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Row upon row of flames can be seen in the depths of Hell, where are nestled - because of their own choices - impenitent souls who lived until death in lust, pride or disobedience, or lacking compassion and love.

When people accept God's call, and approach Him, some halt soon afterwards, being afraid that He will ask them to do uncongenial tasks, or make sacrifices they don't want to make. They do not really open their hearts to Him in prayer, for the same reason, and picture the Godhead as a massive fortress or walled city, with an open door they do not want to enter. They do not discover, therefore, all the joys and delights found inside by God's friends.

People throughout the world need to hear the amazing news about Jesus Christ, and the whole plan of salvation. God came down to earth from Heaven: that is the single most important thing for people to know. He came, therefore He loves us. He spoke, therefore we should listen and obey.

It is essential that we love God, and love our neighbour. There really will be a Last Judgement, when those who have put their trust in Christ are rewarded and those who were disobedient and rebellious will be sent away to Hell. By our freely-made choices in everyday life we are each moving towards the heights of glory or towards the torments of the damned.

People who live aimlessly without clear goals or commitment to what is good are like petals which fall into a river, are tossed about on the current and eventually swept over a waterfall to be seen no more - unlike those who, in obedience and service before God, have a sure hope of rising up to be with Him forever.

Our Lady of Sorrows: Our Blessed Lady showed reverence for God, in love, obedience and submission, not only when approached as a teenager by an Angel, but throughout her life, and beneath the Cross. As she welcomed God's Will in every circumstance, so should we welcome it, in small things and great.

We might sometimes question the wisdom of surrendering to God's Will, when we imagine our own plans are good. Yet His plan for us is always best: so great, eventually, that it's as if, in following His Will, we have accepted a life with a King in His Coronation Coach, even when we had not expected such goodness.

Christians who serve Christ so well that they go straight to Heaven when they die are like those brave soldiers who have been so heroic that their courage is recognised by the Queen, who is pleased to meet them at an investiture, to give them a medal.

If we speak about the teachings of the Church, about faith and morality, we may meet with anger or indifference. It is not comfortable speaking out with a prophetic voice.

The Holy Souls in Purgatory undergo an interior cleansing and transformation, as they realise how much time they wasted in earthly life, when they might have shown greater love towards God and their neighbours, in humility and obedience.

It is unlikely that all scientists will be able to resist the temptation to create new forms of human-animal life by immoral means. Since the Fall, unbridled curiosity has led to disobedience to God's laws.

Since the Fall, human beings have sometimes given in to the desire for unnecessary knowledge. Unbridled curiosity can lead to disobedience to God's laws - especially when young people can easily find pornographic material to devour, and when they have little discipline or sure teaching or guidance in these areas.

Since the Fall, human beings have sometimes given in to the desire for unnecessary knowledge. Unbridled curiosity can lead to disobedience to God's laws - especially when young people can easily find pornographic material to devour, and when they have little discipline or sure teaching or guidance in these areas.

A happy obedient child on holiday has the freedom to do one good thing or another on the beach. She would not think of playing in a dirty ditch, or shouting at her parents. If we are happy and obedient we enjoy our freedom as God's children to choose to do one good task or another, and it does not occur to us to do deliberate evil.

The generous response of the Blessed Virgin to God's invitation to become the Mother of God brought her much suffering - but also tremendous joy and glory. And so it is with us, when we respond to God's call, and allow Him to lead us through trials to bliss and intimacy.

The Saints in Heaven are there because they did God's Will in earthly life, or did it belatedly, having repented; so Christ treasures our every act of obedience to His wishes.

Vocations have a 'seed-bed': wherever families believe and practice the Faith, love Christ and His Church, obey their pastors, and train their children, as they ought, to treasure their spiritual heritage.

Vocations to the Priesthood and to the Religious Life are plentiful where Catholics love Christ, the Church, and it's teachings, and do not regard it as demeaning to live in obedience to Catholic teaching on faith and morals.

Christ's Sacrifice of Calvary, re-presented in the Mass in a sacramental manner, is the 'fragrant' sacrifice whose scent - of obedience and love - rises to Heaven, gives worthy praise to the Father, and is all-sufficient.

We must not worry if we cannot always 'compose' ourselves for prayer, or must pray in a hospital bed or a railway carriage. Christ's greatest prayer, the most beautiful, was prayed from the Cross, when He surrendered to the Father's Will, in death, in love and obedience.