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As surely as terrorists destroy buildings and human lives, Satan destroys families by his malice and his evil influence. Satan acts against the love and joy in family life, working to remove harmony, peace, kindness, faithfulness, forgiveness, sobriety and prayer. Those who attack the family are doing Satan's work; yet God is stronger than an angel, no matter how wicked the angel; and we must count on God's help.

A person who wants to get to Heaven, and who is not against God, but who is not yet willing to repent, is like a man who searches for a way across the great Abyss between earth and Heaven, but is unsuccessful. To cross that great divide, we need the help of the Holy Spirit, Who comes only to those who repent of their sins, and thus allow the Spirit of purity and peace into their hearts.

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.

To be trapped in sinful ways, alienated from God, and helpless to bring about lasting change, is like being trapped on a rocky island, surrounded by a deep Abyss. Only if someone is parachuted in to save people there can they be helped to safety. And that is what Christ did, by coming to our world as God-made-man

It can happen that a person becomes so despondent about the demands of the Gospel that he begins to blame God, or the Church for what he sees as unfairness; in his rage he might fall, and endanger his spiritual life and his immortal soul. It is important to persevere in prayer for people in difficulty.

Christ wants us to avoid the ultimate disaster. Christ leads us by love, encouraging us to follow the Way to Heaven, helped by His guidelines and graces; but those who persist in disobedience and foolishness, ignoring His Commandments and decrees, or neglecting prayer, or corrupting others, or being irreverent towards His Sacred Ministers, or persisting, without repentance, in any grave sin, are allowed to follow their own paths. Alas, these lead to the great sewer which carries souls to Hell.

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.

None of our unavoidable sufferings or humiliations need be wasted. By our intercessory prayers, and the patient 'offering-up' of our sufferings, in union with Christ, we cause an outpouring of His grace to fall upon someone in danger of falling into mortal sin, or falling into Hell. Christ gives us the privilege of joining in His saving work, even though we are imperfect, as long as we live in a state of grace.

Every Mass is a triumph of grace, no matter how weak we are. When we unite our thanks and praises, our sorrow-for-sin, and our petitions and intercessions, with Christ's great sacrificial prayer in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we can be confident that our prayer is successful, for it is Christ Himself, from our altar, Who lifts up our prayer, with His, and presents them to our all-holy Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ asks us to accept the tragic truth about atheism: that a person who does not believe in God does not pray, never thanks God for anything, never asks for forgiveness from God, never prays for other people, never asks to be delivered from evil in this life, and never prays to be saved and brought to Heaven. Every atheist is in desperate need of the prayers of the faithful, no matter how good a life he seems to lead.

It is Christ who is as work in us, and Christ Who deserves the praise, when He enables us to be charitable towards everyone and in every circumstance, whether praying for the dead and the bereaved, caring for the sick, celebrating other peoples' joy, or offering gentle words to someone who has been hurtful.

We are right to believe that the intercessions we offer for other people, in Christ's name, are heard and granted by the Father. It's as if everyone we've enfolded in our prayer is revealed in the presence of the Father on His throne. The Father blesses each person we've brought to His attention, as Christ our Saviour looks on with love.

People treat a Bishop in all sorts of ways. A bishop is asked to do favours, to help the needy, to preach and console. He is often flattered, and over-busy. He cannot shepherd his flock, and serve them, and keep in mind their Eternal salvation, if he does not make time for prayer. He is in need of the intercessions of his own people, so that he will be of one mind with Christ.

There is a tremendous need for intercessary prayer. It is possible for the non-baptised to be saved, if they have never heard the Gospel but have persevered until death in doing good and avoiding evil; but many non-Christians have refused to believe in Christ. Others have committed grave sin and refused to repent. Others have mocked the Church or mocked her priests. Others have ignored the call of conscience, and followed selfish ways, knowing these were wrong. Thousands fall into Hell, everyday, alongside unrepentant Christians.

We have a duty to pray for our brothers and sisters who have lapsed, and no longer enter church for Mass. Some have committed grave sins and don't want to give them up; others feel ashamed of their sins but have forgotten that they can repent and be forgiven. Others no longer believe in the teachings of the Church. They all deserve our prayers.

The prayers of St. Joseph are badly-needed today: the one whom Christ looks on with love, grateful for that care by 'the chaste spouse of Our Lady' for both the Christ-child and His Virgin Mother. This is a time of moral decay, when even many Catholics are ignorant of the Church's moral teachings, or dispute them, or disobey them for a life-time whilst telling themselves that God 'doesn't mind'!

The power of prayer, offered in the name of Christ, is extraordinary, especially the greatest prayer: the Sacrificial prayer of Christ in the Mass, offered for the faithful departed as well as the living. A soul in the depths of Purgatory can find himself brought suddenly, swiftly, towards the light of Heaven, as he cries out with joy because he has not been forgotten, but has had a Mass offered for him by a fellow Catholic.

Whether people are atheists or God-fearers, they suffer. There is so much suffering in earthly life that we are tempted to complain; but if we were to load all our pains and problems onto a large lorry, to send them away, we would soon have another collection. What counts is to live a good life here on earth, even with suffering. We can please Christ when we resemble Him in patience and obedience, in union with Him, and interceding for others. We give glory to God, grow in virtue, and prepare for Heaven.

We are right to offer fervent intercessions for the people who live in the land where Jesus once walked. This has been a blood-soaked area of land for thousands of years.

We should pray for people without faith. People who don't love God or keep the Commandments are as if floating along on the great river of life, mostly unconcerned about the future, but likely to be carried as if over a great waterfall to disaster, when they die, unless they seek help from Heaven. They cannot save themselves by mere will-power, or good works alone.