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God never ceases to pour out His love and forgiveness towards us all; yet a person who hides behind His sins, by refusing to let go of them, stops that divine love and forgiveness reaching Him. His darkness and sadness are self-chosen; yet by repentance, he exchanges his filthy rags for a clean white garment, and his sins are banished.

It was as a 'cloud' over the earth had been rent apart, when Jesus toured Galilee, speaking the truth about the purpose of life, the glory of the Father, the need for repentance, and for Baptism. He showed out God's nature and God's Will. He revealed the extent of Divine Love by accepting death on a Cross, rather than give up His Mission. He proved His Divinity by His miracles, above all by His Resurrection.

A person whose heart and soul is numb with lack of faith or despondency is like a person sitting covered with ice in a snow-bound landscape. The only solution is to let Divine Love into his heart, and to take a new look at his life.

When a person once 'frozen' in despondency allows Divine love to melt him he begins to see things he had once taken for granted: his health and strength, the clothing and shelter he had taken for granted, and the family and friends he had ignored - and many other gifts from God.

Like figures In a wintery landscape, we see all around us persons who remain frozen by despondency or lack of faith. Those who would allow Divine Love to enter their hearts would 'thaw'. They would repent of their immorality, and begin to notice all that is good, which God has given to them but which they ignore.

Christ came from Heaven as a man: a fire of Divine Love, embodied. His presence 'melted' and changed some people, who enjoyed a new and glorious life; but other people had no desire to allow Him to 'thaw' their frozen hearts and cold souls, and reacted to Him with anger.

People who meet Christ after death vary in their reactions. A person on fire with Divine Love is overjoyed to greet Him. Someone aware of her still-cold heart will accept the painful 'thawing' which is her purification. Someone frozen in spirit and unwilling to be changed will freely choose to hurl himself away, into Hell.

St. Francis de Sales is in Heaven, full of the bright cloud of Divine Love which now surrounds him. He breathed out that love, to surround me with it, long ago, as I was reading his 'Introduction to the Devout Life'. By his prayer for me, Divine love enfolded and enlightened me as I was reading.

Just as a person in Heaven helps us by his love and his intercession, so must we help others. It is as if we can breathe out a bright cloud of Divine Love over each person whom we greet and help out of love for Christ, Who first loved us.

There is something sad about the problem of scruples. Isn't it strange that a person can see it as odd, to go to a Doctor for a proven remedy, but then to believe that she, the patient, will be the only person whom it will not help, but cannot see that it is equally odd to confess to a priest, sincerely, believing in the power of the Sacrament, but then believing that she, the penitent, is the only person who remains unforgiven, and probably estranged from God! This is to have a serious spiritual ailment, and lack of trust in Divine Love.