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Think about the uproar when careless school teachers allow the children to do as the please on school trips, only to find them lying dead near a river-bank. What will all of Heaven think when careless priests and Bishops, who have let people do as they please, see them falling down into the depths of Hell?

It is a special honour, to be the mother of a priest: an honour which Christ intends from the beginning of a woman's life, as He leads her onto the right path, so that her example of faith can help her son.

Just as a child needs to know about dangerous traffic, though not the details of possible injuries, so all Catholics need to know about the danger of turning away from God - though not read lists about the agonies of Hell. Hell awaits the damned, however: it awaits those who have refused to take notice of gentle warnings and vigorous reminders.

No mother tells a toddler all the details about car-accidents; but she warns him to take care. But when teenage boys and other people become preoccupied with pornography, lustful conversations and immoral activities, it is time to warn them quite frankly about the danger of falling into Hell.

A responsible Government is willing to give important information about crime, traffic accidents, epidemics, and other serious matters. Why should people resent the fact that God gives us important information? He who governs the universe is good. He warns us, out of love for us, to avoid sin, and damnation.

Children today marvel at stories of wizards, and secret formulas; but a greater marvel is the transformation of a weak person into a Saint, by the grace of Christ. Our 'formula' is the morning offering. Our heroism is to give glory to God not to ourselves, and the Mystery we speak of is not for a select few. Everyone is invited to enter the Mystery which is God.

Children today like to hear a dramatic story; yet we should help them to see that there is no more dramatic story than that of God becoming a little baby. When He grew up, people who knew Him could witness to His goodness and truthfulness. Then when He was killed by His enemies, and came to life again, He provided the evidence that He was trustworthy. He had really come down from Heaven to save us.

There are streets full of houses where people who look within them see little art and hear little music: two of the great gifts received by human beings from God. God forbade imagery long ago, only to deter ancient people from idolatry. Since He gave us Christ - His own 'living image', Christians have rightly used art as a means of inspiring and educating fellow human beings.

In ancient times, when God gave the Commandments to Moses, God forbade the making of images. He was helping a primitive people to turn away from idolatry. But ever since the living, invisible God has revealed to the world His Son Jesus Christ, the 'living image' of the Father, Christians have rightly used imagery to inspire and educate fellow human beings.

God wants our children to learn the truth. Each received life from God, is loved by God; and life has a purpose; we should prepare for Heaven by a life of love and holiness, through the friendship of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church. The Christian principles, on which our country is founded must not be pushed aside by atheistic government persons.

It is the Lord's dear wish that each child to whom He has given the gift of life will be brought up by it's parents to be worthy to inherit Eternal Life. It is tragic if children are made aware only of earthly life, and are led to believe that the purpose of life is to become rich, or to fill every moment with earthly pleasure.

All over the world are people in spiritual darkness, caused by original sin. Parents require the grace of God in order to bring up their child to have the right attitudes and beliefs, and so become holy; and they also need grace in order to love one another always with a love that is pure, fruitful and faithful.

We are right to warn children about the consequences of sin, just as we would warn them about the danger of cliff-tops, deep water, or other risky places. Yet we can point out the far-off 'country' which is our homeland, Heaven, where there is no more danger, and no more sadness or pain.

It is outrageous that the laws of our country have been framed so that parental responsibility has been badly dented. Though schools need the permission of parents before a school nurse can hand out minor medication, medical officials can arrange for a girl to have an abortion - a serious operation - without her parent's knowledge.

When people who have never read a serious book about Catholicism complain about episodes of Catholic history and hate the Church, it is best not to argue about history but to say: 'Look at the Church, as she is': the unique unity in Faith, government and worship, unique in handing on the body of truths, in helping the sick and needy, defending lives, including the unborn, inspiring artists, architects, composers, promoting education, all with confidence in God. Outside the Catholic Church people do not have such clear teaching. It is the one Church founded by Jesus Christ, Who still guides her, in union with the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Something has gone terribly wrong in society, when a teacher can look at her class of infants, and say to herself, this class has been reduced by one fifth, because mothers chose to have the children killed, rather than letting them develop normally and enjoy the life God planned for them.

Wherever Catholics live out their faith with goodness and conviction, they have an effect upon their culture, as Catholics have since the earliest times. The Bishops hand on the truth from Jesus Christ, people are forgiven and transformed, freed from superstition, men and women are equal in marriage, the sick are cherished and not rejected, prisoners receive justice, little girls are educated, children are valued, even the unborn, the arts flourish - art, architecture, music and scholarship - and the Saints set an unparalleled example of goodness, in all sorts of ways.

When some Catholic children receive more teaching on self-esteem than humility, this endangers their souls. There is so much outward show, in acts of charity, and little self-effacement. The sin of pride was Satan's great fault. To become proud is to place oneself under his banner, in the war between good and evil.

Christ spoke of Hell to some people only because of His love for them, when He saw that they were in great spiritual danger, and might die unrepentant. It was just as when a loving father today gives a stern warning about unruly behaviour, and says: "You could find yourself in great danger". The truth about Hell should be preached today, as well as the truth about Heaven.

Parents are responsible for telling children of teenage years about sex, in appropriate ways. To disturb and puzzle little children by giving them unnecessary information in school, far too young, about sexual matters, even with no input about morals, would be a despicable act. They deserve a time of undisturbed joy and innocence, when they are not old enough to make judgements about what they are told.