V2Catholic.comDr Jesus Centre 187 Temple St Jordan
A
voice for the poor
by HK prison chaplain
胡頌恆神父
Fr John Wotherspoon
O.M.I.
jdwomi@gmail.com
W/App +852 67095674
Imitating
Pope Francis
Tues March 21
Tour groups from the Mainland are now starting to be seen again on the streets of the Jordan-Yau Ma Tei area. A good thing and a good sign. But unfortunately there are still many problems for HK to face. Yesterday morning after I posted some items for prisoners at Kowloon Central Post Office in YMT, I was staggered to notice the number of shops for rent as I walked back along Nathan Road towards Jordan Road
Laudato
Si:
40.
Oceans not only contain the bulk of our planet's water supply, but also most of
the immense variety of living creatures, many of them still unknown to us and
threatened for various reasons. What is more, marine life in rivers, lakes, seas
and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world's population, is
affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of
certain species. Selective forms of fishing which discard much of what they
collect continue unabated. Particularly threatened are marine organisms which we
tend to overlook, like some forms of plankton; they represent a significant
element in the ocean food chain, and species used for our food ultimately depend
on them.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on Article 12
of Document on The
Church
---------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
30: God said to Moses:
"Every morning offer one lamb as a sacrifice for the people.
Every evening offer another lamb as a sacrifice for the people.
I will meet the people of
Dear
God, you created us, we are your people
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
105: Give thanks to the Lord, make known his deeds among all the peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise.
Tell all his wonderful works. Be proud of his holy name.
Let hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his
strength.
Constantly seek his face. Never forget how the Lord has helped us in the
past,
how he has protected Israel from its beginning till now.
Dear
God, please help me understand how you have been loving and protecting me
since the beginning of my life
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
Matthew
6.16-24: Jesus said to the crowds: When you do a bit of fasting,
don't run round telling the world what you are doing. Secret fasting is spiritually powerful.
Your most important account is
with the Bank of Heaven.
Build up your deposit with lots of good deeds and prayers. Physical blindness is a great tragedy.
Greater still is spiritual blindness. God must be number one in your life.
Don't let money or anything else replace God.
Jesus, please be Number One in
my life
Listen
Reflection: Spiritual blindness stops us from seeing the needs of others and signs of God's love in the world
------------------------------
Yesterday afternoon I ordered quite a few dictionaries and
other books for prisoners from Man
Yuen Bookstore in nearby Jordan. It's faster and cheaper than Amazon!
-------------------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On this 21st
of
the month, Jesus please bless the people of Yunnan
And praying for one of
the world's poorest countries
each day of the month:
On this 21st of the month, Jesus please
bless the people of Afghanistan
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday,
please pacify Boko
Haram
----------------------------
----------------------------
Mon
March 20
Feast of St Joseph
Founder
(who I met in January) and adviser of NGO Clean Start - 2
extraordinary women in Kenya! One of them unjustly put in prison with her 3
month old child .... 60 mothers and children in one crowded prison cell with one toilet
Laudato
Si:
39. The
replacement of virgin forest with plantations of trees, usually
monocultures, is rarely adequately analyzed. Yet this can seriously compromise a
biodiversity which the new species being introduced does not accommodate.
Similarly, wetlands converted into
cultivated land lose the enormous biodiversity which they formerly
hosted. In some coastal areas the disappearance of ecosystems sustained by mangrove
swamps is a source of serious concern.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on Article 11
of Document on The
Church
------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for
Feast of St Joseph
2
Samuel 7: After David settled
into his palace and the land enjoyed peace, David thought about building a
temple for the Lord. Then through the prophet Nathan the Lord told David:
"I will establish your dynasty for ever. But it will be your son, not
yourself, who will build a temple for me." David praised God: "Who am
I, Lord, and what is my House, that you have helped me so much and promised me
so much? May my
House continue in your presence for ever. May
you bless my House forever."
Jesus, Son of David, give peace to our world
My recording of this reading
Psalm
134: I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that
your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as
the heavens. "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have
sworn to David my
servant: I will establish your dynasty for ever, and set up your throne
through all ages".
Jesus, Son of David, may your kingdom of peace come in our troubled world
Recording
Revelation
22.16-20: "I, Jesus,
have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the
churches. I am of David's line, the Root of David,
the Bright Star of the Morning". The Spirit and the Bride say:
"Come". Let all who want eternal life say: "Come". Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Jesus, Son of David, come into our world!
Recording
Matthew
1.18-24: This
is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph;
but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the
Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare her
publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this
when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what
is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus,
because he is the one who is to save his
people from their sins.' When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the
Lord had told him to do.
Jesus, Son of David, save your people from war and strife
Recording
Reflection on the above readings: As the legal son of Joseph, Jesus was a descendant of King David
Correction to popular use: Joseph was the step-father, not foster-father of Jesus, because Joseph was the husband of Mary, and Mary was Jesus' biological mother. St Joseph, pray for our families!
-------------------------
For
feast of St Joseph: Thief
breaks into convent of Sisters of St Joseph. Then a voice is heard: "Joseph
is watching". Thief cannot see anyone. Voice is again heard: "Joseph
is watching". Thief uses torch....sees that "voice" is a parrot.
Thief goes on putting items in his sack. Voice then says to huge savage guard
dog: "Get him, Joseph!"!!!
--------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On
this 20th of
the month, Jesus please bless the people of Sichuan
And
praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 21st
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Sudan
And praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday,
please pacify I.S.
-----------------------
----------------------
Sun March 20
MercyHK's Cookie Project
- info here
I watched Robin's Clark's historic
speech here, regretting the start of the invasion of Iraq
Laudato
Si:
38. Let us mention, for example, those
richly biodiverse lungs of our planet which are the Amazon and the Congo basins,
or the great aquifers and glaciers. We know how important these are for the
entire earth and for the future of humanity. The ecosystems of tropical forests
possess an enormously complex biodiversity which is almost impossible to
appreciate fully, yet when these forests are burned down or levelled for
purposes of cultivation, within the space of a few years countless species are
lost and the areas frequently become arid wastelands. A delicate balance has to
be maintained when speaking about these places, for we cannot overlook the huge
global economic interests which, under the guise of protecting them, can
undermine the sovereignty of individual nations. In fact, there are "proposals
to internationalize the Amazon, which only serve the economic interests of
transnational corporations". We cannot fail to praise the commitment
of international agencies and civil society organizations which draw public
attention to these issues and offer critical cooperation, employing legitimate
means of pressure, to ensure that each government carries out its proper and
inalienable responsibility to preserve its country's environment and natural
resources, without capitulating to spurious local or international interests.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on Article 14
of Document on The
Church
------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Readings are from
Simple Bible
c.f. readings for Lent 4
1
Samuel 16: The
Lord told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse's sons as king. Samuel
anointed Jesse's son David as king. The spirit of the Lord came down on
David and stayed with him from that day on.
Dear
God, may your Holy Spirit come down on more and more people
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
23: The Lord
is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping
spirit. He guides me along the right path. He is true to his name. If I should
walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your
crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort. You have prepared a
banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My
head you have anointed with oil. My cup is overflowing. Surely goodness
and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord's own house
shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Thank you, Lord, for being my good shepherd
Ephesians
5.10-20: Try
to discover what the Lord wants of you. Have nothing to do with the futile works
of darkness. Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine
on you. Be very careful about the sort of life you live. Follow your enlightened
mind, not your unruly passions. Avoid drunkenness. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit. Sing prayer songs when you are together, and when you're by yourself, keep
on singing to the Lord in your heart, always giving thanks to God.
Jesus, make my heart
sing right through the day
Recording
John
9.1-33: Once
when Jesus was walking along the road, he saw a man who had been blind from
birth. Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud with the spittle. He put the
mud on the man's eyes, and said "Go and wash in the Siloam Pool". The
blind man went and washed, and came away able to see. When the blind man heard
people criticize Jesus, he said "Ever
since the world began, it has never been recorded that someone opened the eyes
of a man born blind. This man must be from God".
Jesus, please heal my blind friend ....(name)
Recording
Reflection
on the above readings:
Today's
Gospel reminds us of the
story of John Newton, a former slave ship captain who in
1829 composed the words of Amazing
Grace (with
the lines "I was blind, but now I see"). My
homily for today will feature him
Reflection by Fr Peter: English Chinese
-------------
Video
commentary on today's readings - in Italian, Chinese, English, and
Spanish
(+
Cantonese audio)
-------------------------------
Hour
of Love HK radio program 8.30
pm HK time tonight
- with items about HK prison inmates
-------------------------------
My
team, the Brisbane Lions, were thrashed in first game of the season yesterday!
------------------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On this 20th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Sichan
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 20th of the month, Jesus
please bless the people of Sudan
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Sunday,
please bless all Muslims in my country
-----------------------
----------------------
Sat March 18
I spent most of yesterday at the desk .... lots of office work, especially mitigation letters for prisoners being sentenced ... but such letters have helped several people receive sentence reductions in recent weeks ... so the work must continue ... but come to think of it, I also would love less homework... a reduction in the number of sentences I need to write!
Illustrated
letter, in Chinese
and English,
of 43 year old HK woman in prison for drug trafficking
Laudato
Si:
37. Some countries have made significant
progress in establishing sanctuaries on land and in the oceans where any human
intervention is prohibited which might modify their features or alter their
original structures. In the protection of biodiversity, specialists insist on
the need for particular attention to be shown to areas richer both in the number
of species and in endemic, rare or less protected species. Certain
places need greater protection because of their immense importance for
the global ecosystem, or because they represent important water reserves and
thus safeguard other forms of life.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on Article 13
of Document on The
Church
---------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus
28-29: God said to Moses:
"Your brother Aaron and his sons will be priests in my service.
Make sacred vestments for them:
breastpiece, ephod, robe, tunic, turban and sash.
You must anoint Aaron and his sons
and consecrate them to serve me as priests.
Dear
God, please bless and protect all sacred ministers
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
104: Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are. You make the clouds your chariot.
You walk on the wings of the wind. You make springs gush forth in the valleys.
They give drink to all the animals of the field. You make grass grow for the cattle
and plants to provide food for people. You give us wine to cheer our hearts
and oil to make our faces shine. You made the moon to mark the months.
The sun knows the time for its setting. How many are your works, O Lord.
In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches
and the sea is swarming with life. All things, great and small, look to you for
food.
You open your hand, they have their fill. You send forth your spirit, and life is
created.
You renew the face of the earth. I will sing to the Lord all my
life.
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
Bless the Lord, my soul!
01
02
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
Matthew
6.1-15: Jesus said to the crowds:
When you do a good deed,
do it for its own sake, not just to get people to praise you. When you pray, love to pray in private in your
heart.
Don't be looking for people to notice and praise you. When you pray, there's no need to rave on and
on.
God is not deaf. Prayer is not a lawyer arguing a case.
Prayer is a child speaking with simple trust like this:
Our Father in heaven, may everyone love and honor you. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Thank you for enough food for today.
Forgive us as we forgive others. Save us in time of trial.
Protect us from evil
Jesus, help me remember
that each time I pray "The Our Father",
you are praying with me. "Your Father = my Father = our
Father"
Listen
Reflection: For most people, prayer is a one-sided conversation ... all talk and little or no listening
------------
Often
heard these days in HK since wearing of masks stopped being obligatory:
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you" (.. because I haven't seen you
without a mask for more than 2 years!)
------------------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On this 18th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Shandong
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 18th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Gambia
And
praying for one Islam-related intention
each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Saturday,
please pacify the
Taliban
------------------------
------------------------
Fri March 17
St Patrick's Day!
From
this article I learnt that HK's flag flower "Bauhinia blakeana"
was named after a HK governor born in Ireland!
How
HK celebrates St Patrick's Day
Yesterday
morning there was a wonderful gathering at the Mercy Centre in Nathan Road: 32
mothers (nearly all of them single mothers), 31 small children, 7 domestic
workers, 7 "team members" including social worker Lucia, 3 sisters,
and Fr Jun. The gathering will hopefully continue each Thursday as a support
group for the mothers. And yesterday was especially happy since it was the
birthday of 2 small boys, 2 years old yesterday!
Woman
vows to prove mother's innocence in drug trafficking case. Report about this
case by W5 (Canada's Sixty Minutes) has now had more
than one million views. Part of the report was filed at the Dr Jesus
Centre in Jordan. Report is here.
*** My
message yesterday on Nigeria's biggest online forum re new drug mules from
Uganda arrested at HK airport
Laudato
Si:
36. Caring for ecosystems demands
far-sightedness, since no one looking for quick and easy profit is truly
interested in their preservation. But
the cost of the damage caused by such selfish lack of concern is much greater
than the economic benefits to be obtained. Where certain species are
destroyed or seriously harmed, the values involved are incalculable. We can be
silent witnesses to terrible injustices if we think that we can obtain
significant benefits by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the
extremely high costs of environmental deterioration.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on Article 12
of Document on The
Church
Fridays
of Lent:
Prayer before a Crucifix
-------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
Readings are from
Simple Bible
Exodus 26-27: God said to Moses:
"Make a cover for the sacred
tent.
Make the cover's support frames of acacia wood.
Make a veil of purple, violet and red
behind which to put the sacred chest.
Make an altar out of acacia wood.
Make altar vessels out of bronze.
Make a sacred courtyard to go around the tent.
Place a sacred flame outside the veil
and keep the flame burning from night till morning."
Dear
God,
thank you for churches and other special places for prayer
My
recording of this reading
Psalm
103: My soul, give thanks to the Lord.
All my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings. It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills.It is he who fills your life with good things,renewing your youth like an eagle's life.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy. As the heavens are high above the earthso strong is his love for those who love him.
As far as the East is from the West,
so far does he remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his
children,
the Lord has pity on all who love and honor him. Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels,
who heed the voice of his word. Give thanks to the Lord, everyone and
everything.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord!
Thank you, Lord, for your love
and compassion
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
Matthew
5.13-48: Jesus said to the crowds:
You are the salt of the
earth.
But if salt loses its taste, it's no use for anything. You are the light of
the world.
Let the world see your light, your good deeds.
When people see you doing good deeds,
people will praise God. I have not come to
abolish the Jewish religion.
I have come to raise it to a higher level of
goodness. Your goodness must not
just be something superficial.Your goodness must be something from the heart.
You must avoid anger
and insult, just like you avoid murder.
If you have offended someone, say "Sorry". You must avoid lustful
looks and thoughts.
Looking at someone lustfully is immorality of the heart. Love and pray for
people who are unkind to you.
This is the way to practise the highest level of goodness.
Jesus, please help me
practise a higher level of goodness
Listen
Reflection:
If we need to
know what to do in any situation, what to think about any situation/issue/person
.... the best idea is to stop and remember what did Jesus say about such a
situation/person/issue
-------------------------
The Australian Rules Football (AFL) season began
last night in Melbourne! My team, Brisbane, due to have their first game
tomorrow.
-------------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On this 17th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Shaanxi
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the
month:
On this 17th of the month, Jesus please bless the
people of Ethiopia
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday,
please bless all Muslims
----------------------------
----------------------------
Thu March 16
At
the Mercy Centre in Nathan Road yesterday morning 17 priests and 2 deacons
attended the bi-monthly West Kowloon Dearnery meeting, followed by a delicious
Indonesian meal prepared by some of the domestic helpers who stay at a Mercy
hostel in Jordan. In the afternoon the same centre was host to the weekly
gathering for local drug addicts. Last night's weekly gathering for Nepal drug
addicts began at the Dr Jesus Centre in Jordan for prayer ... then adjourned to
a nearby McDonald's!
Laudato
Si:
35.
In assessing the environmental impact of any project, concern is usually shown
for its effects on soil, water and air, yet few careful studies are made of its
impact on biodiversity, as if the loss of species or animals and plant groups
were of little importance. Highways, new plantations, the fencing-off of certain
areas, the damming of water sources, and similar developments, crowd out natural
habitats and, at times, break them up in such a way that animal populations can
no longer migrate or roam freely. As a result, some species face extinction.
Alternatives exist which at least lessen the impact of these projects, like the
creation of biological corridors, but few countries demonstrate such concern and
foresight. Frequently, when certain species are exploited commercially,
little attention is paid to studying their reproductive patterns in order to
prevent their depletion and the consequent imbalance of the ecosystem.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on
Article 11
of Document on The
Church
-------------------------
The Book Blog: 4 readings + recordings
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
Psalm 102: O Lord, listen to my
prayer in my distress.
Do not hide your face from me. For my days are
vanishing like smoke,
my bones burn away like a fire. I forget to eat my
bread.
My skin clings to my bones. All day long my foes
revile me.
Those who hate me use my name as a curse. But you, O Lord, will
endure for ever.
You will arise and have mercy on Sion. You will hear the
groans of the prisoners
and free those condemned to die. I pray to you: "Do
not take me away before my time has come,
you whose days last from age to age.
Lord, please help people who
are in great distress
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
Matthew
5.1-12: Jesus said to the crowds: Blessed are poor and simple of heart
people.
They belong to the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are people who are going through great
sorrow.
Their hearts will be filled with peace. Blessed are people who lead just and honest
lives.
They will see the victory of goodness. Blessed are people who show mercy to
others.
God will be merciful to them. Blessed are people who have a clean
heart.
They will see God. Blessed are people who are
peacemakers.
They are God's children.
Blessed are people who are persecuted for the cause of right.
They will receive a great reward in heaven.
Jesus, please help me be
merciful and kind and just
Listen
Reflection: "People who lead just and honest lives" ... urgently needed in places like Nigeria where injustice and dishonesty have become the norm rather than the exception
---------
Senior's
moment: I lay down on my bed at home for a rest after lunch yesterday
... planning to do a bit of reading from a book with very light print
(...publisher trying to save money by not using dark print?) for which I use my
glasses (...don't need glasses for ordinary print). But when I opened my glasses
case, it was empty. I had forgotten to put the glasses in!
--------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On this 16th of the month, Jesus please bless the people of
And praying for one of the
world's poorest countries each day of the month:
On this 16th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Malawi
And praying for one Islam-related
intention each day of the
week:
Jesus, today, Thursday, please pacify Al-Qaeda
----------------------------
Wed March 15
("The
Ides of March")
Yesterday I was at Lai
Chi Kok men's prison for about 7 hours .... very sad to meet new drug mules
from Africa and new local drug cases ... and as usual I came away with a
notebook of jobs to do, especially mitigation letters to write. But I must say I
love going to LCK ... where I used to go 3 or 4 times a week ....it's my special
prison where I feel at home ... and where a visit is like a holiday rather than
work!
Laudato
Si:
34. It may well disturb us to learn of the
extinction of mammals or birds, since they are more visible. But the good
functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles
and an innumerable variety of microorganisms. Some less numerous species,
although generally unseen, nonetheless play a critical role in maintaining the
equilibrium of a particular place. Human beings must intervene when a geosystem
reaches a critical state. But nowadays, such intervention in nature has become
more and more frequent. As a consequence, serious problems arise, leading to
further interventions; human activity becomes ubiquitous, with all the risks
which this entails. Often a vicious circle results, as human intervention to
resolve a problem further aggravates the situation. For example, many birds and
insects which disappear due to synthetic agrotoxins are helpful for agriculture:
their disappearance will have to be compensated for by yet other techniques
which may well prove harmful. We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts
being made by scientists and engineers dedicated to finding solutions to
man-made problems. But a sober look at our world shows that the degree of human
intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is
actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey,
even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound
limitlessly. We seem to think that we
can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we
have created ourselves.
Pope
asking us to re-read main documents of Vatican 2.
My reflection on Article 10
of Document on The
Church
------------------------------
The
Book Blog:
4 readings + recordings
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
101: My song is of mercy and justice.
I sing to you, O Lord. I will try to walk with blameless
heart.
I will try to give my attention to what is good, not what is bad. People who slander others, people of proud
looks,
these will not be my friends.
People who are good and do good,
these will be my friends.
Dear Lord, please help me to
avoid bad company
Listen
Ephesians
1.9-13: God the Father has let us know his sacred
plan:
the whole show, everything in heaven and everything in earth,
is one big orchestra with Christ as the conductor.
We Jews are special instruments in the
orchestra.
We were chosen to put our hope in Christ before he came. And you non-Jews are also on the stage,
now that you have believed the truth of the Good News. All of us have been stamped with the Holy
Spirit.
He's the composer whose music we are playing.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for the
gift of life
and the gift of faith. Help me play well!
Listen
Matthew
4.12-25: After his time in the desert,
Jesus began preaching the same message as John the Baptist:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand". Jesus called four fishermen to become
"fishers of men":
Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John.
They left their boats and went with Jesus.
Jesus went all round the area of Galilee,
preaching in local prayer halls
and healing all kinds of sick people. News
spread about the sick being healed,
and soon even people from distant places came to Jesus to be healed.
Jesus, please heal the people I
know who are sick: (...names...)
Listen
Reflection: Jesus did not call "important" people like religious leaders or business people or wealthy people of prominent officials ... but fishermen
---------------------------
My visit to the men's prison yesterday was preceded by
bacon and egg roll with Cappuccino at nearby SUBWAY .... and followed by tuna
roll with hot chocolate also at SUBWAY!
-------------------------
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 one
part of the Mainland each day of the month:
On this 15th
of
the month, Jesus please bless the people of Liaoning
And praying for one of
the world's poorest
countries each day of the month:
On this 15th
of the month, Jesus please bless the people of Liberia
And praying for one
Islam-related intention each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Wednesday,
please pacify Al-Shabaab
--------------------------------
-----------------------
===
Africa:
2020: My trip to Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg
Jan 1, 2020: How cocaine trafficking is impacting West Africa
2017:
My trip to Southern Africa, Dubai (
The
Last Run)
2016:
My trip to Kenya, Uganda
2015: My trip to Tanzania, Malawi
----------------
Latin America:
2019-05-10: No More Mules Peru FB boost 199,000 views!
2019-01-20: Article in El Pais, Uruguay - 01 02
2018-09-18: No More Mules Facebook campaign - more than 300,000 people reached in Venezuela
2018: My trip to Latin America
----------------
South East Asia:
Aug 16, 2020: CNN - Indonesian women recruited to take drugs to Hong Kong
Oct 23, 2019: FM988 Breakfast program in Kuala Lumpur at which I was a guest
June 2019: My campaign featured in The Malaysia Drug Trade (6 written reports & documentary video)
2019-03-25: Eleven HK01 video and photo reports about Malaysian drug mules arrested in HK- here (one of the reports is about my anti-drug campaign).
Dec 2018 - My Jan 2019 trip to Malaysia
2018: My trip to Thailand and Cambodia
--------------------
Hong Kong:
July 2019: My warning to HK domestic helpers - published here in HK Filipino media
2018-09-22:
My
60 min video interview with Radio99,
in Cantonese, is here: 01 02
to help stop people going to prison
2018-07-29: SCMP- Beware drug lords luring domestic helpers, refugees into narcotics trade
2018-04-08: The Pearl Report on TVB - concerning HK's Long Term Sentencing Review Board and my anti-drug campaign
March 18, 2018: South China Morning Post report on my work
2017-09-27: SCMP Spirit of HK Awards (video starts after 20 secs)
2017-08-24: Cable TV video report on my anti-drug campaign and a Facebook report on the video report (click "translation" for English)
2017-05-17: SCMP - The prison chaplain who has stopped 150 drug mules reaching HK
2017-03-25: Oriental Daily report of case of South African woman given discount for help to my campaign *** May 14 updates: Oriental Daily, Sing Tao
Dec 1, 2016 - HK News: More women being recruited as drug mules
2016-10-13: HK01 report about campaign and about work for the poor
2016-09-11: Oriental Daily report about my campaign - and same day Editorial
2016-08-27: Oriental Daily article about court case and campaign
My
anti-drug campaign sites
(skillfully
managed by kind HK friends):
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nomasmulas/
Facebook: Chinese no more mules page
http://hkdrugblog.org/name-and-shame/index.htm
----------------------
Photos
from my time in China 2001-20008
---------------------
---------------------
Gay marriage: Elephant in the room (by John W)
--------------------------------------------
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
prisoners:
Sun:
Lo Wu
Mon: C.I.C., Siu Lam, Tai
Lam
Tue: Stanley
Wed: Hei Ling Chau
Thu: Lantau
Fri: Lai Chi Kok
Sat: Hospitals, Pik Uk & other centres
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This website was launched in construction
mode in Hong Kong on November 20, 2011 - the Feast of Christ
the King.
The official launching
was
held on the Gold Coast, Australia, on January 20,
2012.
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Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I. 胡
頌 恆 神 父
jdwomi@gmail.com
HK
mobile +852- 67095674
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