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 
Malaysia 
Nigeria 
Ph 
SA 
S.Amer
Thai 
Tz 
Ug 
EU
How campaign began
HK:how
long prison for trafficking?
www.AsylumSeekerHK.com
Name
& shame
Tues Aug 14
After
a 4pm to 6pm O.M.I. meeting in Tai Wai yesterday, I went to a 7.30pm to 9.40pm
meeting at Wong Tai Sin where I was invited to be part of a panel discussing the
urgent housing shortage in HK. My thoughts were based on these words by former
government advisor Leo Goodstadt (in his book Poverty
in the Midst of Affluence) - in his chapter on housing - here
(for private use)
Italian
drug mule a nice person and a special needs teacher
(... no one will suspect her ...)
How
Kenya replaced the baton with the pen and transformed prisoners
Pope's new letter - "Rejoice and Be Glad":
126.
Christian
joy is usually accompanied by a sense of humour. We see this clearly, for
example, in Saint Thomas More, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Philip Neri. Ill
humour is no sign of holiness. "Remove vexation from your mind" (Eccl
11:10). We receive so much from the Lord "for our enjoyment" (1
Tim 6:17), that sadness can be a sign of ingratitude. We can get so caught
up in ourselves that we are unable to recognize God's gifts.[101]
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The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus 7: Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh again
and showed him Aaron's staff changing into a snake.
When Pharaoh's magicians were able to do the same thing
Aaron's staff swallowed up the magicians' staffs.
But Pharaoh's heart stayed stubborn
and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron.
So God told Moses and Aaron to go to the river the next morning.
When they saw Pharaoh there
Aaron struck the river with his staff
and the river and all water throughout Egypt
turned into blood.
But Pharaoh still would not let the Israelites go.
Dear
God, please soften stubborn hearts that make life difficult for other people
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
127: If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor.
If the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain does the watchman keep vigil. Success comes not from earlier rising or from
going later to rest,
but from the Lord's blessing. Success is from the Lord
who blesses the womb of his beloved while she sleeps. Truly, children are a gift from the Lord,
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Lord, many people these days
don't want children. Please help such people understand that children are
a blessing
Listen
Galatians
2.16-20: What makes us God's friends is not obedience
to the Law,
but faith in Jesus Christ. I have been crucified with Christ, and I live
now,
not with my own life, but with the life of Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in this body, I live in
faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for
my sake.
Jesus, help me understand how you live in me,
and I live in you
Listen
John
13-14: At the meal, Peter said to Jesus "I will
lay down my life for you". Jesus
replied "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. To all of you I say, there are many rooms in
my Father's house.
I am going now to prepare a place for you. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through me".
Jesus, you are the Way, the Truth and the
Life.
Please help more and more people follow you to find truth and life
Reflection on the above readings: No one comes to the Father except through me
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10 years ago today: Many thanks HK St John's Parish & Yvonne for another donation of baby milk
powder
------------------------------------------
As I returned home around after 10pm last night after
meeting concerning the housing shortage in HK, I was surprised to notice the
number of babies on the MTR (Metro) and the street at such an hour ....babies in
parents' arms, babies in strollers. Don't they know they should have been asleep
at home at a much earlier hour?!
--------------------------------------
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 14th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jilin
And praying for one of
the world's poorest countries
each day of the month:
On this 14th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Ethiopia
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon Aug 13
Priced out and living above a rubbish
dump - where do Hong Kong's rough sleepers go? (Yau Ma
Tei shelter in this article is not far from my home. I know many of its
residents)
I
watched these two programs and found them most informative:
The Great Schism of 1054
and Papal Schism
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
125. Hard
times may come, when the cross casts its shadow, yet nothing can destroy the
supernatural joy that "adapts and changes, but always endures, even
as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is
said and done, we are infinitely loved".[100]
That joy brings deep security, serene hope and a spiritual fulfilment that the
world cannot understand or appreciate.
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The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
5-6: Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said
'God says: let my people go into the desert to worship me".'
Pharaoh not only refused to let them go;
he also made their life more difficult
by forcing them to gather their own straw for making bricks.
The people complained to Moses and Aaron
for having made their life more difficult.
So Moses prayed to God for help
and God said he would force Pharaoh to let the people go.
Dear
God, please don't let me make life difficult for other people
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
126: When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs. What marvels the Lord worked for us.
Indeed we were glad. Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap. They go out, full of tears, carrying seed for
the sowing.
They come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves.
Dear God, please bless all
people who are sorrowful as they work
Listen
Galatians
2.11-14: Not long after this, when Peter came to
Antioch, I opposed him
to his face, since he was in the wrong. He had been accustomed to eating with
non-Jews, but when some friends of James arrived, people who insisted that
all believers should be circumcised, he kept away from the non-Jews. When I saw that Peter was not respecting the
true meaning of the Good News, I said to him in front of everyone
"You have no right to make non-Jews adopt Jewish customs"
Jesus, help me understand that it's sometimes
ok to criticize top Christian leaders
Listen
John
13.34-35: Jesus said to his disciples at the meal
"I give you a new commandment: love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my disciples"
Jesus, please help all Christians to
love one another as you have loved us
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: After watching the two videos at top of today's menu (re schisms) we can only hope and pray that all Christian denominations will get back to the original simplicity-service-love ideal of Jesus in today's Gospel .... rather than a business-power-authority model so often seen throughout history and even today still
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------------------------------------------
On yesterday's menu I said that today I'd post part two of the
story about the Drug Lords' visit to Temple Street. But maybe the story is a bit
too strong for this website, so I'll put it on hold for the time being. It's
only a joke, but it might not make everyone laugh.
--------------------------------------
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 13th of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jiangxi
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 13th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Mali
And praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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Sun Aug 12
I wish I had some good news to report, but to be honest Hong Kong at the moment
is a pessimist's paradise ... so many things going wrong and so much
deterioration on many fronts ... even the HK flag is being replaced by some
people with the flag of China. Urgent need for a smile (not a true story):
Part One: Group of Nigerian Drug Lords decided to rough up that crazy chaplain
who has been naming and shaming
them. They went to where he lives in Jordan but
as soon as they saw all the prostitutes in Temple Street near the chaplain's
home they were totally distracted and completely forgot about the chaplain!
(Part Two tomorrow)
Protests
to stop demolition of Grand Mosque
More than half a million Venezuelans fled to Ecuador this
year
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
122. Far
from being timid, morose, acerbic or melancholy, or putting on a dreary face,
the saints are joyful and full of good humour. Though completely
realistic, they radiate a positive and hopeful spirit. If we allow the Lord to
draw us out of our shell and change our lives, then we can do as Saint Paul
tells us: “Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice!” (Phil
4:4).
-----------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Sunday 19
1 Kings 19.4-8: Elijah went into the wilderness, a day's journey, and sitting under a furze bush wished he were dead. "O Lord," he said "I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down and went to sleep. But an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked round, and there at his head was a scone baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, or the journey will be too long for you." So he got up and ate and drank, and strengthened by that food he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Psalm
34: I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips.
In the Lord my soul shall make its boast,
the humble shall hear and be glad. Glorify the Lord with me, together let us
praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me.
From all my terrors he set me free. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those
who revere the Lord, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
They are happy who seek refuge in him. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.
Those whose spirits are crushed he will save.
Lord, by our Bible reading and
prayer, may we taste and see your goodness each day
Listen
Ephesians
4.22-32:
You must give up your old way of life.
You must put aside your old self and its delusions. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual
revolution, so that you can follow a way of life based on goodness and
truth. From now on, no more lies.
Delete anger from your mind at the end of each day. Anyone who was a thief must stop stealing. Try
to find a decent job. Guard against foul talk.
Let your conversation encourage people, not drag them down. Avoid grudges. Don't lose your temper.
Don't raise your voice to anyone. Don't call people names. Be friends with one another, and kind,
forgiving one another as readily as God forgives us in Christ
Jesus, help me put these words into
practice
Listen
John
6.42-51: The people criticized Jesus saying
"We know his father and mother. How can he say he has come down from
heaven?" Jesus replied "I am the bread of life. If you eat this
bread which has come down from heaven, you will live forever. I am the living bread which has come down from
heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh,
for the life of the world".
Jesus, living bread come down from heaven,
please help me understand how you give your flesh for the life of the
world
Listen
Reflection on the above readings:
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Italian, Chinese, English, and
Spanish
Daniel Daring: Crisis of Faith (Chinese text)
--------------------------------------------------------
10 years ago today: Former CAS teacher Liam from UK - welcome back to Zhaoqing for a holiday
------------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------------------
For
my homily at last night's Mass at Yau Ma Tei I used the above loaf of Life
Bread. Someone asked if they could have it after Mass to which I replied
"sorry, no, I need it for Mass in the morning"!
--------------------------------------
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 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, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
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Sat Aug 11
After a funeral service yesterday morning I went to the Tsim Sha Tsui office of the Chinese University to enroll a prisoner for study .... then back to my office "prison" for a number of jobs, then to Queen Elizabeth Hospital to help a prisoner apply for medical records .... then the office again. Trip to QEH on a wet afternoon was in shorts & sandals + umbrella .... I love walking in the rain!
McRefugees
in HK - 15 photos. The number of people sleeping in
McDonald's has increased six-fold over the past five years
Simple summary of what's happening - a terrifying future for
following generations:
The Global
Storm (Fr Shay Cullen mssc)
Venezuela
has dirt-cheap fuel, so why is driving nearly impossible?
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad": (
119. Here I am not speaking only about stark
situations of martyrdom, but about the daily humiliations of those who keep
silent to save their families, who prefer to praise others rather than boast
about themselves, or who choose the less welcome tasks, at times even choosing
to bear an injustice so as to offer it to the Lord. "If when you do right
and suffer for it, you have God's approval" (1 Pet 2:20). This
does not mean walking around with eyes lowered, not saying a word and fleeing
the company of others. At times, precisely because someone is free of
selfishness, he or she can dare to disagree gently, to demand justice or to
defend the weak before the powerful, even if it may harm his or her reputation.
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
4: Moses said to
God
"What if the people won't believe you sent me?"
God said "Throw your staff onto the ground."
When Moses threw his staff onto the ground,
it became a snake.
"Catch it by the tail" said God.
When Moses caught it by the tail,
it changed back into a staff.
Moses said to God "I'm a poor speaker."
God said "Aaron your older brother can be your mouthpiece.
Now go back to
Dear
God, God of Moses and Aaron, we praise you Lord
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
125: Those who put their trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, that cannot be shaken.
Jerusalem, the mountains surround her,
so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forever.
Lord, please help us be
more aware of your protecting presence
Listen
Galatians
2.1-9:
14 years after that first visit, I again went
to Jerusalem,
with Barnabas and Titus. I explained to the Christian leaders how I had
been proclaiming the Good News to non-Jews. James, Peter and John shook hands with us as a
sign of partnership.
We were to preach to the non-Jews, and they to the Jews
Jesus, please help all Christians to avoid disunity
Listen
John
13.21-30: Jesus became visibly upset and said to his
disciples at the meal
"One of you is going to betray me. It is the one to whom I give a
piece of bread that I have dipped in the dish". He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to
Judas Iscariot. Immediately, Satan entered Judas. Jesus said to Judas "What you are going
to do, do quickly".
Judas left the meal. Night had fallen
Jesus, please don't let me ever be disloyal to
you
Listen
Reflection
on the above readings: Jesus
was "visibly upset" .... on the verge of tears, lips quivering,
shaking, short of breath ... like a husband/wife confronting their partner over
infidelity
-------------------------------------
Privitisation often creates monsters ... like the MTR
(Metro) in HK whose overemphasis on profit has caused it to run off the rails
with regard to care for humans and for construction standards etc.
--------------------------------------
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 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, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
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Fri Aug 10
Photo report of
MercyHK regular Thursday night meal for homeless people a few weeks ago - here
(.. this link won't work with I.E. but ok in Chrome etc!). HK readers of this
website always welcome 6.30pm at Wing Fat Restaurant, 148 Temple Street, Yau Ma
Tei.
Letter in English
and Spanish by a Peruvian man in prison in
HK for drug trafficking - here
(July 31). RTHK report about his arrest in HK - here
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
117. It is not good when we look down on
others like heartless judges,
lording it over them and always trying to teach them lessons. That is itself a
subtle form of violence.[95]
Saint John of the Cross proposed a different path: "Always prefer to be
taught by all, rather than to desire teaching even the least of all".[96]
And he added advice on how to keep the devil at bay: "Rejoice in the good
of others as if it were your own, and desire that they be given precedence over
you in all things; this you should do wholeheartedly. You will thereby overcome
evil with good, banish the devil, and possess a happy heart. Try to practise
this all the more with those who least attract you. Realize that if you do not
train yourself in this way, you will not attain real charity or make any
progress in it".[97]
-------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Exodus 3: The Israelites begged God to free them
from slavery in
Dear
God, God of life, God of Abraham, we praise you Lord.
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
124:
"If the Lord had not been on our
side",
this is Israel's song. If the Lord had not been on our side
when people rose against us, then would they have swallowed us alive
when they were angry with us. Blessed be the Lord who did not let us become
a prey for their teeth. Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the hunter. Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Thank you, Lord,
for all the times you have rescued me from trouble
Listen
Galatians
1.11-24:
The Good News I preach is not a human message.
It is something I received from Jesus Christ. I used to persecute the church, but then God
called me to follow Jesus. I am a one-time persecutor who is now
preaching the faith I had previously tried to destroy. When I visited Jerusalem three years after my
conversion, the believers gave glory to God for what he had done for me
Jesus, please turn more persecutors into
preachers!
Listen
John
13.1-15: While Jesus and his disciples were eating a
meal just before the Passover, Jesus got up from the table, removed his
outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist as an
apron. He then poured water into a basin, and like a
slave, began to wash the disciples' feet, wiping them with the towel
he was wearing. After washing their feet he said to them
"You are right in calling me Master and Lord. If I, then, the
Lord and Master, have humbly served you, you should humbly serve one
another. I have given you an example so that you may
copy what I have done for you"
Jesus, please help us to serve other people
humbly,
just as you humbly served the disciples
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings: See photo of Pope Francis washing feet of prisoners at very top of this page!
----------------------------------------------
10 years ago today: Marco Polo
Center - Olympic swimming pool + new classroom block
------------------------------------------
MercyHK core group continues to dream about setting up a
McMercy canteen for poor people in the Yau Ma Tei area. I have even contacted
senior McDonald's management in HK to see if the name "McMercy" would
be a problem. In fact it's a tribute to McD's compassion in allowing poor people
to stay overnight.
--------------------------------------
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 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, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
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Thu Aug 9
CSD
3-min video of life inside Lai Chi Kok men's prison ( ... my second home!). Part
one - here
I got only 25% in this
Quiz! Can you do better?!
Letter in English and Spanish by a
Colombian man in prison in HK for drug trafficking - here
"Most
Hongkongers shrug off independence as a fantasy. By trying to silence Chan,
Beijing has handed him a megaphone": Why the FCC must and will go ahead with independence activist talk
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
116. Inner strength, as the work of grace,
prevents us from becoming carried away by the violence that is so much a part of
life today, because grace defuses vanity and makes possible meekness of heart.
The saints do not waste energy complaining about the failings of others; they
can hold their tongue before the faults of their brothers and sisters, and avoid
the verbal violence that demeans and mistreats others. Saints hesitate to
treat others harshly; they consider others better than themselves (cf. Phil
2:3).
--------------------------------------------------------
The Book Blog: 4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Exodus
2:
One Israelite mother hid her baby boy for three months.
When she could no longer hide him
she put him in a basket
and placed the basket among reeds near a river bank.
The basket was found by Pharaoh's daughter
when she went to bathe in the river.
She felt sorry for the baby and decided to keep it.
The baby's sister saw all this happen
and asked Pharaoh's daughter if she'd like a nurse for the baby.
Pharaoh's daughter agreed,
and so the baby's mother was paid by Pharaoh's daughter
to be the baby's nurse.
When the child was weaned, he was taken to Pharaoh's daughter
who treated him like her own son.
She named the baby Moses.
When Moses became a man,
he visited the Israelites and saw their hard life.
He saw an Egyptian hit one of the Israelites
so he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
But people found out; and so did Pharaoh who decided to kill Moses.
Moses then fled to the land
of
Dear
God, please protect all new-born babies,
especially baby girls.
Recording 01 02
Psalm 123: To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens. My eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords. Like the eyes of a servant on the hand of her
mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God till he show us mercy. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt. Indeed all too full is our soul with the scorn
of the rich,
with the proud man's disdain.
Lord, please protect poor
people from being exploited by rich people
Recording
Galatians 1.1-7: To the church of
Galatia, from Paul, an apostle appointed not by man but by
Jesus Christ. Trouble makers among
you have changed the Good News. I am astonished that
you have begun following their false version
of the Good News
Jesus, don't let people
be deceived by anyone who waters down or changes your Good News
Listen
John 12.42-46: Many people believed in Jesus, even some
important people,
but they did not admit it, through fear of being expelled from the prayer
hall. They put honor from people before the honor that comes from God. Jesus said openly "I, the light, have
come into the world, so that whoever believes in me, need not stay in the
dark any more"
Jesus, true Light of the world, please help me
put honor from you before honor from people
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings: Someday I hope someone will write a book - or post a file - about the role of children in the Bible .... including the story of the little girl in today's Exodus reading who helped save her baby brother Moses
-----------------------------
10 years ago today: HK St Teresa's Hospital & HKUIC group at Marco Polo Center for children's holiday
activities
------------------------------------------
Serious
(not at all light-hearted) letter received yesterday from an asylum seeker due
to be released next month from detention: "I need eyeglasses and a girlfriend".
Maybe I will reply: "I can find glasses, but not lasses"!
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun:
Mon:
Tues:
Wed:
Thurs: S.E. Asia, Pacific
Frid:
Sat:
Cent,
Jesus,
today, Thursday,
please bless
the people of
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
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
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the
week:
Jesus, today, Thursday, please pacify Al-Qaeda
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Wed Aug 8
This is the sort of thing that causes fear in HK people:
China deploys huge police force to prevent protest
This is the sort of thing that causes fear in all people:
Climate change Domino-effect could push Earth into a
"hothouse" state
Letter in English from an Indonesian woman in prison - how she
was tricked by a Nigerian man to collect a parcel of drugs. Nigerian man an
informer ... poor woman another victim of unhealthy informer-police axis: here
(May 17)
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
115. Christians too can be caught up in networks of verbal violence
through the internet and the various forums of digital communication. Even
in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become
commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of
others can be abandoned. The result is a dangerous dichotomy, since things can
be said there that would be unacceptable in public discourse, and people look to
compensate for their own discontent by lashing out at others. It is striking
that at times, in claiming to uphold the other commandments, they completely
ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false witness or lying, and ruthlessly
vilify others. Here we see how the unguarded tongue, set on fire by hell, sets
all things ablaze (cf. Jas 3:6).
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
Year
of three Popes
That time now is history though forty years on, its influence is still felt
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
1: After about 300 years, when the Israelites had grown to a huge number,
the Egyptians began to see the Israelites as a danger to Egypt.
So they forced the Israelites into slavery
and made their life miserable.
The Egyptians forced the Israelites to make bricks
and build cities.
But the more the Israelites were oppressed,
the more they increased in number.
So the Egyptian king (Pharaoh) told the Israelite midwives
to kill all new-born boys.
But the midwives let the baby boys live,
and God was pleased with the midwives and blessed them.
Pharaoh then ordered all Israelite baby boys
to be drowned in the river.
Dear
God, please stop people, especially children, from being used as slaves
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
122: I rejoiced when I heard them say
"Let us go to God's house." And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
For the peace of Jerusalem pray
"Peace be to your homes." For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.
Lord, may your peace be in our
hearts and homes
Listen
2
Corinthians
13.1-13: Soon I will be with you for a third time.
What I ask is that you live the way God wants you to live. So, grow in your Christian life. Help one
another. Be united.
Live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love
of God the Father,
and the friendship of the Holy Spirit be with you all
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help me live the
way you want me to live
Listen
John
12.23-33: Jesus said to his apostles Andrew and Philip
"Now the time has come for me to be glorified.
Unless a wheat grain goes into the ground and dies, it remains only a
single grain. But if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Now sentence is being passed on this world.
Now Satan is to be defeated. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I
shall draw all people to myself". By these words, Jesus indicated the kind of
death he would die
Jesus, lifted up on the Cross, you are the
Saviour of the world
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: Death brings life when a seed dies... and when we die to our own interests in order to help others
-------------------------------------------------------
From Long Walk to Freedom
by Nelson Mandela:
(No. 3): A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the
most nibble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all
along they are being directed form behind.
--------------------------------------
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 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, Wednesday,
please pacify Al-Shabaab
---------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
My Africa trips:
2015: Tanzania, Malawi
2016:
Kenya, Uganda
2017:
Southern Africa, Dubai (
The
Last Run)
2018:
My trip to Latin America
March 18, 2018: South China Morning Post report on my work
--------------------
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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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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