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Christ our God teaches us, and helps us, through His Church; yet there are countless Catholics held back from holiness or lasting joy because of their fears: fears that, if they choose to believe and practice the Faith in its fullness, they won't be able to bear the loneliness, or persecution or ridicule, or lack of luxuries, or chastity, or the rejection of sinful pleasure; some fear God's future plans, unknown. Some fear having more children.

In our struggle for perfect charity, it can help us if we picture Jesus Christ as being the invisible witness of our every thought, word and deed; or, if that fails, we can imagine the Pope here, in our own kitchen, and learn how to weigh our words, in his presence!

We are right to yearn to know the truth about God, and life; yet reality is different from, and greater than our first imaginings. A person who builds a picture of Paris, from a few stories, and films and melodies, finds that the reality is even more marvellous. So it is, with our thoughts about God. People all over the world have different pictures in their minds, but when Jesus arrived on earth, revealing the truth about God's nature, it was astonishing for people to learn that He is Love and Truth. It was thrilling.

Even when there are few mourners at a burial or a funeral, or when people cannot find the words to express their grief, or to comfort one another - or are tempted to despair about the fate of the departed soul - they can be certain that the Lord is near. He Himself has told us, in Sacred Scripture, 'The Lord is close to the broken-hearted'.

In the whole history of our salvation, a corner was turned when Abraham was called to leave his homeland and to follow where God led him. Later, Moses too was obedient, and received the Ten Commandments - all as preparation for the time when God Himself would come to earth to make people holy, and to offer His life in Sacrifice.

When Christ is made Really Present, at the Consecration, He prays for the Whole Church, to the Father in the Spirit; yet those who are bodily present gain special graces from being willing to be near their Saviour, in obedience and reverence and love. What great loss is suffered, therefore, by Catholics who are so lazy, or whose faith is so lukewarm, that they rarely take part.

God wants us to be at peace in our souls and minds. When our lists of things to do become so large that we seem to have a dark cloud over us, crushing our joy, it is time to shorten the list: to work out what is essential, and to do some of the rest when it is possible later on.

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.

Jesus Christ was God on earth: God-made-man, showing us His plan. He said that by Baptism in water we can be washed clean of sin, through His name, and given a share in His life, through the Holy Spirit, and made worthy of Heaven! Wise people believe what was said by Jesus, who proved His power and His Origin by His miracles, above all by His Resurrection from the dead.

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.

Christ wants us to be certain that when we intercede for needy people, with God the Father, in the name of Christ, we certainly bring down Heaven's help to the down-hearted, even if we cannot see the results, if those people are far away in other parts of the world.

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.

It is an outrage, in God's sight, and it saddens the Heart of Christ, whenever Catholics behave badly in church as if at closing time in a pub - even when they should be waiting in reverent silence for the start of a First Communion Mass for a member of the family. They show no reverence towards God, and set a poor example to the child, when prayer is necessary.

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.

God looks on with joy when people treasure their families, and treasure their heritage - which means their good traditions, memories, artefacts, cultural specialities and stories, though excluding what is evil, scandalous, or unwise, and not revering family practices to the point of idolatry.

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.

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.

In Christ's sight, teachers of the faith ought to embody it. It is not enough for teachers to believe in the articles of the Faith, if they do not show out the virtues, including chastity, for example. Women, especially, should pay attention to their clothing and avoid immodest garments or styles which tempt other people to have unchaste thoughts.