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An anything-but-peaceful week in the Pacific

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Pharisees tested Jesus with their question on divorce, we hear in this Sunday's gospel. The people and disaster resources of nations across the Pacific are being tested this week by a spate of powerful natural disasters. The Philippines suffered the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years after tropical storm Ketsana swept through earlier in the week. Overwhelmed officials have called for international help in the storm's aftermath and fear that another powerful storm could hit as early as Friday. Ketsana grew to typhoon-force as it gathered strength across the South China Sea before blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides. "We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province. The storm has claimed at least 331 lives across the region. The Vietnamese government said the tempest destroyed or damaged nearly 180,000 homes, inundated 150,000 more, and flattened crops across central Vietnam. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them. "The scale of the devastation is stretching all of us," said Minnie Portales, a World Vision aid agency official in the Philippines. Meanwhile, disaster officials rushed food, medicine, and a temporary morgue to the Samoas on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake unleashed a tsunami that leveled villages and swept cars and people out to sea. At least 119 people were killed, and the death toll is expected to rise. Many towns and tourist resorts along the southern coast of Samoa's main Upolu Island were "destroyed," according to witnesses. In addition, a powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia Wednesday, trapping thousands under collapsed buildings--including two hospitals--and triggering landslides. At least 75 people were killed on the island of Sumatra, and the number of dead is predicted to climb sharply. Source: Articles by Rohan Sullivan, Teresa Cerojano, and Tran Van Minh for Associated Press

pacific indonesia upolu island tsunami samoas world vision minnie portales nam tum vietnam cambodia ketsana philippines disasters earthquake flooding sumatra
Myanmar’s democratic progress hailed by the chief

25 Nov 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist assures us this Sunday that the Lord’s “decrees are worthy of trust indeed.” President Barack Obama Monday hailed Myanmar’s worthy progress toward democracy in his first visit to the Southeast Asian country also known as Burma.The U.S. has relaxed sanctions on Myanmar over the past two years as five decades of military rule gave way to a civilian government and a series of decrees easing media restrictions and giving opposition groups greater political freedom. On the history-making trip, Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Myanmar and Cambodia, two Asian countries with troubled histories, one on the mend and the other still a cause of concern.Cheered by massive flag-waving crowds, Obama offered long-isolated Myanmar a "hand of friendship" as it rapidly embraces democratic reforms. Hours later he arrived in Cambodia to little fanfare, then during a tense meeting pointedly criticized the country's strongman leader on the issue of human rights.Obama was an early champion of Myanmar's transformation to civilian rule following a half-century of military dictatorship. He's rewarded the country with eased economic penalties, increased U.S. investment, and now a presidential visit in part to show other nations the benefits of pursuing similar reforms.The Cambodians are among those Obama is hoping will be motivated. White House officials said he held up Myanmar, a once-pariah state, as a benchmark during his private meeting Monday evening with Prime Minister Hun Sen, the autocratic Cambodian leader who has held power for nearly 30 years and whose rivals have sometimes ended up in jail or in exile. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the president told the prime minister that without reforms Cambodia's human rights woes would continue to be "an impediment" to relations.Homily hint: According to a Trinity College study, nearly 20 percent of Asian Americans are Catholic. Whatever level of presence you have in your own faith community, encourage members to become more familiar with their Asian American neighbors, coworkers, and fellow citizens. E pluribus unum ("Out of many, one") is a good motto for church as much as for state! Source: An article by Judy Pace for the Associated Press

barack obama myanmar cambodia human rights ben rhodes hun sen
Homily stories

28 Jun 2009 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Generosity, Saint Paul tells the Corinthians, has a lot to do with equality. Because you have more, and others are in need, it makes sense to balance things out—to take from your surplus to make up for another’s deficit. Scott Neeson was living the abundant life. Born in Scotland, he came to Los Angeles in 1993 and became a successful Sony Pictures movie executive. Then, in 2009, while on an backpacking trip to Asia, he stopped in Phnom Penh. There he encountered a common sight in many poor cities: crowds of children begging and picking through garbage dumps. Lots of these children were orphans, or had been abandoned by their parents, or suffered abuse. Quitting his Hollywood job, he established the Cambodian Children’s Fund. At first the organization provided shelter and food for the street children. Now it has developed health care and educational programs, as well. “The one thing it’s really taught me,” Neeson told Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, “. . . is the resilience of the human spirit. What these kids have been through is remarkable . . . with 170, 180 children who are going through the process of changing their lives, how can you just walk away from that?” Though may of us worry about money and having enough, most of the time we have so much more than we need. What can you share with others?

Authors Joel Schorn

Scott Neeson orphans Cambodian Children's Fund share with others

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