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When a person has been brought to the brink of despair, because he feels guilty about the malicious gossip or slander he has spread, he can be certain of finding forgiveness and peace-of-soul if he confesses his sins, then makes amends, speaking the truth to the people he had misled, or had slandered.

Christ wants us to see this image, from Him, about the irreverence and silliness often seen in Church at what is a memorial of His Passion and Death! Those Catholics who wanted complete change in the Church after the Second Vatican Council tried to build a new road for everyone to follow, with changed doctrines and distorted attitudes; yet the one true Church continued to practice reverent worship, around them, and to teach truth in faith and morals.

Christ asks us to accept the tragic truth about atheism: that a person who does not believe in God does not pray, never thanks God for anything, never asks for forgiveness from God, never prays for other people, never asks to be delivered from evil in this life, and never prays to be saved and brought to Heaven. Every atheist is in desperate need of the prayers of the faithful, no matter how good a life he seems to lead.

Heroic people in England and Wales have defended the truths of the Catholic Faith, throughout fifteen hundred years - St. Thomas More and St. Margaret Clitheroe amongst them. In our day, brave witness is necessary if people are to realise that it is wrong to kill unborn babies, and that marriage requires a man and a woman to keep their vows, and live together in charity, open to life, in an exclusive relationship which is life-long.

Christians should ask for the grace to be charitable; but this does not mean that we must fail to speak necessary truths in order to spare people's feelings. Charity without truth is merely flattery, or leads us to placate those who need help in order to change. We should be as simple and straightforward as Christ, in our speech: kind and gentle, but unafraid to offer unpopular truths.

The 'quality control' exercised towards humans, denying life, is loathsome to God. God wants every woman to know the truth about the gift of life. It is a gift from God, even if circumstances are not what a woman would want. He wants every woman to know that there is a fork in the road, ahead. When a mother decides to rid herself of her unborn child, and have it aborted, she is taking the road away from God and Heaven, by her cruelty, and the taking of innocent life.

Any abortion promoters who wish to advertise their practices must disguise the truth about what they offer. Abortion can take several horrible forms, but can involve the poisoning or dismemberment of defenceless children in the womb. If an advert shows only a pleasant clinic and a smiling nurse it will not be sharing the principal truth about its subjects.

By requesting or assisting in an abortion, people ignore God, and His laws. Many people know that as well as destroying babies, abortion harms the mothers involved, whether by the grief and guilt many feel, or psychological problems, or even a greater likelihood of suffering physical ailments; but everyone deserves to know the truth which is rarely mentioned: that all who request or take part in an abortion risk their Eternal salvation, unless they repent before they die.

Since they are often ignorant of Christian history, some groups of puzzled reporters or politicians who regard the Church as irrelevant and a Bishop as a nuisance have no idea of the truth about his office. They do not realise that God the Son, in coming to earth, founded a Church with Divine authority, sent out chosen leaders to preach the truth in every place, about sin and salvation; and that the current Bishop is the particular ambassador or representative of almighty God in this place on earth!

Catholics are right to rejoice when they meet people who love God, or who simply want to do good. Those people who seek what is good are right in thinking that God is close to all, and especially close to those who love Him, but wrong in thinking that there is no need for a Church, a Priesthood or sacred rites. These have been given to us by Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, Who deserves to be obeyed, in love.

Real charity, in practice, includes speaking the truth. A member of the Clergy who panders to the desires of the laity not to hear about sin, and who fails to do his duty of issuing warnings, as Christ did, will be held responsible for when people do sin, just as people are held responsible for road-crashes when they have failed to put out signs about road-works, or major junctions.

Wise people reflect, and actively prepare for Heaven. As we occupy ourselves with ordinary concerns, it's as if we are on a walkway which moves slowly towards the moment of our death. Then, the quality of our relationship with God will be revealed - or even the lack of one. Some people will see God and leap into His embrace. Others gladly surrender to purification, ashamed at not being ready for Heaven. Others continue to do what they did on earth, ignoring or despising God, and freely walking away on the steep road to Hell.

We, in the Church, have a duty to share the truth about God's love for us all, shown out in Jesus; but if we are afraid, we cannot expect people to take an interest in what we say. We must choose whether to remain 'hidden', as if behind a huge hedge, urging others in a general way: "I know the truth", or "Jesus is God-made-man" - or we can step out to meet people face to face and speak joyfully about having learned about the Way to Heaven.

Bishops are called to do more than show out niceness. The Bishops of the Church should act, in their faithfulness and preaching, like a 'wall' of truth and care, to prevent any of their flock from falling into the Abyss. When Bishops neglect to preach about sin, but are mainly concerned to be nice to everyone, they will have to account to God for the souls of those whom they let through the gap in the 'wall', without a word of warning.

In various societies and cultures, people are confused, and need help in bringing order to their stormy lives. The task of artists is to help people to see what is good, true and noble - even by sometimes depicting what draws people away from the good, though not through any obsession with what is grotesque, demeaning or sadistic. Such images can harm flawed human beings.

We must pray with fervour, that everyone will see the truth: that from Christ, (and from His chosen Apostles) has come a river of redeemed humanity: each person forgiven and transformed by grace - except for those who now resemble dead fish floating in that river because they deserted Christ, whether through deliberate mortal sin or ceasing to believe in Him.

When people are taught about the Mass, the focus of the teaching should be on God, to Whom our prayers rise up like incense, and on what we can understand about our relationship with God the Father, through His Son, in the Holy Spirit. That is even more important that what is true about the Mass as a gathering of the Faithful.

St. John Vianney was not afraid to preach the truth in the pulpit, sometimes weeping as he spoke, as he described the miserable state of souls who cared nothing for God and might never arrive in Heaven.

It is difficult to describe a sublime, holy Mystery. Some people describe the Blessed Trinity as a Community, but stress the unity of the Godhead. Others describe God as 'a family'. This is unwise, in that it can lead children to imagine three Persons who are not merely distinct but separate from One Another, each going His own way to do His own tasks, whereas the truth is that the Divine Persons act together, no matter what appropriation we attribute to One or the Other.

Just as a mathematician finds joys in his calculations, as he explores obscure aspects of his subject, so, some theologians like to make nuanced statements about obscure aspects of doctrine; yet theologians are unwise if they neglect basic principles of the Faith, or forget that, in essence, it is simple, consisting of truths about God's plan of salvation, and how we can be saved.