Search Page

All who do the Will of God will act justly. His Will has been made known fully through Jesus Christ Who was sent to us from Heaven. If we disobey the laws of God and the will of Christ in attempts to promote what we call 'justice' we in fact promote things that are unwise or unjust, even if doing so through ignorance or fear, for example, trying to cure poverty by offering abortions.

God knows all our needs, fears, hopes and joys. God asks us to live in a beautiful relationship with Him, now that we have been reconciled. He asks us to entrust ourselves to Jesus as comfortably as a tiny child entrusts itself to a good mother, never doubting that she is there to feed, console, hold and nurture him.

The priest is the man at the heart of the process of conversion. He brings good news about God's love, and the forgiveness given to repentant sinners. He brings Jesus to us: in His Word, in the Real Presence of Christ at Mass and in the tabernacle. He organises Catechesis; and he preaches, offers the Holy Sacrifice, prepares us for death, guides and helps the bereaved - and the faithful priest will be marvelously rewarded, even in this life. His greatest friend is Jesus Christ.

What marvels stem from our Baptism, and the life of grace! And Who is it that raises us up - if we are willing - so that we can speak to our all-holy Father, Who sent Jesus to save us, and with Whom Jesus now lives in Heaven? It is the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of Jesus: the Divine Person Who resembles Jesus but is distinct from Him.

When the Angels bow low, in awe, at the arrival of Jesus Christ, at the Consecration, they demonstrate, by their action, their interior disposition. We can do the same. We can express our adoration and love by reverent gestures, prayers, genuflections, and also by our silence in church, and our modest clothing, and dignified bearing.

We need not be surprised if enemies of the Church shout out their opposition to her on seeing the Pope, for example, as he pays a visit to another country. Even the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, experienced opposition, mockery, and worse. But we must keep the Pope and all the Clergy - and the whole Church - in our prayers.

Just as we need to trust our judgement when we are in physical danger, so we must, too, in spiritual matters. Just as we are right to feel alarmed if someone entering a nearly-empty train carriage chooses to sit right next to us, so we are not wrong to feel alarmed at indications of spiritual danger; and we should call on the name of Jesus, and prayer of Our Lady to help us, and also use holy water to put Satan to flight.

In every age, since the time of the Apostles, priests have faced opposition and persecution as they have gone about their work. It is important that they are faithful to preaching the truth - the Faith in its entirety - and faithful to the Mass. That is his task: to teach the faithful how to lead good lives and prepare for Heaven, and to feed the faithful with Jesus Christ's Sacred Body and Blood: to transform them.

All who persevere in love, and enter heaven, find that the blind, the lame, the deaf are healed. No-one suffers shame in Heaven. All are forgiven; and they are as joyful as carefree children. And no-one is sick or disabled. They might bear visible wounds, as Jesus does; but the formerly blind now see, the lame walk, the deaf hear; and everyone - the Blessed Trinity, and all the Saints, and all the Angels - is beautiful!

"Radiant Light" Images: These provide a sort of 'Catechism in pictures'. The purpose of 'Radiant Light' images is to cast light upon the teachings of the Catholic Church, to enable people of all places and backgrounds to see with clarity the most important truths of the Catholic Faith, to help them to enter or persevere on the one Way to Heaven, following our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Christ is explaining to all who are called to be celibate priests that in their celibate state they can imitate Him, by His grace, not treating celibacy as a burden but a help to total self-donation to God, in the Church. They can be confident of receiving the necessary graces; and seminarians have the inestimable privilege of having Jesus Christ Really Present amongst them in the Blessed Sacrament of the tabernacle and altar.

Those of us who lead busy lives need not feel guilty about longing for more time for peace: both for prayer and for relaxation. Christ Himself got up early, to go to a lonely place, to avoid the crowds, and sometimes stayed up all night, to pray. We need to ask, however, do we make sensible plans, and allow enough time for reflection and prayer?

Christ rejected Satan's offer to give Him the glory of the kingdoms of the world, if Christ would worship him - and then Christ gave a demonstration of humility, to help us, since He knows that the most common temptation of weak human beings is to pride, and self-sufficiency. Other weak people are tempted to despondency, thinking themselves unlovable. These too need Christ's powerful help.

The Church hands on the message of Jesus Christ. People who ignore God, and hate the Church or her teachings are seen by Christ as living in a degree of spiritual darkness, even if they were not told good things about the Catholic Faith when they were young. And no-one can enter Heaven without having shown some degree of humility and penitence before God. That is why we, today, should proclaim the message of St. Peter: "Repent - that your sins may be blotted out". Unbelievers, and proud people, cannot enter.

All over the world, people pray prayers, sending them up towards God the Father Who hears everything. But when there are prayers that rise up in the Name of Jesus by people faithful to Jesus, it's as if Jesus Himself is rising up to intercede with the Father, Who cannot fail to hear and answer such prayers; hence our confidence, if we live in a state of grace.

How marvellous it is, that the Father has revealed His nature to us. The Father delights in our prayers, and in our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. We can picture Him reaching down to each of us as we offer our petitions in the Name of His Son with confidence and faith.

We must encourage one another really to believe in Jesus Christ. If I am one of those fearful Catholics who constantly feels trapped between the memory of my sins, which we feel will bring us to Hell, and the assaults or temptations of the evil one - like a roaring beast, trying to devour us - I should look away from myself, upwards, to Jesus. If we call on Him, He is powerful enough to help us. But, to call, we first need faith in Him.

The prayer that is offered with real faith in Jesus' name goes swift as an arrow to Heaven, whereas the prayer offered in half-belief is like a little flame of hope that is swiftly extinguished by a new, doubting thought, then is set alight again by an influx of faith, but not yet strong enough to reach Heaven.

The Holy Spirit, Who brought together thousands of priests to offer a Mass with Pope Benedict on one occasion, is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Who chose each of those men. Each responded. Christ chose each one even before each emerged from his mother's womb. Christ wants each one to persevere, and never to become despondent, or give up, because of his own sins and weaknesses.

There are three more things that many Catholics need to be told about the Mass - especially children. They know about the gathered Church, the Scriptures, and Holy Communion; it is tragic that so few have learned: 1) Jesus is made Really Present at the Consecration, 2) Through Him, we are made present to the One Sacrifice of Calvary, 3) Jesus, today, prays for us: He prays for our forgiveness and our Salvation.