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 June 6
Yesterday I was at Tai Lam
women's prison from 9.30am until 5.30pm. Some good news: this year, not one
woman from the whole of Africa and only one from the whole of South America has
been arrested at HK airport. And some bad news: not a few innocent people are
pleading guilty to various charges .... to avoid extra long sentences (you get a
one-third discount for pleading guilty...but if you plead not-guilty and lose,
you don't get that one-third discount).
Smugglers abandon HK$600,000 of cough syrup in speedboat getaway
(see my comment - MRicci)
My article in today's Ming Pao newspaper has the topic: Memo to Beijing: leave HK alone. It is on Ming Pao website - click "Australian in HK". Free access to article with recording today from about noon to 8pm HK time. Text without recording
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judges 17-21:
After Samson's death, there was no leader
in Israel
and everyone did as they pleased
as lawlessness and anarchy became widespread.
Dear Lord,
please don't let lawlessness increase in our world.
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
1: Happy the person who
avoids evil and evil entertainment.
Happy the person who reads and meditates on God's words. Such a
person is like a tree planted beside a river, getting plenty of
nourishment, bearing plenty of fruit. Such a
person is on the Way of Life.
People who do evil are on the Way of Death.
Dear
Lord, please help me do good and avoid evil
Recording
Ephesians
1.19-23: God the Father raised Christ from death, and
put him on the divine throne. Christ is the C.E.O. of the universe, in
charge of everything, from galaxies to governments. No one and nothing is exempt from
his rule. At the center of everything is the church.
It is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts.
Jesus, help me understand how the church is
the heart of the world, pumping your life and love to all parts of the world
Recording
John
12.1-8: Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to
Bethany,
for a dinner at the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Mary put expensive ointment on Jesus' feet.
Then she wiped his feet with her hair. Judas Iscariot, the disciple who was going to
betray Jesus, said "Why wasn't this ointment sold and the money given
to the poor?" He said this not because he cared about the
poor, but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and would
steal from it. Jesus replied "Leave her alone. She is
anticipating and honoring my burial. Besides, the poor will always be with
you. But I will soon be gone".
Jesus, please help people in charge of money
not to steal
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
Each
time we help other people - especially poor people - we help Jesus, we wash his
feet
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
144: Recording
As
true man, Jesus showed his emotions.
He was hurt by the rejection of Jerusalem (cf. Mt 23:27) and this moved him to tears (cf. Lk 19:41).
He was also deeply moved by the sufferings of others (cf. Mk 6:34).
He felt deeply their grief (cf. Jn 11:33), and he wept at the death of a friend (cf. Jn 11:35).
These examples of his sensitivity showed how much his human heart was open to others.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text
Full Chinese text
91: Recording: A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings.
It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted.
This compromises the very meaning of our struggle for the sake of the environment.
It is no coincidence that, in the canticle in which Saint Francis praises God for his creatures, he goes on to say: "Praised be you my Lord, through those who give pardon for your love".
Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
88: Recording
The
Christian ideal will always be a summons to overcome suspicion, habitual
mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which today's
world imposes on us.
Many try to escape from others and take refuge in the comfort of their privacy or in a small circle of close friends, renouncing the realism of the social aspect of the Gospel.
For just as some people want a purely spiritual Christ, without flesh and without the cross, they also want their interpersonal relationships provided by sophisticated equipment, by screens and systems which can be turned on and off on command.
Meanwhile, the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction.
True
faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from
membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. The
Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.
-------------------------------------
As usual yesterday morning before leaving for Tai Lam
women's prison I went to a local chemist to buy my regulation two big bags of
pampers....but when I saw a Nepal man buying cough syrup I pointed out to him
the danger of the syrup (see SCMP post article with my comment, at top of this
menu) ....only to be challenged by the lady serving in the shop for spoiling her
sale ....to the point that I became distracted and for some reason instead of
taking from the shelf two bags of "XL" pampers, I took one XL and one
XXL!
--------------------------------------
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 6th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hainan
And praying for one of
the world's poorest countries
each day of the month:
On this 6th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Liberia
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon June 5
A reader in Australia recently sent me an article
about a topic I'd never heard of: Muslim inbreeding. At first I thought the
article was a hoax .... another anti-Islam diatribe. So I checked and found the
article was sadly true. I was surprised to read in Wikipedia
that worldwide, almost half of all Muslims are inbred, and this is causing
enormous health problems. See: Bradford
study finds higher birth defect risk in married cousins - BBC .
Google "Muslim
inbreeding"
Pilgrims
by the thousands trek to Uganda shrine to recall 22 martyrs
Australia's
sovereignty under threat from influence of China's Communist Party
In
this Pentecost week, let's each day pray the beautiful Pentecost
Sequence
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judges
16: Samson went to Gaza and
entered the house of a prostitute.
The men of Gaza tried to capture Samson
but he eluded them. Samson
then fell in love with a woman called Delilah.
The Philistine leaders pressured Delilah to find out the secret of Samson's great strength.
Day
after day Delilah pestered Samson
until he told her his secret:
"A razor has never touched my head,
because I have been specially dedicated to God from my birth.
If my hair is cut, I will lose my strength." Delilah
then cut Samson's hair while he was asleep
and called the Philistines to capture him. The
Philistines bound Samson, put out his eyes
and chained him in a prison in Gaza.
But in prison, Samson's hair began to grow again. The
Philistines held a special ceremony in a large building
to celebrate the capture of Samson. They
paraded Samson at the ceremony
and then made him stand between two pillars. Samson
prayed to God for strength one more time
and the Lord heard his prayer. He
then used his great strength
to pull down the main pillars supporting the building. In
this way, at his death, Samson killed more Philistines than before he went to prison.
Dear
Lord, you once gave special strength to Samson.
Please give me strength to face the battles of life.
My
recording of this reading 01
02
Psalms
149-150: Sing a new song to the Lord.
Let the praise of God be always on our lips. Praise God in his holy temple.
Praise him in the heavens. O praise him with sound of
trumpet.
Praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with drums and dancing.
Praise him with strings and pipes. Let everything that lives and
breathes,
give praise to the Lord our Creator. Alleluia!
Lord, to you we say every day
"Allelu-ia" ("praise God")
Recording
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
John
11.1-44: Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha lived
in the village of Bethany. When Lazarus became very sick, the sisters sent
a message to Jesus "Lord, your dear friend is very sick". By the time Jesus and his disciples
arrived in Bethany, Lazarus was dead and buried for 4 days. Martha said to Jesus "If you had been
here, my brother would not have died". Jesus replied "I am the resurrection and
the life. If anyone believes in me, he will have life after death". Jesus said to Mary and Martha "Where have
you put him?" Jesus cried as he went to the tomb. The tomb was a
cave with a stone at the entrance. Jesus said "Take the stone away".
Then he called out in a loud voice "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, wrapped in burial
clothes. Jesus said "Unwrap him and let him go free".
Jesus, you are the Resurrection and the Life.
Please give eternal life to my friend (....name...) who died recently
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
In
this week after Pentecost, let's praise our God a bit more - as in the words of
Psalms 149-150, above. Which would have been the case of the group on whom the
Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost ....this week was a week to "Let the praise of God be always on our
lips" and to "Praise God in his holy temple"
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
143: Recording Desires,
feelings, emotions, what the ancients called "the passions", all have
an important place in married life.
They are awakened whenever "another" becomes present and part of a person's life.
It is characteristic of all living beings to reach out to other things, and this tendency always has basic affective signs: pleasure or pain, joy or sadness, tenderness or fear.
They ground the most elementary psychological activity. Human beings live on this earth, and all that they do and seek is fraught with passion.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
90: Recording
This is not to put all living
beings on the same level nor to deprive human beings of their unique worth and
the tremendous responsibility it entails.
Nor does it imply a divinization of the earth which would prevent us from working on it and protecting it in its fragility.
Such notions would end up creating new imbalances which would deflect us from the reality which challenges us.
At times we see an obsession with denying any pre-eminence to the human person; more zeal is shown in protecting other species than in defending the dignity which all human beings share in equal measure.
Certainly, we should be concerned lest other living beings be treated irresponsibly.
But we should be particularly indignant at the enormous inequalities in our midst, whereby we continue to tolerate some considering themselves more worthy than others.
We fail to see that some are mired in desperate and degrading poverty, with no way out, while others have not the faintest idea of what to do with their possessions, vainly showing off their supposed superiority and leaving behind them so much waste which, if it were the case everywhere, would destroy the planet.
In practice, we continue to tolerate that some consider themselves more human than others, as if they had been born with greater rights.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
87: Recording
Today,
when the networks and means of human communication have made unprecedented
advances, we sense the challenge of finding and sharing a "mystique"
of living together, of mingling and encounter, of embracing and supporting one
another, of stepping into this flood tide which, while chaotic, can become a
genuine experience of fraternity, a caravan of solidarity, a sacred pilgrimage.
Greater possibilities for communication thus turn into greater possibilities for encounter and solidarity for everyone.
If we were able to take this route, it would be so good, so soothing, so liberating and hope-filled!
To go out of ourselves and to join others is healthy for us.
To be
self-enclosed is to taste the bitter poison of immanence, and humanity will be
worse for every selfish choice we make.
-------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
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 5th of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guizhou
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 5th of
the month, Jesus please bless the people of Chad
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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June 4
P E N T E C O S T S U N D A Y
Wishing all dear readers a Happy Pentecost!
COME HOLY SPIRIT! FALL AFRESH ON OUR WORLD!
Remembering
June 4, 1989 - my 2013 article
One
of 5 new cardinals is from Laos, and is a close O.M.I. friend
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. Readings for Pentecost
Acts 2.1-4: About
ten days after Jesus' ascension to heaven, was the Feast of Pentecost.
Jesus' 12 apostles, his mother, several other women, and his brothers were
together in one room. Suddenly
they heard what sounded like a powerful wind. Tongues of fire appeared and came
to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
and began to speak foreign languages
Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me. Fall afresh on our world
My
recording of this reading
Psalm 104: Bless
the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are. You
make the clouds your chariot. You walk on the wings of the wind. You make
springs gush forth in the valleys. They give drink to all the animals of the
field. You make grass grow for the cattle, and plants to provide food for
people. You give us wine to cheer our hearts, and oil to make our faces
shine. You made the moon to mark the
months. The sun knows the time for its setting. How many are your works, O Lord.
In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches and the sea
is swarming with life. All things, great and small, look to you for food. You
open your hand, they have their fill. You
send forth your spirit, and life is created. You renew the face of the earth. I
will sing to the Lord all my life. May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
Lord, send forth your Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth
Recording
1 Corinthians
12.4-10: The Holy Spirit gives us many different gifts:
Some people have the gift of wise preaching.
Some people have the gift of an extra strong faith.
Some people have the gift of healing sick people.
Some people have other gifts like the power of miracles, prophecy,
recognizing spirits, and the ability to speak in tongues.
Holy Spirit, please increase your influence in
my life.
Please give me the gift of (..name...)
John
15-16: Jesus said to his
disciples: "When the
Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth
who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. When
the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead
you to the complete truth. He
will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything
the Father has is mine; that is why I said: All
he tells you will be taken from
what is mine"
O Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, fall afresh on our world!
Reflection on the above readings:
The
Day of Pentecost (good!)
Hudson Taylor: "Since the days of Pentecost, has the whole church ever put aside every other work and waited upon Him for ten days, that the Spirit's power might be manifested? We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power."
My
2013 article: The
forgotten Paraclete
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
142: Recording The
Second Vatican Council teaches that this conjugal love "embraces the good
of the whole person; it can enrich the sentiments of the spirit and their
physical expression with a unique dignity and ennoble them as the special
features and manifestation of the friendship proper to marriage".
For this reason, a love lacking either pleasure
or passion is insufficient to symbolize the union of the human heart with God:
"All the mystics have affirmed that supernatural love and heavenly love
find the symbols which they seek in marital love, rather than in friendship,
filial devotion or devotion to a cause. And the reason is to be found precisely
in its totality.
Why then should we not pause to speak of feelings and sexuality in marriage?
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
89: Recording
The created things of this world are not free of
ownership: "For they are yours, O Lord, who love the living" (Wis 11:26).
This is the basis of our conviction that, as part of the universe, called into being by one Father, all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect.
Here I would reiterate that "God has joined us so closely to the world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement"
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
86: Recording
In some places a spiritual
"desertification" has evidently come about, as the result of
attempts by some societies to build without God or to eliminate their Christian
roots.
In those places "the Christian world is becoming sterile, and it is depleting itself like an overexploited ground, which transforms into a desert".
In other countries, violent opposition to Christianity forces Christians to hide their faith in their own beloved homeland. This is another painful kind of desert.
But family and the workplace can also be a parched place where faith nonetheless has to be preserved and communicated.
Yet "it is starting from the experience of this desert, from this void, that we can again discover the joy of believing, its vital importance for us men and women.
In the desert we rediscover the value of what is essential for living; thus in today's world there are innumerable signs, often expressed implicitly or negatively, of the thirst for God, for the ultimate meaning of life.
And in the desert people of faith are needed who, by the example of their own lives, point out the way to the Promised Land and keep hope alive".
In these situations we are
called to be living sources of water from which others can drink. At
times, this becomes a heavy cross, but it was from the cross, from his
pierced side, that our Lord gave himself to us as a source of living water. Let
us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!
-------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------------------
For
Pentecost Sunday:
Mary at Pentecost to Holy Spirit: "....oh, oh, you again!" (....
just before she started speaking in tongues!)
--------------------------------------
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 4th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Guangdong
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 4th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Mozambique
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
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Sat June 3
Yesterday morning I attended two trials at the High Court of HK - for two South American men on drug trafficking charges. Both had taken part in my anti-drug campaign, and for this both were given 6-month discounts ... by the same judge who took the cases one after the other in the same court room. Thank you Jesus!
Kenyan
woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Malaysia
Today is the feast of the Ugandan martyrs: All
set for the 2017 Uganda Martyrs Day celebration
(I had the privilege of visiting Namugongo
in Jan 2016 - photo)
General election today in Lesotho, a nation with 22% HIV: Lesotho election likely to deliver uneasy coalition.
My January 2017 photos:
01 02
Dear Holy Spirit of Pentecost, please fall
afresh on Lesotho today!
-----------------------
Tomorrow
is
Pentecost Sunday
Come Holy Spirit!
A simple little song to the Holy Spirit
- to the tune of "The Stabat Mater"
- listen to it here:
Flowing from
the heart of Jesus,
Living River, Holy Spirit,
Fill our hearts and flow through us
-based on today's Gospel, below!
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Vigil of Pentecost
Joel 1-4: My
country has been invaded. Joy has disappeared from the land. Priests, put on
sackcloth, and lament. Proclaim a fast to pray for our nation. Turn to the Lord
your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion. Call out to the Lord
for help. "Spare your people, Lord!" The Lord replies: "I will
save and rescue you. I
will pour out my spirit on all peoples. Everyone will prophesy and see visions. You
will learn that I am the Lord your God. Jerusalem will be a holy place."
Lord, pour out your Holy Spirit on all nations
Psalm
104: Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are. You make the clouds your chariot.
You walk on the wings of the wind. You make springs gush forth in the valleys.
They give drink to all the animals of the field. You make grass grow for the cattle
and plants to provide food for people. You give us wine to cheer our hearts
and oil to make our faces shine. You made the moon to mark the months.
The sun knows the time for its setting. How many are your works, O Lord.
In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches
and the sea is swarming with life. All things, great and small, look to you for
food.
You open your hand, they have their fill. You send forth your spirit, and life is
created.
You renew the face of the earth. I will sing to the Lord all my life.
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
Bless the Lord, my soul!
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.
Holy Spirit, please help us pray!
John
7.37-39: During the Feast of
Tabernacles in Jerusalem, Jesus called out loudly in the Temple "If
anyone is thirsty, come to me. Anyone who believes in me, come and drink!" As
Scripture says "From his heart will flow fountains of living water". Jesus
was speaking of the Holy Spirit, which people who believed in him were to
receive. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been
glorified.
Holy Spirit, flowing from the heart of Jesus, please increase your influence
in my life
Reflection on the above readings:
One of my favorite songs:
Everyone
moved by the Spirit - Carey Landry
----------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
141: Recording Finally,
let us acknowledge that for a worth-while dialogue we have to have something to
say.
This can only be the fruit of an interior richness nourished by reading, personal reflection, prayer and openness to the world around us.
Otherwise, conversations become boring and trivial.
When neither of the spouses works at this, and has little real contact with other people, family life becomes stifling and dialogue impoverished.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
88: Recording The
bishops of Brazil have pointed out that nature as a whole not only manifests God
but is also a locus of his presence.
The Spirit of life dwells in every living creature and calls us to enter into relationship with him.
Discovering this presence leads us to cultivate the "ecological virtues".
This is not to forget that there is an infinite distance between God and the things of this world, which do not possess his fullness.
Otherwise, we would not be doing the creatures themselves any good either, for we would be failing to acknowledge their right and proper place. We would end up unduly demanding of them something which they, in their smallness, cannot give us.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
85: Recording
One of the more serious temptations which
stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and
disillusioned pessimists, "sourpusses".
Nobody can go off to battle unless he is fully convinced of victory beforehand. If we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents.
While painfully aware of our own frailties, we have to march on without giving in, keeping in mind what the Lord said to Saint Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".
Christian triumph is always a cross, yet a cross which is at the same time a victorious banner borne with aggressive tenderness against the assaults of evil.
The evil spirit of defeatism is brother to the temptation to
separate, before its time, the wheat from the weeds; it is the fruit of an
anxious and self-centred lack of trust
-------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
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 3rd
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Gansu
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 3rd
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Burundi
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
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Frid June 2
Yesterday I was at Lai Chi Kok (men's) reception centre for about 4 hours ...saddened to meet two more drug mules from South America and one more from Africa. The flow has slowed right down, but there's still a trickle. Yesterday I began to understand more deeply that the trickle will not stop while the African Drug Lords in HK (who organise the trickle) are not arrested. And this is where I get into sensitive waters: all my evidence points to the fact that the African HK Drug Lords are protected by Customs. Not one African Drug Lord in HK has been arrested in my memory. More seriously, this topic is not allowed to be mentioned in HK courts...it's a "closed" topic. There seems to be a Basic Law which HK authorities are required to follow: "Thou shalt not catch Big Fish".
To
prepare for
Pentecostst
(May 15) lelet's
reflect on the Holy Spirit:
The
dove:
At the end of the flood, whose symbolism refers to Baptism, a dove
released by Noah returns with a fresh olive-tree branch in its beak as a sign
that the earth was again habitable.
When Jesus comes up from the water of his baptism, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes down upon him and remains with him. The Spirit comes down and remains in the purified hearts of the baptized.
In some churches, the Eucharist is reserved in a metal receptacle in the form of a dove (columbarium) suspended above the altar.
Christian
iconography traditionally uses a dove
to suggest the Spirit.
- CCC 701
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 15: When Samson found out
his wife had been given to someone else
he took his revenge on the Philistines
by setting fire to their crops. The Philistines then
attacked the land of Judah, trying to capture Samson. To avoid war with the
Philistines,
the men of Judah bound Samson with ropes
and handed him over to the Philistines. But as the Philistines
approached him,
Samson was filled with the spirit of the Lord
and broke free from the ropes. He saw a dead donkey's
jawbone on the ground
and used this to strike down many Philistines
before making his escape. Samson was judge in
Israel for 20 years.
Dear Lord, you
once gave strength to Samson. Please give me strength to face the battles of life.
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
148: Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights. Praise him all his angels,
praise him all his spirits. Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shining stars. Let them praise the name of the Lord.
His word gave life to all of them. Praise the Lord from the earth,
sea creatures and all oceans. Praise him fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy winds that obey his word. Praise him all mountains and hills,
all fruit trees and cedars.
Praise him all animals, wild and tame,
reptiles and birds in the air. Praise him all earth's kings and peoples,
earth's princes and rulers. Praise him young men and maidens,
old people together with children. Let them praise the name of the Lord.
He is the praise of all who love him.
Lord our God and Creator, you
are worthy of all praise
Recording
Ephesians
1.9-13: God the Father has let us know his sacred
plan:
the whole show, everything in heaven and everything in earth,
is one big orchestra with Christ as the conductor. We Jews are special instruments in the
orchestra.
We were chosen to put our hope in Christ before he came. And you non-Jews are also on the stage,
now that you have believed the truth of the Good News. All of us have been stamped with the Holy
Spirit.
He's the composer whose music we are playing. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for the
gift of life
and the gift of faith. Help me play well!
Recording
John
10.23-38: When Jesus was walking in the Temple, some
religious leaders said to him "If you are the Christ, tell us
plainly". Jesus replied "I have told you, but you
do not believe me. The miracles I do in my Father's name also witness to
who I am. The Father and I are one". The leaders picked up stones to stone Jesus
and said "We will stone you for blasphemy. You are only a man
and you claim to be God". Jesus replied "If I am not doing my
Father's work, then do not believe me. But if am doing my Father's
work, you must know that the Father and I are one. He is in me and I
am in him".
Jesus, please help more people believe that
you are the Son of God
Recording
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
With Pentecost only a few days away, let's think today especially about the words in today's reading from Ephesians: the composer whose music we are playing is ....the Holy Spirit!
----------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
140: Recording Show
affection and concern for the other person.
Love surmounts even the worst barriers.
When we love someone, or when we feel loved by them, we can better understand what they are trying to communicate.
Fearing the other person as a kind of "rival" is a sign of weakness and needs to be overcome.
It is very important to base one's position on solid choices, beliefs or values, and not on the need to win an argument or to be proved right.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
87: Recording
When we can see God reflected in all that
exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to
worship him in union with them.
This sentiment finds magnificent expression in the hymn of Saint Francis of Assisi:
Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour; and bears a likeness of you, Most High. Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful. Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through whom you give sustenance to your creatures. Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
----------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
84: Recording
The joy of the Gospel is such
that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything.
The evils of our world - and those of the Church - must not be excuses for
diminishing our commitment and our fervour.
Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us to grow. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that "where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more"
Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds. Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council, we are distressed by the troubles of our age and far from naive optimism; yet the fact that we are more realistic must not mean that we are any less trusting in the Spirit or less generous.
In this sense, we can once again listen to the words of
Blessed John XXIII on the memorable day of 11 October 1962: "At
times we have to listen, much to our regret, to the voices of people who, though
burning with zeal, lack a sense of discretion and measure. In this modern age
they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin. We feel that we must disagree
with those prophets of doom who are always forecasting disaster, as though the
end of the world were at hand. In our times, divine Providence is leading us to
a new order of human relations which, by human effort and even beyond all
expectations, are directed to the fulfilment of God's superior and inscrutable
designs, in which everything, even human setbacks, leads to the greater good of
the Church".
-------------------------------------
Daniel Daring - The Year with Matthew - 23:
-----------------------------------
10
years ago today:
------------------------------------------
One couple (from Chad) among the special guests at last
night's regular Thursday evening meal for the poor were Muslims....who could not
order their food until 7pm ....last night's end time for Ramadan!
c.f. Ramadan can make Lenten fasting seem tepid (correction: article is not correct to say "no sex during Ramadan". Should say "no sex during daytime during Ramadan"!)
--------------------------------------
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 2nd
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Fujian
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 2nd of the month, Jesus please bless the
people of Niger
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thur June 1
Yesterday I spent more than 7 hours at Lo Wu women's prison ....a long but happy day. And early in the day I met a fellow Oblate priest there: Fr Jun from the Philippines. He was with the Philippine Consulate staff on their quarterly visit. How I wish other countries' consulates would be so diligent. Some others also are good, but not a few rarely if ever visit.
--------------------------------------------------------
To prepare for Pentecost (May 15) let's reflect on the Holy Spirit
The
finger is
another symbol of the Holy Spirit. It was by the
finger of God that Jesus cast out demons. If God's law was written
on tablets of stone "by the
finger of God," then the "letter from Christ"
entrusted to the care of the apostles, is written "with the Spirit of the
living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." The
hymn Veni Creator Spiritus invokes the Holy
Spirit as " the
finger
of the Father's right hand." - c.f. CCC
700
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
14: Samson
wanted to marry a Philistine woman,
even though custom required he marry an Israelite. On his way to
visit
the woman in Philistine territory,
Samson was confronted by a young lion. The spirit of the Lord
filled Samson
and he tore the lion to pieces with his bare hands. On his next visit to
the woman's home, Samson saw that in the carcass of the dead lion there was a swarm of bees, and honey.
The people of the
village made a wedding feast for 7 days.
But they were scared of Samson
so they assigned 30 men to stay with him. Samson challenged them
to answer a riddle:
if they got the right answer before the 7 days were over,
he would give them 30 pieces of silver and 30 festal robes. But if they failed to
get the right answer,
they had to give Samson 30 pieces of silver and 30 robes.
They agreed to the challenge. Samson stated his
riddle:
"Out of the eater came what is eaten, out of the strong came what is sweet".
Three days went by and
they could not solve the riddle.
So they asked Samson's wife to find out the answer. Day after day she
pestered Samson with pleading and tears
until, on the 7th day, he told her. She then told the men. The men then said to
Samson:
"What is sweeter than honey,
and what is stronger than a lion?" Samson
then went to a nearby Philistine town
and killed 30 men there. He took their robes and
gave them to the 30 wedding feast guests.
Full of anger, he stormed out of the village
and returned to his parents' house. His wife was then given to
the companion who had been his best man.
Dear
God, please help me control my anger
My
recording of this reading 01
02
Psalm
147: Praise the Lord for he is good.
Sing to our God for he is loving. To him our praise is due. The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel's exiles. He heals the broken-hearted
and binds up all their wounds. The Lord raises the lowly
and humbles the wicked. He fixes the number of the stars.
He calls each one by name. Our Lord is great and almighty.
His wisdom can never be measured. He covers the heavens with clouds.
He prepares rain for the earth, making mountains sprout with grass
and with plants to serve our needs. His delight is not in horses
nor his pleasure in warriors' strength. The Lord delights in those who love and honor
him,
in those who wait for his love.
It is right and fitting to
praise and love you, Lord our Creator
Recording
Ephesians
1.1-7:
From Paul, appointed to be an apostle of
Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Before the world was made, he chose us in Christ,
to live through love in his presence. He chose us, in Christ, to be his adopted
children,
to make us praise the glory of his grace. This grace is his free gift to us in his
Beloved Son,
through whose blood we gain our freedom
and the forgiveness of our sins.
Father, thank you for upgrading me from human child to Divine Child!
Recording
John
10.11-14: Jesus said to the religious leaders "I am
the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. A hired man, since he has no real concern for
the sheep,
abandons them and runs away if he sees a wolf coming. I am the Good Shepherd.
I know my own sheep, and my own sheep know me".
Jesus, Good Shepherd, please help me to be a
good sheep, and a good shepherd
Recording
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
What our poor world urgently needs: better leaders ....leaders like Gandhi, Mandela, Pope Francis .....Jesus the Good Shepherd. My final prayer as I go to sleep each night: Jesus, please give the world better leaders, leaders who live simply and care for their people (and tonight being Thursday I pray for South East Asia - see bottom of today's menu)
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
139: Recording Keep
an open mind. Don't get bogged down in your own limited ideas and opinions, but
be prepared to change or expand them.
The combination of two different ways of thinking can lead to a synthesis that enriches both.
The unity that we seek is not uniformity, but a "unity in diversity", or "reconciled diversity".
Fraternal communion is enriched by respect and appreciation for differences within an overall perspective that advances the common good.
We need to free ourselves from feeling that we all have to be alike.
A certain astuteness is also needed to prevent the appearance of "static" that can interfere with the process of dialogue.
For example, if hard feelings start to emerge, they should be dealt with sensitively, lest they interrupt the dynamic of dialogue.
The ability to say what one is thinking without offending the other person is important.
Words should be carefully chosen so as not to offend, especially when discussing difficult issues.
Making a point should never involve venting anger and inflicting hurt.
A patronizing tone only serves to hurt, ridicule, accuse and offend others.
Many disagreements between couples are not about important things. Mostly they are about trivial matters. What alters the mood, however, is the way things are said or the attitude with which they are said
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
86: Recording The
universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the
inexhaustible riches of God.
Saint Thomas Aquinas wisely noted that multiplicity and variety "come from the intention of the first agent" who willed that "what was wanting to one in the representation of the divine goodness might be supplied by another", inasmuch as God's goodness "could not be represented fittingly by any one creature".
Hence we need to grasp the variety of things in their multiple relationships.
We understand better the importance and meaning of each creature if we contemplate it within the entirety of God's plan.
As the Catechism teaches: "God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other"
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
83: Recording
And so
the biggest threat of all gradually takes
shape: "the gray pragmatism of the daily life of the Church, in which all
appears to proceed normally, while in reality
faith is wearing down and degenerating into small-mindedness".
A tomb psychology thus develops and slowly transforms Christians into mummies in a museum. Disillusioned with reality, with the Church and with themselves, they experience a constant temptation to cling to a faint melancholy, lacking in hope, which seizes the heart like "the most precious of the devil's potions".
Called to radiate light and communicate
life, in the end they are caught up in things
that generate only darkness and inner weariness, and slowly consume all zeal for
the apostolate. For all this, I repeat: Let us
not allow ourselves to be robbed of the joy of evangelization!
-------------------------------------
10 years ago today (some
great photos here!)
------------------------------------------
When I visit the women's prisons these days, I take two
very large packets of nappies/diapers/pampers whatever you like to call them
...for one particular mother in one prison, and another in a second prison. No,
that's not correct: pampers are not for the mothers ....but for their babies!
--------------------------------------
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 1st
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Anhui
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 1st of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Congo
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Thursday,
please pacify Al-Qaeda
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed May 31
This
3 minute video is excellent!
'Bomb violence with
mercy' - anti-terror ad goes viral in Middle East
"When
will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?"
America's
prisons are failing. Here's how to make them work
How
a tiny (?) minority of asylum seekers in HK are giving South Asians a bad name
Letter in English from a Columbian man in
prison in HK for drug trafficking - describing the hardships and sorrows of
being in prison away from his family - here
(May 30)
Melb
woman buying homes for the homeless
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
I have yet to find a six month old baby respond to the verbal instruction not to soil a nappy
-------------------------------------------------------
To prepare for Pentecost (May 15) let's reflect on the Holy Spirit - today: The Hand
The hand is another symbol of the Holy Spirit. Jesus heals the sick and blesses little children by laying hands on them. In his name the apostles will do the same. It is by the Apostles' imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given. The Church has kept this sign of the all-powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit by having the priest at Mass extend his hands over the bread and wine as he says "Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy" - c.f. CCC 699
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
c.f. readings for Feast of Visitation
Romans
12.9-13: Do not let your love be
superficial, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Have a family love for each
other, and a profound respect for each other. Persevere in your love for the
Lord and your service of the Lord. Hope will make you cheerful. Do not give up
when trials come. Keep on praying. Help people who are in need. Make hospitality
your special care.
Jesus, please help me grow in love. Help me love you and other people a bit
better
Recording
Luke
1.39-45: As soon as she could and as
quickly as she could, Mary went to Elizabeth's home in the hills near Jerusalem.
As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in Elizabeth's womb jumped,
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth
said to Mary "Of all women, you are the most blessed, and blessed is the
baby in your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my
Lord? Blessed are you for believing God's promise".
Mary, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
Mary got involved, from start to finish
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of Love - on love in the family
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
138: Recording Develop
the habit of giving real importance to the other person.
This means appreciating them and recognizing their right to exist, to think as they do and to be happy.
Never down-play what they say or think, even if you need to express your own point of view.
Everyone has something to contribute, because they have their life experiences, they look at things from a different standpoint and they have their own concerns, abilities and insights.
We ought to be able to acknowledge the other person's truth, the value of his or her deepest concerns, and what it is that they are trying to communicate, however aggressively.
We have to put ourselves in their shoes and try to peer into their hearts, to perceive their deepest concerns and to take them as a point of departure for further dialogue.
---------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
85b: Recording This
contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which
God wishes to hand on to us, since "for the believer, to contemplate
creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent
voice".
We can say that "alongside revelation properly so-called, contained in sacred Scripture, there is a divine manifestation in the blaze of the sun and the fall of night".
Paying attention to this manifestation, we learn to see ourselves in relation to all other creatures: "I express myself in expressing the world; in my effort to decipher the sacredness of the world, I explore my own"
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
82: Recording
The problem is not always an excess of activity, but
rather activity undertaken badly, without
adequate motivation, without a spirituality which would permeate it and make it
pleasurable.
As a result, work becomes more tiring than necessary, even leading at times to illness. Far from a content and happy tiredness, this is a tense, burdensome, dissatisfying and, in the end, unbearable fatigue.
This pastoral acedia can be caused by a number of things. Some fall into it because they throw themselves into unrealistic projects and are not satisfied simply to do what they reasonably can.
Others, because they lack the patience to allow processes to mature; they want everything to fall from heaven. Others, because they are attached to a few projects or vain dreams of success. Others, because they have lost real contact with people and so depersonalize their work that they are more concerned with the road map than with the journey itself.
Others fall into acedia because they are unable to wait; they want to dominate the rhythm of life. Today's obsession with immediate results makes it hard for pastoral workers to tolerate anything that smacks of disagreement, possible failure, criticism, the cross.
-------------------------------------
.png)
--------------------------------------
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 31st
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tianjin
And praying for one of
the world's poorest
countries each day of the month:
On this 31st of the month, Jesus please
bless the people of Nepal
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.
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頌 恆 神 父
jdwomi@gmail.com
HK
mobile (852) 6709 5674
China
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