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Christ was standing in the sanctuary; but He said that He was gazing around the whole Catholic Church on earth, saying: 'Here I am, your Divine Saviour, Really Present amongst you. But where are the Processions? Where are the banners? Where are the beautiful monstrances to honour me and to show out My Presence in the Blessed Sacrament? Years have gone past, with little Adoration or Benediction.

As Jesus's Sacred Body was carried in a Monstrance past the crowd, at the prayer festival, I saw Jesus walking amongst us, happy to be amongst a different sort of crowd from the one that first called 'Hosanna', on seeing Him, but then rejected Him, and shouted 'Crucify Him'.

Many people today are oblivious to the spiritual warfare which is taking place today. Like two women in a café, chatting as horsemen charge past them, in battle array, many people are blind to the war between good and evil.

If we enter a little door labelled 'The Past' we enter a world where Catholic churches were adorned with glorious images, to the glory of God and to inspire and educate the faithful. There is no reason why good Catholics today cannot commission and install powerful reminders of the Creation, of Christ and His Mother Mary, of the Last Judgement, and Heaven and Hell, and other subjects.

If we look at those churches of past times which were decorated with colourful imagery and biblical scenes, we can see the importance of the altar, where Jesus Christ is made Present in the Mass. All that is beautiful here has been made so, in His honour. He deserves our adoration. He deserves to come to a place more like a throne-room than a garage.

Some priests mistakenly see themselves as counsellors rather than priests. In their misguided view of pastoral care they forget that they have been called to be 'other Christs' who teach the truth about sin and holiness, who invite people to repent and to receive forgiveness, freedom and peace.

In the Lord's Eternal life, He sees every event that has ever occurred or ever will occur, as if in a river or torrent of events which flows past Him all-at-once. When He Wills, He has sometimes chosen and 'frozen' a frame of that scene of future events, to insert it into the mind of one of His friends at prayer, as a gift, and a promise of future joy.

They are close to God, and safe; yet like the Chinese statues hidden from sight, the Holy Souls wait in a dimly-lit place, enduring their purification, as they think about their past lives, and suffer heartache because they were lukewarm in the Faith, or lacked faith in some of the Church's teachings - or prayed only occasionally, or made little effort to resist temptations, or to become really holy.

The Lord does not look upon each repentant 'child of God' as if classifying us by our past sins; as an ex-greedy banker, or as an ex-prostitute. He thinks of each one in a state of grace as being His glorious, delightful child, whom He loves, and with whom He shares His glory. We must not allow ourselves to be dragged down by our past lives.

A person who arrives in God's presence, at death, with all sins forgiven, has died a happy death. She stands before God, clothed in a bright wedding garment. The doors to the various areas of her past life are all shut and bolted, because the sins within have been forgiven and carried away. She has nothing to hide, nor to be ashamed of, by God's grace.

It is only too easy for the Clergy to use the excuse of 'pastoral sensibility' to avoid speaking about moral issues that can bring death-of-soul to some parishioners, such as abortion, and to speak out only against issues that will not cause controversy or local antagonism: for example, nuclear war, the arms race, and pollution.

We cannot avoid difficult topics in discussing the faith; yet it is important to be aware, when speaking of subjects such as death, that we do not know the dreams, fears and past experiences of each listener. Some might have had dreadful experiences of the illnesses and deaths of friends or relations; and this colours their attitudes and even alters their belief. Sensitivity is essential.

Whether we suffer from frail minds, or assaults from the evil one, if sad memories of past times keep on cruelly returning, we can freely choose with God's help to turn away, and to dwell on present-day gifts and grace. We can be like a sensible person who, instead of staying in a cinema to finish watching a horrifying film, for 'entertainment', goes through the exit, to enjoy sunlight, and real life.

Have we repented, and become children of God? The Father and His Son invite us to look at other people just as The Blessed Trinity look upon us, seeing us as we are now, in a state of grace, serving God and our neighbour. We should forget the behaviour and outlook of past times, which people have repented of, and left behind. If we are charitable, we resemble Christ, Who is transforming us.

When we have emerged from sinful ways, as if from underground, it is important to strive fervently to stay in the path which leads to the distant mountain of sanctity. Our aim is to reach - by God's grace - the glory of God in Heaven; so we should keep walking, pausing only to put right those things we have done wrong; and we must keep our minds on Heavenly things, not on past sins or temptations.

The picture represents the burial ground of past civilisations which have risen in triumph then eventually decayed, or been destroyed. A nation destroys itself if it kills its own children; that should be obvious, though it is a truth ignored by those who promote evil laws, such as those which make possible an even greater number of abortions.

Christ is God-made-visible. He spoke the truth. His Church speaks the truth today. A priest is asked to hand on the truth as well as to show charity. The truth is plain for all who want to know it; and priests are wrong who distort or contradict truth for what they call 'pastoral' reasons.

Christ died and rose again, to save sinners. He has called men, through the ages, to serve as priests in His Church, to save sinners. If, in their preaching, their celebration of the Sacraments, and their pastoral work, they are not saving sinners from the consequences of their sins, they are failing in their duty. It is not enough to be kind, yet to be off-hand about doctrine, feeble in efforts to draw people from sin to holiness.

We can picture a Bishop in Purgatory, thinking of how he would re-appear to his fellow-Bishops, if he could, to say how much he now regrets his past silence on the subject of invalid Orders, and on sexual immorality - including contraceptive use. In failing to teach his flock, and failing to speak the truth to others, he has only avoided Hell because he was badly taught, when he was being catechised, and then trained to be a priest. All that the Church teaches is true.

We can picture a Bishop in Purgatory, thinking of how he would re-appear to his fellow-Bishops, if he could, to say how much he now regrets his past silence on the subject of invalid Orders, and on sexual immorality - including contraceptive use. In failing to teach his flock, and failing to speak the truth to others, he has only avoided Hell because he was badly taught, when he was being catechised, and then trained to be a priest. All that the Church teaches is true.