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
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& Archives Imitating
Pope
Francis www.familyhk.org
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See & share inmates'
letters! How campaign began
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JesusTower
GoodNewsForPoor
Dr
Jesus RicciCenter
China8
Tues Dec 3
467 years ago today, in 1552, on a remote island
off the coast of China, Saint
Francis Xavier died. He could see China some 14km across the sea, but could
not enter it. In the months before he died, he offered up his suffering that
someone else might follow him and enter China. On October 6, 1552, Matteo
Ricci was born in Italy. Xavier's prayer was answered two months before he
died. With hindsight, we can see that for the spread of the Gospel in China,
Ricci's cultural approach was a more suitable missionary method than Xavier's
direct evangelisation. Maybe this is why God allowed Xavier to leave the scene
without entering China.
Xavier died on the island today known as Shangchuan. I've been privileged to visit there a number of times: e.g. 1993 & 2005. But only after checking above Wiki article did I know that the name "Shangchuan" means "Saint John"!
As
a media student I thought this ABC
report was fairly accurate until I got to the words :
"Look at the protests [on Sunday] - that originally was quite a peaceful march on the streets and they got the permit up to 6:00pm.
"However at about 4:00pm, the police asked them to leave and cancelled the permit and started shooting tear gas.
"That is way before any of the petrol bombs were thrown or any of the violence from the protesters."
The problem? Well, "the protests (on Sunday)" is underlined as a link to a previous ABC story which has the words:
The Kowloon march was cut short after riot police fired tear gas and arrested a few people.
A police statement said minimum force was deployed after "hundreds of rioters hurled smoke bombs" and bricks.
So, which came first? The protesters hurling smoke bombs and bricks, or tear gas from the police? This RTHK report has the words:
At a press briefing, senior superintendent Wong Wai-shun said officers had "no choice" but to use force against what he called "violent protesters", saying they had deviated from the approved route and threw bricks and other objects at officers from a flyover
Also:
the first ABC report speaks of "petrol
bombs". They were in fact "smoke
bombs" (as in fact the second report states!).
I write these words purely as a media student, in the interest of accurate media
reporting.
-------
Failure to end
Yemen civil war now could cost $29bn
Pope's
letter about the Christmas Crib
---------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
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
Psalms
61-65: O God, hear my cry,
you who are my refuge and help. In you alone is my soul
at rest. My help comes from you. Take refuge in God,
everyone in trouble.
Trust him at all times. O God, you are my God,
for you I long.
My body and soul thirst for you
like a dry, weary land without water. Your love is better
than life,
my lips will speak your praise. On my bed I remember
you.
On you I muse through the night. You are the Creator of
the world.
You care for the earth, you give it water. To you our praise is
due,
wherever we are on earth.
Lord, my
soul clings to you. Your right hand holds me fast
Listen
Colossians
3.1-2:
Since you have been brought back to true life
with Christ,
focus on heaven, where Christ is, sitting at the Father's right hand. Let your thoughts be more on heavenly
things,
less on the things that are on earth
Jesus, please help me think more often about heaven ..... since that's where I hope to spend all eternity! Help me
understand how this present world is
Listen
Matthew
15.1-20:
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: Why did the heart become a symbol of love? Whatever the many explanations provided by a Google search, we can notice that the heart is the engine room which pumps blood/life to all parts of the body..... suggesting the thought that a body without a heart .... without love .... lacks life
------------------------------
I was at Lai Chi Kok men's prison yesterday from 11.30am to
5pm. Lai Chi Kok is like a second home for me ... since I used to spend
most of the week there ... before court appearances, meetings and visits to
other prisons increased. And it's now becoming a home for a new group of people:
protesters ... mainly people denied bail because of the seriousness of their
charge (e.g. making petrol bombs) or because this is their second arrest. I sure
hope they don't take God's advice to Adam and Eve in today's first reading (...
increase and multiply...!)
-------------------------------
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 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, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
----------------------------
----------------------------
Mon Dec 2
In
order to warn Filipina and Indonesian domestic helpers about the danger of being
tricked by Nigerian boyfriends to collect parcels of drugs, yesterday I was
taught by Professor G. Oogle how to make a
QR code which can be printed and distributed in HK. Free program I used was QR
Code Generator. After 10 minutes I had these two codes linking items
already put on You Tube:
China enacts mobile phone face-scan law
"Our houses are filled with things but empty of
children" - in
yesterday's homily
------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
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
Psalms
52-60: Lord,
I will tell everyone about how good you are. You are our Creator. Everyone
should love you. Thank you for so often rescuing me from trouble. You
uphold my life. Sometimes I have so many troubles and cares that I can't get to
sleep. Sometimes I wish I was a bird and could fly away to a safe place.
When I fear, I will trust in you, in you whose word I praise. My heart is ready,
O God, my heart is ready. I will sing, I will sing your praise. Each morning I
will sing of your strength,
and each morning acclaim your love.
O God, please help me to praise and love you every day
Listen
Colossians 2.9-18: In
Christ's body lives the fullness of divinity. In him, you too find fulfillment.
In baptism, you were buried with him and then raised to new life. Our real life
is life with and in Christ. Be careful of people who are always going on about
some vision they have had, giving such
visions more importance than Christ himself
Jesus, may my focus always be on you
Listen
Matthew
14.34-36: When Jesus got
out of the boat on the other side of the lake, people recognized him and news of
his presence spread quickly. From all around that area, sick people were brought
to him. The sick people just wanted to touch his clothing. All
those who touched his clothing were healed
Jesus, please heal my sick friends (..names..) by letting them, through
prayer, touch your clothing
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: Back to the "front of the Book" - Genesis - today. Each time we go through the Bible we understand more, learn more, are helped and encouraged more. Re-reading means re-energizing
-------------------------
Yesterday saw a return to violence on the streets of HK. About
which protesters will say "violence continues
because govt refuses to dialogue". To which HK govt will say
"no dialogue until violence stops". To
which international conflict resolution experts say "the only way to break
the deadlock is dialogue without any preconditions". This is a recording
....
--------------------
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 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, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
-----------------------
----------------------
Sun Dec 1
Advent begins today ..... Christmas countdown has begun .... Christmas: a feast of light .... the Light has come into this dark world ... inviting us to live in his light, not in the Devil's darkness .... O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! (Isaiah)
Report
in Chinese in HK Apple Daily about two Indonesian women
tricked by the same Nigerian man in Cambodia to bring drugs to HK ... article
mentions my anti-drug campaign
Arts
festival at Hakka Catholic village
in Sai Kung
------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Advent 1
Isaiah 2: In
the days to come, the mountain of the Lord's Temple will be specially blessed.
All the nations will come to it and say: "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his
paths". When they learn the ways of the Lord, then the nations will hammer
their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nation
will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for
war. O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Lord, please help world leaders do more for peace in our world
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
Recording
Romans
13.12-14: Let us stop our bad behavior
of the past: drunken orgies, immorality, quarreling, jealousy. Let us live good
lives. Let the Lord Jesus protect and
help us
Jesus, please help me give up bad behavior
Recording
Matthew 24.9-44: Jesus
spoke to his disciples about the future: "On account of my name you will be
hated, tortured and killed.
But the Good News of the kingdom will spread to every nation before the end of
the world. At the end of the world, the sun and moon will stop shining. Stars
will fall from the sky. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky
and all peoples will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and
glory. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet to gather good people from
all parts of the earth. Therefore you should live
a good life, and you will have nothing to fear on your last day." Jesus,
please help me be a good person
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings: 
Beautiful Advent song - with text: O
Come, Emmanuel
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Italian, Chinese, English, and
Spanish
Daniel Daring: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
-------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------
Last
night as I walked home to Jordan from Kowloon City, when I got to the
intersection of Nathan Road and Waterloo Road - where the vandalised traffic
lights have been out of action for more than two weeks - I noticed a couple of
guys trying to act as traffic policemen .... without much luck ... because a
traffic jam further down Nathan Road in the Mong Kok area was causing a bank up
of traffic that stretched for nearly one km ... and drivers were losing patience
.... not in the mood to accept directions from a couple of amateurs ... one of
whom at one stage had to run for safety as vehicles headed for where he was
standing
------------------------------
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 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, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
-----------------------
----------------------
Sat Nov 30
My
interview with Indonesian women
acquitted a few months ago by a High Court jury 7:0 from drug trafficking
charge. She had been tricked by Nigerian boyfriend to collect parcel of drugs
from a post office - Here
(QQ in English; AA in Indonesian)
I know this lady well. She has helped my anti-drug campaign: Journalist shot in eye seeks justice
Article
in Chinese about 73 year old priest in HK
Pope:
"Look to your moment of death with hope and trust in the Lord"
---------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Feast of Saint Andrew
Isaiah 51-52: Pay
attention to me, you peoples. Listen to me, you nations. The islands put their
hope in the Lord. They put their trust in his strength. How
beautiful on the mountains are the feet of one who brings good news, who
proclaims peace and salvation, and tells Zion "Your God is king!"
Break into shouts of joy, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord is redeeming his
people. All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
My
recording of this reading
/1993-06-07shangchuan01.jpg){kind=link}
Psalm 117: O
Praise the Lord, all you
nations. Acclaim him, all you peoples! Strong
is his love for us. He is faithful for ever.
May all the nations love and praise you, Lord
Recording
John
6.1-15(a): Near the Sea of Galilee, a
large crowd followed Jesus, attracted by the way he healed so many sick people.
Jesus climbed a hillside and sat there with his disciples. Seeing the huge
crowd, Jesus said to one of his disciples "How can we feed so many
people?" The disciple Andrew
said "There's a young boy here with 5 loaves and 2 fish. But what good is
that for such a huge crowd?"
Recording
John 6.1-15 (b): Jesus
said "Make the people sit down". The crowd of about 20,000 sat down on
the grass. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all the
people. He did the same with the fish. Everyone
ate as much as they wanted to. The people, seeing this miracle, said
"He really is God's great prophet". Jesus, aware that they wanted to
make him king, slipped away and went up the hill by himself
Jesus, please bless my prayers and actions to help others, just as you
blessed the loaves and fish
Recording
Reflection on the above Bible readings: Andrew the Apostle ("St. Andrew's" ... good name for fish and chips shop!)
---------------------------
Yesterday morning: case at High Court, followed by meeting
with barrister. Followed by visit to Chinese University HK Island office to
enroll a prisoner for distance learning course. Followed by office work at home.
Followed by visit to friend in Princess Margaret Hospital. Followed by evening
computer jobs. Followed by d e e p sleep!
------------------------------
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 30th
of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shanghai
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 Haiti
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
------------------------
------------------------
Fri Nov 29
After
attending a Court of Appeal application case yesterday morning at the High
Court, I went to a nearby McDonald's for morning (green) tea. I shared a table
with a man who was busy with his (computer) tablet, so I didn't disturb him. But
as I stood up to leave I said hello and asked did he live in HK. He replied he
works in China. Then I asked where he was from ... and when he said
"Israel" I found my body instinctively sitting down for a chat which
we both enjoyed. Afterwards I wondered why the name "Israel" made me
sit down and I reflected that Jewish people aren't any ordinary sort of humans
.... they are special .... Jesus came from them ... they are his blood relatives
... their DNA calls forth extra respect
from us non-Jews who were "grafted onto the tree of salvation"
(Romans 11.17)
Police seize chemicals, weapons from PolyU
*** 3,900
petrol bombs found at CUHK
Trashed
Jordan shop here is one minute from my home
Correction:
On yesterday's menu, below, I should have said "6
Indonesian women", not 7. Seven has now been changed to 6. Yesterday I met
one of the 6 for an interview which will soon be on YouTube.
-------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Other prophets: Pride of heart leads us astray.
See how they are listless, those whose souls are not at peace. Lord, I have heard of all your wonderful deeds in the past.
Do them again in our day, Lord! Even when everything seems hopeless,
I trust in you Lord, I praise you Lord. Seek the Lord, all you humble people.
Seek integrity, seek humility. In the days to come, people will say
"We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with
you". Rejoice heart and soul, people of Jerusalem.
See, your king comes to you.
He is humble and riding on a donkey.
Dear God, thank you for all the
beautiful teachings and stories in "The Old Testament", ("The First
Testament"). I now look forward to your message in "The New Testament"
("The Second Testament")
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
51: Have mercy on me, God, in your
kindness,
and cleanse me of my sin. My offences truly I know them.
What is evil in your sight I have done. But in my defence please don't forget that
sinfulness is part of the human condition, part of our DNA. A pure heart create for me, O God.
Put a steadfast spirit within me. Give me again the joy of your help.
With a spirit of fervor sustain me.
Lord, you will not spurn
a humbled, contrite heart
Listen
Colossians
2.6-8:
You must live your whole life according to the
Christ you have received - Jesus the Lord. You must be built on him and held firm by the
faith you have been taught. Make sure no one deceives you with any
teaching based on the principles of this world instead of on Christ
Jesus, please protect people from false
teaching
Listen
Matthew
14.22-33: After feeding the crowd with 5 loaves and 2
fish,
Jesus told his disciples to go by boat across the nearby lake.
Jesus stayed to send the crowds away.
Then he went up into the hills to pray. When darkness came, the boat was far from land,
but it was battling large waves caused by a strong head-wind. Jesus then walked on the water towards the
boat.
He called out to his disciples "Courage. It is I. Don't be
afraid." Peter answered "Lord, if it is you, tell
me to walk on the water to you." Jesus said "Come". Peter then started walking on the water,
but he became afraid and began to sink.
"Lord, save me" he called out.
Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to keep walking on the water.
"Man of little faith, why did you doubt?" asked Jesus.
As they got into the boat, the wind stopped. The men in the boat bowed to Jesus and said
"You really are the Son of God".
Jesus, please help me not to
lose faith in you
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings: When Peter was focusing on Jesus ... no problem. But when he began focusing on the water .... big problem. The more we focus on Jesus, the easier we can handle/face our problems/difficulties
-------------------------
Memo to Donald Trump from Beijing: It's President
"See", not President "She"!
-------------------------
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 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, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
----------------------------
----------------------------
Thu Nov 28
Thanksgiving
Thank
you God for acquittal last night (7.30pm!) of Indonesian woman and
co-accused Nigerian man ... both acquitted 7:0 by jury! That makes 6
Indonesian women freed this year after jury trial or after case dropped .... all
6 tricked by Nigerian BF to receive/deliver parcel of drugs. Yesterday's
Nigerian in turn had been tricked by a fellow Nigerian.
Before going to the High Court last night I attended a meeting in the nearby Legco building with Legislator James To Kun Sun who has tirelessly helped many HK people arrested overseas .... in this case a young HK man in Thailand on a drug trafficking charge. Man's appeal now being prepared by a Thai lawyer who was at meeting yesterday with man's family.
Vatican article about famous Tanzanian leader: The
legacy of Nyerere (when he
died: no Swiss bank a/c; no mansion)
On
plane back to Rome from Japan, a reporter asked Pope: Holy Father, on the
flight from Bangkok to Tokyo you sent a telegram to Carrie Lam of Hong Kong.
What do you think of the situation there, with the demonstrations and the
municipal elections? And when will we be able to accompany you to Beijing?
Pope's reply: The telegrams are sent to all Heads of State, it's an automatic greeting; and it is also a polite way to request permission to fly over their territory. This does not mean either condemnation or support. It is a mechanical thing that all planes do when they technically enter, they advise that they are entering, and we do it out of courtesy. This does not really answer your question; the telegram is only a courtesy. With regard to the other question you asked me: when we think about it, it's not just Hong Kong. Think about Chile, think about France, democratic France: a year of yellow jackets. Think of Nicaragua, think of other Latin American countries that have problems like this, and even some European countries. It's something general. How does the Holy See handle this? It calls for dialogue, for peace. But it's not only Hong Kong, there are various problematic situations that I am unable to evaluate at the moment. I respect peace and I ask for peace for all these countries that have problems, Spain too. It is better to put things in perspective and to call for dialogue, for peace, so that problems can be resolved. And finally: I would like to go to Beijing, I love China (source)
------------------------
The Book Blog: 4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from Simple
Bible
Micah 5-7: Bethlehem, you are the least important town
in Judah,
but Israel's future ruler will come from you. He will shepherd our people with the power
of God.
He himself will be our source of peace. My people, remember what God has done for you.
Remember how God wants you to live. This is what God asks of you:
act justly, love tenderly,
and walk humbly with your God.
Lord, please help me act
justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with you
Recording
Psalms 49-50: I will turn my mind to a parable,
with the harp I will solve a problem. The problem is: why do bad people prosper and
succeed? The answer: at the end of their lives bad
people will have to face death and judgement, just like everyone else. When we are rich, we often lack wisdom.
Wealth blinds our minds and hearts. Let's not forgot God and his laws.
Let's try to be good and lead good lives
Lord, please help me understand
the meaning of life
Recording
Colossians 1.24 - 2.2:
As I sit in my
prison, I am at peace in my
suffering, offering up my suffering to Christ for the sake of his body,
the Church. God chose me to reveal to you his sacred
message: Christ, your hope of glory, is among you. My aim is to bind you together in love, and to
keep you growing in your knowledge of God's plan for your lives
"Bind us together,
Lord, Bind us together, With cords that cannot be broken,
Bind us together, Lord, Bind us together, Bind us together in Love"
(song)
Listen
Matthew
14.13-21: Once after Jesus had been healing and
teaching many people all afternoon, his disciples said to him
"It's getting late and the people need to go and eat".
Jesus replied "They don't need to go. You feed them".
The disciples said "We have only 5 loaves and 2 fish". Jesus got the people to sit on the grass.
There were about 20,000 of them.
Then he blessed the loaves and fish. He handed the loaves and fish to his
disciples.
His disciples gave them to the crowd.
Everyone had plenty to eat.
They even had 12 baskets of leftovers.
Jesus, please
make leaders do more
to help the
starving people of the world
Listen
Reflection on the above Bible readings: The letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon were written from prison and yet deal with some of the most liberating concepts imaginable. We know Ephesians from its famous spiritual warfare passage, but what exactly did Paul picture as the greatest of all battles? Philippians is a letter of instruction, providing models to follow. In it we will find Paul, Jesus, Timothy and Epaphroditus offered as those whom we should seek to copy. Colossians is an enigma one needs to play detectives trying to recover from the clues what Paul was likely confronting. Finally, Philemon is gigantic in its implications contrary to its miniature word length. Time spent with these letters will be richly rewarded and equip us for life in multiple dimensions; spiritual, relational, personal and corporate. Specifically, these four letters from captivity will release any of us from unconscious imprisoning ideas. (from here)
---------------
BBC
video: (scroll down) Ethiopian
man's 3 bedroom home - on a truck!
--------------------
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 28th 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 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, Thursday, please pacify Al-Qaeda
----------------------------
Wed Nov 27
Yesterday morning at the High Court I attended two drug
trafficking cases: that of a Peru man and that of a Nigerian man with an
Indonesian woman. Second case due to finish today, it's 15th day! God bless the
jury's decision! Late afternoon I attended a meeting of the NGO Voice for
Prisoners, discussing how to help prisoners on a number of fronts.
Beijing
may fire HK representative
Sydney
woman freed from death row in Malaysia
Jesus, thank you
for blessing Pope's trip to Japan
------------------------------
Chris McDonnell
Advent leads to light
May this Advent Season touch our heart and spirit
-----------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Comments welcome here
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Micah 1-4: In the future, the mountain of the Temple of
the Lord
will be the most important place in the world. All nations will come to this place.
They will say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord
so that he may teach us his ways
and we may walk in his paths. Nations will not lift sword against
nation.
There will be no more training for war.
Yes
please, Lord, stop nations fighting each other. Please give peace to our world
My
recording of this reading
Psalms
47-48: All peoples, clap your hands, cry to God with
shouts of joy.
For the Lord, our Creator, we must love and honor,
great king over all the earth. Especially in his holy city is the Lord worthy
to be praised.
Praise is fitting in Mount Sion, our earth's most sacred
site. O God, as we pray in your temple,
our hearts meditate on your love. May peoples and rulers everywhere
acknowledge and love you as Creator of the Universe
Let all the peoples praise you, Lord. Let all the peoples praise you
Listen
Colossians
1.15-20: Christ is the image of
the unseen God.
In him were created all things.
All things were created through him and for him. Before anything was
created, he existed.
He holds all things in unity. The Church is his body.
He is its head. God wants all things to
be reconciled through him who brought peace by his death on the Cross
Jesus, God the Son
become man, may our world
find reconciliation and peace in you
Listen
Matthew
14.1-12:
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. John's disciples came and buried the body.
Jesus, please give the world
good leaders, and protect people from bad leaders like Herod
Listen
Reflection on the above readings: Micah, repeating Isaiah, calls for nation not to wage war against nation. c.f. Pope Francis' words in Japan: even the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral
---------------------------
Yesterday morning as I entered Jordan MTR station for trip
to the High Court, I had a chat with our newly elected district councillor who
was standing at the station entrance greeting people. Before his election he
several times attended the Sunday afternoon gathering for the poor. Yesterday I
had the feeling that he, like so many others in HK, is overwhelmed by the
support he received .... realising support for him was a protest against the
govt. In fact the previous councillor is a really good man who has done much for
the district but lost because of the anti-govt vote.
-------------------------
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 27th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Tibet
And praying for one of
the world's poorest
countries each day of the month:
On this 27th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Uganda
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Wednesday,
please pacify Al-Shabaab
--------------------------------
----------------------------
Usually I remove each day's menu after one week. It can still be accessed on "Archives" (top of this page). But because the menu of Oct 8 has special relevance to HK at the moment, I will not delete the following part of Oct 8 menu for the time being
-------------------------------
Tues Oct 8
The collapse of HK is continuing at exponential speed: Vandals
bring HK to standstill.
Yesterday before midday as I crossed the intersection of Nathan Road and Jordan
Road to join two very special friends for a Yum Cha, I noticed the traffic and
pedestrian lights were not working ... with pedestrians running the gauntlet
between buses, trucks and cars to cross the road .... and vehicles blasting
horns trying to force their way through the intersection .... with not a few
near-misses. I actually made a video of a police car going through the
intersection, but not stopping to help the situation.
More than an hour later when I returned to the same place, after the Yum Cha,
the situation was just as chaotic. So, I went home, got my trusty bush hat, and
went back to the intersection as a volunteer traffic guide .... for which, as
the afternoon went on, many dozens of bus drivers and other drivers waved a
thank you sign to me as they went past. Many pedestrians gave me bottles of
water ... from a few of which I took a few mouthfuls before putting the bottles
at an crossing island.
After about 30 minutes a police car stopped and several policeman told me to stop. I said I'd be happy to stop if they would do the job. They asked me to get in their car. I declined and walked to a footpath. Then I went home for a drink and toilet break. Then went back. Police still not helping. So I went back to work. Having a bus licence (in Australia and formerly in HK) I understand traffic and felt in no danger. Just got tired after another 90 minute stint. With a cramp in my left foot. So I went again to the footpath. Providential timing. Within a minute another police car came and two polite officers and I had the same conversation as above. They told me to go. I said I would go if they would do their job. My left foot and tiredness decided on a trip home, where I had a shower (very hot weather) and rest.
About 6.30pm I went back to the intersection ....as part of a prayer walk ...and was pleased to see 4 (!) traffic policeman on the job. But when I returned around 7pm they were just leaving ....walking away from a dangerous situation. So I ask myself, as on last night's menu: why are police not on the job? Why are they letting vandals have hours of freedom to wreck MTR stations and smash shops? Some people say the authorities want to see HK in chaos so that the PLA can come in and restore order and rule will be from Beijing. To this end, some people even say that some of the destruction is being done by undercover policemen .... maybe from the Mainland since some don't speak HK Cantonese.
Some people say that while the vast majority of protesters are peaceful, there's a small minority of radical vandals whose aim is anarchy. No mainstream media will talk much about this, but in private many people feel that former legislator "Long Hair" Leung Kwok Hung is one of the masterminds of the destruction that "spontaneously" breaks out at the same time at so many locations. Wikipedia's main article (with it's many links) shows he was/is a Trotskyist, anarchist and revolutionary Marxist.
So, the vandalising is maybe coming from more than one source, but it is turning one of the safest and most beautiful cities in the world into a place of destruction and despondency. I felt absolutely gutted last night as I walked down Nathan Road from Jordan Road to Waterloo Road, seeing the trail of destruction ...especially my beloved Kowloon Central Post Office whose doors and windows have been smashed and the front of the building covered in "campaign signs". And I noticed many groups of mainly young people in black carrying umbrellas (on a fine night) heading towards Mong Kok ....trouble brewing there.
Violence just makes things worse. And this is a lesson that the HK government is just not getting. It caused the original peaceful protests (by its crazy extradition amendment) and then by ignoring the peaceful protesters, the govt bred violence, bred radical vandals ..some of whom didn't need much breeding .... they were waiting for a chance to destroy HK. The govt has handed HK to them on a petrol bomb.
Is this all a bad dream? If only. But today is another day .... and how will people get to work and school with the MTR badly damaged and under threat after four nights of destruction (Frid, Sat, Sun, public holiday yesterday for Chung Yeung Festival)? God, please help HK get out of this mess! Please thwart the plans of the wicked!
================
My Africa trips:
2015: Tanzania, Malawi
2016:
Kenya, Uganda
2017:
Southern Africa, Dubai (
The
Last Run)
2018:
My trip to Latin America
2018: My trip to Thailand and Cambodia
March 18, 2018: South China Morning Post report on my work
Dec 2018 - Jan 2019 trip to Malaysia
June 2019: my anti-drug campaign featured in The Malaysia Drug Trade
Oct 23, 2019: FM988 Breakfast program in Kuala Lumpur at which I was a guest
--------------------
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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Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I. 胡
頌 恆 神 父
jdwomi@gmail.com
HK
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