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No unbaptised baby will suffer after death. All the innocent babies who die by abortion, or in miscarriages, or in infancy, fall into the care of God. Though not praising God in glory with the Saints, they are held in God's love, in peace. It's as if they have fallen into a comfortable cot, held out in the loving hands of Jesus.

We should not forget our departed friends and relations. The Holy Souls in Purgatory are safe in God's care, as their purification prepares them for the glory of Heaven; yet they yearn to benefit from our intercessary prayers. They are helped to move closer to Heaven, by our prayers for their souls, as we pray in the name of Christ, Who wants everyone to act, to help them.

We must not give up when trials come. We sometimes meet what seems like an earthquake on our 'road to glory', as we follow Christ's way to Heaven. Whether it is caused by opposition, or assaults, or natural disasters, or weakness springing from our own nature, we can still move forward, even amidst our difficulties. It was said of Christ, 'for the sake of the glory that lay ahead, he bore the shame of the Cross'. So it can be with us.

None of us should think that a Baptism is merely an excuse for a ceremonial gathering. A real change is effected by the sacrament of Baptism, by which a person is freed from sin, made a child of God and a member of the Church, and receives the very life of God within his or her soul. The indwelling Trinity makes the soul glorious with Divine Glory; this is a light that can only be extinguished by serious sin.

How carefully we should preserve the grace of God within us. Just as the brilliant surface of a polished table can be damaged, or ruined, by ill-treatment, through hot objects, or corrosive liquids, or savage blows, so the glory within the soul of a baptised person can be diminished or banished by the corrosive effect upon the soul of sin.

It is a charitable act - a work of mercy - to attend a Requiem Mass where the sole connection with the deceased and the relations is the communion that is shared in and through Christ. The mourners are comforted by additional prayers, the dead have the Mass offered for the repose of their souls, and the clergy benefit, and God is given glory by our kindness.

We should recognise what God can do in our lives, at our consent. When a grateful person believes in Christ, surrenders to His wishes, and with prayer, penance and acts of charity allows Christ to transform her, whatever the cost, Christ works an amazing transformation. To change a person with sinful ways into someone who lives for the glory of the Blessed Trinity is like changing a go-kart into a Rolls Royce.

Earthly idols have sometimes been so glorious as to make men tremble with awe - yet the glory of Almighty God is a million times greater. How important it is, that we sinful creatures show reverence and love towards God. Christ, the Son of God, looks with kindness upon all who approach Him or His Father in sincere prayer; yet it is reverent souls who are invited to enjoy intimacy with God.

If we are in need of purification in Purgatory, when we die, we should welcome it, because we would be unable to bear the sight of God's glory; so our purification can be seen as a sort of acclimatisation. When we are ready, we emerge, joyfully, longing to enter Heaven, just as a diver ends his slow acclimatisation by bursting joyfully though the surface of the water to be greeted by his friends.

The Church is a home like no other: a true home for sinners. Christ wants us to hold up our heads bravely despite all the criticism currently made of the entire Church because of the wicked acts of a very small number of priests. He sees the Church as a giant, amongst institutions and organisations as She sustains and promotes life through her medical work, educational projects and care of the poor - as well as her main task: the care and salvation of souls, for the glory of God and our eternal joy.

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 smoke from volcanoes can endanger aircraft. People are understandably sad and upset when their earthly plans are foiled by upheavals in the natural world, yet those are comparatively minor tragedies when compared with the loss of God, which occurs when a person dies without having repented of serious sin; and the great cloud of smoke that rises from Hell obscures from them, forever, the sight of God in His glory and beauty.

By our own freely-made choices, we alter our destiny. Those who persist in selfishness and sin, despite the help given by God to reflect upon their lives, and to turn to Him in contrition and trust, will find themselves led, at death, into total alienation and spiritual hopelessness, as if through a dark doorway, unlike those who have persevered in faith and love, and who are raised up in the glorious life of Heaven, to share the joy of the Saints, forever.

Both forms of the Mass (Ordinary and Extraordinary) are a legitimate part of the life of the Church; both unite us with the same Sacrifice of Calvary; both give glory to Almighty God and allow the sanctification of his people.

There are many leisure occupations that are not sinful, though some people are puzzled by modern art: abstract and conceptual art. Other people spend some spare time finding their way round a maze, in a country garden. Whether we are attracted to novelties or thought-provoking events, a question that needs to be asked is, 'What is life for?' After our ordinary duties, do we make fruitful use of our free time? Does everything we do, think and say give glory to God?

Through the goodness of God the Father and the merits of His Son, our Lord, we can help the Holy Souls by our prayers, including those who usually have no-one to pray for them. We can help them towards Heaven, where they are greeted, and welcomed into glory, to join the Saints at God's Heart. It was with a similar welcome that Christ greeted the Saintly Souls, such as prophets and patriarchs, in the underworld, after His death and before His Resurrection; and He told them that their long wait was nearly over.

Our Blessed Lady assists her son, the unique Saviour, Jesus Christ, in making known the Father's plan. It is His desire for each of us to accept His invitation to repent of sin, to be transformed by the Divine life given in Baptism, and to follow the Way of His Son: a Way that, for all who persevere, leads to a sharing in Divine Glory in Heaven, at the heart of the Blessed Trinity.