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Christ in His Passion was cheered on by millions of watching Angels; and we who follow Him in our own work and sufferings can be certain that we have Saints as well as Angels cheering us on, encouraging us to persevere.

As the Son of God pondered His descent to our sinful world, He knew that through all His future agonies He would have millions of Angels cheering Him on. He wants us to know that as we meet opposition (from inside as well as outside the Church) in the practice of the Faith, we have not only Angels but also thousands of Saints, cheering us on.

Those who repent of their sins, make Heaven their goal, and humbly ask for the grace of Christ and the prayers of His Virgin Mother, and who persevere to the end, will receive a great welcome in Heaven. People who love Christ and Our Lady are led straight up to the summit, to meet the Father of Light Who sent His Son to save us.

A person who is content to serve God in faith and darkness, and to be obedient to His wishes in everyday life, persevering in prayer and acts of charity, is swiftly drawn by Him into contemplation - even experiencing, when God Wills, the type of prayer and union in which she leaves behind earthly things, to soar upwards into His heart.

The Lord said that of all the millions of souls created, only a few love and serve Him, and persevere to the end, proving worthy of the gift of Heaven. Babies who are aborted not only lose their lives on earth, but lose any possibility of Baptism, through which people inherit Heaven. Deliberately to deny a baby the possibility of birth and Baptism is a terrible thing for sinner and victim, and dreadful in God's sight, Who gives the gift of life.

In a story, a kind king told His children that He would give them every advantage, and make them very happy, but they must learn to take responsibility for their behaviour. He said: When you are grown-up, and if you deliberately do grave wrong, you will go to prison. They all agreed that the king's words are wise and just. And so it is, with the warnings given to us by Jesus Christ our God and King, about persistant grave sin, and Hell.

Through genuine friendships, we can have a good influence on others, witnessing to our Faith. Just as a person who admires the speed of a roller-skater wants to learn the skill, so a person amazed by the joy and perseverance of a practicing Catholic will want to learn about the source of such gifts.

A person who deliberately commits grave sin, perhaps through becoming resentful or bored in the 'long haul' of ordinary life in Christ's service, is as foolish as a climber who lets go of his rope, in order to move towards something attractive seen in the distance. As a climber falls to his doom, unless by a miracle he is caught in mid-air, it takes a miracle of grace for someone in mortal sin to be converted, and saved.

There are two thoughts that can comfort those who grow weary of the long 'climb' towards sanctity and salvation; first, Heaven, and a wonderful welcome, awaits all who persevere; furthermore, nothing can break the 'rope' we climb. It is Jesus, true God, Who made the Way - the rope - by coming to earth and returning to Heaven. Our part is to keep climbing and not to let go.

All who love and serve Christ and their neighbour with sincere hearts, and who persevere in love and purity and gratitude until they die, can be sure of being drawn across the great Abyss, after death, as if on an express train which is supported by the upstretched arms of Christ, Who Himself is the bridge to Heaven.

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.

People who suffer persecution or martyrdom because of their faith in Christ can feel as though they are leaving a garden of earthly delights to enter an endless tunnel of suffering. They can be assured that that tunnel opens out onto an area: not an area like the Colisseum, but a place where Christ, His Mother and all the Saints wait to greet them, and lead them into a life of Eternal bliss.

True intimacy with Christ can be achieved, by His grace. A person who genuinely loves Christ might begin with only an image of Him, as she prays; but if she perseveres in prayer and acts out of charity, throughout all difficulties, and remains full of faith, she will come to know the living Christ, as if through a door, behind the image; and she will move towards Heaven in His company, in peace and joy.

The Lord asks us to deal with some injustices in the manner of Saint Francis, who was reported as saying: if he were to trudge for miles through a snowy landscape, in darkness, and hungry, only to be met with insults, picked up and thrown aside - and yet be able to bear all this with patience, without food and warmth, that would be perfect joy, because then he would have been found worthy to be treated like Christ, and to be able to imitate Him.

We should not expect people to reward us for our charity. God will. Christ asks us to show love to everyone, like Him: unconditional love. This does not mean that we cannot make prudent divisions about who has first place in our lives, who is trustworthy, who needs correction or even reproof; but we must be kind, and look for the best in them; however, we cannot expect that our love will always be reciprocated. Some people will ignore or reject us, no matter how kind we try to be.

Christ invited us to set aside our distractions at Mass, and to rejoice that He is now amongst us in glory, now that His painful Work on earth had been completed, with His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. He wants His triumph to give us hope in our struggles against sin and hopelessness. With His power, we can persevere.

It is really true that God loves us. The message at Christmas is a personal invitation from Jesus Christ to each of us: to repent of sin, to believe that He has come down from Heaven, and to put our trust in Him. Then our lives will change! He gives us, through His Church, all that we need to become holy, to lead holy lives, and to reach Heaven - if we persevere.

It is not enough to be content to be spiritual. Some people want to worship God, and serve Him, without being asked to believe in important doctrines; yet sound doctrine provides the framework and the strength to persevere in our spiritual life. If we know the truth we are set free to build with confidence, and to believe that our house of faith will last until we reach Heaven.

A Catholic who puts himself, by a deliberate act or choice, out of Communion with the Church, in mortal sin, is as if standing on a ladder, near the top of a huge pit, in danger of falling; if he dies before he repents and is reconciled he will certainly fall into Hell. He needs God's grace to take the wiser course: to repent, and so climb the ladder and stay on firm ground, out of danger.

The journey to Heaven is, for most people, a slow and arduous climb. Christ wants each of us to believe in His love, to persevere in faith, hope, love and humility, and to avoid pride and vainglory. People who want to be Saints think more about God's goodness that about their own gifts, talents, plans and ambitions.