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If I remember that Christ is always present, wherever I speak with a friend, I will be more likely to 'weigh' every word. Where three are present in this way, charity can reign.

We are right to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and to enjoy Crib sets and other traditions; but above all we must help the needy, in honour of Him Who came to help us in our need, when we were trapped in our sins.

Where divine fire blazes up from a human heart - fire which is perfect charity - it reaches as far as the great 'Fire of Charity' of Heaven, which is the Godhead; and so there is union. Where a soul lacks charity, there is no union - though only God can judge.

Even in the coldest, bleakest surroundings, no-one on earth, not even the poorest peasant in the most dingy hovel (Christ explained) has the right to end his own life or to ask someone to do it for him. If we accepted the power of God into our lives, the love given through Christ, we would look after one another.

Wherever people follow Christ, and try to do His Will, there are fewer sick people neglected, fewer orphans abandoned, fewer weak people pushed to the margins, and greater love shown to all women, children and men.

Life is a gift from God: but so too is the power of God in human hearts: the power and love given when we receive the Holy Spirit, Who urges us to care for the poor, sick, weak and needy.

The sins and self-love shown in our world cover our world like an all-enveloping cloud. Wherever someone acts in pure charity, it's as if a gap is made in the cloud; and God's light can shine upon earth in a difficult situation, for needy people.

Christ is pleased when we reach out to strangers, however unattractive they may be - the needy stranger is Christ in disguise.

To slam a plate of food down, in front of another person, is to feed that person with little grace or charity. And to make the sign of the Cross in a careless or hurried manner - or any act of Catholic devotion - is to show little respect and love for God.

Anyone who dismisses an elderly person as being not worth caring for is treating a precious, unique individual, made by God, as a 'thing' or a non-person.

A Christian marriage, lived as it should be lived, is like a lamp set on a hill, for society; a sacramental union full of grace. It provides a loving home for children who are not rejected by contraceptive use or abortion; it is a place of care for elderly relations, provides warmth for the lonely, and is an example to all of love and compassion.

A Christian marriage, lived as it should be lived, is like a lamp set on a hill, for society; a sacramental union full of grace. It provides a loving home for children who are not rejected by contraceptive use or abortion; it is a place of care for elderly relations, provides warmth for the lonely, and is an example to all of love and compassion.

A Christian marriage, lived as it should be lived, is like a lamp set on a hill, for society; a sacramental union full of grace. It provides a loving home for children who are not rejected by contraceptive use or abortion; it is a place of care for elderly relations, provides warmth for the lonely, and is an example to all of love and compassion.

We are right to be kind to everyone; yet if we are wise, we will make prudent decisions in dealing with anyone who cares nothing for us and 'plays' with our emotions as with a fish on a line.

By showing concern about people who need food and drink, we demonstrate the love in our hearts - as Jesus did when He healed a little girl, the asked for her to be fed, and as we do when we work for our own family day after day, for many years.

It is not necessary for everyone to live in grim, colourless, puritanical surroundings, as if by austerity and simplicity we can prove our love for God and the poor. It is part of the duty of family care, and hospitality, to greet and entertain people in pleasant surroundings, just as Jesus offered 'the best wine'.

Within the Father's heart, in Heaven, burns a blazing light. This is the glory of the Father, and within it is a furnace of Divine Love. That very love should burn within the heart of every Christian who professes to work for God. If a burning charity is lacking, someone's work cannot succeed. It will be based on human ambition and only human strength.

If we are careless or uncharitable in some of our 'patterns' of thinking, speaking or acting, or just copy ways of behaviour picked up from our childhood models - we may have no malice, but still act in foolish ways, not realising how little we resemble Christ.

Catholics who do not pray, or who hope to do good but without prayer, cannot draw from Christ the graces they need for a vigorous spiritual life. They are like grapes that are shrivelling on the vine, through separation.

Christ is pleased when we step forward when people are grieving, to offer comfort, or to make kind enquiries - even if those people are strangers. It is better than hurrying past, worrying about them but not acting.