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From the heart of the Godhead, from the Three Divine Persons, light and grace fall upon a little child below. This is an image of the power of Baptism. The new life given from God in this holy sacrament is a share in the life of God - and a promise of Heaven for those who remain faithful. This is the greatest gift, after life itself. The Three Divine Persons now dwell within the soul of the Baptised.

When a great natural disaster strikes, people are suddenly taken from what was preoccupying their heart, mind and efforts. They will be judged by God, who sees who was occupied with ordinary duties, who was planning an adulterous affair, for example, or who was cooking a meal and whether she was holy or in a state of mortal sin. How blessed are those who are ready to die at any moment.

When a family lives in a state of alienation from God, it's as if the main aim of each member is personal, prolonged pleasure, with no thought for God's wishes or the needs of others. So there is quarrelling, noise, immorality, hard-heartedness, physical danger and no interior joy.

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.

To receive Christ in Holy Communion, with His Divine life and light and love, is to receive Fire from Heaven: a transforming fire from the heart of the God-man. How foolish we are if we rush away straight afterwards. How foolish is the priest who does not pause in prayer and recollection, but rushes towards the end of the Mass.

When we pray for the Faithful Departed we not only help them to be drawn closer to the light of Heaven - by the grace of Christ - we also bring them the consolation of knowing that they are not forgotten: that their friends and relations on earth hold them in their hearts, and long for them to find joy, on entering Heaven's glory.

The Lord wants to see a crucifix on every altar, large enough to serve as a reminder for everyone that they are present at a solemn, living memorial of His Sacred Passion and death. The Mass is therefore not an appropriate place for frivolity, pop music, dancing, or chatter, or anything else which would draw hearts and minds away from the awesome act which takes place.

There are people who tell us how their hearts ache for the sufferings inflicted upon living creatures: battery hens, fish, birds, and dancing bears. How many of them have an equal or greater concern for the suffering of the living babies in their mother's wombs: babies poisoned or dismembered in abortion?

Every time a baby is aborted - even one as tiny as six weeks gestation - a beating heart is stopped, a living human being is snuffed out, because he or she is inconvenient or unwanted. This is not a 'bunch of cells' or a blob of tissue, but a person, who was not allowed to enter this world alive.

Christ is overjoyed by those who love and obey Him. One of the worst experiences of Christ's Passion, as He hung on the Cross, was the sight He saw - by His Divine insight - of those who would take no notice of His words, or of His desire to save them. His heartache was indescribable, as He saw souls walking away, towards damnation, through their own choices.

No theologian will do well if he only reads and reflects upon truth. He or she needs the Divine Light, which is given in prayer, when a person opens a door from the inside so to speak, and becomes illuminated - mind, heart and conscience - to 'see' truth in what is being studied, and to be of one mind with God and his Church.

Just as my children and husband and other relations are always in my heart and prayers because we are members of one family, so the whole Church - the Communion of Saints, on earth, in Heaven and in Purgatory - should be held in my heart. We are a great family, with special relationships binding us. All people deserve respect and love, but especially those in our 'household of faith'.

People on a pilgrimage are a mixed group: sick and able-bodied, luke-warm or fervent souls, people of every ability and background; yet by being on pilgrimage with sincere hearts, as on a journey, all are brought closer to Heaven.

God the Father is Law-Giver and Judge of all. With His Son and Spirit, He shines the light of Heaven upon earth. God will separate the good from the wicked at the end of time; wise people turn their hearts to God and ask Him to change and transform them now.

Just as we want to tell people the reason for the traffic queue in which they are stuck, as we drive freely on our side of the road, so we should want to tell people about the Way to Heaven - Christ's Way - to people who feel 'stuck' in ignorance or hopelessness, and are without the joy that the hope of Heaven brings to the human heart.

To be near the tabernacle, where Jesus Christ is substantially Present, hidden under the appearance of bread, is to be close to Christ's Divine Life and power. It is as if a fire burns, at the tabernacle, just as in the heart of the bush, as Moses looked on, long ago, when the Lord told him that where he stood was 'holy ground'.

We are wise to pray: "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us". Christ holds in His heart and love and affections the entire world, and every person on it. No-one can escape from His concern, even though some people insist on ignoring, rejecting or opposing Christ - and, from love, He respects their freedom to walk away.

Christ understands all our griefs and sorrows. When Christ prayed to His Father in Gethsemane, He was thinking not only of the horrors which lay ahead, but also about the wonderful joys of earthly life that He would soon be leaving behind. He was joyful about going home to Heaven, but His heart ached at the thought of leaving earthly friendships and earthly beauty.

When a priest has repented of a terrible sin of child abuse and has been forgiven, he might try to lead a good life; but if he is half-hearted in his efforts to make amends, he will find himself, when he dies, deep in Purgatory, far down, as if through a lengthy corridor into the bowels of the earth, undergoing a thorough preparation for Heaven.

Whenever a person speaks courageously about Christ and the Catholic Faith, whether or not they are welcomed, and is prepared to be ostracised or persecuted, that person is brought even closer to the Father's heart, wrapped in His Love.