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Some of those Catholics who constantly complain about Church teachings, and who demand reform and renewal, are themselves damaging the Church from within by their dissent and by their actions. Even when, in every age, there must be Spirit-guided renewal, true renewal is in accord with the Tradition.

We all need the prayers and intercessions of others. There is only one Way across the gulf that separates earth from Heaven, and we shall not cross it when we die if we have wandered away, far from the bridge, looking for all sorts of distractions from our ordinary duties, or avoiding the call of conscience, or unwilling to suffer for Christ by remaining faithful. Perseverance is all-important, by the grace of God.

It is sad to see some Bishops squabbling about comparatively unimportant matters, while, close by, people are falling into the pit - into Hell - because of their own freely-chosen actions. Those sinful people who died unrepentant are responsible for their fate; but they were not helped by Bishops who might have taught them the Faith in its fullness, with fervour, and so steered them away from danger.

Jesus Christ is swift to console His friends in their heartache, pain or exhaustion. If we call out to Him in faith and humility, asking for the privilege of a spiritual Communion, He is very close to us, bringing peace that only He can give, and guiding us in our actions by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit.

We need God's help to conquer our fears. It can seem as though a troubled person is in an 'isolation cell', separating himself from ordinary society by his troubles. Yet when the worst problems are solved, but he refuses to attend to ordinary human interactions, it's as if a prison door has opened, but he refuses to come out.

God does not look upon us with distaste because we have distractions in prayer. He understands our nature. Just as one of us, reading peacefully in a hot climate, might be merely amused, not annoyed, by the little lizards which dart around our feet, on the stone pavement, so God looks on us with affection as He sees us praying sincere prayers although these are interrupted by minor distractions.

Wise people reflect, and actively prepare for Heaven. As we occupy ourselves with ordinary concerns, it's as if we are on a walkway which moves slowly towards the moment of our death. Then, the quality of our relationship with God will be revealed - or even the lack of one. Some people will see God and leap into His embrace. Others gladly surrender to purification, ashamed at not being ready for Heaven. Others continue to do what they did on earth, ignoring or despising God, and freely walking away on the steep road to Hell.

We need not worry if we have so many duties to fulfil that we cannot name every individual whom we hold up before God in prayer. If we intercede for them all at once, we can be sure that as we hold them before God it's as if we are bringing them into the sunlight. God's warm love falls upon each one, with graces according to their needs, because of the merits of Christ, and our faithful intercession.

When a fellow pilgrim is shrieking as if possessed, it is not surprising if we are distracted from our prayer, wondering who this is. If we heard a train crash when we were driving nearby it would not be unnatural to look, and wonder, and then pray.

We are right to put prayer first - to put Christ first - no matter how busy our day. Whether we are religious sisters or mothers looking after sick children, we will do our work better and more cheerfully if it is underpinned with prayer. Blessed Mother Teresa insisted that her busy sisters had an hour's adoration each day.

Just as the land which is not watered by spring rains becomes dry, causing subsidence and dangerous lesions in the road, so a spiritual life not fed by the sacraments becomes weak. Those most likely to fall into the pit are those preoccupied by earthly troubles, those careless in their everyday life, and those unable to go to church who sink into depression or despair.

It can be hard to pray without distractions, especially when we are full of delighted memories of a holiday, a pilgrimage, or a special re-union. Yet Christ understands this, just as, for example, He would understand how difficult it would be for a painter to concentrate on a conversation with Him, if she were standing near the rocks once beautifully depicted by Monet!

Just as a jug can only be swiftly filled with water if the lid is wide-open, so the gifts of God can only pour into a soul in full measure when the person opens her heart wide, to God, in deeply reverent prayer, with all sins confessed, all distractions banished, and an attitude of patience and trust.

Christ saw dreadful sights as He suffered on the Cross. He saw the aborted babies whose lives would be cruelly ended; but even worse for Him was the sight of many 'dead' souls: diseased souls in mortal sin, souls now made foul and repulsive through their own thoughts and actions; so Christ's torment was spiritual and mental, as well as physical, in His Passion.

It might seem as if a viper has leaped out from his lair, to wound us. If we work for Christ, spreading the Gospel, we are going to be opposed, by people on earth and by Satan. We are wise if we recognise the truth, that harsh words or actions which cause us to suffer are caused by people acting from their sinful nature, as we sometimes do; so we forgive them, and turn to God for the courage to go on.

If we lead a life free from sin, by co-operation with God's grace, and we avoid deliberate distractions in our prayer, it's as if we stand and pray before Heaven in a tunnel of light. Divine grace pours upon us, increasing both our desire for wisdom and understanding and our ability to do God's Will in every circumstance.

Christ wants us to think carefully about 'environmentalism'. We are right to be concerned for people all over the world - to ensure clean water supplies, and reduced pollution, for example. It is a mistake, if we become concerned with the care of the planet almost to the point of excluding from our minds any interest in the state of our souls. The heart of the Gospel message concerns liberation from sin, and preparation for Eternal Life.

When Christ gives us a gruelling task to do, it can seem as though He has asked us to haul a heavy bag up a freezing slope, as we are not only exhausted by our efforts, but also exhausted by fending off the assaults of Satan. He delights in trying to make us despondent, and constantly interrupts our prayers; yet with Christ's help we can persevere.

At the end of human life, we shall ultimately make our way towards Heaven - by the grace of Christ - or to Hell, as a consequence of our own choices and actions. Hell can be pictured as a hole in the ground, from which no-one can return, whether to earthly life or to Heaven. It is a life of utter misery and regret, shared with others who have resolutely refused, until death, to accept Christ's invitation to turn to Him in repentance, to receive the gift of Divine Life.

No-one can please God by a life that consists of an outward appearance of piety, combined with a hard heart and cruel actions. Those who treat other human beings as slaves, or beasts as burden, and have no intention of showing compassion, can only fall down into the pit, when they die, to be lost forever.