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Christ was willing to end his prayer, when people were in need. As we follow the rocky path to Heaven as disciples of Christ, we have two great Commandments to keep: to love God with all our being, and to love our neighbour for God's sake, with the love of Christ's Spirit within us. That is why we must offer practical love to those in need, not in showy gestures, but in the course of everyday life, and determined to be as kind as Christ.

It sometimes seems as though the family which is the Church is subject to so much opposition and criticism that she is alone, like a home after a snow-storm: snowed-in, apparently uncomfortable; yet the truth is that life goes on within her. In her light and warmth, which are the light and warmth of God and His Son, the members of the family are still being nurtured, fed, trained, consoled and encouraged. The Holy Spirit is at work, unceasingly.

God does not force anyone to love or serve Him; and some people even choose sinful ways of life, and freely walk along, refusing to repent and change, even though the path leads to Hell. This is as foolish as walking along a snowy street in a well-lit town, then choosing to follow a narrow track into a snow-covered field, where it is so cold that people there will inevitably die of exposure.

If a person imagines that he can achieve union with God by his own strenuous efforts, he is mistaken. Christ, God and man, has told us so, and invites us to have faith in Him and to share His Divine life through Baptism. We can do penance for sin; but no-one achieves union by building a tower to be closer to Heaven, or by walking painfully, barefoot, round the world, or by walking on hot coals or by any other efforts.

Whether abortion clinics or certain types of nightclub, some attractive buildings hide dreadfully sinful behaviour. It can happen that a woman who is unexpectantly pregnant panics, thinks only of her own worries, and not about the life of her tiny child. In her icy desert of despair - a 'winter' of isolation - she might look upon an abortion clinic as a place of safety, help, and support which is warm, well-lit, and staffed by non-judgemental people who promise relief from her problem. She deserves compassion, but the truth is that the clinic is organised for the routine killing of tiny babies in the womb.

Some people believe God rewards them with riches; but the one God, the God of love, does not promise to reward people with great wealth, or honours, does not inspire them to undertake self-glorifying buildings, and does not look on gladly as the poor and neglected are blamed for their plight or totally ignored.

If any religion suggests that riches or worldly success are a sign of God's approval of certain persons, and that poverty is shameful, and if people develop habits of ignoring or despising the poor, it is plainly not founded by the God of love, Who sent His Son to earth, Who founded a Church which hands on His Gospel of love: His teaching about God's love for all people, rich and poor. Christ has revealed to us the true nature of God.

Have we climbed the mountain of holiness, by God's grace, ready to arrive peacefully at the door to Heaven? God asks us to ask ourselves: Do I love God with my whole heart? Do I favour His Will, above all things? If we do not love God and want to thank and praise Him, we are not ready for Heaven; but what if He should suddenly call us, to leave this earthly life? Wise people get ready, now.

When Christ looked at the naked demoniac, He was full of pity. The man had become separated from those who loved him, and was unhappy, purposeless, filthy and angry. With Divine power, Christ healed him, as He can heal angry people today, who are willing to be healed; and He can give patience to those who suffer from angry insults or assaults.

There is no easy way of being a Christian. The Lord asks each of us to sacrifice whatever impedes our particular vocation. Traditionally, He has asked priests to sacrifice hopes of marriage and parenthood. Religious make sacrifices to live the evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity and obedience. Married people too must be chaste, and faithful to each other, open to life, and making sacrifices to care for their families.

The gift of a child is meant to bring joy and gratitude to all members of a family. It pleases God to see people welcome a pregnancy and to look forward hopefully to the birth. It gives Him joy when people do not grumble about 'inconvenience', as many might call it, or about hard work, but see the life of a child as a gift from God.

Children deserve to be helped to reflect on their behaviour. When Bishops and others hand on the Faith to children, they should ask: Are you worthy to enter Heaven's glory, when your life ends? Are you ready to be carried by the Holy Spirit, across the Abyss, into the purity of the Godhead? Are you willing to prepare for that time?

Older children deserve to hear the truth: "If you throw away your life - your spiritual life - by immorality, drunkenness, pornography or violence, it will be impossible to regain holiness by your own power. You can then only hope to reach Heaven one day if you receive from God the grace to repent: a grace perhaps brought to you through the prayers and penances of people who care about you.

A person who chooses to leave a life of simple goodness, regular prayer, and faithful reception of the sacraments is as if jumping off a moving train which is on its way to Heaven. There is no other way to Heaven - and it is impossible to climb aboard the train again, without receiving help. That is why sinners are foolish as well as sinful.

This is what happens when the Faith is not preached in its fullness. A Bishop who has not preached about sin and repentance, Heaven and Hell, but more about self-esteem and trivial matters, will find himself in a Church which appears to be in decline, with fewer priests, fewer devotions, a faithless laity, few signs of hope, and bored school-children. The great drama of salvation, and the Real Presence of Jesus, should be preached with fervour.

There are scientists at work who are careless about human life, and who think nothing of creating embryos in their laboratories, for experimentation; or they freeze embryos, or destroy them, as surplus to requirements. They forget, or do not care, or do not believe that God gives the gift of life. In rejecting His gift they insult and disobey their Creator. In overstepping His laws, they break the fence which would have saved them from the Abyss.

A priest who is dispirited about the state of the Church should resist temptations to leave and to enjoy earthly pleasures. By the altar, he can receive power from God, to help him to renew the Church, and to encourage people towards obedience to God, sound Catechesis, profound reverence in prayer, and respect for the Pope, as well as love for the needy.

In difficult times, of increased dissent and disobedience, Christ asks dispirited priests not to give up, or to leave a damaged Church, but to work hard to build it up, as hard as any effort with nails and hammer to mend a broken piece of furniture. He was once a carpenter, He says - and knows how to be hopeful, and to set out to repair what was broken.

Like a mountaineer in a dangerous place, someone who is trying to escape from a sinful way of life needs the intercessions of other people. He also needs trust in God's power, and the virtue of hope, by which he will persevere in the belief that God can change him, save him, make him holy and happy, and bring him in the end to Heaven.

When a person has come close to spiritual disaster, and has lived as if in an icy wilderness of isolation, cold, pain and hardship, it can seem impossible to believe that another 'world' exists, of joy, peace, warmth and fruitfulness. With faith in God's love, trust in His power, and prayer, we can allow God to change our inner landscape from cold to warm, and change even the pattern of our ordinary days.