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A person who refuses to believe in the existence of God or in the possibility of life in Heaven, leads a life as tragic as that of a little worm, underground, who has no idea of the richness of human life, with the literature of Shakespeare or the courage and aspiration shown by Christopher Columbus.

Christ is Really Present amongst us at every Mass, reaching up to the Father, interceding for sinners - for us - and always heard by His Father in Heaven. We unite our prayers to the great prayer of Christ, and we know that it has been heard.

It saddens Christ when Catholics pour scorn on Traditional prayers and devotions, or on those traditional clothes worn by the Clergy in honour of the Sacred vocation they have as Ministers of the altar and members of the Hierarchy.

People do not please Christ by their complaints about traditional garments for the Bishops, or about beautiful furnishings which adorn many of our churches. These are for the Glory of God, the dignity of the occasion - the Sacred Liturgy - and the nobility of the Sacred Ministry, not in order to draw attention to individuals but to their sacred office.

Whoever wants to know about a religion should look at the Founder. Jesus Christ, who founded the Catholic Faith and Catholic Church, came down from Heaven! He proved His claim by rising from the dead, as He had predicted. If we go to His Church we can share His Divine life, and receive forgiveness, light and strength for our journey, and the sure hope of Heaven.

Worldly leaders enjoy displays of riches and power; but we cannot impress God by our extravagant deeds, or powerful displays. He loves everyone, but He lavishly rewards those who approach Him in humility and contrition, and who put their trust in His Son.

When we pray for the living, and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we cast our minds over our families and towns, to pray for everyone; and when we do so by accepting our sufferings in patience, as penance for ourselves and for others, we do the powerful work that Christ did on the Cross, as He offered Himself, and prayed to the Father for sinners.

When we expand our prayers for people on Earth, and pray for people now in Purgatory, we can look upon the Holy Souls as blessed souls; for despite the sufferings of their purification they are glad to have avoided Hell - which has engulfed so many careless sinners.

We are right to pray for people in need: our neighbours, and the Holy Souls in Purgatory who have avoided Hell - and people all over the world, who live in the darkness of superstition, unbelief and atheism, and who are at risk of ending in Hell, unless they repent and change.

Some people accuse the Church of speaking far too often and too forcefully about sexual immorality. Yet Christ wants everyone to know what is sinful, and to abandon sinful behaviour. Christ is pleased with Clergy and parents who speak truthfully about morals.

When we sing a hymn to Our Lady on her feast days - or to Our Lord, at the end of the Mass, for example, it's as though they are like a Royal family, on a balcony in Heaven above us, delighted to hear our greetings, and to show out their love for us.

When we are with fellow Catholics on a retreat or a pilgrimage, we have a great opportunity from the Lord - Present amongst us in the Blessed Sacrament - to encourage one another in the Faith, and to declare our faith in Christ and in His Church - although not interrupting people at prayer.

When we are with fellow Catholics on a retreat or a pilgrimage, we have a great opportunity from the Lord - Present amongst us in the Blessed Sacrament - to encourage one another in the Faith, and to declare our faith in Christ and in His Church - although not interrupting people at prayer.

Just as we want to tell people the reason for the traffic queue in which they are stuck, as we drive freely on our side of the road, so we should want to tell people about the Way to Heaven - Christ's Way - to people who feel 'stuck' in ignorance or hopelessness, and are without the joy that the hope of Heaven brings to the human heart.

We cannot avoid all distractions in prayer, and should not become upset. It is best to pray about them, or to look straight through them towards out Heavenly Father, like an astronaut who stays on course through all the debris of space, on his way to the stars.

When we go to a Catholic shrine, dedicated to Our Lady, Christ and His Mother are pleased to see and to greet the pilgrim, as here, in Walsingham, in the Slipper Chapel of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Through genuine friendships, we can have a good influence on others, witnessing to our Faith. Just as a person who admires the speed of a roller-skater wants to learn the skill, so a person amazed by the joy and perseverance of a practicing Catholic will want to learn about the source of such gifts.

A Catholic who is neither noisy nor unloving, but who reads the church newspaper when in church, is lacking the awareness of the Real Presence of Christ, our God. To ignore Christ, there, is like reading a novel whilst in the presence of the Queen and her courtiers in the throne-room at Buckingham Palace.

The Holy Sacrifice which is offered from the altar is so holy - because it is the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Divine Saviour - that holy Angels stand behind the priest, and adore their Lord and God, Present amongst us.

When we can no longer sit up to pray, in sickness or exhaustion, we can be sure that Christ is supporting us in His embrace, as we offer a few words of praise and thanks to our Heavenly Father.