Pope Francis

Pope's Pentecost homily: Newness, harmony, mission

Best viewed in Internet Explorer because of Microsoft-Google war! V2Catholic - A forum to promote and defend the vision of Vatican II Edited by prison chaplain Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I. 胡頌恆神父 Original articles have "comments welcome" link DV New articles 7 days a week to encourage people trying to follow the example of Pope Francis in implementing the vision of Vatican II by service of the poor, by a simple life style, by simple liturgy, by concern for Ecumenism, by concern for climate change, by concern for renewal of the Church, by support for family life - all underpinned by a rededication to the Bible. Two particular concerns: The New Translation "Reform of the reform" agenda

Imitating Pope Francis

Tuesday June 25 Pope interviewing a special group of children - just like a good teacher - Full story here

		June - month of the Sacred Heart Jesus' words to St. Margaret Mary, 1675 16 Documents of V2 We Are Church STANDUP4VATICAN2 VII - Voice of the Church Catholic Priests Ireland PrayTell Donald Cozzens Too Western/European Bp Pat Power Bp Geoff Robinson Bruce Duncan Catalyst for Renewal Catholics for Ministry Catholics for Renewal Frank Brennan Peter Johnstone The Swag 1998 ICEL Sacramentary Misguided Missal The new translation Ghastly process/result Excellent articles on Mission Hugh McMahon SSC Abortion - a true story Same-sex marriage and anal sex
	Martin Mallon Tuesday Ireland blogger Marked by a personal life of self-giving? Archbishop Diarmuid Martin should have gone further and called for society and the Government to wake-up to the damage that austerity is causing, and to change the country’s priorities to people rather than economics
	Christians should not be anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish) Pope uses his experience of genuine friendship with Jews in Argentina to develop ideas for more co-operation between Christians and Jews. c.f. video of him as cardinal at a synagogue for a Chanukah celebration (..scroll down..)
	Former US President Jimmy Carter: Catholic Church should ordain women
	Francis X. Clooney SJ My Trip to China II: Translating Religions in Hangzhou This younger generation of scholars and graduate students has to find its way in today’s China and with mindfulness of Chinese traditions and culture; and I will be satisfied – more than satisfied – if my brief visit and small insights may be of some use
	The Surveillance State - N.S.A.'s internet spying
	The Skulls Of Bisesero - How to commemorate the Rwandan genocide: "I gave myself what I thought was the more modest task of asking how Rwandans represent the mass murders to themselves and to foreigners. What do they recall and how do they do it?"
	Rusesabagina, Paul: An Ordinary Man - how one courageous and clever man saved 1,200 people at his hotel during the genocide in Rwanda. One of the most gripping books I've ever read....the full story behind the also gripping movie Hotel Rwanda and c.f. the other powerful Rwanda genocide movie: Shooting Dogs (also a true story)
Pope Francis	"I am not a Renaissance prince who goes to concerts instead of working" (!)
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 25 (comments welcome): - Good prayer to use when visiting Buddhist temple - A really practical piece of wisdom from Jewish history: when in trouble, remember God's help in the past. Such remembering helps us face the present and future - the virus of sin versus the anti-virus of grace - Crazy Jesus
	Vatican II Reflection 126 Think Big ! John W - Blog - June 25 Go Lions! ...I mean ...Go Christians!

Monday June 24 Solemnity of The Birth of St John the Baptist

A beautiful June 24 meditation - using the words of Pope Benedict XVI

An inspiring, timeless song....a good one to be humming and singing often on this day:|
Prepare ye the way of the Lord (video from "Godspell")

June - month of
the Sacred Heart

Jesus' words to St.
Margaret Mary, 1675

	Pope's words June 23: Daily martyrdom ... people doing their duty with love, according to the logic of Jesus. These people are the fathers and mothers who every day put into practice their faith by devoting their lives for the good of the family..... and the priests, monks and nuns who give generously their service to the kingdom of God... and people who give up their interests to devote time to children, the disabled, and the elderly". The Pope then spoke of Christians and non-Christians who lose their life for the truth, adding “those who serve the truth serve Christ.”	This website's kind bloggers (past and present) with archives of articles: Bakhita Hazel C Daniel Daring Inigo Joachim Brian Lewis Judith Lynch Martin Mallon Chris McDonnell Bill Mulcahy Des O'Donnell Darlene Starrs TASMAD David Timbs Peter Wilkinson Harry Winter John Wotherspoon More bloggers, more tank people, wanted from all parts of the world, to take a stand against tanks from the left and from the right Please email: jdwomi@gmail.com Weekly Archive of main page menus Previous archives 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008
	Video: Pope invites young man to join him in popemobile
	John W Pope Francis: how to heal divisions Like John XXIII, Francis will break down many barriers, melt many icebergs of misunderstanding, encourage people to forgive past hurts, and help people and groups to be friends again
	Video: Cardinal Pell on the Curia - there are two possible avenues of reform
	Interactive Bible Quiz - Ruth Based on the actual words of the Bible. How many times you can get 3/3 ?!
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 24 (comments welcome): A happy set of readings for the Birth of John the Baptist ....encouraging us to "prepare a way for the Lord" like John
	Vatican II Reflection 129 May social networking structures in each country promote goodness, not evil John W - Blog - June 24 How many birthdays are mentioned in the New Testament?

Sunday June 23

12th Sunday of the Year

Yesterday I was thinking quite a bit about item two on today's menu, re family life. It has so many ramifications....the most important being that the Church and governments should pull out all stops to support family life. Supporting family life should be a top priority. This little website will try to do its bit ....and in future DV will have more articles on the theme of family life. If you see an article you'd like to recommend, please send link to me: jdwomi@gmail.com. God bless all families! John W

June - month of
the Sacred Heart

Jesus' words to St Margaret Mary, 1675

	Darlene Starrs - Canada Sunday blogger Prospects of Change I like Pope Francis, and he is a rose in a field of dandelions, but, I really, really, hope, the abuses within the Church are recognized by him and corrected, otherwise, there is no substantive reform	Pray-as-you-go.org Daily prayer with beautiful music Jackie Evancho - To Believe Bishop Geoff Robinson and Bishop Bill Morris: Petition to Pope Francis to stop sexual abuse and to reform Church - & calling for a new Ecumenical Council ! (John W has signed petition) Brian Coyne (Catholica): Support this petition -------------------- Engagements of Pope Francis ------------------ Many thanks for checking this website each day
	"Family is a driver of faith.......family decline breeds religious decline" Mary Eberstadt: How the West Really Lost God (and see the reviews) Leading cultural critic Mary Eberstadt delivers a powerful new theory about the decline of religion in the Western world. The conventional wisdom is that the West first experienced religious decline, followed by the decline of the family. Eberstadt turns this standard account on its head. She shows that the reverse has also been true: the undermining of the family has further undermined Christianity itself See this special review: God and family in the West (and see the comments)
India	Monsoon death toll passes 600. At the least lets keep India in our prayers
	Joseph Girzone: Loyalty to God allows of no excuse to walk away from the Church People, and among them, priests, asked me if I ever thought of leaving the Church, especially after the way I was treated. I always told them that that was not an option. The Church is the living presence of Jesus in our lives, and he chooses to meet us in the Eucharist, so walking away from that is walking away from Jesus

Australia abuse commission	Abuse victims on Church council
US	Fortnight for Freedom returns (even though last year was a flop)
John Allen	Shifting plates Iran's new leader compared with Pope Francis
	This week's smile: Why was bishop's brain so valuable? (c.f. "Fortnight for Freedom" article above?)
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 23 (comments welcome): One theme of the readings is Jesus carrying his cross and inviting us to carry our cross each day. But what does "carrying our cross" really mean?
	Vatican II Reflection 128 The more we follow God's laws of love, the more human we are John W - Blog - June 23 "Most important article of the month"

Saturday June 22 Pope to nuncios - how to choose bishops:

Be attentive that the candidates are Pastors who are close to the people, fathers and brothers; that they are gentle, patient, and merciful; that they love poverty, interior poverty as freedom for the Lord and exterior poverty as simplicity and austerity of life; that they don't have a 'principles' psychology. Be attentive that they aren't ambitious, that they don't seek the episcopate—'volentes nolumus'—and that they are spouses of a Church without constantly seeking another. That they are capable of 'keeping an eye on' the flock that will be entrusted to them, that is, of caring for everything that keeps it united; of being 'vigilant' over it; of being attentive to dangers that threaten it; but above all that they are capable of 'keeping an eye over' the flock; of keeping watch; of tending hope, that there is sun and light in their hearts; of sustaining with love and patience the plans that God has for his people.”

June - month of
the Sacred Heart

Jesus' words to St.
Margaret Mary, 1675

		Sacred Space Daily prayer online. Available in 19 languages ----------------------------- Please encourage more people to see 1-10 re Bishop Bill Morris: 1: Judge's conclusions 2: Canon lawyer's report 3: Radio interview with judge 4: "The Age" file of letters 5: Summary re Rome 6: Frank Brennan's update 7: ABC radio Fr Frank Brennan 8. Update from Frank Brennan 9. Vatileaks & Bp Bill Morris 10: Tablet letter - Frank Brennan After reading 1-10, check the "Pravda" report of CNA Google "Morris" at top of this page for many articles re Bishop BM, the most recent being talk of March 26, 2013: Reclaiming the Spirit of Vatican II
	Pope Francis looks to the future
	More than a third of the world's women are victims of violence More than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence according to a report by the World Health Organization
	The Irish Catholic: We need to talk about priests A lot of priests are struggling with dwindling numbers and an increasing workload c.f. Priests 9 Masses a day - need to ordain married men
Liturgy	How Joseph got added to the Roman Cannon
Smile	Big protest planned in Heaven next Monday, June 24, Feast of St John the Baptist. Organisers are unhappy that Eucharistic Prayers have added Joseph ....but not JB!
Church sex abuse	Senior NSW police officer shredded documents from meetings with Catholic Church officials
	In the red corner: Ex-gay group Exodus International shuts down, president apologizes SMH report In the blue corner: Is change really possible? I was Gay
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 22 (comments welcome): - straying from God is not a one-way trip - in my busy life, how often do I notice the sights and sounds of nature? - if we are short of hope, return to the Source of hope - how many bishops/pastors/priests have or exercise a power to heal?
	Vatican II Reflection 127 Christian faith gives encourages a family spirit among humans John W - Blog - June 22 Good to have a daily prayer list

Friday June 21

If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the Summer Solstice

If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, today is the Winter Solstice

Without the tilt of the earth's axis, we would have no seasons. The sun's rays would be directly over the equator all year long. What a good job the Lord did in giving our axis a tilt!
The earth - our "just right" planet

June - month of
the Sacred Heart

Jesus' words to St.
Margaret Mary, 1675

	Pope yesterday, June 20: More must be done to end scandal of starvation There is a need to oppose the shortsighted economic interests and the mentality of power of a relative few who exclude the majority of the world’s peoples, generating poverty and marginalization and causing a breakdown in society. There is likewise a need to combat the corruption which creates privileges for some and injustices for many others	Homeless Jesus Humble photo Barefoot man in cold and rain St Peter's Square 2013-03-12 praying for conclave Pope Francis: Thank you Holy Spirit This site's full statistics for May 2013 If you find a broken link in this website, please let me know: jdwomi@gmail.com
John W	Websites - what's the best format? A reflection on recent changes to CathNews, Eureka Street etc
	Bishop diagnoses the institutional disease - a review of Bishop Geoff Robinson's book by Tom Fox "We can no longer limit our blame to individuals, but must also look for factors within the very culture of the Church that have contributed"
	Decline and fall: how American society unravelled - a review of George Packer's The Unwinding Thirty years ago, the old deal that held US society together started to unwind, with social cohesion sacrificed to greed. Was it an inevitable process – or was it engineered by self-interested elites?
	Noam Chomsky: NSA surveillance is an attack on American citizens Governments will use whatever technology is available to combat their primary enemy – their own population
For Spanish speakers	Sunday readings & homilies: http://www.homilia.org/ http://www.corazones.org/bibli a_y_liturgia/liturgia/a_liturg ia.htm:
	CIA: (my first time to visit this site!) List of the main illegal drugs in the world today
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 21 (comments welcome): - "To us belongs the look of shame" ....after the sex-abuse crisis - thanks to the One who heals all our ills - how far can you trace back your family tree? - people attracted by healing
	Vatican II Reflection 126 The answer to life's big questions: J _ _ U _ John W - Blog - June 21 Only a fool .....

Thursday June 20

World Refugee Day

Pope's message for World Refugee Day:
We see the face of Christ in refugees

"We cannot be insensitive to refugees.
We are called to help them"

June - month of
the Sacred Heart

Jesus' words to St.
Margaret Mary, 1675

	Pope's talk yesterday, June 19: Unity in the Body of Christ In off-the-cuff remarks Pope Francis revealed how earlier Wednesday morning he had spent almost 40 minutes in prayer with an evangelical pastor, praying for unity in the Church	To publish an article on this site please contact Fr John Wotherspoon omi: jdwomi@gmail.com Taking a stand Next pope: load of rubbish Navigation Aids Standing up to bullies Bible plan 2012 Near Death Experiences John's other sites: www.jesustower.com www.riccicenter.com www.doctorjesus.org www.simplebible.info `China Library - essential reading for anyone interested in China's Christian history`
	Daniel Daring Thursday blogger (this goes well with talk above, by Pope) Equal and one in Christ Reflection on June 23 Sunday readings: The phrase “in Christ” occurs 164 times in Paul's writings. Those who are “in Christ” do not need “ethical norms, legal rules, or communal instructions.” In any circumstances of life, they intuitively discern the cause of action. By clothing themselves with Christ, they have internalized Christ's values and attitudes of which the most important is respect for the dignity of others
	100 Days of Francis The Holy Father is a reporter’s dream with punchy, provocative, challenging sound bites that communicate moral principle and genuine passion
	Francis X. Clooney SJ My Trip to China I: Matteo Ricci and Religious Exchange Today There is no direct connection between the work of the Jesuits buried in the cemetery and what I have been seeing this week but surely, beyond our grasp and limited expectations, the work we do in our own generation, for Christ and for the Church, bears fruit in unexpected ways, in new faces and new words, even centuries later
Liturgy	Pope adds name of St. Joseph to Eucharistic prayers Video report
父爱如山 (Father's love like mountain)	Beautiful work of love in Beijing - Caring for handicapped orphans - Father's Day report in Beijing newspaper
	John W: my June 17 article Same-sex marriage: two elephants in the room continues to attract lively comments: at Catholica and at National Catholic Reporter (at comments, select "newest first") But notice the silence of Pope Francis on same-sex marriage (Google "pope francis same-sex marriage"....some articles seeing "silence = consent"). Hope he makes a statement soon
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 20 (comments welcome): - from a time of personal and national tragedy, an inspiring prayer of hope (with beautiful YouTube song) - a "hang in there" prayer - our most important card > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> - sometimes it's ok to get angry
	Vatican II Reflection 125 Faith doesn't diminish our human personality. Faith makes it bloom and grow John W - Blog - June 20 The world's most famous refugee

Wednesday June 19

Pope at Mass yesterday:
The hard lesson of loving our enemies Beautiful video report !

God lets sun shine and rain fall on the good and the bad, on the just and the unjust, we must do the same or else we are not being Christian. Let me just ask this question and let each of us answer it in our own heart: 'Do I pray for my enemies? Do I pray for those who don't love me?

June - month of
the Sacred Heart

Jesus' words to St.
Margaret Mary, 1675

		Hans Küng: Letter to bishops Revolution to stop authoritarianism Fr Joseph Ratzinger: Writings on Vat II (link gone...anyone able to find it?) Robert Mickens: Vatican Implosion Nicholas Lash: Vatican II: Of Happy Memory - and Hope? Robert McNally: Crisis & Criticism in the Church Ron Schmit: 1962 Mass a condemnation of Vatican II Priests 9 Masses a day - need to ordain married men The evil of compulsory celibacy Link between compulsory celibacy and sexual abuse Why are women not being ordained to priesthood?
	A worthy place Chris McDonnell UK Wednesday blogger We have, in our small parish church, the seven volumes, all now commercially available, of the St. John’s Bible, the original MSS being in St John’s College , Minnesota . It is placed in a wooden cabinet in front of the Font as you come into church, with a display lectern available for reading the text. It is a most beautiful piece of craftsmanship. The artwork is simply stunning.
	Buoyed by a new pope, US priests gather to urge church reform AUSCP will hold its second annual assembly at Seattle University June 24-27
	As G8 approaches....food for thought: Child malnutrition ....even in the US (with video report)
	From St. Beuno's Outreach, Wales: Reflections on the readings of this coming Sunday, the 12th Sunday of the Year
	China: 17 Catholic buildings added to list of national monuments ....with the hope they will be restored, like Guangzhou Sacred Heart Cathedral which has been beautifully restored with Y20 million government funding. This Wikipedia article has photos of the lovely new stained glass windows made by a Philippine company for the Guangzhou cathedral
	Bishops' petition to Pope goes global, now has more than 50,000 signatures: Brian Coyne's update ABC report Petition website Supported by The Good Oil
	John W: my June 17 article Same-sex marriage: two elephants in the room continues to attract lively comments: at Catholica and at National Catholic Reporter (at comments, select "newest first")
	Reading, Reflection, Prayer for today, June 19 (comments welcome): - With Ezekiel in captivity in Babylon - definition of "walking with a blameless heart" - definition of a real Christian - don't turn religion into a prisoner of human laws
	Vatican II Reflection 124 Atheism, like religion, is not 100% pure John W - Blog - June 19 US and Israel illustrate the English saying The pot calling the kettle black

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