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 Oct 10
"Exclusive"
(as they say in media language): video (thanks to a kind friend) of HK Vicar
General Dominic Chan waiting on tables at last Sunday night's gathering for the
poor at Yau Ma Tei Catholic Primary School -
here.
Thank you VG for Sunday night .... and for
Sep
29 at Cheung Chau!
New friend for me in prison:
Cocaine
seized at HK airport
Yesterday morning I attended a case at the High Court where a
woman from South America was due to receive a 6 month sentence reduction for
taking part in my anti-drug campaign. Then I walked to Tung Wah Hospital to
visit a dear friend who has been there for several years with Motor
Neurone Disease .... after which I walked to the cathedral for a 3pm prison
chaplains' meeting (encouragingly attended by Bishop Michael Yeung, Bishop
Joseph Ha and VG Dominic Chan) ....after which I went to Kowloon City for an OMI
gathering. Had no trouble sleeping last night!
:
My article in today's Ming Pao newspaper has the topic: Same-sex marriage Australia & USA. It is on Ming Pao website - click "Australian in HK". Text without recording
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Esther 1:
The kingdom of King Ahasuerus stretched from
India to Ethiopia.
Ahasuerus gave a banquet for all his leading
people.
But Queen Vashti refused to join the banquet. The king therefore decided to replace Vashti
as queen.
Dear God, please bless all
kings and queens in the world
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
136: O give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his great love is without end. It was his wisdom which made the skies,
for his great love is without end. It was he who made the sun, moon and stars,
for his great love is without end. It was he who rescued and protected his people
Israel,
for his great love is without end. He gives food to all living things,
for his great love is without end. To the God of heaven give thanks,
for his great love is without end.
We praise you, Lord, for your
great love is without end
Listen
Hebrews
12.18 - 13.6: Your ancestors were at Mount Sinai when God
spoke to Moses.
But you already have one foot in the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, where millions of angels gather in praise. So, continue to live a life of love and
hospitality.
Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with
them. Keep your marriage undefiled. Avoid greed. Be
content with what you have.
Jesus, help me remember heaven....and people
in prison
Matthew
26.30-46: After their last meal, Jesus said to his
apostles
"Tonight all of you will desert me".
Peter said "I will never desert you".
Jesus replied "Tonight before the rooster crows,
you will deny me three times". They came to a place with olive
trees called Gethsemane.
Jesus took Peter, James and John to a part of that area
and asked them to pray with him. Jesus was overcome with sadness
and fear.
He said to them "Sadness is filling my heart, as if my heart is
dying.
Please support me as I pray." Then he fell on his face and
prayed for about an hour:
"Father, don't let this suffering continue. But your will be
done". He stood up and found that the
apostles were asleep.
He said to them "Couldn't you stay awake one hour to support
me?" Three times he prayed the same way.
Three times the apostles went to sleep. Then he said "Get
ready. The one who is betraying me is coming".
Jesus, please help me give more
time to prayer
Listen: 01
02
.jpg)
Reflection
on the above readings:
The words "keep in
mind those in prison" (Hebrews) apply not only to prison chaplains! They
apply to all Christians! All Christians are supposed to have a special concern
for people in prison
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text
Full Chinese text
197: Listen What is needed is a politics which is far-sighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis.
Often, politics itself is responsible for the disrepute in which it is held, on account of corruption and the failure to enact sound public policies.
If in a given region the state does not carry out its responsibilities, some business groups can come forward in the guise of benefactors, wield real power, and consider themselves exempt from certain rules, to the point of tolerating different forms of organized crime, human trafficking, the drug trade and violence, all of which become very difficult to eradicate.
If politics shows itself incapable of breaking such a perverse logic, and remains caught up in inconsequential discussions, we will continue to avoid facing the major problems of humanity.
A strategy for real change calls for rethinking processes in their entirety, for it is not enough to include a few superficial ecological considerations while failing to question the logic which underlies present-day culture.
A healthy politics needs to be able to take up this challenge.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text
Full
Chinese text
183b: Listen
An authentic faith - which is
never comfortable or completely personal - always involves a deep desire to
change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we
found it.
-------------------------------------
Interactive
Bible Quiz
- 2 Samuel
Based on the actual
words of the Bible.
How many times can you get 3/3 ?!
----------------------------------
Yesterday to keep me company at several appointments
during a long day I had a new companion: a small thermos flask containing a
lovely brew of Indonesian "Good Day" Cappuccino ...which I sipped
during the day....with the taste made nicer by the fact that the drink (which I
made before leaving home) cost HK$3.00 as compared with HK$30 or more for a
cappuccino at city coffee shops. Flask cost HK$89. Will pay for itself in a few
days!
--------------------------------------
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 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, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon Oct 9
HK Vicar General Dominic Chan kindly attended our gathering for
the poor last night at St Paul's Yau Ma Tei ... even taking a turn as a waiter
for one of the tables of guests...and then he joined volunteers and a large
group of homeless people for a meal in a Temple Street restaurant. A happy
evening indeed! I'll try to post some photos in the next day or two.
I know both father and son ...they are remarkable people:
Joshua Wong never thought
he'd be jailed over Occupy, dad admits
The horrors they
bore - Allied civilians at large in wartime HK
Letter in French - here - by a young man from Madagascar, fighting a drug
trafficking charge in HK. If anyone can help him in any way, please contact me (jdwomi@gmail.com)
or write directly to him: Rodin 13484-16, Stanley Prison, Stanley, Hong
Kong.
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Judith
14-16: At daybreak the Jews attacked the Assyrian
camp.
When the Assyrians realized that Holofernes was dead,
they panicked and fled. The Jews gave thanks to God for all that
Judith had done. Judith praised the God of Israel for rescuing
the Jews: "Lord you are great, you are glorious,
wonderfully strong, unconquerable.
May all peoples love and serve you."
Dear God, thank you for the
story of Judith.
Please help me imitate her faith
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
135: Praise the name of the Lord,
praise him, servants of the Lord. Praise the Lord for he is good.
Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving. I know the Lord is great. He does whatever he
wills
in heaven, on earth, in the seas. Pagan idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but they cannot speak.
They have eyes but they cannot see. Sons of Israel, do not trust in useless idols.
Sons of Aaron, trust only in our Creator and Lord.
Dear Lord, please help people
who worship idols to know and love you
Listen
James
1.1-12: From James, servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Greetings to believers scattered around the world. You will always have difficulties and things
going wrong. When they happen, praise God for them and patiently keep going.
Blessed are people who stand firm when trials
come. They have proved themselves, and will win the prize of eternal life
which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Jesus, please give me patience and praise
when
life gets tough
Listen
Matthew
26.17-29: On Passover Eve, Jesus ate a last meal with
his apostles.
While they were eating, Jesus told them he knew he would be betrayed by
one of them. He told Judas he knew he was the betrayer. Then Jesus took some bread,
blessed it and gave it to his apostles saying "Take this and eat it.
This is my body". Then he took a cup of wine,
blessed it and gave it to them saying
"Take this and drink it. This is my blood".
Jesus, please help me understand how bread and
wine become your body and blood when Christians celebrate the Eucharist
Listen
Reflection
on the above readings:
Some
religions teach fatalism - "nothing can be done", "nothing can
change" - but Christianity teaches "something can be done",
"things can change"....don't give up ....keep going!
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
196: Listen
What happens with politics? Let us keep in mind the
principle of subsidiarity, which grants freedom to develop the capabilities
present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of
responsibility for the common good from those who wield greater power.
Today, it is the case that some economic sectors exercise more power than states themselves.
But economics without politics cannot be justified, since this would make it impossible to favour other ways of handling the various aspects of the present crisis.
The mindset which leaves no room for sincere concern for the environment is the same mindset which lacks concern for the inclusion of the most vulnerable members of society.
For "the current model, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance, does not appear to favour an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak or the less talented to find opportunities in life".
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
183a: Listen
Consequently, no one
can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal
life, without influence on societal and national life, without concern for the
soundness of civil institutions, without a right to offer an opinion on events
affecting society.
Who would claim to lock up in a church and silence the message of Saint Francis of Assisi or Blessed Teresa of Calcutta? They themselves would have found this unacceptable.
An authentic faith -
which is never comfortable or completely personal - always involves a deep
desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow
better than we found it.
-------------------------------------
I'm
not sure why I said it, but last night when I saw the VG serving as a waiter at
the gathering for the poor I said to Deacon Edwin Ng who was standing next to me
"we can retire now"!
--------------------------------------
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 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 9th
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, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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Sun Oct 8
This most interesting talk has much material I'd never heard of
before:
David Pawson - The Gospel of Luke
U.S.
Oblate full of praise for O.M.I. colleges in Australia
(I was a teacher at both these colleges
...they are indeed remarkable places)
-----------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Sunday 27
Isaiah 5: My friend had a vineyard on a fertile
hillside.
He planted choice vines in it and expected it to produce good grapes.
But it produced only sour grapes. That vineyard is Israel. Its owner is the Lord.
That chosen plant is the people of Judah. The Lord expected the people of Israel to
produce justice.
But those people have produced only bloodshed and injustice. Those people have no time to think about the
Lord.
They have no interest in what he has done for them. So they are consigning themselves to ruin.
The vineyard will be trampled on and become a waste. Invaders will attack Israel.
The people of Israel will be taken into exile.
All because they rejected the Lord.
"I am the true vine. My
Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no
fruit he cuts away. Every branch that does bear fruit he
prunes to make it bear even more" - Jesus (John 15.1-2)
Psalm
80: O God, the nations have invaded your sacred
land,
they have profaned your holy temple.
They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. We have become the taunt of our
neighbours,
the mockery and scorn of those who surround us. How long, O Lord, will all this last?
How long will this sorrow keep going? Do not hold the guilt of our ancestors against
us.
If their guilt is somehow influencing our situation now
please give peace and healing to everyone and everything
in our history. Let the groans of the prisoners come before
you.
Let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die. O Lord, our God, help us and save us.
Let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Lord, please heal any problems
in my family tree
Listen
Philippians 4.4-9: I want you to be happy, always happy in the
Lord.
Let your tolerance be evident to everyone. If there is anything you need, with prayer and
thanksgiving ask God for it. Fill your minds with everything that is true,
everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything
that is worthwhile. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Jesus, please fill my mind with good things
Listen
Matthew
15.1-8: At the meal, Jesus said to his disciples
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Each branch in me
that bears no fruit, he cuts off. Each branch that does bear fruit, he
prunes to make it bear even more fruit. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but
must remain part of the vine, so you can't bear fruit unless you remain
in me. Cut off from me, you can do nothing. If you remain in me, and my words are alive in
your heart, you can ask for any good thing and you will get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you
should bear much fruit"
Jesus, please help me stay close to you. Help me bear
much fruit
Listen
Reflection
on the above readings:
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Italian with English, Chinese and
Spanish subtitles
The more we let Jesus influence our lives - by his teaching and example - the more fruit we will produce....just like the sun causes the moon (a piece of rock) to be beautiful
--------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
195: Listen
The principle of the maximization of profits,
frequently isolated from other considerations, reflects a misunderstanding of
the very concept of the economy.
As long as production is increased, little concern is given to whether it is at the cost of future resources or the health of the environment; as long as the clearing of a forest increases production, no one calculates the losses entailed in the desertification of the land, the harm done to biodiversity or the increased pollution.
In a word, businesses profit by calculating and paying only a fraction of the costs involved.
Yet only when "the economic and social costs of using up shared environmental resources are recognized with transparency and fully borne by those who incur them, not by other peoples or future generations", can those actions be considered ethical.
An instrumental way of reasoning, which provides a purely static analysis of realities in the service of present needs, is at work whether resources are allocated by the market or by state central planning.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
182: Listen
The Church's teachings concerning contingent
situations are subject to new and further developments and can be open to
discussion, yet we cannot help but be concrete - without presuming to enter into
details – lest the great social principles remain mere
generalities which challenge no one.
There is a need to draw practical conclusions, so that they "will have greater impact on the complexities of current situations".
The Church's pastors, taking into account the contributions of the different sciences, have the right to offer opinions on all that affects people's lives, since the task of evangelization implies and demands the integral promotion of each human being.
It is no longer possible to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only to prepare souls for heaven. We know that God wants his children to be happy in this world too, even though they are called to fulfilment in eternity, for he has created all things "for our enjoyment", the enjoyment of everyone.
It follows that Christian conversion
demands reviewing especially those areas and aspects of life "related to
the social order and the pursuit of the common good".
-------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------------------
Yesterday
afternoon I had Mass at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and then last night I had Mass
at St Paul's Yau Ma Tei. When I got home I saw the good news that Winx
has won her 21st start in a row!
--------------------------------------
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 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, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
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Sat Oct 7
Yesterday at the High Court a woman from South
America received a 6 months discount for taking part in my anti-drug campaign
...Thank you Jesus!
After Court, I went to a bookstore in Central to order an item for a
prisoner doing a course ....and a book on a shelf near the cashier caught my eye
"Introduction to the New Testament". I opened it randomly and saw
these words "The first three Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark and
Luke, about whom we know nothing". Really? Nothing about Luke?! Check the
references to himself in Acts and in St Paul's writings. Book comes from the
"explain-away-everything school".
Chris McDonnell -
Las Vegas killings -
Perch
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Feast of the Rosary
Genesis 3:
A creature hostile to God
took the form of a snake and tempted the first man and first woman. The snake
tempted them to disobey God. When God asked them why they disobeyed him,
the man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the snake. God said to the snake:
"You are the enemy of the human race. Someday a member of the human race
will defeat you."
God said to the man and woman: "From dust you came, and to dust you will
return." The first man's name was Adam
(meaning "man").
The first woman's name was Eve
(meaning "life").
Dear God, please help me understand
how evil in the world
started when Adam and Eve disobeyed you
My
recording of this reading
Luke 1.46: My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour. He looks on his servant in her lowliness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed. The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name! His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him. He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted. He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty. He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.
Acts 1.12: After
Jesus went up to heaven from the Mount of Olives, the apostles went back down to
Jerusalem, a walk of about half a kilometer. They
gathered in an upstairs room which they used as a meeting place. The 11 apostles
were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son
of Alphaeus, Simon and Jude. They spent a long time praying. With them were
several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and also Jesus' brothers.
Recording
Luke
1.26: In the sixth month of
Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in
Galilee, to a virgin named Mary who was betrothed to a man named Joseph. The
angel said to her "Mary, Rejoice! You have been greatly blessed by God. You
are to conceive and have a son whom you must name Jesus. He will be great and
will be called the Son of God". Mary said to the angel, "How can this
happen since I am a virgin?" The angel replied
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will
specially bless you. Know this too: your cousin Elizabeth has, in her old age,
conceived a son, and is now in her sixth month". "I am the
handmaid of the Lord", said Mary, "let what you have said, be done for
me". And the angel left her
Recording
Reflection on the above readings:
Many religions use beads to help pray. Beads help us to remember what we're doing. Beads help us to focus on praying ... even as we ride a bus or walk along the street. My own custom is to pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary at the start of each decade of the Rosary, and then for the 9 other beads to use words from the Bible readings of the day. So for today, the first decade might use a bead or two for each of these words: "the snake tempted them", "they disobeyed God", "Someday a member of the human race will defeat you", "from dust you came, to dust you will return", the first people were named "man" and "woman". Then the Glory be to the Father, then the "O my Jesus" prayer. Then to the next decade ...
----------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
194: Listen For
new models of progress to arise, there is a need to change "models of
global development"; this will entail a responsible reflection on "the
meaning of the economy and its goals with an eye to correcting its malfunctions
and misapplications".
It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress.
Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster.
Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress.
A technological and economic development which does not leave in its wake a better world and an integrally higher quality of life cannot be considered progress.
Frequently, in fact, people's quality of life actually diminishes - by the deterioration of the environment, the low quality of food or the depletion of resources - in the midst of economic growth.
In this context, talk of sustainable growth usually becomes a way of distracting attention and offering excuses.
It absorbs the language and values of ecology into the categories of finance and technocracy, and the social and environmental responsibility of businesses often gets reduced to a series of marketing and image-enhancing measures.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
181b: Listen
Our mandate is
to "go into all the world and proclaim the good
news to the whole creation", for "the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the children of God".
Here, "the creation" refers to every aspect of human
life; consequently, "the mission of proclaiming the
good news of Jesus Christ has a universal destination. Its
mandate of charity encompasses all dimensions of existence, all individuals, all
areas of community life, and all peoples. Nothing human can be alien to it".
-------------------------------------
'They're not escaping from here' Prison escapees caught at escape room game
--------------------------------------
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 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, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
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Fri Oct 6
Matteo Ricci (利 玛 窦) was born on this day in 1552 in the Italian town of Macerata. He grew up in Renaissance Italy with its love of learning and openness to new ideas. From 1583 until his death in Beijing in 1610, Ricci worked in China as a Jesuit missionary. No other foreigner has been honored by China as much as Ricci. No other foreigner ever had as deep an understanding of Chinese culture and language as Ricci. Happy Birthday, Matteo Ricci !
-------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Judith 13: When the banquet was over at a late hour,
Judith was alone with Holofernes in his tent.
Holofernes lay drunk on his bed.
After praying to God for strength,
Judith used Holofernes' sword to cut off his head. She went outside and gave the head to her
maid.
Her maid put the head in her bag. Judith and her maid then left the camp
as they usually did when they went to pray early in the morning. They went straight to Bethulia and showed
Holofernes' head to the people. The people were overcome with joy
and praised God for what he had done by the hand of a woman.
Dear God, please give people
the courage to confront injustice
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
134: O come, bless the Lord,
all you who serve the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God. Lift up your hands to heaven
and bless the Lord through the night. May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made both heaven and earth.
Lord, please protect my
family tonight and every night
Listen
Hebrews
13.8-21:
Jesus Christ is the same today as he was
yesterday and as he will be for ever. Do not let yourselves be led astray by strange
doctrines
that teach a different Jesus. Jesus died outside the city. Let us go to him
and share his rejection. Our life in this world is a temporary
arrangement, like a tent. We look for a permanent home in the life to come.
Keep doing good works and sharing your
resources.
God of peace, you brought Jesus back from the dead to be our great Shepherd and
Priest. Make
me ready to do your will in any kind of good action
Listen
Matthew
26.1-16: A few days before the Passover festival,
the religious leaders kept looking for a way to arrest Jesus and have him
put to death. Jesus knew what was happening. He
told his disciples
"In a few days I will be crucified". During these days Jesus had a
meal at the home of Simon the leper.
At the meal, a woman put expensive burial oil on Jesus' head.
The woman understood that Jesus was soon to die. One of Jesus' 12 apostles, Judas
Iscariot, went to the religious leaders
and offered to help them arrest Jesus at a convenient time.
The leaders paid Judas 30 pieces of silver.
Judas looked for an opportunity to arrange the arrest. Jesus, please forgive me for the times
when I have not been faithful to you
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
Pope Francis often challenges Christians to "go out" ....go out to the poor....don't say inside in the comfortable life. Google Pope Francis "Go out"
----------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
193: Listen
In any event, if in some cases sustainable
development were to involve new forms of growth, then in other cases, given the
insatiable and irresponsible growth produced over many decades, we need also to
think of containing growth by setting some reasonable limits and even retracing
our steps before it is too late.
We know how unsustainable is the behaviour of those who constantly consume and destroy, while others are not yet able to live in a way worthy of their human dignity.
That is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth.
Benedict XVI has said that "technologically advanced societies must be prepared to encourage more sober lifestyles, while reducing their energy consumption and improving its efficiency".
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
181a: Listen
The kingdom, already present and growing in our
midst, engages us at every level of our being and reminds us of the principle of
discernment which Pope Paul VI applied to true development: it
must be directed to "all people and the whole person".
We know that "evangelization would not be complete if it did not take account of the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of our concrete life, both personal and social".
This is the
principle of universality intrinsic to the Gospel, for the Father desires
the salvation of every man and woman, and his saving plan consists in "gathering
up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth".
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
Wedding Day in Xinxing for Mr Ku and Miss Lo
------------------------------------------
Concerning the reading from Judith, above....how about this
image!
--------------------------------------
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 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, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thu Oct 5
Wishing everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Today is a public holiday in HK for the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's lovely to see
families relaxing together at this time ....in a peaceful Hong Kong. May HK
remain one of the most peaceful places on earth ....and may family life in this
part of the world be protected from the cultural typhoon currently causing
havoc in so many countries.
Update from HK volunteer Janny Law about her
beautiful work for the poor in Malawi - how
she donated her own blood to help a sick patient!
Letter
in English and in Portuguese from a 21 year old
Brazilian man who was tricked/coerced to bring drugs in his stomach
to HK - here
(Sep 24)
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Some readings for Mid-Autumn Festival
Genesis
1-2:
God made the world. God made the sun, the moon and the
stars....the whole universe. God said "Let there be light" and there
was light.
God made the earth with all its plants and trees
and animals and fish and birds.
God made the first people.....the first man and first woman. God made them
in his
own image and said to them
"Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth."
God saw all that he had made, and all of it was good, very good
Dear God, thank you for making such a
beautiful world!
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
8: How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth. When I see the heavens, the work of your
hands,
the moon and stars which you have arranged,
then I stop and think:
what are we insignificant humans that you should care about us? Yet you have put us in charge of the world.
Everything is subject to our control.
How great is your name, O Lord
our God, through all the earth
Listen
Colossians
3.12-14: You are God's special friends. He loves you.
You should be clothed in sincere compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. Allow for other's weaknesses. Forgive each
other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you. You must
forgive others. Over all these clothes, to keep them together
and to complete them, put on love.
Jesus, help me be a better and kinder
person
Listen
John
1.1-14: From all eternity the Word existed.
The Word was with God the Father.
The Word was God the Son. The Word was the source of life for all
creatures. The Word became a man, and lived among
us.
We saw his glory, full of grace and truth. Many people did not recognize and did not accept the
Word.
But to everyone who did accept him,
he gave power to become children of God
Jesus, please help me understand how you are
the Word-made-flesh
Listen
(Macau Protestant Cemetery Chapel: "The Word became flesh")
Reflection on the above Bible readings:
My prayer for this Mid-Autumn Festival is that traditional Confucian family life and values will be protected and preserved in a world where the terms "Mother", "Father", "son", "daughter" are no longer accepted in many places.
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
192: Listen For
example, a path of productive development, which is more creative and better
directed, could correct the present disparity between excessive technological
investment in consumption and insufficient investment in resolving urgent
problems facing the human family.
It could generate intelligent and profitable ways of reusing, revamping and recycling, and it could also improve the energy efficiency of cities.
Productive diversification offers the fullest possibilities to human ingenuity to create and innovate, while at the same time protecting the environment and creating more sources of employment.
Such creativity would be a worthy expression of our most noble human qualities, for we would be striving intelligently, boldly and responsibly to promote a sustainable and equitable development within the context of a broader concept of quality of life.
On the other hand, to find ever new ways of despoiling nature, purely for the sake of new consumer items and quick profit, would be, in human terms, less worthy and creative, and more superficial.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
180: Listen
Reading the Scriptures also makes it clear
that the Gospel is not merely about our personal
relationship with God.
Nor should our loving response to God be seen simply as an accumulation of small personal gestures to individuals in need, a kind of "charity a la carte", or a series of acts aimed solely at easing our conscience.
The Gospel is about the
Both Christian preaching and life, then, are meant to have an impact on society.
We are seeking God's kingdom: "Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
Jesus' mission is to inaugurate the kingdom of his Father; he
commands his disciples to proclaim the good news that "the kingdom of
heaven is at hand".
-------------------------------------
10 years ago today:
------------------------------------------
Last night the moon played "hide and seek" but
could often be seen through gaps in the clouds - to the delight of people right
throughout HK ...especially the children. Thank you God for making the moon so
beautiful ...although...come to think of it....it's just a lump of rock
....which becomes beautiful because of the sun!....which is a symbol of how
every person can reflect the Son!
--------------------------------------
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 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, Thursday,
please pacify Al-Qaeda
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed Oct 4
Wishing everyone a Happy
Mid-Autumn Festival!
On this Feast of St Francis of Assisi:
Catholic church to make record divestment from fossil fuels
How
does America get guns so wrong?
Nothing
Will Change After the Las Vegas Shooting (NY
Times)
Note this comment from Aaron of London:
I am an ex-military surgeon. My life was trying to
patch up the consequences of being on the wrong end of an assault weapon. It is
horrifying the damage they can inflict. The survivors were bad, the dead were
worse.
I will tell you how to change people's minds. Go back to Sandy Hook and pull out
the autopsy photos of the poor children killed by those assault weapons. Show
the pictures of the dead kids and the people killed there in Las Vegas.
Death by high powered weapon is not like the movies where a person has a small
entry wound and then sinks to the floor. It is death where the bodies are ripped
to shreds. Show the horrific exit wounds. Make people come to the realization
that current gun policies enable the creation of such injuries to civilians.
I am watching Ken Burns "Vietnam". Just as with Vietnam, people will
not do anything to correct injustice and corruption until the true brutality of
such things shows up on television. Don't let Sandy Hook, Las Vegas and all the
other massacres fade away without there being action. Show the carnage and ask
the Republicans and the NRA to defend their policy of letting civilians gain
access to military weapons.
Powerful
new TV advertisement re "same-sex marriage" survey.
It
would be funny if it were not true
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
The
postman brings a letter or two ....
For many, letter-writing has become archaic, an art and skill that is
rarely practiced.
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. Feast of St Francis of Assisi
Galatians 6: The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. It does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for each person to become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who form the Israel of God. I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
Francis was a stigmata
Psalm 16: Please
protect me, Lord, I take refuge in you. You are the only source of all true
happiness. I bless you, Lord, who
guide and lead me. Even at night you direct my heart. And so my heart rejoices,
my soul is glad. My body shall rest in safety now and always. You will show me
the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, at your right hand,
happiness for ever.
Recording
Francis is the patron saint of animals
Matthew
11.28: Jesus said to the people:
"Come to me, all you who are treated unfairly by unjust religious laws. I
will give you peace and justice. Learn from me, and you will know peace, for I
am gentle and humble of heart"
Recording
The Prayer of Saint Francis: Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
A beautiful song from the
movie about Francis: Brother
Sun Sister Moon
-------------------------------------------------------
Pope's
letter on climate change: Laudato Si 我主應受讚美
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
191: Listen Whenever
these questions are raised, some react by accusing others of irrationally
attempting to stand in the way of progress and human development.
But we need to grow in the conviction that a decrease in the pace of production and consumption can at times give rise to another form of progress and development.
Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are not a waste of money, but rather an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term.
If we look at the larger picture, we can see that more diversified and innovative forms of production which impact less on the environment can prove very profitable.
It is a matter of openness to different possibilities which do not involve stifling human creativity and its ideals of progress, but rather directing that energy along new channels.
------------------------------------
Pope Francis: The
Joy of the Gospel
Full
English text Full
Chinese text
179b: Listen
God's word teaches that our
brothers and sisters are the prolongation of the incarnation for each of us:
"As you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to
me". The way we treat others has a transcendent dimension: "The
measure you give will be the measure you get".
It corresponds to the mercy which God has shown us: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you, For the measure you give will be the measure you get back".
What these passages make clear is the absolute priority of "going forth from ourselves towards our brothers and sisters" as one of the two great commandments which ground every moral norm and as the clearest sign for discerning spiritual growth in response to God's completely free gift.
For this reason, "the service of charity is also a
constituent element of the Church's mission and an indispensable expression of
her very being. By her very
nature the Church is missionary; she abounds in effective charity and a
compassion which understands, assists and promotes.
-------------------------------------
10
years ago today:
Hong Kong: former CAS teacher Patrick now working at Pei Zheng College near Guangzhou
------------------------------------------
True story from a couple of years ago - for the Mid-Autumn
Festival: a not-so-young American woman in prison in HK expressed her great
delight in receiving a chicken leg for the Mid-Autumn Festival evening
meal.....saying...."every day for months I've had just chicken wings ...I
didn't know that HK chickens had legs!"
--------------------------------------
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 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, 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
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The official launching
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Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I. 胡
頌 恆 神 父
jdwomi@gmail.com
HK
mobile +852- 67095674
China
mobile +86-13828421861 - (only
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