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When a person deliberately commits grievous sin, it's as if he falls down upon ground which slopes steeply downwards towards a deep pit in the ground. No-one can get out of it by his own power; although the Divine help given through the prayer of friends, during this life, is like a rope by which the sinner can allow himself to be pulled up towards the life of grace.

God gives us the gift of life, and wants us to appreciate the gift, not to bewail it and complain. It is not to be spent in self-indulgence, or in self-pity or inertia, but in doing good and giving joy, and so becoming joyful, and, by God's grace, ready for Heaven.

All over the world are people in spiritual darkness, caused by original sin. Parents require the grace of God in order to bring up their child to have the right attitudes and beliefs, and so become holy; and they also need grace in order to love one another always with a love that is pure, fruitful and faithful.

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.

To arrive in God's presence, at death, without being clothed in the life of grace, is like arriving on earth at a wedding, in a naked state, having to endure the embarrassment, and the embarrassed gaze of fellow-guests. We need to prepare our 'wedding garment' for Heaven, by our holiness of life and love for Christ.

In contemplative prayer, in a state of grace, a soul can be lifted by God into new states of union as swiftly and directly as if that person were a child being borne aloft, flying towards Heaven on the back of an eagle.

In contemplative prayer, in a state of grace, a soul can be lifted by God into new states of union as swiftly and directly as if that person were a child being borne aloft, flying towards Heaven on the back of an eagle.

To meet Christ at death whilst in a state of grace is to be wearing the wedding garment necessary for Heaven, even if it is stained, and must be washed clean in Purgatory. Good people who have never known Christ meet Him at the edge of Heaven; some greet Him gladly, when told He is the Saviour of the world and so receive a white garment. Others refuse to accept Him, and condemn themselves, and cannot therefore enter Heaven.

It is true that groups of Christians outside the visible unity of the Catholic Church join in Christ's saving work by baptising their members. But it is tragic that those young Christians are often taught mistaken things about faith and morals, and so encouraged to sin - even if their instructors thought they were right, in approving of contraception, divorce and remarriage, even abortion and other evils.

A person who has had an abortion has only to repent, and to say 'sorry', to the Lord, and she will be forgiven. It is best if she receives the graces of the sacrament of Penance, and is thoroughly reconciled to God and the Church.

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.

Where abortion is freely available, many young people have adopted a hedonistic outlook, supposing that if they want to get drunk, it's their right; if they unexpectantly conceive babies, they can get rid of them; and if the Government wants them to stop having babies, they should extend the provision of free contraceptives.

It is a tragedy, that the legislation of abortion has led to an ever-dimishing sense of responsibility, amongst young people, for their behaviour. A woman can assure a man: "If I forget to take my pill, I can always have an abortion" - and so sex is seen merely as a leisure activity, and not as the intimacy at the heart of marriage.

When societies in which abortion is common-place offer help to poorer countries, they sometimes make their offer of aid conditional upon the adoption of immoral practices such as contraception, abortion, and sterilisation. They damage families, and foster an anti-child mentality amongst women by their extreme feminist propaganda. It is a modern form of colonialism.

From the heart of the Godhead, from the Three Divine Persons, light and grace fall upon a little child below. This is an image of the power of Baptism. The new life given from God in this holy sacrament is a share in the life of God - and a promise of Heaven for those who remain faithful. This is the greatest gift, after life itself. The Three Divine Persons now dwell within the soul of the Baptised.

We pray with power whenever we pray in the name of Jesus. He is truly our bridge, and our Way to the Father. Christ carries all our needs and desires to the Father, as we pray, and draws the Father's attention to what is most urgently-needed, whether grace and help for ourselves or for those we love.

It is a tragedy when people die suddenly, especially if they are unprepared or trapped in mortal sin. Each is catapulted into the presence of the Creator, and is carried towards Heaven, if in a state of grace, possessed by the Holy Spirit, or else falls into Hell. We should all give up our sins, and love God, and show love for Him and our neighbour.

We do not always feel wonderful after a good Confession, because we are like a man who has climbed out of a deep mine shaft - mortal sin - and who now sits exhausted on the ground. But within the soul the peace of Christ increases, as Christ present within the soul gives grace and spiritual nourishment.

Just as a tornado, with tremendous power, causes lives to be changed as it whirls across the earth, the prayers of the Saints, with tremendous power, funnel down to earth the graces of God, to a particular place, to bring about change in the lives of those who pray, and those who are prayed for.

All that is good comes from the love of Christ for us: with the Father and the Holy Spirit. All good things of nature and of grace come from the Lord and give Him glory - and all beauty, worthwhile accomplishments, like music, art, drama, dance, sport, engineering, architecture, literature - if they are worthy of God Who is goodness, purity and truth.