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It is true that the Lord sometimes sends special 'messengers' from amongst the laity to give praise or warnings from God, to priests and Bishops; the Lord also sends a 'special messenger' to the Bishops when He gives them a Pope of the quality of Benedict XVI, who is well-known for his orthodoxy and for his kindness to individuals.

Christ explained the marvel of Baptism, by which the Three Divine Persons come to dwell in glory within the newly-baptised soul who can now have sure, intimate access to God, in his own soul, without his having to travel, as in earlier times, to the Temple.

Before the time of Christ, people had to go to the Temple at Jerusalem to be where God had come down in a special way. But Jesus, by His saving work, and the gift of Baptism, has made possible the entry of God, and the indwelling of God, in His glory, in the soul of the one who has freely accepted Christ and the sacrament.

Rich and poor, sick and well, can receive faith. All who put their trust in Jesus and His saving work and come 'into the light' by membership of His Church can be confident that the prayers they offer through and with Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, will be heard and answered.

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.

A man shows real love if he visits his mother and helps her. Yet he also shows love if he makes time to sit with her, in conversation or a compassionate silence. And so it is with us, and Christ; He deserves our adoration as well as our service and work.

After Confession: Christ took my face in His hands and said to me: "Well done"! In this way He showed His delight in my sincere Confession this morning in the Sacrament of Penance.

Christ strode joyfully around the 'room' that is my own soul, and explained that it has been truly 'well-swept' by my sincere confession yesterday and my new resolutions, in preparation for His Birthday, on the feast of Christmas.

St. Joseph looked at his wife, Mary, with awe and wonder as well as love. His devotion to her was heart-felt and unflagging, as he counted himself privileged to be able to care for her and her Divine Son.

Christ asked me a rhetorical question, saying 'Where are the others?' He meant: If Catholics had been well-taught about the Holy Sacrifice, and about Christ's Real Presence, many more would be present even at a week-day Mass.

Christ longs - if it is possible for them - to see more mothers at home, looking after their children, cooking good meals for the family, and not handing them over to other people for meals and entertainment (unless this is absolutely necessary). A mother, more than anyone, can ensure a child is well-cared for.

Just as a kind mother rarely scolds a child if he is unwell, or worried about his school exams, so Christ is especially tender and helpful towards us when He sees us struggling to cope with special trials.

No-one should despair about the evils of our age. In every age - as in ancient Rome and Nazi Germany - there have been great temptations to do wrong. Yet there is good too in every age - including our own; when, for example, good things as well as evil are sent right round the world on the internet. People far away hear about Christ.

When spouses are obedient to God's plan for marriage, they want to be faithful to one another, and if it is possible the wife seeks to care for the children as only a mother can, the father wants to support the whole family, and the children are happy, well looked after and secure.

In every age, there are new ways of spreading the Gospel. If it is true that last century, it was possible for a poster of a well-known revolutionary to appear on the bedroom walls of thousands of people throughout the world, it is even more certain that, through the internet, pictures of Christ can reach an even wider audience.

As a drug-user suffers when his supply of drugs is withdrawn, and his whole body cries out for its former source of pleasure and well-being, so a soul in Hell suffers - because of his own free choices - when, in Hell, he is suddenly without all those things that make it pleasurable and joyful to be a human being. He is without light, love, joy, peace, beauty, comfort or tenderness - all through his own fault, by his sinful choices.

Many Bishops are unwilling to speak about sin and repentance, thinking it uncharitable to tell people they ought to change if they wish to please God. The Apostles, however, thought it highly charitable to warn others about where sinful behaviour would lead them. They spoke of Hell as well as Heaven.

Christ showed me a stretch of land before me, like a forest-floor covered in snow. This represented, He explained, the new day which stretched ahead. I can make careful footprints on it, by what I choose to do. I should use my time well, and 'walk' carefully.

Mary, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of Christ, has a purity which is extraordinary; and we, who are not so pure, need to do penance for our sins, as well as to pray for help and forgiveness.

I saw brave men, in clerical garments, who stood close to the Father's throne. In the heights of Heaven there was a small group of members of the Clergy - Bishops as well as priests - who had fulfilled God's Will completely, on earth, by teaching the Catholic Faith in its fullness.