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We must stand before God's gaze like toddlers who are contrite but also brave and trusting.

Whoever loves and trusts God, and remains faithful to Him, is drawn to His heart as surely as someone swept to the centre of a whirlpool

Christ gazed upon me with immense love and tenderness, as I expressed my contrition and love.

Someone who refuses to repent of wrong, refuses to show contrition, or refuses to make reparation to those whom he has wronged, is in a dangerous place as if on the sloping side of the crater of a volcano. He might live in hope of reaching the top. But each new movement of rebellion makes him slide closer to the sheer precipice, from which only a miracle of grace can rescue him.

When we sincerely repent of our sins and weaknesses it is as if a trapdoor opens above our head, as Heaven's light shines in, to bring us peace, light and closer union with God.

Sometimes, when we are tired, Christ calls us to rest, and 'helps us' to find that rest in our lives.

We should never doubt the love of Christ. He forgives all our sins and failings if we turn to him with trust and contrition.

Whether in church, when we cannot receive Holy Communion, or at home or elsewhere, when we long for closer union with Christ, we please Christ and help ourselves - by His grace - whenever we make a Spiritual Communion. By an act of faith in Christ, with an act of contrition and a request for a spiritual communion, we can be sure that Christ is very close to us, even if unfelt, unseen.

People who repent of their sins show their contrition in different ways. Real repentance causes souls to turn to God as did St. Ignatius Loyola and others. But Judas rushed away to kill himself, despite his sorrow. Hence the need to pray for one another.

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.

The Mass is a solemn and sacred representation of the once-for-all Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: God-made-man. Yet there are people who come to Mass and Holy Communion who are still in their sins: their grave sins. It is not fitting to receive Christ, unless a person has been purified by contrition, Reconciliation, and acts of penance.

Though we might recognise how weak and sinful we are, we are acting with wisdom if we come to Mass with contrite hearts, so that we are present as Christ prays to the Father on our behalf. Christ knows all our needs.

Worldly leaders enjoy displays of riches and power; but we cannot impress God by our extravagant deeds, or powerful displays. He loves everyone, but He lavishly rewards those who approach Him in humility and contrition, and who put their trust in His Son.

To greet Christ in Holy Communion with sincere contrition for weaknesses, and with reverence, humility and love, is deeply consoling for Him. It is as if we had rolled out a red carpet for Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior and King

The Catholic Faith should make Saints of us, people baptised, forgiven, transformed, enlightened, and worthy to worship on the threshold of Heaven, before the altar, until the time God calls us home to Heaven. The watered-down Faith sometimes offered today, which minimises the supernatural and even fails to request that candidates and catechumens give up their sins, is almost on a level with a Boy-Scout manual which requests good deeds but not faith or contrition.

As we pray in the name of Christ to God our Father, the most important thing about prayer is that we approach God with hearts open to His love, willing to learn from Him, and reverent, humble, contrite and grateful. Books can be useful, if they give us words in which to clothe our thoughts, for a sincere offering to God; but books are useless, if we read to God but do so without humility, without trust, or without willingness to love, forgive and serve our neighbour.

If any of us is walking steadily towards Heaven, longing to please God, but aware that we have seriously hurt someone, through selfishness, and have not yet put things right, we will find peace of mind when we humble ourselves, and try to show that we are contrite. By our reparation and contrition, we prepare, by God's grace, for Heaven.

Christ told me, about my Radiant Light paintings, that they are powerfully effective in helping people to assess their souls and lives. Just as a man who sees a drama on stage might see his own life mirrored, and want to make changes, so a person seeing his life or attitudes mirrored in many of my paintings can be led towards contrition, or to greater praise.

By every sincere, humble act of contrition, it's as if we make it possible to enjoy a higher degree of glory in Heaven, when the Lord eventually brings us home. What a thought! What a help for us, in our search for sanctity.

While a man lives, he can hope to be saved. As long as a man lives, he can hope to be able to repent of his sins and to be saved. Even a priest, guilty of scandalous, sinful behaviour, has the hope of being forgiven, changed and made worthy of Heaven, if he is willing to repent, in sincere contrition, and sincere trust in Christ. Repentance is like a rope that God gives him, to draw him from the danger of eternal loss.