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The prayers of St. Joseph are badly-needed today: the one whom Christ looks on with love, grateful for that care by 'the chaste spouse of Our Lady' for both the Christ-child and His Virgin Mother. This is a time of moral decay, when even many Catholics are ignorant of the Church's moral teachings, or dispute them, or disobey them for a life-time whilst telling themselves that God 'doesn't mind'!

People know that kindness is important, but many forget that chastity is essential, in a life of true friendship with Christ, and preparation for Heaven. Those who mock people leading chaste lives and avoiding immoral entertainments also mock past ages in the Church for the care taken on this matter; but it is better to be disciplined and resemble a cared-for garden than ignore the Commandments and have a soul that resembles a jungle.

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.

The power of prayer, offered in the name of Christ, is extraordinary, especially the greatest prayer: the Sacrificial prayer of Christ in the Mass, offered for the faithful departed as well as the living. A soul in the depths of Purgatory can find himself brought suddenly, swiftly, towards the light of Heaven, as he cries out with joy because he has not been forgotten, but has had a Mass offered for him by a fellow Catholic.

Christ invites us to reflect upon the wearing of a chapel-veil or headscarf by women in past times, or in other parts of the world today. He wants us to know that it is a valuable, visible sign of reverence and humility, in accordance with Scriptural precept and long-standing custom: a sign which He asks us to persevere in.

Christ saw with dismay that many Catholics, after the last Council, were not content to be lowly, in church. Even at a time when these were forbidden, some insisted on presenting girls as altar-servers, or receiving Communion in the hand. Others wanted to preach the homily, or to introduce unauthorised dramas or prayers, or even dance troupes during the Mass, and some refused to kneel at the Consecration, and in other ways showed not education but pride.

Christ told me, about my Radiant Light paintings, that they are powerfully effective in helping people to assess their souls and lives. Just as a man who sees a drama on stage might see his own life mirrored, and want to make changes, so a person seeing his life or attitudes mirrored in many of my paintings can be led towards contrition, or to greater praise.

Although the images we see of her are so often peaceful, Mary, the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, was sometimes exhausted, excluded, overlooked and mocked. We must be confident that she understands our difficulties, as we try to do God's work, in our fallen natures, in a fallen world.

Whether people are atheists or God-fearers, they suffer. There is so much suffering in earthly life that we are tempted to complain; but if we were to load all our pains and problems onto a large lorry, to send them away, we would soon have another collection. What counts is to live a good life here on earth, even with suffering. We can please Christ when we resemble Him in patience and obedience, in union with Him, and interceding for others. We give glory to God, grow in virtue, and prepare for Heaven.

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.

There are clear signs at a roundabout; so, as soon as people take the wrong road at a roundabout and realise it, they are wise if they turn back to the roundabout rather than blunder about in the woods, and risk being lost; and so it is in the Christian Life. Anyone who loses his way should not blunder around, or ask advice of people who, also, are lost, but go back to the 'signs', which are the Commandments, and the Precepts of the Church.

Will the 'gates of Paradise' open for you and me? Each of us should ponder the question from time to time, in order to refocus on our priorities. If we are true to Christ, on a journey of love, obedient to the Father's Will and loving our neighbour, we shall continue at death on the very same journey, to the heart of the Blessed Trinity, even if we need some purification before we enter our Home.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.