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When Christ our God suffered on the Cross, as man, He endured His Passion for the sake of sinners. As God, He could see, even then, which sinners of future times would repent and turn to Him. He could see which of us, now loving Him, would turn to Him in prayer to offer Him love and consolation.

By turning to Christ our God, in prayer, it is as if we can touch, in His Godhead, as in a great cloud, each of the events of His earthly life, including all the sufferings of His Passion.

It pleases the Lord when we celebrate the day of His Resurrection. We are right to prepare for the day, so that Sunday - our Christian Sabbath - is as far as possible restful, refreshing and joyful, in the company of those close to us, and with sufficient time for prayer and praise at Mass.

Some Catholic churches have neither a crucifix in them, nor a statue of Our Lady. Just as an art-lover would see it as a tragedy if all the pictures in a gallery were to have been cut out of their frames, so faithful Catholics are not wrong to call it a 'tragedy' when a new church is built - or an old one stripped - and those who pray there must face bare walls, without reminders of Gospel scenes, or Heavenly realities.

As the Lord gazes upon our world, it is His wish that the faithful can find, in their churches, visual reminders of what has really happened in history: for example, the infancy of Jesus Christ, and His Crucifixion. Why should Catholics look at bare walls, in Church, when they could have reminders of the foundation of the Faith?

The Lord pictured the contents of a sacristy, and asked: How would a priest feel, were treasured possessions to be ripped from the sacristy: photos of his silver jubilee Mass, his mother's crucifix, his favourite statue of Our Lady, his ordination photos, and special gifts? Why should his parishioners be expected to look on, calmly, as their favourite 'mementos', of statues and pictures, are condemned as so much rubbish?

If we look at those churches of past times which were decorated with colourful imagery and biblical scenes, we can see the importance of the altar, where Jesus Christ is made Present in the Mass. All that is beautiful here has been made so, in His honour. He deserves our adoration. He deserves to come to a place more like a throne-room than a garage.

Christ is our Divine Saviour, Who becomes Present with us, in the Blessed Sacrament. He deserves our adoration; and people in the Church who make decisions about the design and re-ordering of our church buildings would be wise to realise that the place to which Christ comes should look more like a throne-room than a garage.

Bishops as well as lay-persons sometimes sadden Christ by their behaviour. Christ said that many Bishops are disobedient to His wishes when they ignore the Pope's instructions, or fail to hand on the Faith in its fullness - and then make excuses for themselves.

Christ in His Passion was cheered on by millions of watching Angels; and we who follow Him in our own work and sufferings can be certain that we have Saints as well as Angels cheering us on, encouraging us to persevere.

As the Son of God pondered His descent to our sinful world, He knew that through all His future agonies He would have millions of Angels cheering Him on. He wants us to know that as we meet opposition (from inside as well as outside the Church) in the practice of the Faith, we have not only Angels but also thousands of Saints, cheering us on.

A person who is on his way to Hell has taken that downward path only by a series of deliberate, freely-chosen acts or thoughts by which he defies God or disobeys His laws. Yet if he pauses, and regrets his choices, and simply calls out "O God, Help me" - he will be helped to move upwards towards the light: helped by God who loves Him.

A priest deserves honour in the Church. It is the Will of Christ that we treat with special devotion and respect those 'other Christs' in our midst, who remain worthy of honour even if sick, disabled or old. Christ has chosen them for their elevated state, which is recognised even by the Angels.

Over the course of ten or fifteen minutes, the Lord led my soul on a journey, showing me the people who search but have not yet found the Way to Heaven, the volcano of sin which corrupts the people nearby, the far villages where people have no knowledge of Christ, the castle which represents the Catholic Church - and the little bridge to Heaven, which each of us must find and cross in order to be welcomed into the company of the Saints, forever.

God, Who has asked us to rest for one day of each week, has given us a wise command. He knows the frailty of our nature, and our need for rest, reflection, and refreshment - and for praise and adoration in the church.

Those who repent of their sins, make Heaven their goal, and humbly ask for the grace of Christ and the prayers of His Virgin Mother, and who persevere to the end, will receive a great welcome in Heaven. People who love Christ and Our Lady are led straight up to the summit, to meet the Father of Light Who sent His Son to save us.

Just as I scan my desk each day to attend first to the most urgent project, so, Christ said, He and His Mother Mary scan the earth, to see who most urgently needs her prayers and His graces - or even, from time to time (amidst particular difficulties of a nation or the Church) who needs a visit from Our Lady.

The Lord wants us all to allow Him to lift us up to Heaven, through faith in Christ, and membership of His Church, by which we have the power and life of the Holy Spirit within us. In that way, we are as safe as if we were to clip a rope to ourselves, so that the Lord can lift us up high; yet rebellious and disbelieving people who do not do God's Will cannot rise up to enjoy intimacy with Him, and Eternal Life.

We must not become disheartened if we struggle to be dutiful and kind towards our relations or companions. In His own earthly life-time, Christ had to be patient with people whose ideas repelled Him, or whose good hearts He admired but whose lack of understanding was hard to bear.

Christ saw that I felt lonely, being unable to go out very much. He gestured towards the Saints and Angels in the sanctuary, and said: "Look at the Company you have, my child! All this company is yours" - to enjoy.