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How many Bishops preach against abortion, the Lord asked, and against contraception, unchastity, desertion of spouses and neglect of children? Who do we hear much more about other less important topics?
Although the Saints are all different in personal aptitudes, circumstances, physical appearance and skills, they have all been totally committed to Christ's Way of love and sanctity, in a spirit of humility and trust, as each - perhaps after a bad start - has led a chaste life, spoken the truth, and been gentle and forgiving towards enemies.
Those who freely and deliberately decide to disobey Divine Law on sexual morality, as taught by Christ through His Church, and who lead unchaste lives, are like people who freely board a train, laid on by Satan. It steadily descends, then enters a great hole in the ground.
It is a terrible thing, in Christ's sight, that some parents encourage their children to sin. They do this if they give their daughters contraceptive pills, or allow them to sleep with boyfriends in their house, or fail to teach the truth about Mass attendance, and the Real Presence of Jesus, and other truths of the Faith.
Unwanted babies who are conceived in drunken one-night stands are often dragged from the womb and thrown away as if in a rubbish bin
One of the results of freely-available abortion in our society is that living human beings are regarded as part of the rubbish resulting from exciting nights on the town - along with cigarette packets, bottles and syringes.
Not speaking, here, of invincible ignorance, the Lord asks: Of what value is the praise of a woman who declares, "O God, I praise You, but I am determined to ignore your wishes, as I make myself sterile in marriage, or abort my baby, or sleep with a man who is not my husband".
Not speaking, here, of invincible ignorance, the Lord asks: Of what value is the praise of someone who declares: "Oh God, I love you, yet I am determined to ignore Your laws forbidding sexual relationships outside marriage."
This is what Christ sees all the time, from Heaven above: people walking steadily towards Hell, people who have refused to listen to Him, refused to give up all their sins - particularly grave sexual sins which they could abandon, by His grace, if they were willing.
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.
Low-cut necklines are so common-place that Christian women are sometimes slow to realise the importance of modesty. This requires a careful and sensible attitude to clothing, so that no immodest garments make life more difficult for men to be chaste. All immodest clothing should be altered or thrown away - and certainly not given away, for other people to wear it.
The Lord asks: "Who are these Catholics who dare to declare to the Father in Heaven: No, I know better than those you have placed in authority over us in the Church. I will not obey Your Laws which, in my view, are foolish!" We offend God if we are careless in our attitude and decisions about sexual morality and other matters.
When members of the Clergy, or theologians, or other people in the Church urge people to believe that behaviour once everywhere known as sinful is nowadays to be seen as reasonable or even good - such as contraceptive use, or sexual activity outside marriage - they endanger souls. To encourage people to sin is to help them on the way to Hell. The demons lie in wait for careless souls just as wild animals lie in wait for safari tourists who are foolish enough to leave the safety of the path.
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.
Catholics who make marriage vows or religious vows and live in love, and chastity, are on a straight road towards Heaven. But all who commit unchaste acts or develop unchaste relationships are causing a disaster for themselves and for any others involved, distressing all onlookers. They halt their progress to Heaven as surely as a lorry, crashed into the central barrier, has halted its delivery of goods.
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.
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.
We must expect to meet criticism, especially about chastity. Critics of Christians and Christianity call good people 'prudish' or old-fashioned, when care is taken to wear modest clothing, to lead chaste lives, and to avoid indecent films and art displays, and to protest at public nudity. This must not deter Christians from keeping the Commandments, and striving to be 'as pure as Christ'.
Christ looks on with sadness when He sees people being received into the Church who have not been encouraged towards a radical conversion, but who enter the Church to receive the sacraments while persevering in behaviour which is, objectively speaking, gravely sinful, for example, co-habitation and contraceptive use.
Many of the Clergy preach a truncated Faith. There is little preaching today on important issues of sexual morality: sins which are common-place, such as adultery, pre-marital sex, contraceptive use and much more. In Christ's sight, a Bishop who does not teach the Faith in its fullness and lead people away from sin and hopelessness is still a beloved 'child', but is as useless as a shopkeeper who refuses to sell things.
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