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 www.familyhk.org
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 Sep 4
China hosts summit for African leaders
This is what happens when people don't fight the Drug
Lords:
Cocaine smuggling is corrupting
Antwerp's politics
How
to fix the Church's problem with criminal sexual activity
My article in today's Ming Pao newspaper has the topic: HK Govt serious about climate change? It is on Ming Pao website - click "Australian in HK". Text without recording
------
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
164. The path of holiness is a source of peace and joy, given to
us by the Spirit. At the same time, it demands that we keep "our lamps
lit" (Lk 12:35) and be attentive. "Abstain from every form of
evil" (1 Thess 5:22). "Keep awake" (Mt 24:42; Mk
13:35). "Let us not fall asleep" (1 Thess 5:6). Those
who think they commit no grievous sins against God's law can fall into a state
of dull lethargy. Since they see nothing serious to reproach themselves
with, they fail to realize that their spiritual life has gradually turned
lukewarm. They end up weakened and corrupted.
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The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus 25: God said to Moses:
"Build me a sacred tent so that I may live among the people.
Let everyone follow the promptings of their heart
in making contributions for the building of the temple.
Make a sacred chest (ark) to hold
the stone tablets on which are the Ten Commandments,
Aaron's rod and some manna.
Also make a table for the bread of offering,
and a golden lamp-stand."
Dear
God, thank you for churches and other special places for prayer
My
recording of this reading
Psalms
149-150: Sing a new song to the Lord.
Let the praise of God be always on our lips. Praise God in his holy temple.
Praise him in the heavens. O praise him with sound of
trumpet.
Praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with drums and dancing.
Praise him with strings and pipes. Let everything that lives and
breathes,
give praise to the Lord our Creator. Alleluia!
Lord, to you we say every day
"Allelu-ia" ("praise God")
Listen
Ephesians
4.1-16:
I implore you to lead a life worthy of your
vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience.
If we live by the truth and in love, we shall
become more and more like Christ. We are parts of the Body of Christ. Christ is
the head. Each part must do its bit to keep the Body healthy and growing
in love
Jesus, help me understand how the Church is
your Body
Listen
John
19.25-30:
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his
mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother and John the apostle
standing near her, Jesus said to his mother "He is your son".
Then to John he said "She is your mother". From
that moment, John regarded Mary as his own mother. Jesus said "My work is finished".
Then he bowed his head and died
We adore you Lord Jesus and we
praise you,
because you have redeemed the world
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: All commentators agree that Saint Jospeh, Mary's husband, died before Jesus began his public ministry. Many relatives of Mary appear in the Gospels: Elizabeth, Zachary, John the Baptist, the apostles James and John (her nephews). But what about Joseph's family? Well it might be the case that Clopas in today's Gospel was a brother of Joseph. See Wikipedia
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10 years ago: Third day of new school year - life at Marco Polo Center
------------------------------------------
The new school year began in HK yesterday ... to the joy of
parents and the ??? of teachers
--------------------------------------
Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day:
Sun: Africa
Mon: Europe,
Russia
Tues: South
Asia
Wed: East
Asia
Thurs: S.E. Asia,
Pacific
Frid: South
America
Sat: Cent, N America
Jesus,
today, Tuesday,
please bless the people of
South
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, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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Mon Sep 3
Dear Holy Spirit, please bless all schools (students, teachers,
other staff) today for the start of the new school year!
At last night's usual gathering for the poor at Yau Ma Tei, 250 guests were served and entertained by 90 volunteers (including 50 Filipinas). One local volunteer attending for the first time said as he was leaving: "I came to make people happy ... but I was made happy!"
FB: LKFtv 3 minute Chinese video report on my work (also here). English text here (thank you kind translators)
2 minute video: ATM
skimmer!
Pope's new letter -
Rejoice and Be Glad:
163. Along this
journey, the cultivation of all that is
good, progress in the spiritual life, and growth in love are the best
counterbalance to evil. Those who choose to remain neutral, who are
satisfied with little, who renounce the ideal of giving themselves generously to
the Lord, will never hold out. Even less if they fall into defeatism, for "if
we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury
our talents. Christian triumph is always a cross, yet a cross which is at the
same time a victorious banner, borne with aggressive tenderness against the
assaults of evil".[123]
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
24: God invited Moses, Aaron, Nadab and 70
other men
to see him face to face.
They saw God face to face and ate and drank in his presence.
Under God's feet the ground was like a pure blue jewel.
God then invited Moses to go up the mountain.
A cloud covered the mountain
and for 6 days the glory of the Lord settled on the mountain.
On the seventh day God spoke with Moses inside the cloud.
Moses stayed on the mountain for about 40 days.
Dear
God, thank you for times of prayer
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
148: Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights. Praise him all his angels,
praise him all his spirits. Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shining stars. Let them praise the name of the Lord.
His word gave life to all of them. Praise the Lord from the earth,
sea creatures and all oceans. Praise him fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy winds that obey his word. Praise him all mountains and hills,
all fruit trees and cedars.
Praise him all animals, wild and tame,
reptiles and birds in the air. Praise him all earth's kings and peoples,
earth's princes and rulers. Praise him young men and maidens,
old people together with children. Let them praise the name of the Lord.
He is the praise of all who love him.
Lord our God and Creator, you
are worthy of all praise
Listen
Ephesians
3.14-21: This is what I pray, kneeling before the
Father from whom
every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes it name: May he give you power through his Spirit
for your hidden self to grow strong. May Christ live in your hearts through faith.
Planted in love and built on love, may you
continually focus
on the love of Christ, until your life is filled with that love
Glory be to him whose power working in
us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory be to him from generation to generation
in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen
Listen
John
19.17-24: Carrying his own crossbeam, Jesus went out of
the city to the place called Golgotha, where they crucified him with two
other men, one on each side of him. Pilate had the charge against Jesus written
out and attached to the top of the cross. It read "Jesus of Nazareth,
King of the Jews". When the soldiers had finished crucifying
Jesus, they divided his clothes among them
Jesus nailed to the Cross, thank you for
suffering for the salvation of the world
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: As I understand it, Jesus carried a crossbeam, which was then attached to a tree. Jesus' wrists were nailed to the crossbeam; his feet were nailed to the tree
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At last night's gathering for the poor, when the Filipinas began
dancing, some of the elderly guests got up and joined them!
--------------------------------------
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 3rd of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Gansu
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 3rd
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Burundi
And praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
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Sun Sep 2
New
3 minute video from HK Correctional Services - art
work by inmates at Lo Wu women's prison Many other CSD videos here,
and see this report for the best way to make "dough": Hongkonger jailed 12 times finds new life as baker
Malawi
police arrest 3 Nigerian Drug Lords
From
Ricci to Francis: the Church's past and future ink China
and China
says detained Muslims suffer from disease of mind
Over the past few weeks, during meals, I've been watching some
marvellous church history videos. I'm up to No. 9, Monasticism
which is part of a series of more than 50 videos. A gold mine!
HK diocese
asking for September to be month of prayer & penance
and Death
in the Church: is new life ahead? and The End of the Imperial Episcopate
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
162. God's word invites us clearly to
"stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph 6:11) and to
"quench all the flaming darts of the evil one" (Eph 6:16).
These expressions are not melodramatic, precisely because our
path towards holiness is a constant battle. Those who do not realize this
will be prey to failure or mediocrity. For this spiritual combat, we can count
on the powerful weapons that the Lord
has given us: faith-filled prayer, meditation on the word of God, the
celebration of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental Reconciliation, works of
charity, community life, missionary outreach. If we become careless, the false
promises of evil will easily seduce us.
-----------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Sunday 22
Deuteronomy 2-4: Moses continued his
talk to the Israelites:
"God has been with us these 40 years,
watching over us and providing for us.
God gave us many victories
and continually told us not to be afraid of any enemies.
So now, Israel, do not forget God's goodness and help and laws.
Do not forget the things your eyes have seen.
Make sure to tell these things to your children's children.
God has brought you out of Egypt to be his special people.
If you seek God with all your heart and soul
you will find him.
Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart:
The Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth below,
he and no other.
Keep his laws and commandments as I give them to you today,
so that you and your children may prosper and live long
in the land that the Lord your God gives you forever."
Lord,
please help me to seek you with all my heart
My
recording of this reading
Psalms
14-15: So many people live and act as if God doesn't exist.
Some foolish people even say there is no God. So many people have left the way of justice and truth.
So many people follow the way of falsehood. Lord, help us to live as we should.
Help us not to slander, help us not to wrong others.
Lord,
help us to stand firm in the
way of goodness
Listen
James
1.26-27: Don't go thinking you're "religious"
while your tongue is out of control. That's the wrong idea of religion. Genuine religion, in the eyes of God our
Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows, and staying
clear of bad values
Jesus, help me control my tongue
...and help me do more
to help the poor
Listen
Mark
7.1-23: Some religious leaders asked Jesus "Why
do your disciples ignore many external practices of our religion?" Jesus answered, with the words of the prophet
Isaiah:
"This people honors me with external lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me." Jesus also said
"It's not certain foods or lack of washing that makes a person
unclean. It's evil in the heart that makes a person unclean. Evil intentions like murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that make a
person unclean."
Jesus, please clean my
heart
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: Not everyone suffers from physical heart attacks and other heart-related problems. But everyone suffers from moral heart problems ... for which we need daily medicine and care and exercise - as in No. 162, above (Pope Francis)
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Italian, Chinese, English, and
Spanish
Daniel Daring: Chinese text for reflections on Sunday 22
--------------------------------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------------------
From
the historical video series mentioned above, I learned that in the year 238 Rome
had six emperors ....and 5 assassinations. Australia's 5 prime ministers in 5 years
not so bad?
--------------------------------------
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 2nd
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Fujian
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 2nd of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Niger
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
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Sat Sep 1
Not long after midday I left home yesterday. First stop was the electronic shopping centre in Sham Shui Po where I bought some equipment to help my job. Next stop was Tuen Wan where I bought an electronic dictionary for a middle aged inmate in Lo Wu women's prison (as arranged by welfare officers ....a special machine with some features deleted to comply with prison rules ...from an exclusive supplier approved by the Correctional Services Department). Then to Cheung Sha Wan post office to pay a HK$4 fee owed by a prisoner in Lai Chi Kok men's prison to whom someone had sent a letter without a stamp. Then finally to nearby Lai Chi Kok prison for a visit. Then to an evening meeting concerned with my anti-drug campaign. Was happy to get home around 9pm. Even happier to get to bed around 11!
A number of new letters from South American prisoners in Hong
Kong, with English translations of original Spanish and Portuguese, are here
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
161. Hence, we should not think of the devil
as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea.[121]
This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up
more vulnerable. The devil does not need to possess us. He
poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice. When we
let down our guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families
and our communities. "Like a roaring lion, he prowls around, looking for
someone to devour" (1 Pet 5:8).
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
22: Laws
announced by Moses:
"If a man seduces a virgin, he must marry her.
A sorceress must be put to death.
Anyone who has intercourse with an animal must die.
Do not discriminate against foreigners,
for you yourselves were foreigners in
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
147: Praise the Lord for he is good.
Sing to our God for he is loving. To him our praise is due. The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel's exiles. He heals the broken-hearted
and binds up all their wounds. The Lord raises the lowly
and humbles the wicked. He fixes the number of the stars.
He calls each one by name. Our Lord is great and almighty.
His wisdom can never be measured. He covers the heavens with clouds.
He prepares rain for the earth, making mountains sprout with grass
and with plants to serve our needs. His delight is not in horses
nor his pleasure in warriors' strength. The Lord delights in those who love and honor
him,
in those who wait for his love.
It is right and fitting to
praise and love you, Lord our Creator
Listen
Ephesians
2.19-22:
In God's Church you are not foreigners. You
are citizens. You are part of a building that has the
apostles and prophets
for its base. Christ Jesus himself is the foundation stone. You are being built into a house where God
lives
Jesus, be the foundation stone
of my life
Listen
John
19.4-16: Pilate now put Jesus on display and again
told the leaders
"I find no case against him". The leaders replied "According to our Law
he must die, since he claims to be the Son of God. If you free him, you
are no friend of the Roman Emperor". Eventually Pilate gave in to them and handed
Jesus over to be crucified
Jesus, please help all judges to stand up for
the truth and not make false judgments
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: The death penalty is a frightening thing for the person condemned to be executed. The turmoil in Jesus' mind and heart must have been excruciating.
-------------------------------------
My effort to point out to media and bloggers in Malawi
that Hong Kong belongs to China but has a different legal system etc from
China .... not very successful. One blogger told me to wake up to the fact
that HK is China. Groan....
--------------------------------------
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 1st
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Anhui
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 1st
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Congo
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
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Fri Aug 31
After two meetings yesterday afternoon I was very sad on
returning home to receive an email with the news that a woman from Malawi (which
I visited in January 2015) had been arrested in China for drug trafficking and
was facing the death penalty. Five minutes after I saw this news (on a media
link from Africa) I opened the first of several letters in yesterday's post. It
was from the woman! She is not in China, she is in HK! Still bad news she is in
prison, but good news she is not facing the death penalty. I will try to visit
her next week. And to re-assure her family and friends she is safe and well and
in good conditions I put a post at the above link - here.
Post is awaiting moderation. I hope it is soon published. In case it is not
published, I put it here
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
160. We will not admit the
existence of the devil if we insist on regarding life by empirical standards
alone, without a supernatural understanding. It is precisely the conviction that
this malign power is present in our midst that enables us to understand how evil
can at times have so much destructive force. True enough, the biblical authors
had limited conceptual resources for expressing certain realities, and in Jesus'
time epilepsy, for example, could easily be confused with demonic possession.
Yet this should not lead us to an oversimplification that would conclude that
all the cases related in the Gospel had to do with psychological disorders and
hence that the devil does not exist or is not at work. He is present in the very
first pages of the Scriptures, which end with God’s victory over the devil.[120]
Indeed, in leaving us the Our Father, Jesus wanted us to conclude by asking the
Father to "deliver us from evil". That
final word does not refer to evil in the abstract; a more exact translation
would be "the evil one". It indicates a personal being who assails us.
Jesus taught us to ask daily for deliverance from him, lest his power prevail
over us.
-------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Exodus 21: Laws
announced by Moses:
"When you buy an Israelite slave, you may keep him
for only six years. In the seventh year he is free to leave or stay.
Put to death anyone who kills someone in cold blood,
anyone who curses or strikes his father or mother.
If someone injures another person,
the compensation will be according to the formula
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, burn for burn, injury for injury."
Dear God, please help people not to seek
revenge
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
146: My soul, give
praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days. Put no trust in
princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help. Take their breath, they
return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing. They are happy who are
helped by Jacob's God,
whose hope is in the Lord our God, who alone made heaven
and earth,
the seas and all they contain. It is he who gives
bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free. It is the Lord who
gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down. It is the Lord who
protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan. It is the Lord who
loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for
ever,
Zion's God, from age to age.
Listen
Ephesians
2.11-14:
You non-Jews were once without hope and
without God.
But now by the blood of Christ,
you who had nothing in common with us Jews,
have been united with us into one family. Christ is the peace between us.
He has broken down the barrier which used to keep us apart
Jesus, break down barriers of misunderstanding which divide the peoples of the world
Listen
John
19.1-3: Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged.
The soldiers used thorns to make a
crown and pushed this into Jesus' head. They dressed him in a purple cloak and mocked
him saying
"Hail, king of the Jews". They slapped him in the face
Jesus, scourged and made fun of, please help
me not to hurt anyone by my words or actions
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings: Why did Jesus allow himself to suffer so much? Couldn't he have redeemed us more simply ... by just a few words? Maybe his extremity of suffering was to give the greatest proof of how much we are loved by God .... to make it as difficult as possible to reject God ... as difficult as possible to disqualify ourselves from eternal life in heaven.
----------------------------------------------
10 years ago today: Mr & Mrs Zhong to sponsor orphanage section of Marco Polo; Thank
you Zhaoqing Deng Fung BBS group for clothes and books; preparations
------------------------------------------
As I was returning home early last night after two
afternoon meetings, an elderly "cardboard lady" (collector of
cardboard for recycling) waved to me as I passed her in Nanking Street. She
pointed to her neck and said it was very sore. So I put my hand gently on her
neck and said a silent prayer to Jesus ... and gave her a copy of Dr
Jesus. And I also gave her a little plastic bag with some tiny pieces of
ginger which I nibble at during the day. There were about 6 pieces left. I said
to her "eat one each hour" ... and as we parted I asked Jesus to bless
the ginger with some special healing potency!
--------------------------------------
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 31st
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tianjin
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 31st of the month, Jesus please bless the
people of Nepal
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
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Thu Aug 30
Yesterday
morning a judge at the High Court, who last week seemed
to indicate he would not give any mitigation to a drug trafficking defendant
from South America, kindly gave the man a generous discount for his cooperation
with authorities and the participation of himself and his family in my anti-drug
campaign. Thank you Jesus!
Customs seize HK$30 million worth of cocaine hidden in container door rims
((... if only they would go after the Big Fish in HK who are co-ordinating such
deliveries))
How a letter from prison turned into a
HK ministry serving over 600 asylum seekers
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
159. We are not dealing merely with a battle against the world and a
worldly mentality that would deceive us and leave us dull and mediocre, lacking
in enthusiasm and joy. Nor can this battle be reduced to the struggle against
our human weaknesses and proclivities (be they laziness, lust, envy, jealousy or
any others). It is also a constant
struggle against the devil, the prince of evil.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Book Blog: 4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Exodus
20:
The Ten Commandments given by God to
Moses:
1: I am the Lord your God. Do not worship anyone or anything else.
2: Use my name with respect. Do not insult my name.
3: Make the Sabbath Day a holy day each week.
4: Honor your father and your mother.
5: Do not kill.
6: Do not commit adultery.
7: Do not steal.
8: Do not tell lies.
9: Do not lust after someone else's wife.
10: Do not desire what belongs to someone else.
Dear
God, please help us to put these commandments into practice
Recording
Psalm 145: I will give you glory, O God my king.
I will bless your name day after day. The Lord is great, worthy of all praise.
His greatness cannot be measured. Age to age shall proclaim your works,
shall speak of your splendor and glory. The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and tell all the world of your love. The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds. The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down. The eyes of all creatures look to you
and you give them their food each day. The Lord is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts. Let the whole world bless the Lord's holy
name,
for ever, for ages unending.
Thank you, Lord, for your love.
Thank you for your love
Recording
Ephesians 2.4-10: God loved us so much, that when we were dead
through our sins,
he brought us to life with Christ. We are God's work of art, created in Christ
Jesus to live a life of goodness, as God originally intended us to
live.
Heavenly Father, help me live my life the way
you want me to live it
Listen
John 18.28-40: The religious leaders took Jesus to the Roman
governor, Pilate. Pilate asked Jesus "Are you the King of the
Jews?" Jesus replied "My kingdom is not a
kingdom of this world. But I am a king. I came into this world to bear
witness to the truth". After further questioning, Pilate said to the
leaders "I find no case against him, so how about I release him
according to the custom of releasing one prisoner at Passover? At this the leaders shouted "Not this
man, but Barabbas".
Barabbas was a bandit
Jesus, help me be a better witness to
good values
Reflection on the above Bible readings: Jesus "spoke truth to power" ... but no mention of Jesus in this Wikipedia article Speaking truth to power
-----------------------------
Yesterday
was a busy day at the High Court for me: I went to 3 different cases in 3
different courts .... as well as to the oaths' office to get an affidavit signed
for a prisoner's appeal in early October. If you ever need a guided tour of the
High Court building ....
--------------------------------------
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 30th 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 30th
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 29
Yesterday
morning I had two phone calls with Malaysia: early in the morning I phoned a
Malaysian woman who was recently released from prison in HK after serving 10
years for a drug trafficking crime of which she was innocent. I believe her
story. She is kindly going to help the anti-drug campaign in Malaysia. Later in
the morning I received another call from Faith Omollo, a Kenyan woman facing the
death penalty for drug trafficking. Faith was pleased to know that her family in
Kenya and many people in HK heard her
previous phone call and are praying for her. God bless both women!
'National
shame': 147 Indigenous people die in custody in Australia in a decade
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
158. The Christian life is a constant
battle. We need strength and courage to withstand the temptations of the devil
and to proclaim the Gospel.
--------------------------------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
A pastor for his people - Raymond
Hunthausen
He was truly a man of the Beatitudes
-------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
19: The
Israelites kept traveling
and came to Mount Sinai (
and gave him "The Ten Commandments".
Dear
God, please make us willing to hear your voice
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
144: Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who gives me strength for every situation. He is my love, my fortress.
He is my stronghold, my savior. To you, O God, will I sing a new song,
you who so often rescued David your servant. Happy the people whose God is the Lord.
Please continue to bless your people, Lord. Let our sons flourish like saplings
grown tall and strong from their youth;
our daughters graceful as columns,
adorned as though for a palace.
Let our crops and stock be blessed.
May there be no sound of weeping on our streets.
Lord, please help us love and
honor you every day.
Don't let us ever forget your love
Listen
Ephesians
1.19-23: God the Father raised Christ from death, and
put him on the divine throne. Christ is the C.E.O. of the universe, in
charge of everything, from galaxies to governments. No one and nothing is exempt from
his rule. At the center of everything is the church.
It is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts
Jesus, help me understand how the church is
the heart of the world, pumping your life and love to all parts of the world
Listen
Mark
6.17-29 (for feast of
beheading of John the Baptist):
Not long after Jesus began traveling and teaching, King Herod
arrested John the Baptist and put him in prison. This was because John had told
Herod he was breaking the Law by living with Herodias, his brother's wife.
During a birthday party for Herod, the daughter of Herodias danced. Her dancing
so pleased Herod that he said he would give her anything she wanted. Herodias
told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a dish. Herod then had John
beheaded.
Jesus, please give the world good leaders, and protect people from bad
leaders like Herod
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
John the
Baptist "spoke truth to power"....and was executed.....just as later
happened to his cousin Jesus....and just as still happens to good people around
the world who have the courage to speak truth to power.
-------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday afternoon I walked to East Tsim Sha Tsui to the
Chinese University office to enroll several prisoners for courses (by
correspondence). On the way home I planned to visit Rosary Church for a little
prayer, but it was closed for cleaning. Not so the nearby Jockey Club in Austin
Road ... never closed in daytime. So I paid a visit there and bought a HK$10
Mark 6 ticket to try to help launch a canteen for the poor in Yau Ma Tei:
McMercy. Ticket was unsuccessful. Disclaimer: if I had not gone to the church, I
would not have passed the Jockey Club!
--------------------------------------
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 29th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Chongqing
And praying for one of
the world's poorest
countries each day of the month:
On this 29th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Mauritania
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Wednesday,
please pacify Al-Shabaab
---------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
Tues Aug 28
My name is mentioned a few times in this
Court of Appeal judgment concerning an Indonesian woman sentenced for drug
trafficking .... set up by this
guy
Video
of Pope's Mass at Phoenix Park in Dublin
Pope's new letter -
"Rejoice and Be Glad":
157. Meeting Jesus in the Scriptures leads us to the Eucharist, where
the written word attains its greatest efficacy, for there the living Word is
truly present. In the Eucharist, the one true God receives the greatest worship
the world can give him, for it is Christ himself who is offered. When we receive
him in Holy Communion, we renew our covenant with him and allow him to carry out
ever more fully his work of transforming our lives.
--------------------------------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus 18: Moses' father-in-law,
Jethro, heard about
all
that God had done for Moses and the Israelites,
so he visited Moses in the desert.
Jethro saw that Moses was struggling
to do so much administration by himself.
Jethro suggested that Moses appoint men to help him:
leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
Moses accepted this advice
and appointed judges as Jethro suggested.
These judges handled all small issues
and referred only difficult cases to Moses.
Dear
God, please make us willing to share responsibilities with other people
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
140-143: Lord, save me from
people who do evil,
you who do justice for the needy. I have no way out of
this situation.
And no one wants to help me. Lord, I beg you tonight
to make haste and give me an answer, for my spirit fails within me.
In the morning let me know your love
for I put my trust in you.
Lord, please help people who
are in big trouble
Listen
Ephesians
1.16-18: I never fail to remember you in my prayers
and to thank God for you. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory,
give you more and more wisdom and knowledge
to see ever more clearly his great love for you. May he enlighten your mind to hope for the
glorious life
he has prepared for us in heaven
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may I see you
more clearly,
love you more dearly, follow you more nearly, day by day
Listen
John
18.15-27: The main religious leader interrogated
Jesus about his teaching. Jesus told him "I have spoken openly in
prayer halls and in the Temple. I have said nothing in secret. The people
can tell you what I said". At these words, one of the guards slapped
Jesus in the face, saying "Don't speak to the leader like that".
Jesus replied "If I said something wrong, point it
out. But if there was nothing wrong with my words, why did you hit
me?" Meanwhile Peter was outside in the courtyard,
keeping warm by a fire. Three times he was asked by different people if he
was a disciple of Jesus. Three times he replied "I am not".
After his third denial, a rooster crowed
Jesus, on trial before the leaders, please
bless everyone on trial today, in every country
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: When I read today's Gospel I thought about Jesus' words "if they hit you on one side of the face, turn the other cheek" ... which Jesus didn't do. The phrase "turn the other cheek" is not to be taken literally ... it does not mean "no self-defence". If someone bursts into your house and starts attacking your family, self-defence is obviously necessary.
--------------------------------------------------------
10 years ago today: Renovations;
HK Sr Stella & Mrs Zhong; Ricci Centre moving to Marco Polo Centre
------------------------------------------
This
report says there's a horse in US called "Catholic Boy" whose
mother was "Song of Bernadette"
--------------------------------------
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 28th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Beijing
And praying for one of
the world's poorest countries
each day of the month:
On this 28th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Lesotho
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
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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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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