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The Catholic Church

  • God Is!
    "In a way, all history cries aloud that God is." Pope Leo XIII
  • An important historical fact
    "The Catholic Church herself is an historic fact. Like a great mountain-range she bestrides the history of the past two thousand years. Whatever may be the attitude adopted toward her, it is impossible to escape her." Pope Pius XII
  • Not easily understood
    "Catholicism is a deep matter, you cannot take it up in a teacup." Venerable John Henry Newman
  • Not Perfect
    "Ought history to hide the faults of men and Orders? It was not after this fashion that the Saints laid open the scandals of their times... God indeed has conferred upon His Church the prerogative of infallibility, but to none of her members has He granted immunity from sin. Peter was a sinner and a renegade, and God has been at pains to have that fact recorded in the Gospels." Jean-Baptise Henri Lacordaire, O.P.
  • The Church
    "There is not and never was on this earth, a work of human policy so richly deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church... She saw the commencement of all the governments and of the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world, and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She was great and respected before the Saxon had set foot on Britain, before the Frank had crossed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished in Antioch, when idols were still worshipped in the temple of Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigour when some traveler from New Zealand, in the midst of a vast solitude, takes his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's." Thomas Babington Macaulay

Can you beat this?


  • Jesus promises you two things. Your life has meaning and you will live forever. If you get a better deal than that, take it!!!

Youth learn by example


  • Nothing is so contagious as an example, and our every really good or bad action inspires a similar one.

The Second Coming

  • I've no idea when Jesus is coming back. I'm on the Welcoming Committee, not the Planning Committee!

The Problems of Sin and Imperfection


  • Indeed each time we attempt to force a solution or our difficulties in a quick, easy way we refuse to enter the school of life. This is especially true of the problems of sin and imperfection. Our personal inclinations to certain types of sin and imperfection will be with us as long as we live. They are rooted in our unique nature and in the dark recesses of our past. To be sure, we must try to overcome them in the current of our existence, but we must also humbly accept the fact that possibly we shall never be wholly rid of them in spite of our efforts. It may be that we must live with a certain imperfection to the end of our life; that we must patiently try to cope with it in countless ways while never succeeding in eliminating it. A certain sin may persecute us until our last breath, humiliate us in the eyes of others, escape our understanding, and fill our eyes with tears. This fact we must accept. The Lord will never ask how successful we were in overcoming a particular vice, sin, or imperfection. He will ask us, “Did you humbly and patiently accept this mystery of iniquity in your life? How did you deal with it? Did you learn from it to be patient and humble? Did it teach you to trust not your own ability but My love? Did it enable you to understand better the mystery of iniquity in the lives of others? Did it give you the most typical characteristic of a truly religious person—that he never judges or condemns the sin and imperfection of others?” The religious man knows from his own life that the demon of evil can be stronger than man even in spite of his best attempts; he knows that it is the patience, humility, and charity learned from this experience that count. Success and failure are accidental. The joy of the Christian is never based on his personal religious success but on the knowledge that his Redeemer lives. The Christian is the man who is constantly aware of his need of salvation. Acceptance of the mystery of iniquity in our project of existence is a school of mildness, mercy, forgiveness, and loving understanding of our neighbor.

Suffering


  • There is at this moment, in the world, at the back of some foresaken church, or even in an ordinary house, or at the turning of some deserted path, a poor man who joins his hands and from the depth of his misery, without very well knowing what he is saying, or without saying anything, thanks the good Lord for having made him free, for having made him capable of loving. There is somewhere else, I do not know where, a mother who hides here face for the last time in the hollow of a little breast which will beat no more, a mother next to her dead child who offers to God a groan of an exhausted resignation, as if the Voice which has thrown the suns into space as a hand throws grain, the Voice which makes the worlds tremble, had just murmured gently into her ear, “Pardon me, one day you will know, you will understand, you will give me thanks. But now, what I am looking for is your pardon. Pardon.” These—this harassed woman, this poor man—are at the heart of the mystery, at the heart of the universal creation and in the very secret of God. What can I say of it? Language is at the service of intelligence. And what these people have understood, they have understood by a faculty superior to the intelligence although not in the least in contradiction with it—or rather, by a profound and irresistible movement of the soul which engaged all the faculties at once, which engaged to the depth of their entire nature…. Yes at the moment that this man, this woman, accepted their destiny, accepted themselves humbly—the mystery of creation was being accomplished in them. While they were thus, without knowing it, running the entire risk of their human conduct, they were realizing themselves fully in the charity of Christ., becoming themselves, according to the words of St. Paul, other Christs. In short, they were saints.

WORK TIRELESSLY FOR PEACE

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Spirituality


  • Spirituality is anything that reminds us we are already in the presence of a Loving God. Krister Stendahl

I will not fear, for you are ever with me


  • My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton

History of Maryknoll

  • Bishop James A Walsh
    James Anthony Walsh, son of James Walsh and Hanna Shea, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 24, 1867. After completing his elementary education in the public schools, he attended Boston College High School where, in extracurricular activities, his skills in debating and journalism were first recognized and developed. He began his college program at Boston College, interrupted it to study bookkeeping, transferred to Harvard College as a "special student", and completed his studies at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts. He was ordained on May 20, 1892, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. Early Accomplishments After ordination, Walsh was appointed curate at St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts where he directed sodalities and organizations for both the young men and women of the parish. In 1903, he was appointed Diocesan Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and in 1907 founded The Field Afar magazine, a monthly publication about the foreign missions of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America Walsh's interest in the foreign missions led to his founding, together with Rev. Thomas Frederick Price, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (C.F.M.S.A.) (commonly referred to as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers) in 1911. He acted as spiritual father and co-founder, with Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, of the Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic (now called Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic). He served as Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers until his death in 1936. During the founding process and in his service as Superior General, Walsh made trips across the United States, to Rome and to other places throughout the world. A Lifetime of Service In 1933, Walsh was elected to the episcopacy and named Titular Bishop of Siene. He was consecrated in Rome on June 29, 1933, in the College of Propaganda Fide by Cardinal Fumasoni-Biondi. He died at Maryknoll, New York, on April 14, 1936.
  • Fr.Price
    Youth and Education As a youth, Price had close contact with the priests of his parish (St. Thomas, Wilmington, North Carolina). One priest who figured prominently in his early life was Bishop James Gibbons, newly appointed first Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina. Gibbons established his headquarters at St. Thomas Church and soon began to show a special interest in young Price. Price often served Mass for Gibbons and accompanied him on special trips throughout the Vicariate. With his religious background (especially the deep devotion of his mother to the Blessed Virgin), Price soon felt an attraction to the priesthood. He confided his interest to the parish priest, Fr. Mark Gross, and arrangements were made for him to enter St. Charles Seminary at Catonsville, Maryland, in August, 1876. On route to the seminary by ship, Price escaped death in the shipwreck of the Rebecca Clyde. Price attributed his survival to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After the accident, he returned home until January 1877. Price attended St. Charles' Seminary from January 1877, until his commencement on June 28, 1881. On September 1881, he entered St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1886, by Bishop Northrup at the pro-cathedral in Wilmington, North Carolina (Both of Price's parents had died prior to his ordination.) Price was the first North Carolinian to be ordained to the priesthood, and he was assigned to missionary work in the eastern section of his native state. Early Years of Priesthood Within one year after his ordination, Price was appointed the pastor of the few Catholics in and around the towns of Asheville and Bern. After the first few years of priesthood, he obtained permission from Bishop Haid, his ordinary, to begin a statewide evangelization program. His methods were influenced by Fr. Eliott, a famous Paulist preacher. One of Price's tools for evangelization was the publication of the magazine Truth, which he began to publish and edit in April 1897. A second tool was the establishment of Nazareth Orphanage in 1898. Price's plan was to first help the underprivileged of an area and thereby win the favor of the general population who would then be more inclined to listen to the message of the missionary. Following the success of the Nazareth Orphanage, Price organized summer catechizing teams of seminarians. Finally, in 1902, Price opened his missionary training house at Nazareth. It was a preparatory seminary whose sole purpose was the education and formation of missionaries for the home missions. It was called Regina Apostolorum. From 1902 to 1909, Price directed the Regina Apostolorum and acted as its primary teacher and spiritual director. Plans for a Foreign Mission Seminary As time went on, Price began to emphasize more and more often in the pages of Truth the need of a seminary for the training of young American men for the foreign missions. At the same time, Rev. James Anthony Walsh, of Boston, was developing the same idea in the pages of The Field Afar. At the Eucharistic Congress in Montreal in 1910, the two priests met and began to formulate plans for the establishment of a seminary for foreign missionaries. With the approval of the American hierarchy, the two priests traveled to Rome in June 1911, to receive final approval from Pope Pius X for their project. After meeting with the Holy Father, Price traveled to Lourdes for the first time. During his stay at Lourdes, Price had a spiritual experience that was to significantly affect all of his future life. Price refers to the experience in his personal diary. A special devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette Soubirous would follow him all the way to his death. Returning to the United States, Price, together with Walsh, began the plans for the establishment of the new seminary and the foreign mission society. After a brief stay at Hawthorne, New York, property was purchased at Ossining, New York, for the site of the new society: the American Catholic Foreign Mission Society (popularly known as Maryknoll). Foreign Missions Begin Price made an around-the-country tour of America to gain support for the new endeavor. By 1918, three young priests (Frs. James E. Walsh, Francis X. Ford, and Bernard F. Meyer) were ready for the foreign missions in China. On September 7, Price went with them as superior to the new missions. From the time of the foundation of Maryknoll, Price had understood that Walsh was the one capable of administering and directing the seminary itself. Price himself had always hoped to be chosen as one of Maryknoll's first missioners, and his dream was realized. Because of his age, Price had great difficulty learning the Chinese language. He also suffered from physical ailments. On September 12, 1919, he died in Hong Kong as a result of a burst appendix. In 1936, his body was exhumed and transferred to the cemetery at Maryknoll, New York. In 1955, his remains, together with those of Bishop James A. Walsh, were finally interred in the crypt below the Maryknoll Seminary Chapel.
  • History
    Maryknoll was established in 1911 as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America by the Bishops of the United States. Responsibility for its development fell to two diocesan priests, Fr. James Anthony Walsh of Boston and Fr. Thomas Frederick Price of North Carolina, with the commission to recruit, send and support U.S. missioners in areas around the world. On June 29, 1911, Pope Pius X blessed the founding of Maryknoll. Maryknoll's first missioners left for China in 1918. Today there are over 475 Maryknoll priests and Brothers serving in countries around the world, principally in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

A Chinese Proverb


  • Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.

Chinese Wisdom

  • When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
  • The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters.
  • The man who in view of gain thinks of righteousness; who in the view of danger is prepared to give up his life; and who does not forget an old agreement however far back it extends - such a man may be reckoned a complete man.
  • Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.
  • If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.
  • Those who are contented with what they have are often happy.
  • “A single beam cannot support a great house. ”
  • A vacant mind is open to all suggestions, as a hollow mountain returns all sounds.”
  • One's good deeds are only known at home; one's bad deeds far
  • He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.
  • Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock
  • Much wealth will not come if a little does not go.
  • Words are the voice of the heart.
  • The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
  • Virtue cannot live in solitude; neighbors are sure to grow up around it.
  • When anger arises, think of the consequences.

God Needs Us


  • The hardest cross to bear in life is the thought that we are wasting our time, that we are useless, that the world is rushing along and we, apparently, have not yet found our feet. For the missioner the monotony of merely marking time, of facing petty tasks, or even manufacturing small jobs to kill time can be especially disheartening. This monotony readily suggests to a nervous conscience that we could be doing better work elsewhere, that we are not really appreciated at our full worth, and that we are not given a chance to show what we could accomplish in busier circumstances. All of us have our daydreams of ideal conditions in which we modestly achieve wonderful success through our own plans, and in these dreams it is difficult at times to distinguish between inspiration and vanity. We all have our moments of dreadful tedium, when even our favorite books are distasteful and when we favor a chance visitor with unusual cordiality. At such times we could recall with profit the worlds of the blind English poet Milton: “ Thousands at His bidding speed, and post o’er land and ocean without rest; they also serve who only stand and wait.” God needs us where we are at; we are active even being merely on call; and the Omnipresent God is beside us even when we feel alone….Sentry work is essential though seemingly inglorious. There is a tendency in modern moods to emphasize the emotional side of religion; and we are all somewhat tainted by this error. We are only too prone to look for sensible consolation in our mission work, and in their absence we are tempted to take a grim view of life. The remedy for this self-centered condition is contemplation and service of God. Contemplation takes us out of ourselves and focuses our attention on God; service of God instinctively issues from our contemplation. We see that God needs us in His redeeming of the human race; and we forget ourselves in satisfying God’s need. Bishop Francis Ford M.M.

Decisions

  • focus
    "There is, I think, nothing in the world more futile than the attempt to find out how a task should be done when one has not yet decided what the task is." - Alexander Meiklejohn

From I have a Dream


  • And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Education


  • You should have education so that you won't have to look up to people; and then more education so that you will be wise enough not to look down on people. M.L. Boren

I CAN'T WAIT

Lessons for Life

  • Some Very Good Advice
    1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 11. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 14. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 17. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. (OK – NOT you guys) Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 20. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 22. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 23. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?' 24. What other people think of you is none of your business. 25. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 26. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 27. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 28. Believe in miracles. 29. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 30. Your children get only one childhood. 31. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 32. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 33. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 34. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 35. The best is yet to come.

The source of faith


  • "Who am I?...I am one loved by Christ." Thomas Merton

Peace Prayer


  • Lord make me an instrument of your peace Where there is hatred, Let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, Joy. O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled As to console; To be understood,as to understand; To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

knowledge

  • knowledge
    It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.

The Eucharist


  • The nourishing quality of the eucharist, freely offered to anyone who's famished, has always been a central metaphor for me. I don't partake because I'm a good Catholic, holy pious and sleek. I partake because I'm a bad Catholic, riddled by doubt and anxiety and anger: fainting from severe hypoglycemia of the soul. I need food. Nancy Mairs

Seeking God


  • It needs more training to seek God among the rough stones of the dusty road than in the beauty of the sunset.

Building


  • He that gives good advice builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example builds with one hand and pulls down with the other. Francis Bacon

The Miracle


  • Maybe the burning bush was burning all the time and Moses didnt notice. Maybe the miracle is when you stop and pay attention. Francine Prose

John of the Cross


  • How amazing and pitiful it is that the soul be so utterly weak and impure that the hand of God, though light and gentle, should feel so heavy and contrary. For the hand of God does not press down or weigh upon the soul, but only touches it; and this mercifuly, for God's aim is to grant it favors and not chastise it. "The Dark Night," Book II Chapter 5

God's Love


  • God's love for us is not the reason for which we should love him. God's love for us is the reason for us to love ourselves. How could we love ourselves without this motive?

Be Not Afraid


  • It is the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It is a dream afraid of waking, that never takes a chance. It is the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live. A.McBroon

Spirituality


  • Spirituality is anything that reminds us we are already in the presence of a Loving God. Krister Stendahl

If my compassion is true


  • If my compassion is true,if it be a deep compassion of the heart and not a legal affair, or a mercy learned from a book and practiced on others like a pious exercise, then my compassion for others is God's mercy for me. My patience with them is His patience with me. My love for them is His love for me. Thomas Merton " No Man is an Island"

Youth learn by example


  • Nothing is so contagious as an example, and our every really good or bad action inspires a similar one.

« June 2009 | Main | August 2009 »

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Out of Hong Kong, Back in Jilin and soon to be on the Road Again

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Along the river walk in Jilin City

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A beautiful night in Jilin City.

"Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein

The Hong Kong portion of the summer is over and I am in Jilin for a few days with Victor, Patrick and Colin. I leave tomorrow and they will be staying for a few more days with Fr. Peter Xu. They plan to do some traveling in Jilin province and visit a few of the countryside parishes.

My posts on this blog have been few and far between the last few weeks. I probably won’t get back to doing a regular blog until the new semester gets started at the end of August.

Some pictures of the seminarian send-off bash at the Maryknoll house in Stanley last week.



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The mid-summer seminarian send-off bash at the Stanley House

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The gang

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Bishop Tong was there

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A great meal was prepared by the seminarians

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Veteran Maryknollers enjoyed a fun night

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Posted at 03:05 PM | | Comments (1)

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Fr. Peter Xu Arrives in Hong Kong

View from my room

"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." - Charles Dickens

View from room 2

I was up early and got my morning walk in before morning prayers and mass. It didn’t feel quite as hot or humid today. Maybe I’m starting to get use to it.  Or maybe in a place as beautiful as Hong Kong you realize that it is much better to reflect on the blessings....

Fr. Peter Xu, the rector of the seminary in Jilin arrived at the house here shortly before lunch. He flew to Shenzhen yesterday, but his plane was delayed three hours and it was too late for him to cross the border. He will be here with us for a number of days and then when I head home for my 25th he will take my visitors around to see a little of Jilin diocese.

The students from Zhanjiang went to Ocean Park and Colin, Patrick, Victor and Aaron went along with them. It was a very hot day to be at the park. They all arrived back here at Stanley not too long ago.

Students

The students have had a great time over the past few days. Aaron and the seminarians have spent a good deal of time with them and I know the students really appreciate that. Aaron  worked for one semester in Zhanjiang before taking over as the coordinator of the young teachers in China and he knows many of the students.

Victor and Aaron playing Mahjong

Aaron and Victor playing Mahjong with some of the students.

The guys (Colin, Patrick and Victor) are taking off tomorrow for a four-day trip to Taiwan. Pic of guys They will be visiting Taipei and Taichung and hooking up with Fr. Joyalito Tajonero M.M. Joyalito has been working in Taiwan for the past 8 years or so and has a very active ministry for migrants. When they return from Taiwan to Hong Kong we will have just a few more days here before taking off for Jilin on the 25th. We fly out of Shenzhen and change planes in Beijing on our way to Jilin. Colin will be heading up to Guangzhou one day early to say hello to a few of his relatives that he has never met before and will hook up with us in Shenzhen.

They are planning a Goodbye-Thank You meal (BBQ) for next Wednesday night here at the Maryknoll house. Most if not all the Maryknollers in Hong Kong will be attending, not to mention a number of friends they have made over the past few weeks. The cardinal and bishop have both been invited. That should be a lot of fun!

 I heard from Wang Ping today. She won’t be making it for the weekend as her Hong Kong pass has expired and it will take her time to get permission for a few more visits. I still might be able to see her on the way back to Jilin as we are flying out of Shenzhen. 

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We had a good crew for dinner this evening. Br. Sebastian,  Sr. Ann , Fr. Peter, Sr. Maureen, Jackie, Colin, Patrick and Victor

The Chinese government announced an affirmative action policy of its own today. According to China Daily, the Ministry of Education has announced a new preferential enrollment policies to help boost education in those regions, as well as to narrow the widening gap between east and west China.

 New quotas call for more students from the middle and west regions to be accepted into Chinese universities.

The total number of students enrolled for the coming fall semester from the middle region will increase by 6.5 percent, while the western region will see a 7.3 percent jump, both higher than the country's average growth rate of 5 percent, according to a press release on the ministry's website.

 The middle and western regions of China are home to nearly 30 percent of the country's 1.3 billion population. Those areas are also home to most of the country's ethnic minorities, including Tibetans, Inner Mongolians and Uygurs.

 A few weeks ago Beijing University (Peking University) denied entry to a student who qualified for that university on the recent college entrance exam 高考, after it was learned that he had wrongfully listed himself as a member of an ethnic minority and could have received extra points on the entrance exam. The kid had some real bad luck in this case. He didn’t need to cheat as he had the highest score in his municipality and one of the highest scores in the country. With high scores his name and information were on TV, radio, newspapers and magazines. When he was listed as a minority people who knew him began to complain.

The student’s parents were also removed from government or CCP positions as a result of the cheating scandal.

 What an evil web we weave when we practice to deceive!!

 Today’s gospel and some comments:

 At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the Sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.’ He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’ Matthew 12:1-8

One of the Church Doctors supposedly made the remark: “When nothing great or noble is happening the Pharisees remain quiet. But when they see people being healed they are deeply offended.” They were more interested in the appearances of religion than in its substance. But we shouldn’t let them have all the publicity; we too are in the picture! Since the substance of religion is so subtle and deep, it is no surprise that we are often like them, concentrating on what is obvious and shallow.

Jesus seemed to say his own behavior was excusable because great people in the past had done similar things. “Have you not read what David did…?”It sounds bad so John Chrysostom rushes in to the rescue. He doesn’t want us to think that this was how Jesus’ mind worked: excusing himself from blame “by noting that someone else committed the same offence,” or thinking that David’s law-breaking should become a rule for everyone. No, he said, “Jesus was not satisfied with such reasoning. Instead, he said something much more radical: that the deed itself in this case was no sin at all…! For here the Giver of the law was overriding the law.”

Clearly, there was nothing obvious or shallow about this. Laws are designed to be very clear and obvious. That fully satisfies the needs of some people. But there is the matter of spirit. Laws are always trying to be spirit; they try to cover every aspect of life – to go into every nook and cranny and guide us from within. But it doesn't work. We need spirit, or rather the Spirit, to guide us wisely. The Lord of the Sabbath is the one who is able to give us the Spirit.

Posted at 09:37 PM | | Comments (2)

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Hong Kong is Hot and Humid !!

"What counts now is not just what we are against, but what we are for. Who leads us is less important than what leads us - what convictions, what courage, what faith - win or lose. A man doesn't save a century, or a civilization, but a militant party wedded to a principle can." - Adlai Ewing Stevenson

Today was a rather quiet day for me. Victor, Patrick and Colin went out with the Zhanjiang students and I hung around the house taking care of a few tasks. It was hot and humid again today so staying in the air-conditioned room felt pretty nice.

I talked with Wang Wei this morning and all is well in Jilin. She will be coming down to Hong Kong with her mother on Sunday. Her mom will be seeing a specialist in diabetes and endocrinology next week.

I also had a nice chat with Jiayi. Her and John have purchased their tickets for the US and my 25th anniversary celebration. She just finished her second semester and is in the process of looking for a new job. She looked and sounded great!

I moved to a new room this morning. The internet connection in the room that I was staying in has had quite a few problems for the past week or so and I decided yesterday to make a move if I had any more trouble. I did so I moved to a new room.

Here are a few pictures that give you an idea of what the view is like from the porch of my new room here at Stanley.

Looking out at the South China Sea from balcony

The South China Sea.

Looking down on patio from balcony

The patio below.

View of backyard from balcony

The backyard.

From balcony looking in

 Looking into the room from the balcony.

At dinner the other night one of the visitors asked me a question about the population of Jilin City. Most sources will list Jilin’s population at somewhere around 4 million. The actual population of the city is more like 1.7 million (still big) and the 4 million figure includes a very large area surrounding the city that falls under Jilin City jurisdiction.

I read an interesting article today in the Financial Timeson Chinese cities and their population which I found very helpful.

How big are Chinese cities? That depends on how you measure them

Back in 2005, Time magazine proclaimed that Chongqing had become “the largest city not only in China but in the world”, with a population in excess of 30 million.

 But any Chinese citizen will tell you that Beijing and Shanghai, both with real urban populations below 15 million, are larger than their supposed competitor in China's southwes

Common confusion over the true population size of Chongqing and other Chinese cities reflects the fact that China has highly complex and confusing urban and city statistical data.

Confusion over urban population sizes arises because the boundaries of large Chinese cities typically encompass an urbanized core surrounded by numerous scattered towns and large stretches of rural territory, usually with dense farming populations.

 These cities are so large in area that they are more aptly called regions. Chongqing, which has an administrative area roughly the size of Austria, is the most extreme example.

Chongqing's official population of 32m does not represent the true metropolitan population because more than two-thirds of the employed workers in the so-called municipality are actually engaged in agriculture.++++

There are two main ways to define urban areas in China: by administrative boundaries or by objective criteria such as the density of population and buildings. In Chinese cities, administrative boundaries and objectively urbanized zones overlap, often confusingly.

Anyway the bottom line is that most Chinese cities are pretty big!!

Today’s gospel and my comments:

At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." Mt 11:25-27

Today’s reading is a continuation of yesterday’s gospel passage. After Jesus had spoken of the dismal failures of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum he suddenly bursts out and says, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to the childlike (simple people).” Most translations say childlike and a few translate it as simple people. So it appears that the reason people didn’t listen to the teaching of Jesus was not that they were stupid, but that they were too clever! This clever hard-heartedness is a theme throughout the gospels and speaks to those who want to follow the gospel in every age.

St Paul would write, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” The theme is: a different kind of wisdom. “God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom…. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.” 

This is not to say that we should be against human wisdom: this would do no service to God. Intelligence is one of God's most shining gifts to man. But it has to be a kind of wisdom that remains open to extension beyond itself: to a deeper wisdom that may at first look like foolishness. Sometimes a child can cut through all our evasions and projections and ask a question that goes straight to the heart. We have all experienced this. To such as these, said Jesus, the Kingdom of God has been revealed.

Posted at 07:21 PM | | Comments (0)

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Another Day in Hot and Muggy Hong Kong!

Hong Kong Hot

"I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him." - Booker Washington

I started my day in Hong Kong the way I usually start my days in Jilin. I got up early and walked. The daily schedule here starts with morning prayers at 7:15, followed by mass at 7:30 and then breakfast. I got up at 5:00 and got in an hour and a half walk. As I mentioned before the only problem with walking here at Stanley is the hill that this house is built on!

Today was an office day for me here in Hong Kong (it felt good) and as a result, I had some time to work on a blog. I also had some time to catch up on emails waiting to be answered which was a really good feeling!

In a story in today's China Daily the Chinese Ministry of Health announced that it was ending a very controversial program of using electroshock treatment to help teenagers addicted to the Internet.

China Daily reported last month that more than 3,000 young people were tricked or forced into in to the four-month long course. To enroll their children, parents or guardians had to sign a contract acknowledging that they would be given electric shocks of up to 200 milliamperes. The treatment cost 6,000 yuan ($878) per month. Patients were considered “cured” or “reborn” once they admitted to their addiction.

According to the Guangdong-based Information Times, shocks were given if patients broke any of the center’s 86 rules, which included prohibitions on eating chocolate, locking the bathroom door, taking pills before a meal, and sitting in Dr. Yang's chair without permission. (Weird, if you ask me!!)

Details of the treatment first became public when former patients wrote about their experiences online. In addition to the electric shocks, they claimed that they were not allowed to talk about anything other than overcoming their Internet addiction, ordered to kneel in front of their parents to show obedience, and forced to confess to “wrongdoing.”

Internet addiction is a growing problem in China, which now has nearly 300 million Internet users, including many adolescents who spend several hours each day playing computer games.

  Street market in Kowloon

Street  Market in Kowloon.

Colin, Victor and Patrick enjoyed spending some time at the meals with a group of students visiting from one of the technical schools in Zhanjiang. Their school has a relationship with one of the Maryknoll high schools here in Hong Kong and a select number of students and teachers are here at Maryknoll-Stanley for some intensive English studies this week.

Brandon Inge

This is the All-Star break in Major League Baseball so my Tigers are on vacation. Tiger third baseman Brandon Inge was involved in last night’s homerun derby and to put it mildly, Brandon came up a little short. Inge went 0-10 in the first round and was eliminated. The picture above sort tells the story!

Today’s gospel and some comments:

Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hell. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you. Matthew 11:20-24

If the stars came out only one night in a hundred years everyone would look up. Some astronomers believe that eventually no stars will be visible in the sky because they will all be so distant from one another. So take a good look! Familiarity breeds blindness.

yre, Sidon and Sodom (sample cases of wickedness) would have opened their eyes, Jesus says, but God's people took Jesus’ “deeds of power” for granted. This is why the Gospel has to be proclaimed to the whole world: no one can tell who is going to hear it and who is not going to hear it. Like every lover, the God of Surprises sends unexpected gifts, or leaves them hidden in unexpected places.

Nazareth was the most unexpected place of all. ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ (John 1:46). When Jesus was born, pagan astrologers came from afar to do him homage, but Herod sought his death.

It was appropriate then that when he grew to be a man he had an eye for the unexpected. He praised the faith of a Roman pagan centurion and a Canaanite pagan woman, he told an expert on Jewish law to imitate the behavior of a pagan Samaritan, he befriended the outcasts of society, tax-collectors and sinners. Almost everything he did was unexpected: the authorities could hardly fail to see him. But when they did they determined to kill him. 

Full sensory equipment is no guarantee that we will see or hear what is right in front of us; or see and hear aright. Jesus often used the expression, “anyone who has ears to hear.” Today we are so bombarded with sights and sounds that we have to filter out most of what strikes our senses. Dangerous times!

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Monday, July 13, 2009

Hot and Humid in Hong Kong!

Hong Kong view  "To cheat one's self out of love is the greatest deception of which there is no reparation in either time or eternity." - Soren Keirkegarrd

All is going well in Hong Kong. I have been keeping myself busy taking the guys around to meet Maryknoll priests working in Hong Kong and also representing Maryknoll at a few events.

Fr. Bob Astorino and guys

With Fr. Bob Astorino M.M.

Master Aaron teaching his students

Mahjong Master Aaron has been teaching the seminarians the game.

On Saturday the seminarians and Zhao Tingting joined me in attending a memorial for Fr. Sean Burke M.M., who died this past May here in Hong Kong. I was asked to say a few words about Sean on behalf of Maryknoll and to lead the final prayer. A few Maryknoll sisters and Fr. Peter Barry also were present for the memorial. Below are a few photos from the memorial.

Burke 3

Fr.Bri with Colin, Victor and Patrick.

Burke 2  

I shared some of my reflections on Fr. Sean's work in Hong Kong with Maryknoll.

Burke4

The final prayer and blessing.

Zhao Tingting left this morning to return to Zhuhai and her work there. It was really great having her here the past few days and I sure hope she will visit Stanley again when I am down this way in the future.

I spent most of this morning at St. Paul’s Hospital getting my yearly physical exam. I’ll return to see the doctor and get my results on July 22nd.

Brian

 I went for a walk this afternoon and visited a few local spots of interest.

IMG_2749

09-ASG-header

My Tigers finished the first half of the season yesterday and they continue to cling to the lead in the AL Central. Chicago and Minnesota are both within striking distance 3 and 4 games back respectively. I was really happy to see that Curtis Granderson was chosen to play in the All-Star Game. What a great honor for that young man. Kudos also go out to Verlander, Jackson and Inge who are also representing Detroit in the summer classic this year. !!!

CENTRAL W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
Detroit 48 39 .552 - 27-13 21-26 418 386 +32 Won 1 5-5
Chicago Sox 45 43 .511 3.5 22-21 23-22 407 405 +2 Lost 1 5-5
Minnesota 45 44 .506 4 28-20 17-24 432 403 +29 Won 1 5-5
Kansas City 37 51 .420 11.5 22-24 15-27 346 424 -78 Lost 3 4-6
Cleveland 35 54 .393 14 19-25 16-29 451 498 -47 Lost 1 4-6

Today’s gospel and some comments:

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. Mt 10:34-11:1

This is a powerful gospel passage. It challenges us to the core and brings into play the most basic unit of our society, our own families! In order to understand it well we need to know that when Jesus speaks of turning families against each other, he is quoting an Old Testament prophecy from Micah. In the book of Micah, the prophet speaks out against the sinfulness and the rebellion of Israel against God. Rejection of God's word has led to many terrible consequences in society. On the national level, rulers are corrupt and judges are easily bribed; because the authorities are so corrupt, there is no justice for anyone. On a more local level, Micah warns that friends are not to be trusted: Friendship is based upon loyalty and trust, but sin has turned people to selfishness and greedy gain. Even more personally, Micah mourns that the family structure is being destroyed. In a family where all follow the word of God, they will get along. However, declares the prophet, there are terrible outcomes when family members reject God's word; and this is the passage that Jesus quotes, Micah 7:6: For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own household.

One thing that is good to keep in mind when reflecting on this passage and on our lives in general, is that when religious faith is not wholehearted it is not religious faith at all, it is an interest or a comfort or a form of social respectability or a bracketing of all the hard questions, or a host of other things. My religion is whatever I am wholehearted about. That may well be something much closer to hand: like money, relationships, status or power. The language of today’s gospel passage sounds extreme, and indeed it is. But by calling it ‘extreme’ we may be giving ourselves an excuse for putting it aside. That would be a serious mistake and in fact it is a serious mistake that many have made. ‘Extremism’ is not necessarily a bad word, but for some it has become a negative term. So instead of extremism lets say today’s gospel calls for us to be “wholehearted.” 

The ‘Shema Yisrael’ is the fundamental expression of Jewish faith. It is recited morning and evening, and before reading the Torah on Sabbaths and festivals, and on many other special occasions. The full ‘Shema Yisrael’ is three passages from Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; and Numbers 11:37-41. The first passage contains the words: “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.”

It does not say ‘part’, but ‘all’: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength. When one of the Pharisees asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment of the Law, Jesus cited this text, adding another to it, Leviticus 19:18, about loving one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:36-39). As a Jew he knew about being wholehearted in faith, so it is not surprising that he understood discipleship in a wholehearted way.

To be wholehearted we don’t have to be involved in great or spectacular activities. We can be wholehearted in the way we do the ordinary things: cleaning a room, listening to one another… even doing nothing! We live in an age that values ‘multi-tasking’, in other words, division of interest. It may look like economy of effort, but it leaves us divided from ourselves and from everything we do. Then when we stop moving we don’t know who we are. The best way for us as Christians to constantly remember who we are is to keep focused on what is important. A “wholehearted” or “extreme” love for the Lord our God. In so doing nothing can separate us from God.

Posted at 05:08 PM | | Comments (1)

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Thursday, July 09, 2009

Zhao Tingting Visits Stanley

"He who would travel happily must travel light." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I started the day with a nice walk, followed by morning prayers and mass and then breakfast. It could have been classified as a great walk if it weren't for the hill one has to go down (when leaving) and climb up (when returning) here at Stanley.

Cardinal and sems

Colin, Patrick and Victor had a day off today. They have been busy guys, going pretty much non-stop since they arrived. Yesterday they had the chance to sit down with Cardinal for an hour or so and they really enjoyed that.

Emperor's civil servants

Patrick and Victor

DSCN4760

Zhao Tingting, one of my former students at Beihua,is here at Stanley visiting for a few days. She arrived around noontime and will be staying through the weekend. Tingting works in the southern city of Zhuhai, which is close enough for her to come for a visit. She brought her laptop computer so I guess this doesn't count as vacation time. ^_^ It is great to have her here for a few days, and I am so happy she came to visit.

My Tigers are still on top of the AL Central, but things are starting to get interesting. Both the White Sox (Chicago) and Twins (Minnesota) are playing winning baseball now and the top three teams are all within two games of each other. Detroit went 3-7 after opening up a five game lead and that was all it took for the others to make up ground. Detroit has won two in a row and have a weekend series with Cleveland before the All-Star break.

Ni (2)

My Chinese readers will be happy to see this new member on the Tiger roster. Fu-Te Ni is a hard throwing young left-hander who comes from Taiwan province. He pitched an inning of hitless relief last night in the Tigers win over Kansas City.

Fu-Te Ni (Tiger Pitcher)

CENTRAL W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
Detroit 46 38 .548 - 25-12 21-26 399 379 +20 Won 2 5-5
Chicago Sox 44 40 .524 2 22-20 22-20 380 369 +11 Won 2 8-2
Minnesota 43 42 .506 3.5 26-18 17-24 402 378 +24 Lost 2 5-5
Kansas City 36 48 .429 10 22-24 14-24 329 396 -67 Lost 2 4-6
Cleveland 33 52 .388 13.5 19-25 14-27 434 471 -37 Lost 3 2-8

Today’s gospel and some comments: 

As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. Matthew 10: 7-15

 Money, a bag, an extra shirt…. These things are for my future needs. Luggage is always for the future. In the present it’s only a burden; but we carry the burden for the sake of the future. To carry luggage with me is to live, to some degree, in the future. The same is true of money: my hunger may be satisfied now, but I take money with me so that I can satisfy it again tomorrow.

 It’s a severe criticism to be told that you are living in the past. But strangely we think it’s the highest praise to be told that you are living in the future. It’s hard to see why we make such a difference between them, for one is just as unreal as the other. Many people almost kill themselves amassing wealth; even in their old age they still want to be turning a profit. It’s an endless deferral of life. But the Gospel challenges us to face it now or never.

No sandals, no staff in the hand; in other words, nothing on your feet, nothing in your hands – just you, a mere human being, with no protections. Back in Africa a good number of years ago, when I told one of the older priests that we were going to use some videos and stereos on a youth retreat, he just said, “There’s no substitute for a human being up there bleeding.”

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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Some Pictures from the Lake in Michigan.

Lake 7 "Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

My sister sent me some pictures taken this past weekend at the lake in Michigan. Mom is 87 years old and out on the jet ski having fun!!! I love it!!!

At lake1

Captain Gayle with Mom and Dad on the Pontoon!!

At lake 2

Mom and Bruce having fun.

At lake 3

Mom at the controls!

Lake 4

Not bad!!

Lake 6

Easy does it at take-off

 

 

Pic

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Sunday, July 05, 2009

More Rain in Hong Kong.....

Rain1

"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction." - Betty Anderson Stanley

I slept in today and slowly got the day going with a cup of coffee and bowl of cereal around 8:00. The seminarians and I went down to St. Ann's parish here in Stanley for the 11:15 mass, which I concelebrated with my classmate, Mike Sloboda. Many of the parishioners are on summer holiday so there was a very small crowd on hand.

After mass Victor, Pat and Colin joined some members of the parish community for a big farewell lunch in the parish hall. One of the parishioners and her family will be moving back to Canada this week and the members of the choir and others held an event to bid her a bon voyage.

Peter and guys

The guys got to meet Fr.Peter Barry this afternoon and evening. Peter is one of our resident China experts and he will be spending some time with the guys over the next few weeks giving them some talks on Chinese history. 

Peter and colin

Peter and Colin

Peter teaching

Peter lecturing

Today's gospel and some comments:

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. Mark 6: 1-6

 Mark never attempts to smooth the edges of the story. Here are some examples: Describing  Jesus' reaction when the disciples tried to stop the children from coming near him he wrote: “When Jesus noticed it he was very angry,”. Matthew and Luke smooth it over, simply writing “Jesus then said....” But it works both ways: Mark may show an angrier Jesus in that passage, but he also shows him to be more affectionate than the other Gospel writers do. “He took the children in his arms and laying his hands on them, blessed them”.  Matthew only says “Jesus laid his hands on them and went his way”, and in Luke's version there is no contact at all: “He called the children to him and said...”.  Mark’s Jesus is more emotional, he shows his feelings more.

Another example of Mark's bluntness: he wrote that James and John asked to be seated at Jesus' right hand in the Kingdom, but Matthew said it was their mother who asked this question!  It is obvious, when you look carefully at the original, that Mark is more accurate. Matthew calls Jesus “the carpenter’s son” , as if to distance him from manual work. But in today’s reading Mark reports people as saying simply, “This is the carpenter surely!”

People who have known you all your life see you as the child you were, even when you are a middle-aged man or woman. They see where you came from and they remember all your youthful mistakes. If they are villagers they also want to make sure you are not getting above yourself; “who does he think he is?” Nazareth was such a village.

The terrible fact is that it works! It tied Jesus' hands:  “he could work no miracles there.”  Matthew says, “He did not work many miracles there”, making it look more like a decision on Jesus' part. Mark’s version is more gutsy and tragic, and it makes you think more. It is a scary thought that we have the ability to prevent miracles, to tie the Lord’s hands.... How many miracles have I prevented in my life? God prevent that I should be a miracle-stopper!

Posted at 08:34 PM | | Comments (1)

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Saturday, July 04, 2009

Rain Delays in Hong Kong...Big Tiger Win in Minnesota!

"Much unhappiness has come into this world because of things left unsaid." - Fyodor Dostoevsky

I started the day with morning prayers and mass with Colin, Victor and Pat. We had ourselves a great breakfast after mass and then planned to head out and see a little of Hong Kong at 10:00. The skies unfortunately opened up just at 10:00, so we decided to have lunch here and then make plans for the afternoon at lunch.

By lunch things were looking better, so we went out to Chang Zhou Island and visited the pirates' cave and the Catholic church.

The john bosco

The Don Bosco.

Practicing on the dragon boatPreparations for the Dragon Boat races.


Dragon boat race prep

Practicing for the dragon boat race

Patrick and victor

Victor and Patrick

North American Sems at Chang Zhou church


In front of the church

The altar

Inside the church

Church beach

The beach in front of the church.

Needless to say this would be a great place to be assigned!! ^_^

Jacqui and Kevin (Maryknoll's teachers at Beihua) both arrived here at Stanley last night. They will be here getting a little R&R before heading home later this month. I think Kevin will be leaving first (around the 9th) and Jacqui will be staying till almost the end of the month.

My Tigers opened an important three-game weekend series with the Twins on the right foot last night MinDetwinning in 16 innings 11-9. The win was huge as the White Sox are hot and the Twins are playing well, too. When you go 16 innings it is always important to win, simply because it is painful to lose a five hour and 47  minute game!! ^_^ The win keeps the Tigers on top of an ever improving AL Central.

CENTRAL W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
Detroit 44 35 .557 - 23-11 21-24 380 359 +21 Won 1 6-4
Chicago Sox 42 38 .525 2.5 20-20 22-18 358 350 +8 Won 7 9-1
Minnesota 41 40 .506 4 24-16 17-24 387 359 +28 Lost 1 6-4
Kansas City 33 46 .418 11 20-24 13-22 307 375 -68 Lost 4 3-7
Cleveland 32 49 .395 13 18-24 14-25 420 449 -29 Won 1 3-7

Today's gospel and some comments:

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.’ Matthew 9:14-17

 I read where some famous dietician said to weight-watchers, “It isn't what you eat, it’s why you eat it.” He urges them to identify that ‘why’. That is what powers you towards the cookie-jar. Unless you can switch off the power at its source, your whole life will be a war of attrition with cookies.

 A good idea pops up in more places than one: it connects different things in our life. ‘Not what but why’ is a good idea for any part of our life. It throws light equally on eating and on fasting – pursuits that might appear unconnected and even opposite.

I wonder why John the Baptist’s disciples were fasting. They were followers of a very ascetical leader, and I suppose that had a quenching effect on their appetite. But from the way they asked Jesus’ disciples about fasting, it appears that they also felt rather superior. “It was likely that the disciples of John the Baptist were thinking highly of themselves,” wrote St John Chrysostom, “and because of this Jesus put down this inflated conceit through what he said.” What do you think? I don’t believe that Jesus would engage in such tit-for-tat. It would make him no better than those conceited disciples. And besides, he told them why his disciples were not fasting: they were not fasting because it was not a time of preparation but a season for joy. They were not preparing for his coming; they were celebrating it.

But to get back to the fasters. St Jerome (347 AD – 420), who knew a lot about fasting, wrote, “What Jesus is saying is this: ‘Until a person has been reborn – putting aside the old person, and putting on the new – he or she cannot fast aright.’” The ego, the old self, is the problem; it will use even fasting as a way of fattening itself. Unless we have some inkling of our own Christ-nature our fasting and all our efforts will be expressions of ego.

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Friday, July 03, 2009

Back in Rainy Hong Kong

"Success is not measured by the position one has reached in life, rather by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed." - Booker T. Washington

Lam and mark arriving

I arrived back in Hong Kong last night the two Maryknoll seminarians (Mark and Lam) and three seminarians from the North American College in Rome ( Victor, Colin and Patrick. We had a good time in Beijing (a little short for Mark and Lam, but they saw quite a bit in their day and a half.

Mark and Lam are in Macau today, so I have been giving the guys from Rome a little introduction to Stanley and Hong Kong.

At bus stop

We took the bus downtown.

On the star ferry

Got on the Star Ferry.

Star ferry  

And sailed to Kowloon.

I didn't have much time in Beijing,but while there I was able to meet with former students and we all got togther for a nice meal with the seminarians.

Dinner with former students, colleagues and sems Brian and north american sems

Brian and the North American College seminarians.

North american and maryknoll sems and brian

Brian, Mark and Lam in the back with Victor, Patrick and Colin up front.

Today’s gospel and some comments:

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Jn 20:24-29

Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. He is often referred to as ‘Doubting Thomas’ which has become a widely used expression we use to describe people who have doubts about something that we think they should believe. The others said to Thomas, "We have seen the Lord." Thomas said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." What's the difference? There is no difference!! The others believed because they had seen; why shouldn’t Thomas insist on the same?

We have labeled him (unfairly), “Doubting Thomas.” Of course the gospel writer has us in mind. Like Thomas, we’re late on the scene – much later. We have to be reassured; we are the real Doubting Thomases. 

We are in a way invited as Thomas was to “put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side.” Most of us know the wounds of Christ firsthand. I know people who live in the side of Christ. A 14th century mystic name Julian of Norwich wrote, “We are now dying with him on his cross, in his pains and passion and when we deliberately remain on that same cross, holding on to the very end, with his help and grace, then suddenly we shall see his expression change and we shall be with him in heaven. Without a moment’s break we shall pass from one state the other – and we shall all be brought into joy.”

Posted at 07:53 PM | | Comments (0)

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