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Children today marvel at stories of wizards, and secret formulas; but a greater marvel is the transformation of a weak person into a Saint, by the grace of Christ. Our 'formula' is the morning offering. Our heroism is to give glory to God not to ourselves, and the Mystery we speak of is not for a select few. Everyone is invited to enter the Mystery which is God.
Despite their pain and remorse, the Holy Souls in Purgatory are happy to know of the great feasts of the Church, such as Christmas. They know that their present safety is due to the life of Christ, born on earth to die for our sins. They pray with us at every Mass, in and through Christ their Saviour.
Christ Who was born of Mary long ago, is 'born', we can say, in other ways: 'born' in each person's soul at Baptism, and 'born' on the altar at every Mass.
We are not wrong to be saddened by the sloppy and careless behaviour we often witness at Mass, which is a meeting of Heaven and earth in which honour is given to the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit. The Blessed Trinity deserves to receive the best we can offer.
Before Mass, on the feast of the Holy Innocents, as I prayed, Christ asked me to listen to the Father, Who said: "I gave you a Child at Christmas. Every child to whom I give the gift of life is precious to Me". By that, the Father meant that His wish is that no unborn child be killed in the womb, or dragged from it, because it is unwanted. I should use these paintings, to help them.
God the Father gave us a Child at Christmas, for a special purpose - our Salvation. A further purpose was to show us that every infant is precious in His sight. Every child has been given life by God at conception; and those who reject those little lives are rejecting God's gift and insulting the Good Creator.
Christ is pleased to see the traditional form of the Mass encouraged, yet Christ is Really Present in His Risen glory, after the Consecration, in every valid Mass offered by a Catholic priest, whether the words used are the traditional Canon in Latin by a priest facing, with the people, towards God the Father, or by a priest using the more recent form of words, as the priest stands behind the altar.
Christ is the only one who can cut the bars of sin in which we are imprisoned, like passengers on a doomed liner. Some people, however, do not want to change, and are not pleased to be approached by Christ or His followers.
Christ sees all people trapped in original sin, except those who have repented and put their trust in Him. Christ said that each person who believes and is baptised can be saved, but the one who refuses to believe, is lost. This refusal includes the culpable refusal to be baptised, when baptism is the way we put our trust in Christ's saving power and receive His Spirit.
People who persist in sin, and 'drown', are doomed souls 'lost' in the ocean, and utterly lacking the grace of God which is life. Yet they will rise up at the end of time, for the Last Judgement, when the justice of God will be revealed, as well as His marvellous work of salvation.
Everyone will see plainly, at the Last Judgement, who, in life, has pushed people aside to save his own life, and who has sacrificed his life to help others. The true state of each soul will be revealed; and the just will be rewarded, and the damned will return to Hell.
Some of the people who meet sudden death plunge deep into the depths of Purgatory, because they love God but are not fit for Heaven without purification. They go down as surely as a stricken ship goes down; yet they are safe. Everyone who dies is immediately judged, and either goes towards Heaven - even if via Purgatory - or plunges into Hell.
A faithful person who believes in God's promises, prays in Christ's name, and is confident that her prayers will be granted because she is Christ's friend. It is as though she approaches a great king - the Father - sure that Christ the Prince is beside her in the throne room, saying to His Father: "Please grant her requests".
A person who wishes to show respect and honour towards the King, who is God the Father, as she approaches Him whilst she is accompanied by Christ the Prince, is willing to be suitably robed for the occasion, when she makes her requests. She clothes herself in garments offered to her: garments of penance, reverence, contrition, trust and love.
For as long as life on earth endures there will always be demons gibbering in the darkness, trying to drag souls into sin. Whoever calls out to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, Mary, and asks for her prayers, will receive grace from God and be drawn towards the light of Heaven.
If we are tempted to be proud or self-satisfied, seeing the good work we achieve for God, we need only remember Christ's Passion, by which He won for us all the graces we enjoy, and the blessings of the spiritual life, and we shall be able to serve Him as He deserves, in humility and gratitude.
We must remove from ourselves and our lives whatever prevents us from entering the small 'doorway' to a life of humility, joy, spiritual beauty; that is, remove our sins and foolish attachments.
A firm and mistaken private judgement about a moral issue is like a boulder in the heart of someone who claims to have examined Catholic claims and found them inadequate. A private opinion that abortion is a right, for example, prevents sincere and fruitful exploration about the Catholic Church.
Bishops and priests who fail to teach the Faith in its fullness, rarely or never speaking against contraception or abortion, send a wrong message not just to Catholics but also to other Christians who notice what they say, and conclude that these are matters of little importance. Such things, objectively, (such as contraception, abortion, so-called 're-marriage' and other practices) are serious sins.
Christ sees everything that human beings do. Human life is like a long, dimly-lit corridor; yet though people act in dark corners or behind closed doors, He sees and understands everything people do, whether in hidden areas, behind locked doors, in bright chambers or dark rooms - or in cellars deep underground. He loves sinners, but loathes sin; and so He encourages us all to repent, and He longs for everyone to change.
Showing 961 - 980 of 1911