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Though we cannot see them, the other members of the Church, of Heaven and Purgatory, are united with us in praise of the Father, through Jesus Christ, at every Mass. We can take comfort from the truth, that we are already doing, on earth, in our prayer, what we hope to do in Eternity, when we are perfectly joyful in God's Presence.

People who viciously or sadistically harm children, and treat them as objects to be used as they wish, or regard them as a nuisance, and people who arrange or carry out the abortion of babies, condemn themselves to an Eternity without love - unless they repent before they die.

There are occasions when we are caused to stop and think. Some people, when forced to think about death, spend only a brief moment wondering about Eternity, and their own future. Wise people decide to prepare. Rather that immerse themselves again in their everyday concerns they do everything possible to make themselves worthy of the gift of Heaven by growing in love for God and neighbour.

It is a marvel of grace, that the Blessed Trinity is present within the soul of a Baptised person. That person shares God's life, and power, and joy and peace. Yet God's presence is light as well as life. There is nothing worse than to extinguish that light, by deliberate mortal sin. If we die in such a state, we are doomed to an Eternity without God.

After every Confession, every new start on our spiritual journey, we ought to move straight ahead, on the Way to greater sanctity. This means we should fix our eyes on Christ; with His help in the sacraments and in prayer we can avoid those routes which lead only to sin, in alienation from God, here and in eternity.

Just as God arranged that all who were bitten by serpents could gaze upon the bronze serpent and by spared, so God arranged that His own Son, Jesus Christ, would be lifted up on a cross; to look on Christ, and believe, brings healing from sin, a healing that, if continuing, leads to life with Christ in Eternity.

It is through the humanity of Christ that we come to the Father, in the Holy Spirit, in prayer, and then - if we have remained faithful until death - in our journey into Heaven, to be with God for all eternity. We have no power of our own by which to reach God, though by faith we allow Him to draw us to Himself.

Catholics who work in mission and evangelisation can often be seen as calling out into the dark, in the heights of a great cavern, as they look down to the depths where many people are hiding away from God. Someone in this sort of Apostolate should have a burning desire to share the good news about God's love for us, about the forgiveness of sins, and about the graces made available through Christ and His Church, to bring us back to God and to prepare us for Eternity.

Wise people look at human life from the perspective of Eternity. We are right to try to be free of our ailments and handicaps - which seem like a great 'cloud' above us - as we move through life, towards Eternity. But even people who are, for example, deaf, or have speech problems, should be confident about life. What is important is communion with God, Who can 'hear' a single thought. Our ailments need not stop us from being close to Him, until our lives end in His presence, where He welcomes His friends into His embrace, in perfect communion, for all Eternity, all 'clouds' dispersed.

Already, God sees the end of each of us. From Eternity, God can see, all at once, the whole of human history. He sees which human beings have persevered in the 'race' to holiness and triumph, and which have come to grief through their own sin and foolishness, and have also set a bad example. This is true of the lowliest amongst us, and of clergy as well. Each of us must be alert, because, by some carelessness, or a moment's selfishness, we can drastically alter our direction, take a foolish course, and even lead others astray.

If we could pierce the Heavens, we would still not 'understand' all about God. If we search the Sacred Scriptures, we can find out why Christ came to earth, but we cannot find out everything about the Mind of God in Eternity. He is far above us. We can draw reasonable conclusions about His plan, however. We need not say, 'Christ would have come to earth had man not sinned'. The freedom, through which man sinned, was always part of God's plan; so the sin was always foreseen.

Wise people recognise the truth that there are three states of life, in relation to Eternity. There are people already on the Way to Heaven: the bright Way made by Christ; and His Church calls all people to walk along it. Other people are in a gloomy, rocky area, not yet having found Christ, or not yet having put their trust in Him. And here and there, another state is seen, as someone is sitting on the edge of the Way to Heaven, temporarily overcome by inertia or lack of hope.

Many people inhabit houses which were once a safe distance from the sea; but nearby cliffs have eroded, and the houses are in imminent danger of collapse. This plight mirrors the state of spiritual danger of Catholics who neglect the sacraments and rarely or never pray, and have not repented of their sins. God invites them to act, to find safety, to be freed from fear and danger. Unless they heed Him, they will fall, not into the sea but into the Abyss, for all Eternity.