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The comfort experienced by close friends of Christ, in His presence, is like the comfort experienced when a distressed girl is held by her mother, in an embrace of real love, until the child can calm down, look at life from the comfort of her mother's arms, and see things in their true perspective.
Some people have refused to love God. Yet without love for God, they cannot enter Heaven. By their own choice, they have turned away from happiness and peace; and when they die they fall towards Hell. They will never again experience joy, having refused to acknowledge the Source of all joy.
God wants everyone to know that we don't need special circumstances in which to show out love for God and our neighbour, or advanced education or special training or equipment. In whatever vocation God has called us to undertake, we can show our love, and - by the graces won for us by Christ - prepare for Eternity in Heaven.
We please Christ if we are 'faithful in little things', for example, by reaching out to help someone in need, instead of ignoring that person to fulfill our own plans.
The Holy Souls have only each other for company: such sad company, as they weep, and bewail the times they wasted on earth when they might have shown more love for God or their neighbour, or might have been quicker to repent of their sins. But at least they are safe now, and grateful for safety - with Heaven to look forward to, in the end.
The Holy Souls have only each other for company: such sad company, as they weep, and bewail the times they wasted on earth when they might have shown more love for God or their neighbour, or might have been quicker to repent of their sins. But at least they are safe now, and grateful for safety - with Heaven to look forward to, in the end.
Men in storybooks have undertaken long journeys to prove their love for a princess. Christ has undertaken the longest journey of all, to prove His love for Mankind. He descended from the heights of glory in Heaven, not just to Earth, but to the bottom of the dungeon in which He huddled, bleeding and deserted, during His Passion.
Christ was paraded by His captors before jeering crowds; yet He accepted without hatred or impatience the humiliating treatment he received because of His words. He let nothing stop Him from His mission to show out His Divine nature and to rescue us from our sins. We cannot repay Him for all He suffered to bring truth and salvation to the world; but we give joy to Him when, in gratitude, we show love towards Him and our neighbour.
Christ was paraded by His captors before jeering crowds; yet He accepted without hatred or impatience the humiliating treatment he received because of His words. He let nothing stop Him from His mission to show out His Divine nature and to rescue us from our sins. We cannot repay Him for all He suffered to bring truth and salvation to the world; but we give joy to Him when, in gratitude, we show love towards Him and our neighbour.
When people show true kindness and compassion towards the sick, disabled, injured or dying, and care for them tenderly until God choose to call the sick person away from earthly life, they show respect for life; and they show out God's love which is in their hearts.
We should trust that God sees our efforts to love Him. If we worry about our little failings, when we are exhausted from having done great work for Him amidst opposition and spiritual assaults, we are like a soldier who has travelled hundreds of miles in dangerous mountains to save the lives of his comrades, and who now lies wounded, but who apologises for not having cleaned his teeth or done up his top shirt button.
People who fulfil their everyday tasks in union with Christ, in the home or the workplace - or in the Priesthood - grow in holiness. Their communion with Him drives them to do everything for love of Him and of the Father, Who is the Source of all holiness. They are becoming ready to live one day as Saints, with the Father in Heaven.
Those repentant Catholics who serve Christ in the home, at work and in the priesthood, for example, live deep in the heart of Christ. They are growing in holiness, ready to live one day as Saints, with the Father in Heaven.
In our everyday lives, people who fulfil their everyday tasks out of love for Christ, are held in His care, close to Him, helped to grow in holiness by their Communion with Him.They are becoming ready to live one day as Saints, with the Father in Heaven.
In our everyday lives, people who fulfil their everyday tasks out of love for Christ, are held in His care, close to Him, helped to grow in holiness by their Communion with Him.They are becoming ready to live one day as Saints, with the Father in Heaven.
It pleases Christ when we show love, honour and respect towards our Bishop. Christ is our great High Priest, and He invites us all to show love and courtesy, at all times, towards those He has chosen to be 'other Christs' for us.
A person who adopts a new country, and loves it, finds out all he can, studies its history, travels to beautiful places, and defends it to others - and a person who gives his allegiance to Christ should likewise find out all he can about Him, study the history of His People and His Church, and learn what the Scriptures tell about Him.
It is a work of mercy to pray and preach so that people who are cruel and thoughtless towards others will repent before they die. Those who have no respect for fellow human beings, or no respect for the poor and the weak, are as if an inch away from Hell, should death suddenly arrive before they can repent and avoid eternal punishment.
As a drug-user suffers when his supply of drugs is withdrawn, and his whole body cries out for its former source of pleasure and well-being, so a soul in Hell suffers - because of his own free choices - when, in Hell, he is suddenly without all those things that make it pleasurable and joyful to be a human being. He is without light, love, joy, peace, beauty, comfort or tenderness - all through his own fault, by his sinful choices.
A mother with a seriously-sick child keeps loving her. She would do nothing to harm her. She would not kill her, however - just as God does not kill the people He loves, even when they have freely chosen to abandon Him, hate Him, and then find themselves in Hell, suffering from the absence of light and love.
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