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
I am in Kuala Lumpur ....due back HK night of Sep 13...mobile number in KL: +60 (0)18 2801 573
Tues Sep 12
I spent most of yesterday "at home" here in Kuala
Lumpur .... processing
information obtained over the past few days, preparing for a very important
meeting to be held this morning ...and catching up on email. One thing I need to
decide is how to use the information I've obtained .... local advice recommends
asking help from the media as was done last January in South Africa (see The
Last Run)
Ex-inmate
takes to HK's airwaves, and prisoners tune in (NY
Times)
The
nun who helped discover DNA
Climate
change - see you in court
(but note how some climate change denial media
are publishing articles saying climate change and US hurricanes have no
connection)
Letter in Spanish from a Bolivian woman
in prison in HK for drug trafficking - here
My article in today's Ming Pao newspaper has the topic: Co-location ... history repeating itself. 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
Tobit 13:
Tobit praised and thanked God in these words:
"Blessed be God who lives
for ever,
declare his praise in every nation. He is our Creator, our God, our
Father.
Praise him for all his kindness to us. My soul rejoices in the King of
heaven.
Let his praise be sung in Jerusalem and in all nations."
Dear God, may you be known and
loved
by all the peoples of the world, since all people are your children
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
118: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
His love has no end. Let the sons of Israel say:
"His love has no end." Let those who honor the Lord say:
"His love has no end." It is better to take refuge in the Lord than
to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. I was falling, falling, falling,
but the Lord was my helper. The Lord is my strength and my song.
He is my saviour. The Lord's right hand has triumphed.
His right hand has raised me up. I shall not die, I shall live
and recount all his deeds. The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone. This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes. This day was made by the Lord.
We rejoice and are glad.
Lord, we give thanks to you,
for you are good. Your love has no end
Listen
Philemon
1-7:
From Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy,
to our dear fellow worker Philemon and the church that meets in your
house. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. I am so happy that your faith and love have given great
encouragement to the believers.
Jesus, bless all house church groups
and meetings
Listen
Matthew
19.1-9: One day some religious leaders put Jesus to
the test by asking him
"Is it against the Law of Moses for a man to divorce his wife?" Jesus replied "God created male and
female, for the two to become united as one body. What God has
united, no one should separate." The leaders then asked
"But why did Moses allow divorce?" Jesus replied "Moses allowed divorce
because people were so hard of heart. But divorce was not God's
plan. So I say to you, anyone who walks out on their
partner and marries someone else, is guilty of adultery".
Jesus, please help married
people stay together
Listen
Reflection
on the above readings:
God designed humans and animals as male
and female .... to reproduce by the union of male and female. People who oppose
gender difference and oppose marriage, qualify for membership cards in the Flat
Earth Society.
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text
Full Chinese text
172: Listen For poor countries, the priorities must be to eliminate extreme poverty and to promote the social development of their people.
At the same time, they need to acknowledge the scandalous level of consumption in some privileged sectors of their population and to combat corruption more effectively.
They are likewise bound to develop less polluting forms of energy production, but to do so they require the help of countries which have experienced great growth at the cost of the ongoing pollution of the planet.
Taking advantage of abundant solar energy will require the establishment of mechanisms and subsidies which allow developing countries access to technology transfer, technical assistance and financial resources, but in a way which respects their concrete situations, since "the compatibility of [infrastructures] with the context for which they have been designed is not always adequately assessed".
The costs of this would be low, compared to the risks of climate change. In any event, these are primarily ethical decisions, rooted in solidarity between all peoples.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
165b: Listen
The
centrality of the kerygma calls for stressing those
elements which are most needed today: it has to express God's saving love
which precedes any moral and religious obligation on our part; it should not
impose the truth but appeal to freedom; it should be marked by joy,
encouragement, liveliness and a harmonious balance which will not reduce
preaching to a few doctrines which are at times more philosophical than
evangelical.
All this
demands on the part of the evangelizer certain attitudes which foster openness
to the message: approachability, readiness for dialogue,
patience, a warmth and welcome which is non-judgmental.
-------------------------------------
Interactive
Bible Quiz - Ruth
Based on the actual
words of the Bible.
How many times can you get 3/3 ?!
----------------------------------
I don't get to play Chess much these days, but yesterday I
was able to have a computer game ....and while at Chess.com I saw this
amazing story about a four year old Chess champion!
--------------------------------------
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 12th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of
Jiangsu
And praying for one of
the world's poorest countries
each day of the month:
On this 12th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Guinea-Bissau
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon Sep
11
...hurricanes....another
tough 9/11 for USA ...Lord, have mercy!
Yesterday morning I attended Mass at St John's Cathedral...and
then spent the rest of the day fishing ...make that "fishing" ...with
some success. At my last fishing "pond" I had an evening meal: fried
rice, chicken ...and a beer in honour of my dear Dad's 45th anniversary. Photo here
...note salmon in background.
Pope
in Colombia asks God to "convert the hearts" of drug criminals
This is good news. Alleluia!
On Saturday, Pope gave us his bottom line on Vatican II
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Tobit
12: When Tobit's banquet was finished,
Tobit wanted to thank Raphael for all his help. Only then did Raphael tell Tobit
and Tobias
that he was an angel sent by God to help them. "I am Raphael, one of the 7
angels who stand ever ready
to enter the presence of the glory of the Lord. Never tire of giving God thanks.
And never tire of helping the poor."
Raphael farewelled them, rose in the air, and left them.
They praised and thanked God for all he had done for them.
Dear God, thank you for all
your love, all your blessings
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
117: O Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Acclaim him, all you peoples! Strong is his love for us.
He is faithful for ever.
May all the nations love and
praise you, Lord
Listen
Titus
3.8-15:
Tell people to keep their minds occupied in
doing good works.
Avoid useless speculations about trivial matters. All believers, including elders, should try to
be self-supporting. Grace be with you all
Jesus, help me be a doer and not just a
talker
Listen
Matthew
18.21-35: Peter asked Jesus "How many times must I
forgive someone?
7 times?" Jesus answered "Not 7, but 77 times. For the kingdom of heaven is like a king who
cancelled the huge debt of one of his servants. But that same servant refused to cancel the
tiny debt of one of his fellow servants. So the king said to the servant:
'When you appealed to me, I had pity on you and cancelled your big
debt. But you refused to have pity on your fellow servant who asked
you for mercy. Therefore you must now go to prison until your big debt is
paid.' If you refuse to forgive other people,
you are making yourself ineligible for God's forgiveness."
Jesus, please help me to
forgive other people,
just as you forgive me....many times each day
Listen
Reflection
on the above readings:
Only when I started to work in Hong Kong did I hear for the first time that some cultures find it more difficult than others to ...forgive.
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
171: Listen
The strategy of buying and selling "carbon
credits" can lead to a new form of speculation which would not help reduce
the emission of polluting gases worldwide.
This system seems to provide a quick and easy solution under the guise of a certain commitment to the environment, but in no way does it allow for the radical change which present circumstances require.
Rather, it may simply become a ploy which permits maintaining the excessive consumption of some countries and sectors.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
165a: Listen
We
must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more
"solid" formation.
Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation.
All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to understand more fully the significance of every subject which the latter treats.
It
is the message capable of responding to the desire for the infinite which abides
in every human heart.
-------------------------------------
Yesterday
as I passed a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur I saw a new sight: a man stopping to
light his cigarette from a free cigarette lighter hanging on a string at the
supermarket entrance! Then the man kept on walking along the footpath.
--------------------------------------
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 11th of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hunan
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 11th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Eritrea
And praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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Sun Sep 10
On this day in 1583 Matteo Ricci and Michele Ruggieri took up residence in Zhaoqing, China - see this history of Ricci
I'd like to say what I did yesterday here in Kuala Lumpur but
it's best I don't say too much for the time being. One thing I can safely say:
everywhere I go I see shops and businesses displaying signs with the words
"Hiring now". One shop even added "walk in now". Meaning
it's easy to find a job in KL. Unemployment must be very, very low. Whoever is
responsible for this happy situation deserves much praise!
Jesus, please protect Pope
Francis in Colombia!
Pope
embraces victims and ex-fighters in peace bid (Washington Post)
As Australians start to take part in the "same-sex marriage"
ballot, this article from the US shows what happens if "gay-marriage"
is legalised:
School
parents vs LGBT activists at meeting
True story - ,
below!
-----------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Sunday 23
Ezekiel 33-34: God told Ezekiel to say this to Israel's leaders:
"Punishment is coming for you shepherds who have fed yourselves
but not looked after the sheep. You have failed to make the weak sheep strong,
or to care for the sick ones. You have failed to bring back stray sheep
or look for lost sheep. On the contrary, you have been cruel to the sheep
and treated them badly. Therefore I will look after my flock myself.
I will rescue them from where they have been scattered. I will look for the lost one, bring back the stray,
bandage the injured, and make the weak strong. I will also judge the sheep themselves.
I will judge the fat sheep which have bullied the weak sheep. I will raise up a special shepherd
and put him in charge of all my sheep."
Lord, please help all leaders care for their
people,
like Jesus the Good Shepherd
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
95: Come ring out our joy to the Lord.
Hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him giving thanks.
With songs let us praise the Lord.
A mighty God is the Lord,
a great king above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth.
The heights of the mountains are his. To him belongs the sea, for he made it,
and the dry land shaped by his hands. Come in, let us bow and bend low.
Let us kneel before the God who made us.
For he is our God and we are the people who belong to his pasture.
Lord, you are our Creator. Our
life comes from you. We praise and love you, Lord
Listen
.jpg)
Romans
13.8-9: Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of
love we owe each other.
Love other people as you should, and you will keep all the commandments. All the commandments concerning other people -
You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal etc
- are summed up in the words "You must care about your neighbor as
much as you care about yourself"
Jesus, help me care about others as much
as I care about myself
Listen
Matthew 18.15-20:
Reflection on the above readings:
These past few days in Colombia, Pope Francis has been stressing the theme of today's reading from Romans ...."love your neighbour"....don't say "I am not my neighbour's keeper". I can't help everyone in the world in need, but I maybe I can do more to help a few more needy people?
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Italian with English, Chinese and
Spanish subtitles
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
170: Listen
Some strategies for lowering pollutant gas emissions
call for the internationalization of environmental costs, which would risk
imposing on countries with fewer resources burdensome commitments to reducing
emissions comparable to those of the more industrialized countries.
Imposing such measures penalizes those countries most in need of development.
A further injustice is perpetrated under the guise of protecting the environment.
Here also, the poor end up paying the price.
Furthermore, since the effects of climate change will be felt for a long time to come, even if stringent measures are taken now, some countries with scarce resources will require assistance in adapting to the effects already being produced, which affect their economies.
In this context, there is a need for common and differentiated responsibilities.
As the bishops of Bolivia have stated, "the countries which have benefited from a high degree of industrialization, at the cost of enormous emissions of greenhouse gases, have a greater responsibility for providing a solution to the problems they have caused".[
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
164: Listen
In
catechesis too, we have rediscovered the fundamental role
of the first announcement or kerygma, which needs
to be the centre of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal.
The kerygma is Trinitarian. The fire of the Spirit is given in the form of tongues and leads us to believe in Jesus Christ who, by his death and resurrection, reveals and communicates to us the Father's infinite mercy.
On the lips of the catechist the first proclamation must ring out over and over: "Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you."
This first proclamation is called "first" not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things.
It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal
proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again
in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another
throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment. - For
this reason too, "the priest - like every other
member of the Church - ought to grow in awareness that he himself is continually
in need of being evangelized"
-------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates. Tonight's program might have
two interviews I've done while here in Kuala Lumpur
------------------------------------------
Before
my flight from HK to Kuala Lumpur last Thursday midday, I checked in on line
....so I thought I didn't need to go to the airport so early. But thanks to a
very slow bus and a few other things I misjudged the time, and eventually got to
departure gate 34 with only about ten minutes before the gate was due to be
closed. As I made a resolution to always be earlier in future I discovered I was
at the wrong gate! I should have been at gate 43 ...which was a long way away in
another building! Did I run! Fortunately I had a little trolley to carry
my backpack and computer ....to get the airport train (!) from one building to
another....and I made it to gate 43 with one minute to spare. I was the second
last passenger onto the aircraft before the door was closed. To think I once did
three years of maths at Monash University in Melbourne ...but can't tell the
difference between 34 and 43! The difference is a 10 minute sprint! Thank you
Jesus for letting me get to 43 on time!
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 10th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hubei
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 10th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Guinea
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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Jesus, please protect Pope
Francis in Colombia!
Sat Sep 9
Kualu Lumpur is a sprawling city, make that region, of around 7
million, in a country of about 30 million. One thing that has struck me is the
friendliness and helpfulness of the people ... and I've been giving them plenty
of practice as I ask directions for using public transport.
Yesterday I had a very special meeting with two kind Kenyan people in charge of
the High Commission of Kenya, concerning this
dear lady who I'm hoping to visit next Tuesday. Turns out she is not on
death row ...although her charge might attract the death penalty. The Commission
has been helping her greatly....and have provided her with an excellent lawyer.
Commission is also hoping to arrange an important meeting for me next week with
a government agency.
Truth
must not be silenced, Pope tells Colombian bishops
Twin megastorms have scientists fearing this may be the new normal
Tomorrow's KKP
Catholic paper has an advertisement I've arranged. Can you find it? (Hint: on a
topic of great concern)
"Gay-marriage"
ballot:
Would
Pope vote "yes" or "no"?
------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Tobit
11: When Tobias returned home, his
parents were full of joy. Tobias followed Raphael's
instructions
and applied the fish gall to his blind father's eyes. Tobias then peeled away a filmy
skin from the eyes
and his father Tobit was able to see again. Tobit and Tobias joyfully
praised God. Tobit welcomed Sarah and held a
banquet for all his friends.
Dear God, please give sight to the blind people I
know,
just as you gave back sight to Tobit long ago
Psalm
116: I love the Lord for he has heard the cry of
my appeal.
He turned his ear to me in the day when I called him. They surrounded me, sorrow, distress and the
snares of death.
I was helpless, so the Lord saved me. Calm down my soul, for the Lord has been good.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living. How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to
me?
The cup of salvation I will raise to thank the Lord. O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the
death of his faithful.
Lord, you have loosened my bonds. I am your servant.
Thank you, Lord, for all your
goodness to me
Listen
Titus
3.1-7:
Remind everyone to be obedient to government
officials; to be ready to do good at every opportunity; not to go
slandering other people or picking quarrels; to be courteous and polite to
everyone. There was a time when we too were ignorant;
when we lived in wickedness and ill-will, hating each other and hateful
ourselves. But then the kindness and love of God our
Saviour were revealed, and God saved us because of his compassion. God saved us by the cleansing water of
rebirth, and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit whom he has poured over
us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. So we are justified by his grace, and look
forward to eternal life
Jesus,
Saviour of the world, you
are our Saviour
Listen
Matthew
18.1-10: One day Jesus heard his disciples
arguing
about which one of them was the most important. Jesus got a little child to sit in front
of them, and said "If you want to be great in God's eyes, become child-like.
In fact, unless you become child-like, you won't get to heaven. And make sure you never cause harm to children
like this one.
Remember, the protecting angels of children
are in the presence of my Father in heaven."
Jesus, please help me to be
more child-like,
and please don't let me ever cause harm to children
Listen
Reflection on the above readings:
Paul, above, mentions respecting government officials. Elsewhere he reminds us to pray for government officials. Today, Saturday, I pray especially for leaders in Central and North America (...see prayer program at bottom of today's menu)
----------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
169: Listen As
far as the protection of biodiversity and issues related to desertification are
concerned, progress has been far less significant.
With regard to climate change, the advances have been regrettably few.
Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most.
The Conference of the United Nations on Sustainable Development, "Rio+20" (Rio de Janeiro 2012), issued a wide-ranging but ineffectual outcome document.
International negotiations cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good.
Those who will have to suffer the consequences of what we are trying to hide will not forget this failure of conscience and responsibility.
Even as this Encyclical was being prepared, the debate was intensifying. We believers cannot fail to ask God for a positive outcome to the present discussions, so that future generations will not have to suffer the effects of our ill-advised delays.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
163: Listen
Education and catechesis are
at the service of this growth. We already possess a number
of magisterial documents and aids on catechesis issued by the Holy See and by
various episcopates.
I think in particular of the Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae (1979), the General Catechetical Directory (1997) and other documents whose contents need not be repeated here. I would like to offer a few brief considerations which I believe to be of particular significance.
((Interesting: no mention of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, which tried to reverse much of the
teaching of Vatican II - c.f. CCC
= V2 ?))
-------------------------------------
10
years ago:
Macau Hope Medical Group- visit to poor areas, clinic at Marco Polo, English Corner
------------------------------------------
For the past two days I've been using the rail system to
get around Kuala Lumpur. Good but not as good as HK. One KR problem: different
stages of the rail/light rail belong to different companies and each has its own
ticket service desk ....a bit confusing. As Lonely Planet says "the
transport system is not so well co-ordinated". And I'm still trying to work
out one sign I saw on the train "please ensure your journey" ??? ...I
think it means: make sure you know where you're going! ...not a bad idea!
--------------------------------------
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 9th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Henan
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 9h
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Central
African Republic
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
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Fri Sep 8
Birthday of Mary, Mother of Jesus.
Happy Birthday dear Heavenly Mother!
Jesus, through Mary's intercession, please protect Pope Francis in Colombia (& myself in Kuala Lumpur!)
Yesterday here in Kuala Lumpur I had the happy privilege of
bringing together two families of young men in prison in HK for drug
trafficking....after being recruited/tricked by the same syndicate. Families had
never met, but from now on will support each other.
-------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
For Feast of Birthday of Mary
Micah 5.1-4:
The Lord says this: But you, Bethlehem, the least of the clans of
Judah, out of you will be born for me, the one who is to rule over Israel. His
origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old. The Lord's help will
be on hold until the time when she who is to give birth, gives birth. He will
stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the
name of his God. He himself will be peace.
Listen
Listen
Romans
8.28-30: We know that by
turning everything to their good, God co-operates with all those who love him,
with all those he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he
chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that
his Son might be the eldest of many brothers and sisters. He called those
he intended for this; those he called, he justified, and with those he
justified, he shared his glory.
Listen
Matthew
1.18-25: This
is how Jesus came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph. But
before they lived together, Mary became pregnant by the power of the Holy
Spirit. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said "Joseph,
descendant of David, do not be afraid to live with Mary as your wife". Her
baby has been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to
a son. You must name him 'Jesus' ('God saves') because he will save his people
from their sins." Joseph took Mary to his home as his wife. She gave
birth to a son, Jesus.
Dear Jesus, Son
of God, son of Mary, step-son of Joseph, please help me understand how you are
the Saviour of the world
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
If it's Mary's birthday, how come the readings are all about Jesus' birth?! Because Mary is the moon, Jesus is the sun ....all of Mary's light/importance comes from Jesus and reflects Jesus' light/importance. Honoring Mary is a very ancient and very special way of honoring Jesus. Just like in any place/culture we give honor to a person by honoring their parents ....as I did yesterday in Kuala Lumpur ....I gave much honor and friendship to two sets of parents whose sons are in prison in HK. Honoring the parents is a way of showing my concern for the sons in HK.
----------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
168: Listen
Among positive experiences in this regard, we might
mention, for example, the Basel Convention on hazardous wastes, with its system
of reporting, standards and controls.
There is also the binding Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, which includes on-site visits for verifying effective compliance.
Thanks to the Vienna Convention for the protection of the ozone layer and its implementation through the Montreal Protocol and amendments, the problem of the layer's thinning seems to have entered a phase of resolution.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
162: Listen
On the other hand this process of response and
growth is always preceded by God's gift, since the Lord first says:
"Baptize them in the name…" (Mt 28:19).
The Father's free gift which makes us his sons and daughters, and the priority of the gift of his grace (cf. Eph 2:8-9; 1 Cor 4:7), enable that constant sanctification which pleases God and gives him glory.
In this way, we allow ourselves to be transformed
in Christ through a life lived "according to the Spirit" (Rom
8:5).
-------------------------------------
As a former 90 year old Brisbane archbishop said of a difficult priest who had
passed away: "God took him":
2nd
difficult cardinal dies
--------------------------------------
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 8th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Heilongjiang
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 8th of the month, Jesus please bless the
people of Sierra Leone
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thu Sep 7
Hello from Kuala Lumpur where I arrived late yesterday afternoon.
Movie on flight from HK had me in tears - powerful true story about UK-Botswana: A United Kingdom
Because of traffic jams and wifi problems I had a very late night last night.
So...please excuse this brief note....will try to do better tomorrow. Item below was done before leaving HK yesterday morning
Jesus, please bless Pope Francis in Colombia!
-----------------------
Most important article from Australian
Chinese for Families:同性婚姻合法化与'安全学校'有何联系？
What is the link between same-sex marriage and 'Safe Schools'? 亲爱的朋友们
--------------------------------------------------------
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 7th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Hebei
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 7th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Burkina Faso
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Thursday,
please pacify Al-Qaeda
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed Sep 6
Jesus,
please give Pope Francis a safe trip to Colombia today!
Also a safe trip for myself please .... I'm due to fly to Kuala
Lumpur today....to do some work on behalf of Mainland Chinese, Indonesian and
Malaysian inmates in HK prisons.....due back HK Sep 13. Will put KL phone number
at top of this menu tomorrow Please God. Thank you dear readers for a prayer for
this trip.
Yesterday morning I spent 3 hours at the Court of Appeal in
support of a local inmate and an inmate from Nigeria ....and...as often happens
in HK in the middle of Summer ....the air-conditioning was freezing! I put on my
all-purpose raincoat top which gave some protection to my body, but my poor head
(with less hair after hair cut last week) was soooo cooool. In court, one is not
allowed to wear headgear. Maybe I need to buy a wig .....not a judge's wig, just
an ordinary wig!? (this is not a request ....just a joke)
In the afternoon I joined some kind friends for a meeting to move "Voice for Prisoners" further along the road to becoming an NGO. God bless this very special group ....and all inmates!
Father
to son: "You may not smoke". Son to father: "but Dad, you and
your friends smoke". Ok for US to have nuclear weapons, but not North
Korea. The US has 16,000 nuclear weapons.
In 2013, the U.S. Congress approved a bill to spend
$1 trillion over the next 30 years to upgrade our nuclear arsenal. So we're
building state of the art nuclear uranium plants in Kansas City and Oak Ridge,
upgrading our Trident subs and Livermore Labs, and at Los Alamos, the birthplace
of the bomb, we're dead set on building the best ever state of the art
plutonium bomb factory - from this
article by Fr John Dear
And see: How the nuclear-armed nations brought the North Korea crisis on themselves
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
The
associations of place
Moving can be a stressful experience as connections are broken and we begin the
process of resettlement somewhere else
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Tobit 9-10: Tobias arranged that Raphael go to Gabael
to collect the silver left by Tobit many years before. Gabael returned with Raphael to
Raguel's house
and joined the wedding feast. Realising that his parents would
be worried about him,
Tobias left for home as soon as the wedding feast was over. Raguel gave Tobias and Sarah half
his possessions
and prayed that he would see their children some day. A happy and grateful Tobias
thanked God
for all the blessings of his journey to Media.
Dear God, thank you for all the blessings of my
life
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
114-115: When Israel came out of Egypt,
Jacob's descendents from an alien people, Judah became the Lord's temple,
Israel became his kingdom. Descendents of Israel, trust in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield. To you may the Lord grant increase,
to you and all your children. May you be blessed by the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
Thank you, Lord, for all your
blessings
Listen
Titus
2.11-14: God's grace has made salvation available for
the whole human race.
We must give up everything that does not lead to God. We must delete our worldly ambitions. We must
be self-restrained and live good lives here in this present world, while
we wait in hope for the blessings that will come with the Coming of the
glory of our God and savior Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set
us free from wickedness, and to purify us so that we would have no
ambition except to do good.
Jesus, please help me give up everything that
does not lead to you
Listen
Matthew
17.14-20:
A man went down on his knees and pleaded with
Jesus:
"Lord, please help my son. He is crazy and does crazy things
like falling into fire and into water.
I asked your disciples to heal him but they were not able to." There was an evil spirit oppressing the boy,
so Jesus ordered the spirit to leave the boy.
The boy was healed immediately. Jesus' disciples asked him
"Why were we unable to expel that spirit?" Jesus answered "Because your faith is not
strong enough."
Jesus, please increase my
faith,
so that my prayers can be of more help to other people
Listen
Reflection
on the above readings:
However
many decades/years/months/weeks/days we have left in this life ....let's try to
do a bit more good (Titus, above) ...by our prayers, our words, our actions
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
167: Listen The
1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro is worth mentioning.
It proclaimed that "human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development".
Echoing the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, it enshrined international cooperation to care for the ecosystem of the entire earth, the obligation of those who cause pollution to assume its costs, and the duty to assess the environmental impact of given projects and works.
It set the goal of limiting greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere, in an effort to reverse the trend of global warming.
It also drew up an agenda with an action plan and a convention on biodiversity, and stated principles regarding forests.
Although the summit was a real step forward, and prophetic for its time, its accords have been poorly implemented, due to the lack of suitable mechanisms for oversight, periodic review and penalties in cases of non-compliance.
The principles which it proclaimed still await an efficient and flexible means of practical implementation.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
161: Listen
It would not be right to see this call to growth exclusively or primarily
in terms of doctrinal formation. It has to do with "observing" all
that the Lord has shown us as the way of responding to his
love.
Along with the virtues, this means above all the new commandment, the first and the greatest of the commandments, and the one that best identifies us as Christ's disciples: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you".
Clearly, whenever the New Testament authors want to present the
heart of the Christian moral message, they present the
essential requirement of love for one's neighbour: "The one who
loves his neighbour has fulfilled the whole law...therefore love of
neighbour is the fulfilling of the law".
These are the words of
To his communities Paul presents the Christian life as a journey of growth in love: "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all".
Saint ((?)) James likewise exhorts Christians to fulfil "the royal law according to the Scripture: You shall love your neighbour as yourself", in order not to fall short of any commandment. (re "Saint" James ...see here - scroll down to menu of May 3)
-------------------------------------
Yesterday afternoon I saw an elderly man sitting by the
side of the road with a begging bowl. Man had a biro and was busy reading
something. As I got closer and saw what he was reading I had to smile: he was
reading the horse racing guide for the races last night! ...please give me horse
money?!
--------------------------------------
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 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 Liberea
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 (
The
Last Run)
--------------------
Australian Chinese for
Families Association
Gay marriage: an elephant in the room (by John W)
Video:
What "gay
marriage" did to Massachusetts
同志婚姻自2004年立法後，美國麻省的改變
（ 廣東話附字幕版）
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- 67095674
China
mobile +86-13828421861 - (only
when in China)
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