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When a crop of wheat is ruined with mould, it cannot provide nourishment; similarly, when dissenting Catholics spread disbelief or confusion they can neither hand on an authentic Faith nor find comfort themselves in the practice of it. This is not something that can be ignored, when Bishops notice it. It requires firm action, so that a good 'crop' can be grown for the future.

When a person deliberately commits an act offensive to God - whether by sexual immorality or uncharitable acts against a neighbour - it is as if he releases into the world some of the smoke of Hell, from underground, and is glad to have done so, hoping to be hidden with his misdeeds. But God can see everything, including that soul's desperate need of rescue, before he dies.

It makes a difference, being a baptised person! Christ wants everyone to know that He has descended to earth, to become man, to save us. He, our God, promises that through Baptism we can share His life, and the life of the Father and the Holy Spirit too, the life of the Blessed Trinity. United with God, we become sure of being with them for all eternity, if we do not fall away and persist in mortal sin until death.

We can have a marvellous destiny, if we put our trust in Christ. He wants the whole world to hear about the powerful effect of holy Baptism, which brings about union between the Blessed Trinity and a sinful creature, with the result that a person's sins are forgiven, he receives God in his soul, sharing God's life as a member of the Church, and is made a child of God and an heir to Heaven.

Where there is dissent from Church teaching in a group or community which is meant to promote Church teaching and to support the Church, it is as if the ladder to Heaven which ascends from such a place is partly obscured by the smoke of disbelief, and has broken rungs, which delay the faithful on their journey.

Whenever we turn to Jesus with sincere hearts, He pours out His graces upon us: His power and His spiritual gifts; yet the greater the number of needy people we 'carry' to Him in our hearts, in prayer, the greater the number of graces.

It is a dreadful thing, in Christ's sight, that many people are so blind to the wonder of human life, or blind to it being a gift from God, or determined that a woman should not be inconvenienced by a pregnancy, that they support and encourage the killing of babies in the womb: innocent children, to whom He had given the gift of life.

In a New Covenantal Sacrifice, Jesus Christ poured out His Precious Blood on the Cross, Victim of sinners yet praying for sinners; and that same Sacrifice is re-presented, at every Mass, yet in a Real but sacramental manner: an un-bloody offering.

We who belong to Christ must not imagine that we go 'away' from Him when we leave the church building, or when we finish our prayers at home. Christ is very close to us, wherever we are, whether at work, or in leisure-time, or in our trips to the hospital or the shops.

To greet Christ in Holy Communion with sincere contrition for weaknesses, and with reverence, humility and love, is deeply consoling for Him. It is as if we had rolled out a red carpet for Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior and King

When we greet Christ carelessly in Holy Communion we treat Him, our God, with a dreadful lack of respect, even worse than when people show disrespect towards a Monarch in earthly life by casual or rude behaviour. Our God, coming to our hearts, deserves to be greeted with humility, reverence, joy and gratitude.

We are right to honour the Ever-Virgin Mother of God. Christ is delighted when we remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a real, warm-hearted, living person, the Mother of Jesus, now beside Him in Heaven. She loves us and prays for us, as our Mother. We should not treat her merely as a symbol of good values, or as a type, or an emblem, mascot or figurehead or object. We should honour her for her person, her faithfulness and her exalted role.

We do not always realise how powerfully we affect others, for good, when we witness unashamedly about the kindness and goodness of Christ. We can powerfully encourage and help individuals; and we should be aware that it's as if we warm Christ's heart by our love, and our desire to see Him loved.

It is a shock to some kind souls, to realise, after death, that, for Heaven, it is not enough to have been kind to one's neighbour. Love of neighbour is essential for Heaven, but cannot make unnecessary the need of love for God, too, in people who are also chaste, humble and obedient.

It is part of God's plan that we respect what is worthwhile in our culture and heritage, that we treasure our families, and worthwhile traditions, stories, and means of enriching everyday life in ways pleasing to God. Even cookery recipes, handed on through the generations, can cement bonds in family life, preserve customs, and bring joy in shared meals.

There was a time, long ago in Paradise, when our first parents loved to serve God, and were, for a short while, prompt to fulfil all His wishes as soon as He had made them known. Then came the Fall. But now, even God's children today often hide from Him.

Saint Paul advises Christ's followers to remember that Christ is with His friends all the time; and we should revere the Lord Jesus in our hearts at any time of day as well as being prepared to explain our Faith to enquirers.

An honourable man is patient and compassionate. A person of honour is one who is kind, steadfast in doing good, with a love of justice and mercy, and a horror of violence, wrong doing and vengeful acts and attitudes. In the house of an honourable man there is no thought of acts of revenge being waged upon people judged to have brought disrepute upon the household.

When we pray at Mass, as the wine is consecrated, and is changed into the Precious Blood of Christ, we can be certain that the very Saviour Who once shed His Blood for our sakes on Calvary, is with us now, in our church, in a re-presentation of His Saving Work. He prays for us now (here at Douai Abbey), just as He once prayed for sinners from the Cross.

In wanting to share the good news about Christ, and the Catholic Faith, we do not begin by accosting people we do not know, to accuse them of sin. We imitate Christ, Who first got to know a person - as in Simon's house - and only when a bond was established gently mentioned things which Simon needed to know, above love for a neighbour.