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If someone were to walk for thousands of miles, searching for peace, and found himself emerging into a place where there is, routinely, injustice in family life, corruption in Government, and war-like behaviour in everyday life, he will not find the peace he was looking for. Peace has to start in the human heart, and then spread outward. It cannot be imposed from outside upon persons whose hearts remain angry, cruel or hopeless.

Priests who find joy in the knowledge of God's love for them are like men who raise their faces to the sunshine to enjoy its warmth. Someone unhappy is as if holding an umbrella over his head, and shutting out the sun's rays. The umbrella represents any sin not yet confessed, or any injustice not yet put right, of which he was the cause. He needs to be at peace with God.

If a carpenter makes a good table, but finds that the table wishes to be a truck, he would be amazed. Just as silly would be a hedgehog who wishes to be a gazelle, or a person destined for sainthood, and Heaven, who wishes to spend his life fulfilling selfish ambitions, careless about his eternal destiny and even involved in grave sin.

It is through the humanity of Christ that we come to the Father, in the Holy Spirit, in prayer, and then - if we have remained faithful until death - in our journey into Heaven, to be with God for all eternity. We have no power of our own by which to reach God, though by faith we allow Him to draw us to Himself.

Union with God is only achieved in and through the Person of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, and not through any self-chosen method of our own, whether arduous tasks or terrible penances.

Those whom Christ has chosen, called and trained to be His witnesses and priests betray Him, if they tell other people, "You don't need Him". Jesus said: "No-one can come to the Father except through me", and, "Be My witnesses".

Truthful Catholics know that there is no possibility of corporate union with a Christian group that claims to ordain people to the Priesthood and at present chooses women to receive such 'ordination' - and even proposes to make some of them to be 'Bishops'. This impossibility is obvious; although it is human nature to want to hope, when things are hopeless.

We can imagine a group of Christians in Roman times, hearing about the privileged men who are chosen to be ordained, to serve as priests in the Church - and to make Christ Really Present in the Holy Eucharist. How fervently some might have said: "Oh! I hope I'm chosen!" It is a hard life, but most men feel honoured to be called by God, though they are unworthy.

A priest's life is often difficult; yet every priest can benefit if he arranges Adoration of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Prolonged prayer, before the One whose place a priest takes at the altar, helps a priest in his prayer, and in his care for the lost and the afflicted.

In our country, in a supposedly civilised part of the world, hundreds of babies a day are being slaughtered. That is what Christ has to watch, just as He watches those who want to defend the practice. Other people want to defend their clinics and their income; but Christ is determined to bring about change, and banish this horrible destruction.

It is tragic that when the Real Presence has been banished from a Christian group, the joy of members must often depend on whether or not a person sees a particular pastor as a congenial and helpful leader, and not on a joyful dependence on Jesus Christ, sacramentally Present on the altar and in the tabernacle.

A woman in a charity shop can be seen selecting attractive objects, and rejecting those items she deems unattractive. This is how many Christians act, even some who believe that they are Christian Bishops. They select doctrines they find attractive and reject long-standing doctrines which are not attractive to them. This is not what faithful Catholics do.

Sin is like a spiritual leprosy that can be marvellously banished through our sincere repentance. Christ forgives every repentant sinner; and He is deeply touched when people then turn to Him in gratitude and love.

Christ delights in seeing us honour 'The Two Hearts', by our devotions. We cannot usually see what people are like. Only God knows the secrets of our hearts. But God has revealed to us in various ways the Sacred Heart of Jesus: a Heart so Holy as to be beyond our comprehension, befitting a Divine Person, our loving Saviour; and also the Immaculate Heart of Mary His Mother: a mere woman, but made utterly pure, worthy to be His Mother.

We all tend to be self-centered; so, when a mother or grandmother cares for a child she should lead the child towards God the Father, doing so by an example of love, truthfulness and care for others, and helping the child to act with charity and truthfulness. To offer instruction is not enough. Deeds and good example are essential.

Bishops are appointed to teach, and to lead the Church in prayer. When the Pope's advisors are discussing which men might be appointed as Bishops, it is not enough for anyone to say that a certain man is very 'pastoral', if he is not also doctrinally-sound in his beliefs, and fervent in ensuring the reverent conduct of the Sacred Liturgy.

It is good that the Pope is advised by a group of colleagues as he chooses men to be Bishops. It is not enough for men to be known as good 'pastoral' men, if they are unsound on doctrine or lack concern for the reverent conduct of the Sacred Liturgy.

A market-stall can be seen as an illustration of the generosity of God - except that all His gifts are free. They are always available. It is through prayer and the sacraments that anyone can receive these gifts. He is full of love for us, and delights in giving us His Spirit, His Son, and encouragement, forgiveness, and hope.

People can picture the gifts and graces given by God as being bargains from a wonderful stall-holder. Yet all the gifts He gives are free; and if we could see the invisible One high above us we would see how much He delights in giving gifts, to make us joyful and holy.

Jesus Christ our God asks us to gaze above the rooftops, and across the whole of our land. He asks us to be aware that in this supposedly Christian country, in a supposedly civilised world, some politicians want to issue edicts that forbid us to teach right and wrong - especially about marriage, and purity.