.
His greatness cannot be measured. Age to age shall proclaim your works,
shall speak of your splendor and glory. The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and tell all the world of your love. The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds. The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down. The eyes of all creatures look to you
and you give them their food each day. The Lord is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts. Let the whole world bless the Lord's holy
name,
for ever, for ages unending.
Thank you, Lord, for your love.
Thank you for your love
Galatians
6.7-9: God cannot be cheated. Where we sow is where
we will reap. If we sow in the field of self-indulgence, we
will get a harvest of corruption. If we sow in the field of the Spirit, we will
get a harvest of eternal life. Never tire of doing good.
Jesus, help me sow in the field of the Spirit
by doing good
Recording
John
9.1-33: Once when Jesus was walking along the road,
he saw a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud
with the spittle. He put the mud on the man's eyes, and said
"Go and wash in the Siloam Pool". The blind man went and washed, and came away
able to see. When the blind man heard people criticize
Jesus, he said "Ever since the world began, it has never been
recorded that someone opened the eyes of a man born blind. This man must be from God".
Jesus, please heal my blind friend ....(name)
Recording
Reflection on the above readings:
The Siloam Pool: where Jesus healed the blind man - a sacred site identified by archeologists
Many photos: The real Pool of Siloam discovered in 2004
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
136: Recording Dialogue
is essential for experiencing, expressing and fostering love in marriage and
family life.
Yet it can only be the fruit of a long and demanding apprenticeship.
Men and women, young people and adults, communicate differently.
They speak different languages and they act in different ways.
Our way of asking and responding to questions, the tone we use, our timing and any number of other factors condition how well we communicate.
We need to develop certain attitudes that express love and encourage authentic dialogue
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
84: Recording
THE MESSAGE OF EACH CREATURE IN THE HARMONY OF
CREATION: Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should
not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None is
superfluous.
The entire material universe speaks of God's love, his boundless affection for us.
Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.
The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good.
Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
80: Recording
Pastoral workers
can thus fall into a relativism which,
whatever their particular style of spirituality or way of thinking, proves even
more dangerous than doctrinal relativism.
It has to do with the deepest and inmost decisions that shape their way of life. This practical relativism consists in acting as if God did not exist, making decisions as if the poor did not exist, setting goals as if others did not exist, working as if people who have not received the Gospel did not exist.
It is striking that even some who clearly have solid
doctrinal and spiritual convictions frequently fall into a
lifestyle which leads to an attachment to financial security, or to a desire for
power or human glory at all cost, rather than giving their lives to
others in mission. Let us not allow ourselves to be
robbed of missionary enthusiasm!
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
Update of A-Pui file ......please keep the prayers going!
------------------------------------------
Jimmy
Kimmel on Trump's Visit with the Pope
(check what Pope does when Trump
touches Pope's hand!...some clever editing!)
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun:
Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia,
Pacific
Frid: South America
Sat: Cent, N. 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 29th of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Chongqing
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 29th of
the month, Jesus please bless the people of Mauritania
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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Sun May 28 - Feast of the Ascension
On the flight from Melbourne to HK two days ago, I watched an inspiring documentary Gleason, about the famous US footballer Steve Gleason who was diagnosed 6 years ago with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Movie had me in tears several times. Gleason is still very much alive ...as is the organization he founded to support fellow ALS sufferers - TeamGleason.
China's No 3 leader announces plans to tighten grip on
HK (..
groan ..)
George Monbiot: Lighten
the Darkness
Dark money is subverting democracy in UK
Chris McDonnell: The
second morning (reflection re Manchester bombing)
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. Feast of the Ascension
Acts 1.6-11: On the day he was taken up to heaven, Jesus
said to his apostles "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you. Then you will be my witnesses in every part of the
world". As he said this, he was lifted up while they
watched.
A cloud took him from their sight. Then two angels appeared to them and said
"Jesus who has been taken up from you, will come back some day in the
same way as you have seen him leave".
Jesus, help me be your witness by the way I
think and speak and live
My
recording of this reading
Psalms
47-48: All peoples, clap your hands, cry to God with
shouts of joy.
For the Lord, our Creator, we must love and honor,
great king over all the earth. Especially in his holy city is the Lord worthy
to be praised.
Praise is fitting in Mount Sion, our earth's most sacred site. O God, as we pray in your temple,
our hearts meditate on your love. May peoples and rulers everywhere
acknowledge and love you as Creator of the Universe
Let all the peoples praise you,
Lord. Let all the peoples praise you
Ephesians
1.16-18: I never fail to remember you in my prayers
and to thank God for you. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory,
give you more and more wisdom and knowledge
to see ever more clearly his great love for you. May he enlighten your mind to hope for the
glorious life
he has prepared for us in heaven.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may I see you
more clearly,
love you more dearly, follow you more nearly, day by day
Matthew
28.16-20: The 11 apostles went to Galilee,
to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down
before him in worship.
Jesus said to them
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Teach them to understand and live according to my words.
And know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time".
Jesus, "God-with-us", please help us live our lives according to your teaching
....and thank you, Matthew, for this beautiful Gospel Report
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Spanish with English subtitles
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
135: Recording It
is not helpful to dream of an idyllic and perfect love needing no stimulus to
grow.
A celestial notion of earthly love forgets that the best is yet to come, that fine wine matures with age.
As the Bishops of Chile have pointed out, "the perfect families proposed by deceptive consumerist propaganda do not exist. In those families, no one grows old, there is no sickness, sorrow or death. Consumerist propaganda presents a fantasy that has nothing to do with the reality which must daily be faced by the heads of families".
It is much healthier to be realistic about our limits, defects and imperfections, and to respond to the call to grow together, to bring love to maturity and to strengthen the union, come what may.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
83: Recording
The ultimate destiny of the universe is in the
fullness of God, which has already been attained by the risen Christ, the
measure of the maturity of all things.
Here we can add yet another argument for rejecting every tyrannical and irresponsible domination of human beings over other creatures.
The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us.
Rather, all creatures are moving forward with us and through us towards a common point of arrival, which is God, in that transcendent fullness where the risen Christ embraces and illumines all things.
Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, and drawn by the fullness of Christ, are called to lead all creatures back to their Creator.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
79: Recording
At times our media culture and some intellectual
circles convey a marked scepticism with regard to the Church's message, along
with a certain cynicism. As a consequence, many pastoral workers, although they
pray, develop a sort of inferiority complex which leads
them to relativize or conceal their Christian identity and convictions.
This produces a vicious circle. They end up being unhappy with who they are and what they do; they do not identify with their mission of evangelization and this weakens their commitment.
They end up stifling the joy of mission with a kind of obsession about being like everyone else and possessing what everyone else possesses. Their work of evangelization thus becomes forced, and they devote little energy and very limited time to it.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
------------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------------------
For
the Feast of the Ascension ... thinking about Heaven:
An
85 year old couple, having been married almost 60 years, died in a car crash.
They had been in good health the last ten years mainly due to her interest in
health food, and exercise. When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took
them to their mansion, which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master
bath suite and Jacuzzi. As they "oohed and aahed" the old man asked
Peter how much all this was going to cost. "It's free," St. Peter
replied, "this is Heaven."
Next
they went out back to survey the championship golf course that the home backed
up to. They would have golfing privileges everyday and each week the course
changed to a new one representing the great golf courses on earth. The old man
asked, "what are the green fees?". St. Peter said, "This is
heaven, you play for free."
Next
they went to the club house and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisines of
the world laid out. "How much is it to eat?" asked the old man. "Don't
you understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!" St. Peter replied with
some exasperation. "Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol
tables?" the old man asked timidly. St. Peter lectured, "That's the
best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never
get fat and you never get sick. This is Heaven."
After
hearing that the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his hat and
stomping on it, and shrieking wildly. St. Peter and the wife both tried to calm
him down, asking what was wrong. The old man looked at his wife and said,
"This is all your fault. If it weren't for your bran muffins, I could have
been here ten years ago!"
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun: Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia,
Pacific
Fri: South America
Sat: Cent., N 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 28th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Beijing
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 28th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Lesotho
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
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Sat May 27
Hello from Hong Kong here I arrived back last night. Thank you Jesus for safe trip to Australia. Please bless all the people I met over the past 11 days.
On yesterday's Qantas flight from Melbourne to HK, I didn't notice that we had taken off ....so absorbed was I in a most powerful movie: The Birth of a Nation, a controversial but moving story...which had me in tears from the beginning....and made me resolve to offer up any work I can do on behalf of black inmates from Africa as a prayer of reparation for all the evil that was done to black slaves in the US and other places in previous centuries.
Tomorrow, Sunday, 3pm, prayer meeting for healing, St Paul's
Catholic Primary School, Yau Ma Tei. Everyone welcome. Previous
photos
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judges
9: Gideon had seventy sons
by his wives and concubines.
One of his sons was Abimelech, son of a concubine. Abimelech became king
after murdering all but one
of his 70 half-brothers.
The half-brother who escaped was Jotham. Abimelech ruled over
Israel for 3 years.
Then God sent a spirit of discord
between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem
rebelled against Abimelech.
Abimelech started attacking and destroying their towns. Abimelech besieged the
town of Thebez. The people of the town took refuge in a tower. When Abimelech tried to
set fire to the tower,
a woman in the tower threw down a large rock
which crushed Abimelech's head.
Abimelech got his armor-bearer to kill him with a sword,
so that no one could say he was killed by a woman.
Dear
Lord, please stop evil people from hurting other people
My
recording of this reading
(Psalm 144 ideal for woman above?!)
Psalm
144: Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who gives me strength for every situation. He is my love, my fortress.
He is my stronghold, my savior. To you, O God, will I sing a new song,
you who so often rescued David your servant. Happy the people whose God is the Lord.
Please continue to bless your people, Lord. Let our sons flourish like saplings,
grown tall and strong from their youth;
our daughters graceful as columns,
adorned as though for a palace.
Let our crops and stock be blessed.
May there be no sound of weeping on our streets.
Lord, please help us love and
honor you every day.
Don't let us ever forget your love
Recording
Galatians
5.19-26: When self-indulgence is at work, the results
are obvious: sexual irresponsibility, sorcery, feuds and wrangling,
jealousy and drunkenness. What the Spirit brings is very different:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, truthfulness, gentleness
and self-control. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you
crucify all self-indulgent desires. Let us be directed by the Spirit. We must stop
being conceited, provocative and envious.
Holy Spirit, increase your influence in
my life
Recording
John
8.42-58: Jesus said to the people "If God were your father, you would
love me, since I have come from God and I speak the truth. You avoid the
truth, because your father is the father of lies, the Devil. Abraham rejoiced at the thought of my coming. He saw it in the
future and was glad". The people said "You are not yet 50 years old. How could you
have seen Abraham?" Jesus replied "I tell you, before Abraham
ever was, I Am". The people then picked up stones to throw at Jesus for claiming to
be God. But Jesus safely left the Temple
Jesus, you who existed as God the Son from all
eternity, please increase my love for the truth, and help me avoid lies
Reflection on the above readings:
In the Book of. Exodus, when Moses asked "What's your name?" God replied "I AM WHO AM.....my name is I AM". So, when Jesus said "I AM", he was claiming divine status ....which is why people tried to stone him....they understood what he was saying. So, when some people today (...Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, followers of Islam...) say that Jesus did not claim to be God ...they are not correct.
----------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
134: Recording All
this occurs through a process of constant growth.
The very special form of love that is marriage is called to embody what Saint Thomas Aquinas said about charity in general.
"Charity", he says, "by its very nature, has no limit to its increase, for it is a participation in that infinite charity which is the Holy Spirit. Nor on the part of the subject can its limit be fixed, because as charity grows, so too does its capacity for an even greater increase".
Saint Paul also prays: "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another" (1 Th 3:12), and again, "concerning fraternal love ...we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more" (1 Th 4:9-10).
More and more! Marital love is not defended primarily by presenting indissolubility as a duty, or by repeating doctrine, but by helping it to grow ever stronger under the impulse of grace.
A love that fails to grow is at risk.
Growth can only occur if we respond to God's grace through constant acts of love, acts of kindness that become ever more frequent, intense, generous, tender and cheerful.
Husbands and wives "become conscious of their unity and experience it more deeply from day to day".
The gift of God's love poured out upon the spouses is also a summons to constant growth in grace.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
82: Recording Yet
it would also be mistaken to view other living beings as mere objects subjected
to arbitrary human domination.
When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society.
This vision of "might is right" has engendered immense inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner takes all.
Completely at odds with this model are the ideals of harmony, justice, fraternity and peace as proposed by Jesus.
As he said of the powers of his own age: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Mt 20:25-26).
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
78: Recording
Today we are seeing in many pastoral workers,
including consecrated men and women, an inordinate
concern for their personal freedom and relaxation, which leads them
to see their work as a mere appendage to their life, as if it were not part of
their very identity.
At the same time, the spiritual life comes to be identified with a few religious exercises which can offer a certain comfort but which do not encourage encounter with others, engagement with the world or a passion for evangelization.
As a result, one can observe in many agents of evangelization,
even though they pray, a heightened individualism, a
crisis of identity and a cooling of fervour. These are three evils which fuel
one another.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
------------------------------------------
For the 7 nights I stayed
at the O.M.I. Camberwell house in Melbourne, I had great difficulty turning on a
reading lamp that I used when I was at my computer. The lamp seemed to have a
lose connection, so I would move it around and juggle it until the light came
on. Then yesterday morning, before I left for the airport at a very early hour,
I said Mass in my room (...community Mass in the chapel was not till much
later...). When I got to the Gospel, in which Jesus said he is the Light of the
World, I symbolically touched the lamp.. And it lit up! And then the penny fell
- often symbolised in artwork by a light bulb lighting up! - the way
to turn the lamp on or off was just to give it a gentle touch!!! (I wonder
if this story has applications for other areas in our lives....no need for much
action, just a gentle action is what's needed!?!). And to further extend the
story: all that' needed is a light
touch!!!
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun:
Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia, Pacific
Frid: South
America
Sat: Cent. & N
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 27th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tibet
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 27th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Uganda
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Frid May 26
Today I'm due to fly from Melbourne to HK....after after attending O.M.I. Congress....with grateful thanks to the Oblate community in Camberwell for their gracious hospitality this past week or so. God bless all I met while on this visit to Australia!
Videos which have been put on this website in recent times are
now all together on a single file - here
Chris
McDonnell:
Reflection on Manchester bombing: A
late evening
-------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Judges 8: After Gideon defeated
all the enemies of the Israelites,
the Israelites asked him to be their ruler. He replied: "It is
not I who shall rule over you, nor my son;
The Lord must be your ruler". After Gideon's death,
the people of Israel again began
to worship the local idols. They no longer remembered
the Lord who had so often rescued them. The people were also
ungrateful to Gideon's family
despite all the good deeds that family had done for Israel.
Dear
Lord, please don't let me ever become an ungrateful person
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
140-143: Lord, save me from
people who do evil,
you who do justice for the needy. I have no way out of
this situation.
And no one wants to help me. Lord, I beg you tonight
to make haste and give me an answer, for my spirit fails within me.
In the morning let me know your love
for I put my trust in you.
Lord, please help people who
are in big trouble
Recording
Galatians
5.13-15: Serve one another in works of love, since the
whole of the Law is summed up in the command "Love your neighbor as
yourself". If you go in for non-stop criticism and
personal attacks, you will destroy the church community.
Jesus, help me avoid unfair/unnecessary
criticism of other people
Recording
John
8.12-32: Jesus said to the people "I am the light
of the world. Those who follow me will not walk in the dark. They will
have the light of life. If you take my words to heart, you will be my
disciples.
You will learn the truth, and the truth will set you free".
Jesus, give light to my life. Increase my love for your teaching. Help me learn more about truth
Recording
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
Prison inmates who are not guilty have a special liking for the words in today's Gospel "the truth will set you free". The story of one such inmate is here
----------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
133: Recording The
love of friendship unifies all aspects of marital life and helps family members
to grow constantly.
This love must be freely and generously expressed in words and acts.
In the family, "three words need to be used. I want to repeat this! Three words: 'Please', 'Thank you', 'Sorry'. Three essential words!".
"In our families when we are not overbearing and ask: 'May I?'; in our families when we are not selfish and can say: 'Thank you!'; and in our families when someone realizes that he or she did something wrong and is able to say 'Sorry!', our family experiences peace and joy".
Let us not be stingy about using these words, but keep repeating them, day after day. For "certain silences are oppressive, even at times within families, between husbands and wives, between parents and children, among siblings".
The right words, spoken at the right time, daily protect and nurture love.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
81: Recording
Human beings, even if we postulate a process of
evolution, also possess a uniqueness which cannot be fully explained by the
evolution of other open systems.
Each of us has his or her own personal identity and is capable of entering into dialogue with others and with God himself.
Our capacity to reason, to develop arguments, to be inventive, to interpret reality and to create art, along with other not yet discovered capacities, are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology.
The sheer novelty involved in the emergence of a personal being within a material universe presupposes a direct action of God and a particular call to life and to relationship on the part of a "Thou" who addresses himself to another "thou".
The biblical accounts of creation invite us to see each human being as a subject who can never be reduced to the status of an object.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
77: Recording
As children of this age, though, all of us are in
some way affected by the present globalized culture which, while offering us
values and new possibilities, can also limit, condition and ultimately harm us.
I am aware that we need to create spaces where pastoral workers can be helped and healed, "places where faith itself in the crucified and risen Jesus is renewed, where the most profound questions and daily concerns are shared, where deeper discernment about our experiences and life itself is undertaken in the light of the Gospel, for the purpose of directing individual and social decisions towards the good and beautiful".
At the same time, I would like to call attention
to certain particular temptations which affect pastoral workers.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
CAS Primary English teachers' farewell dinner for Garth; English Corner at Ricci Memorial Center
------------------------------------------
Kind lady is who is a fantastic (no other word) cook at the O.M.I. Camberwell house where I've been staying the past week or so yesterday expressed interest in someday working in China/HK as a volunteer English teacher. When the priest in charge of the house heard this he said "you can have any one of the priests who live her but you can't have her!" (...she's such a great cook...)
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun: Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia, Pacific
Frid: S.
America
Sat: Cent, N. 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 26th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Xinjian
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 26th of the month, Jesus please bless the
people of Togo
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thur May 25
The O.M.I. meeting for which I came to Melbourne ended yesterday
afternoon. May the meeting produce fruit to help us Oblates better serve the
Church and the world. Many thanks to kind readers who prayed for the meeting.
Tomorrow I'm due to return to HK.
Pope Francis,
President Trump meet in 'Odd Couple' encounter
(2 min video is interesting...). Guadian
report
World is plundering Africa's wealth of 'billions of dollars a year'
How
to prevent Alzheimer's (recommended by a reader in Australia) -
interesting bit at end: why didn't the nuns get A.?
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Judges
7: Gideon prepared to go
to war with the Midianites.
But God told him to reduce his number of soldiers. The army was told
"Let anyone who is frightened or fearful go home". 22,000 men went home;
10,000 stayed. The Lord said
there were still too many.
"So many men might cause Israel to claim that a victory
had nothing to do with the Lord".
So Gideon got the men to go to the river to drink. All those who lapped the water, like a
dog, he put on one side.
These numbered 300. The rest knelt down and used their
hands to drink.
These were sent home. Gideon divided his 300 men into 3
groups,
surrounding the Midianite camp. To each man he gave a horn and an empty
water container,
with a torch inside each container. In the middle of the night, they
attacked.
They sounded their horns and smashed their containers,
holding a horn in their right hand and a torch in their left. The Midianites woke in terror,
thinking that the Israelites had a huge number of men. In their panic, the Midianites attacked
each other
as they fled the camp. The Israelites drove the Midianites
from the Israelite homeland.
Dear
God, thank you for the courage and leadership of Gideon
My
recording of this reading 01
02
Psalm
139: O Lord, you search me and you know me.
You know my resting and my rising. You know exactly what's going on in my life,
all my ways are an open book to you. Before ever a word is on my tongue,
you know, O Lord, what I'm going to say. Your knowledge is beyond my understanding,
too high, beyond my reach. It was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother's womb. I thank you for the wonder of my life,
for the wonders of all your creation.
Lord, thank you for the gift of
life. Please help me follow the path to eternal life
Recording
Galatians
5.1-6:
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain
free.
Stand firm then and do not return to a life of slavery to Jewish Law. As a Christian, it doesn't matter if you are
circumcised or not.
What matters is faith that is put into loving action.
Jesus, help people whose lives are being
damaged by unreasonable religious laws
Recording
John
8.1-11: While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, the
religious leaders brought to him a women who had been caught committing
adultery. The leaders said to Jesus "According to
the Law of Moses, this woman should be stoned to death. What do you
say?" They said this to test him, looking for something
to use against him. Jesus bent down and started writing on the
ground with his finger. Since they kept up their questioning, he looked up
and said to them "If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him
be the first to cast a stone". Then he kept writing on the ground. The leaders went away, beginning with the
eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman. Jesus said to her
"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? "No one, sir", she replied.
"Neither do I condemn you", said Jesus. "Go and don't sin
any more".
Jesus, what did you write on the ground? The
leaders' sins?
"If you, O Lord, should write a record of our sins, who could
claim innocence?"
(Psalm 130)
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
What did Jesus write on the ground?!
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
132: Recording To
opt for marriage in this way expresses a genuine and firm decision to join
paths, come what may.
Given its seriousness, this public commitment of love cannot be the fruit of a hasty decision, but neither can it be postponed indefinitely.
Committing oneself exclusively and definitively to another person always involves a risk and a bold gamble.
Unwillingness to make such a commitment is selfish, calculating and petty.
It fails to recognize the rights of another person and to present him or her to society as someone worthy of unconditional love.
If two persons are truly in love, they naturally show this to others.
When love is expressed before others in the marriage contract, with all its public commitments, it clearly indicates and protects the "yes" which those persons speak freely and unreservedly to each other.
This "yes" tells them that they can always trust one another, and that they will never be abandoned when difficulties arise or new attractions or selfish interests present themselves.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
80b: Recording God
is intimately present to each being, without impinging on the autonomy of his
creature, and this gives rise to the rightful autonomy of earthly affairs.
His divine presence, which ensures the subsistence and growth of each being, "continues the work of creation".
The Spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore, from the very heart of things, something new can always emerge: "Nature is nothing other than a certain kind of art, namely God's art, impressed upon things, whereby those things are moved to a determinate end. It is as if a shipbuilder were able to give timbers the wherewithal to move themselves to take the form of a ship".
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
76: Recording
I feel tremendous gratitude to all those who
are committed to working in and for the Church. Here I do not wish to discuss at
length the activities of the different pastoral workers, from bishops down to
those who provide the most humble and hidden services. Rather, I would like to
reflect on the challenges that all of them must face in
the context of our current globalized culture.
But in justice, I must say first that the contribution of the Church in today's world is enormous. The pain and the shame we feel at the sins of some members of the Church, and at our own, must never make us forget how many Christians are giving their lives in love. They help so many people to be healed or to die in peace in makeshift hospitals.
They are present to those enslaved by different addictions in the poorest places on earth. They devote themselves to the education of children and young people. They take care of the elderly who have been forgotten by everyone else. They look for ways to communicate values in hostile environments. They are dedicated in many other ways to showing an immense love for humanity inspired by the God who became man.
I am grateful for the beautiful
example given to me by so many Christians who joyfully sacrifice their lives and
their time. This witness comforts and sustains me in my
own effort to overcome selfishness and to give more fully of myself.
-------------------------------------
10 years ago today:
Ricci School students in concert at Ke Ji College for graduating kindergarten teachers
------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun:
Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia, Pacific
Frid: South
America
Sat: Cent, N 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 25th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Ningxia
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 25th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Comoros
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Thursday,
please pacify Al-Qaeda
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed May 24
64 years ago today - in 1953 - I made my First
Communion at Guardian Angels' Church
in Brisbane - photo.
One of my primary school classmates, Fr Bill Ousley O.M.I. is here with me at
the O.M.I. Congress which finishes in Melbourne today. Thank
you Jesus for 64 years of grace!
Sporting
clubs could be fined for not obeying new "Safe Schools" inspired rules
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
A
fruit of solitude is a generous love, especia
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judges 4-6: After Sisera's forces
were defeated,
the land enjoyed peace for 40 years. But then the Israelites
again lapsed into idolatry,
and so they were oppressed by the Midianites for 7 years. The Lord then raised up
Gideon to rescue the people. Following the Lord's
instructions,
Gideon at night time destroyed the altar to Baal
in his father's house. When the Midianites
heard what Gideon had done,
they prepared to attack the Israelites. The spirit of the Lord
came on Gideon
and he rallied the Israelites. Gideon asked for a sign
of success in battle,
and said to the Lord: "See now, I
spread out a fleece of wool on the ground;
tomorrow morning, if there is dew only on the fleece
and not on the surrounding ground,
then I know you will deliver Israel by my hand". And so it happened the
next morning:
the ground was dry but the fleece was drenched with dew. Gideon asked for a
second sign,
requesting that the fleece be dry but the ground covered with dew. And God did what Gideon
asked:
the fleece stayed dry, and there was dew on the ground.
Dear
Lord, thank you for hearing Gideon's prayer
(and please bless the work of the Gideon Society which puts Bibles in hotels around the world!)
My
recording of this reading: 01
02
Psalm
138: I thank you, Lord, with all my heart.
You have heard the words of my mouth. With the angels I will bless you.
I will adore you in your holy temple. I thank you for your faithfulness and love
which are far above what we can understand. On the day I called you answered.
You increased the strength of my soul. All earth's kings shall thank you
when they hear the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the Lord's ways:
"How great is the glory of the Lord!" Though I walk in the midst of affliction
you give me life and frustrate my foes. Your love, O Lord, is eternal.
Do not abandon us whom you have made.
Lord, when we remember how much
you love us and help us, every day of the year is a Thanksgiving Day
Galatians
4.4-6: When the appointed time came, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of
the Law, and to enable us to be adopted as children of God, brothers and
sisters of his Son. The proof that we are children is that God has
sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries
"Abba, Father".
Jesus, help me understand how I have been
adopted,
how you are my Brother
Recording
John
7.32- 46: The religious leaders sent the Temple police
to arrest Jesus. When the police returned to the leaders
without Jesus,
the leaders asked "Why didn't you arrest him?" The police replied
"There has never been anyone who has spoken like him".
Jesus, in the history of the world, there has
never been anyone who has spoken about goodness and truth like you
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
No
one has ever spoken about goodness and truth like Jesus. Jesus'
words give us courage and hope and peace. Or as today's Psalm says: his words give
us strength, both spiritual and physical strength.
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
131: Recording I
would like to say to young people that none of this is jeopardized when their
love finds expression in marriage.
Their union encounters in this institution the means to ensure that their love truly will endure and grow.
Naturally, love is much more than an outward consent or a contract, yet it is nonetheless true that choosing to give marriage a visible form in society by undertaking certain commitments shows how important it is.
It manifests the seriousness of each person's identification with the other and their firm decision to leave adolescent individualism behind and to belong to one another.
Marriage is a means of expressing that we have truly left the security of the home in which we grew up in order to build other strong ties and to take on a new responsibility for another person.
This is much more meaningful than a mere spontaneous association for mutual gratification, which would turn marriage into a purely private affair.
As a social institution, marriage protects and shapes a shared commitment to deeper growth in love and commitment to one another, for the good of society as a whole.
That is why marriage is more than a fleeting fashion; it is of enduring importance.
Its essence derives from our human nature and social character.
It involves a series of obligations born of love itself, a love so serious and generous that it is ready to face any risk.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
80a: Recording Yet
God, who wishes to work with us and who counts on our cooperation, can also
bring good out of the evil we have done.
"The Holy Spirit can be said to possess an infinite creativity, proper to the divine mind, which knows how to loosen the knots of human affairs, including the most complex and inscrutable".
Creating a world in need of development, God in some way sought to limit himself in such a way that many of the things we think of as evils, dangers or sources of suffering, are in reality part of the pains of childbirth which he uses to draw us into the act of cooperation with the Creator.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
75: Recording
We cannot ignore the fact that in
cities human trafficking, the narcotics trade, the abuse and
exploitation of minors, the abandonment of the elderly and infirm, and various
(other) forms of corruption and criminal activity take place.
(Also), what could be significant places of encounter and solidarity often become places of isolation and mutual distrust. Houses and neighbourhoods are more often built to isolate and protect than to connect and integrate.
The proclamation of the Gospel will be a basis for restoring the dignity of human life in these contexts, for Jesus desires to pour out an abundance of life upon our cities.
The unified and complete sense of human life that the Gospel proposes is the best remedy for the ills of our cities, even though we have to realize that a uniform and rigid program of evangelization is not suited to this complex reality.
But to live our human life to the
fullest and to meet every challenge as a leaven of Gospel witness in every
culture and in every city will make us better Christians and bear
fruit in our cities.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
------------------------------------------
Answer: R(everse)!
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun: Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E.Asia, Pacific
Frid: South
America
Sat: Cent, N 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 24th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Inner
Mongolia
And praying for one of
the world's poorest
countries each day of the month:
On this 24th of the month, Jesus please
bless the people of Zambia
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
2017:
Southern Africa, Dubai
--------------------
Video: What "gay marriage" did to Massachusetts
Frightening
YouTube reports:
LGBT radical impact
on educational institutions (No.
5); LGBT
infiltrating churches
(No. 6); US corporations massively
supporting LGBT agenda (No. 7). What
has happened in the US is now starting to happen in other places. Some
day our children will ask "why didn't you do more to stop this evil?"
--------------------------------------------
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.
Map and Flag Counter began Feb 11, 2012. Previous visits 4,932.
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Thank you for checking this website each day. God bless all readers and bloggers!
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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