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As surely as terrorists destroy buildings and human lives, Satan destroys families by his malice and his evil influence. Satan acts against the love and joy in family life, working to remove harmony, peace, kindness, faithfulness, forgiveness, sobriety and prayer. Those who attack the family are doing Satan's work; yet God is stronger than an angel, no matter how wicked the angel; and we must count on God's help.

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.

When a Catholic church is designed not to be the threshold of Heaven, for a holy people, who adore Christ Really Present in His Divine Glory, but as an architectural gem, of beautiful proportions but with no sign or symbol of Christian faith, it is unworthy of the name "House of God". The Faithful deserve to see reminders of the crucified Saviour and of His ever-virgin mother, and of the Angels, the glory of Heaven, and the Communion of Saints.

God is so lavish in his creativity that there are thousands of creatures which He has designed, hidden in the depths of the ocean, or elsewhere, and so with us; it should not cause us sorrow if all our gifts or creative powers, given by God, are not used or recognised to the fullest degree. With God's guidance, we can be certain that He will use them in the best possible ways for His good purposes.

It is not enough to teach school children to recognise their talents, to celebrate them, and to use them. They need to be encouraged to ask God for direction. He sometimes asks people to hide or subdue their talents and ambitions, for the sake of a greater good, for a while. Children need to learn that humility, and gratitude to God, are of greater importance than the pleasure found in receiving praise from other people for their gifts.

A woman's body, instincts, heart and mind are designed to enable her to cherish life within herself, should she conceive. A woman who seeks an abortion is seeking an evil act that will harm her as well as her baby. To have an abortion is to act against her own body, even if she persuades herself otherwise. Her heartache will begin.

Satan is at work, offering temptations and lies to the followers of Christ. Like the secret police of harshly-ruled countries, he persuades a person to agree to a minor act of betrayal, and then makes further demands until the person is trapped and must keep proving his loyalty to his new masters. Even some of the Clergy fall in with Satan's suggestions; by keeping silent on the subject of sin, they are half-way to contradicting Christ and His teachings.

Satan is not a figment of our imagination, but a malevolent creature who emerges from the Abyss to cause priests as well as lay persons to commit some small act of rebellion. Then he leads them on to greater betrayals of Christ and His Church, as when priests contradict the truth about sexual morality, or confirm people in their sins rather than inviting them to repent of sin.

No matter how Satan is portrayed in art, through the ages, nor how silly some of the depictions seem to be, the truth is that he is a very dangerous fallen angel, far more intelligent than most human beings, and determined, by any means, to draw us away from God. Yet God is stronger, and we must trust in Him, His Son, and His Holy Spirit.

It is only too easy for weak human beings to put themselves under Satan's influence, first, by some little sins which then lead to serious sins. He becomes their chief guide, and leader, instead of Christ. The only way of escape is through complete repentance of all sin, and then adherence to God and His laws. People in trouble deserve to hear this.

Christ did not suffer on earth as man, and endure a terrible death, just to persuade us to be nice people who help other people across roads. He conquered sin and death! He can give us the power to conquer our sins, to be transformed, and to cross the Abyss between earth and Heaven! Salvation is more than an ability to be 'nice'.

There is only one fate for those who have freely chosen to ignore God or to disobey His laws, and to persevere in self-love and sin until death: it is to be exiled from God, through their own fault, as if falling through a gap in the wall that separates earthly life from Eternity, and falling into the River of the dead which surges onwards to Hell.

Just as a scientist, using an illuminated magnifying lens, can see hair-line cracks, and other dangers to hygiene, invisible to the naked eye, so the Lord can illuminate our souls in prayer; and the Divine, healing light that shines within our souls when we bring our sins, hurts and problems to God is a powerful means of achieving purity and holiness.

We must not be made despondent by our minor distractions in prayer, or our tiny failings. As sure as miners find what they want in a mine, we can mine spiritual treasure from our little faults, by using each as a reason for prayer. If we are distracted, we can make an act of humility. If we have neglected some good, we can make an act of gratitude for all God's gifts. If we find it hard to forgive, we can praise God for having forgiven us our sins.

When people have such an elevated self-regard, and, in pride, insist on fulfilling their own desires and ambitions even if this means overturning the good work of other people, they walk away from the sunlight of a healthy society into a cloudy area where people become confused about morality and ignore the laws of God.

Everyone who hopes for union with God in Heaven should ask himself, is he the sort of person who will be happy there: pure-in-heart, peaceful, holy? People who are more anxious about fulfilling their earthly desires and ambitions - including sexual desires - than about honouring God by obeying His laws are not making the necessary preparation for the reception of the gift of salvation.

Some Catholics are so impressed with the fervour of certain Christian groups that they think about leaving the Catholic Church, forgetful of what they already have, from God. It is the Holy Eucharist that makes the Church - not a charismatic founder, or a special healer, or huge numbers of new members. Jesus is Really Present in His one true Church. To go elsewhere is to desert Him.

In times when even Bishops and priests become despondent about declining Church attendance, and opposition from outside, some desperately seek strategies for renewal. Though sensible plans can be made, the best way forward is to encourage everyone to be holy and faithful, in every circumstance. Simple members of the laity often practice this whilst leaders forget that the Church has always grown in one place, and declined in another, but cannot be destroyed.

Some of those Catholics who constantly complain about Church teachings, and who demand reform and renewal, are themselves damaging the Church from within by their dissent and by their actions. Even when, in every age, there must be Spirit-guided renewal, true renewal is in accord with the Tradition.

A person who wants to get to Heaven, and who is not against God, but who is not yet willing to repent, is like a man who searches for a way across the great Abyss between earth and Heaven, but is unsuccessful. To cross that great divide, we need the help of the Holy Spirit, Who comes only to those who repent of their sins, and thus allow the Spirit of purity and peace into their hearts.