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God is at work, in His merciful love, in Purgatory. People who die, but who have not taken sufficient care in earthly life to conquer their faults, to be active in charity and reverent in prayer, need to be totally transformed before they can enter Heaven, to be as holy as the Saints. They are appalled at how luke-warm they have been, but grateful to God for His love, as He moves each one little by little towards the light, and prepares them for Eternal Life.

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.

People who have really loved God have offered thanks and praise, even amidst difficulties. These, if they persevere, race towards Him when they die, impelled by love to enter His embrace. But those who have kept His laws, but have grumbled a lot, because of their worldly desires or preoccupations, must, after death, do penance for their luke-warmness before they can enter Heaven.

Some people say that Christians lead sad lives, think too much about death and judgement, and are too cautious about their behaviour. A dismissive non-believer might be pictured as someone over-confident of his skill as a motorcyclist. He will be in greater danger, if an obstacle appears in his path, than a careful driver of a small car who keeps to the speed limit.

We are right to offer fervent intercessions for the people who live in the land where Jesus once walked. This has been a blood-soaked area of land for thousands of years.

Christ gives to many women the greatest gift they could receive from Him (apart from the gift of salvation), the gift of a child. But when a woman refuses the gift of life and asks for her unborn baby to be destroyed within her, it is, in Christ's sight, as if she is not just refusing the gift but also jumping up and down on it, determined to ruin it, whilst Christ looks on.

Only through our union with God, strengthened in prayer, can we become holy. It pleases God when we make time for prayer in our busy lives, making a deliberate plan about when we will pray, or how often, or for how long. This can be a flexible plan, but should be put in place no matter how many ordinary duties we must carry out, or social events, or special acts of charity.

It is not the Bishop's primary task to encourage people to 'save the planet' or merely to leave the world a better place - though we are trying to build God's Kingdom. The Bishop is a man who stands in front of the Abyss, his arms upraised, preaching, as he strives to lead his flock to repent of their sins while they can, to confess them, and to lead holy lives in preparation for Heaven.

We must trust in Christ's gift to us of the Pope, successor to St. Peter, if there should be a need of clarifications of passages of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Even untrained lay-persons can see that some phrases and passages are ambiguous; and so we can count on the Pope to explain these in a way faithful to the teaching of the Church through the ages.

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.

It is an act of charity to reach out to other people in their bereavement, or on their birthdays or anniversaries, and to write a few words, as evidence of our concern for them, and our love, whether in their sadnesses or their joys.

The Lord sees all the injustice on the earth, including the refusal to allow women to step outside their homes, the unjust imprisonment of those who campaign for free speech, and the cruel persecution of Christians, and the destruction of their churches. The world would be a better place if everyone kept the Ten Commandments.

We should pray for people without faith. People who don't love God or keep the Commandments are as if floating along on the great river of life, mostly unconcerned about the future, but likely to be carried as if over a great waterfall to disaster, when they die, unless they seek help from Heaven. They cannot save themselves by mere will-power, or good works alone.

We cannot save ourselves; nor can we rescue ourselves from spiritual torments. Just as a child in a playpen can be more easily lifted out if he holds up his arms, and co-operates, so a person who is stuck in a pit of spiritual trouble - like a pit in the road - can be more easily helped if he co-operates, and holds up his arms to God, so to speak, in humility, trust, and prayer.

Some Catholics spread distorted beliefs through emotive speech and amusing stories; but Christ knows that the 'wheat and tares' are growing in the Church, side by side. If the weeds are a danger to the Church, the 'wheat' keeps growing, for example, the 'wheat' of the wise teaching of Pope Benedict in his books, interviews and homilies.

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.

Friends of Christ ought not to grow despondent at the thought of growing old, and closer to Heaven, their destination. They are like people who are stiff and weary after a long coach journey but exhilarated by their first glimpse of the sea, as they turn into the sea front, and get ready to disembark. Our troubles today are only temporary. God awaits us in glory.

No little prayer or little act of devotion goes unnoticed by our Saviour. Christ looks on lovingly, for example, when we greet Him as soon as we awake, whenever that is. He delights in seeing our first thoughts turn to Him, as we begin a new day in His service, confident of His love.

If we could see into the womb of a pregnant woman, as if through a window, we would see a tiny infant, given life by God, and meant to receive love and education by its parents, in preparation for a good life on earth, and the eventual gift of Heaven. How blessed are those children who are welcomed as the fruit of their parent's union, as God intends.