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Some converts who entered the Church in the 1960s and 1970s found the Truths of the Faith, and the sacraments, and Christ Himself, Really Present. Yet they found themselves in an icy landscape; the ice and snow represent what Christ then saw: the icy hearts of those who were itching for inappropriate changes, and who, by strange acts and exaggerations, caused a thousand disasters, including, in part, a de-sacralisation of the words and gestures of the Mass.

Some Catholics foolishly ignore the evidence; that the evil one has been especially active in the Church for four decades, determined to strike at Christ and Catholics by striking at the Mass. The evil one uses all sorts of people and methods to increase ignorance of the Real Presence, to confuse the laity, to discourage priests, to bring about a distorted or truncated presentation of the Faith in catechesis. It's as if he is lurking beneath a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, planning how to lessen our love for Christ and to diminish our fervour.

A Catholic who can not be bothered to practice the faith has a soul so dead, perhaps, as to be almost lifeless - like the frozen landscape pictured here. Where can he go when he dies, except into the Abyss, if he has refused to acknowledge, honour or serve God and enjoy His friendship - if he has refused the help of the Holy Spirit, Who carries towards Heaven, after death, all who die 'in Christ': as friends of God?

If we know someone who endangers his own salvation, and we pray to the Father, in the name of Christ, with faith, it is as though Christ on the Cross has freed an arm, in order to point to that great sinner, saying: "He is one of Mine: one of those I came to save"; and so, for Jesus' sake, the Father hears and grants us Jesus' prayer, obtained through our intercession. We should be joyful that, in Christ, we have so much power.

God is enabled to act powerfully upon the earth, wherever people are willing to carry out His wishes, and so to fulfill His plan to lead us to holiness; yet His plans are delayed or stopped, on earth, where Catholics raise their voices, and challenge faithful Clergy members who are faithfully handing on the Faith in its fullness. Those who dissent on faith or morals undo God's work, unlike Catholics in the new Movements or Orders, or following in traditional ways, who persevere no matter what the cost.

If we pray sincerely, with faith in Christ, interceding for someone in need, it's as though we are looking through the 'roof' into that person's life, drawing aside the roof, so that the light of Heaven can shine in, and that person will be helped to turn to Christ, in her need.

When a person convinces herself that she is justified in a course of action, freely deciding to disobey God's laws - especially His laws about married love, it's as if she slides away downhill, in a snowy landscape, so slippery as to be like a ski-slope. It is very hard for her to return to the heights of a state of grace after such a lapse in faith and morals. Indeed, it is impossible, without God's grace, and without a willingness to change.

Priests, especially, must not regret their state of life. We cannot avoid all suffering, in this life, but God can help us to bear it. No-one should envy people who have another vocation. Which is the greater sacrifice: doing without marriage, to become a priest, or suffering within a difficult marriage, to be faithful to the Lord's teaching? God the Father will reward all who make sacrifices for His sake, since He is just.

Our prayers 'in Christ' are very powerful! When we turn to a Blessed or a Saint in Heaven, asking for their intercessions, to help ourselves or other people, we can be sure that the Father hears their prayers whether we pray for a Bishop, a priest, a lay-person, or for departed souls. Grace is poured out upon souls, because of God's goodness, the merits of Christ, and our Faith.

The priest is the man at the heart of the process of conversion. He brings good news about God's love, and the forgiveness given to repentant sinners. He brings Jesus to us: in His Word, in the Real Presence of Christ at Mass and in the tabernacle. He organises Catechesis; and he preaches, offers the Holy Sacrifice, prepares us for death, guides and helps the bereaved - and the faithful priest will be marvelously rewarded, even in this life. His greatest friend is Jesus Christ.

It is when we are most fervent that Satan tries to make us despondent, or tries to bring us to despair. Satan is a thief. As a thief might steal valuable shirts, pennants, autographs and souvenirs from devoted fans at a football match, so Satan tries to 'steal' our faith, our convictions, our graces, and our peace of mind, if we are not vigilant. We must be vigilant and prayerful if we are going to persevere.

By the intercessary prayers we offer 'in Christ', with faith, we can help to draw up souls closer to holiness and Heaven - even those who do not yet know or love Christ. This is true, so long as the person prayed for does not deliberately refuse the graces God sends her - as if cutting herself 'free' from God; and one who accepts grace finds its brilliance painful, perhaps, as it illuminates dark areas of his conscience and his daily life. It's as if he must shield his eyes.

There are some people earnestly in need of the intercessions of the faithful. Those needing help are not just the people who do not yet know Christ, but also those Christians who ignore their spiritual obligations. In Christ's sight, it's as though these choose to live in the gutter, since they rarely, if ever, confess their sins, or offer sincere prayers.

To be alienated from God by sin, or to be in a confused state, with little faith, can seem like being trapped in an underground cave, in the gloom, with no visible exit. Yet God is all-powerful and good. No-one need feel hopeless, if he turns to Him in trust and repentance.

Amongst faithful priests there are others who act with timidity or cowardice. People complain when priests are guilty of sexual immorality; yet Christ sees something scarcely less sinful in His sight as He watches priests who have their heads down, as they avoid giving clear teaching on sexual morality; in this way they fail to give the guidance they have been called to give, and fail to lead sinners away from their sins.

We must work and pray to help the lost to avoid disaster. Many Catholics are falling away from the practice of the Faith. They don't seem to notice the moral vacuum at the centre of their lives, or in the life of society. It is like a great hole in the ground which endangers the lives of all who thoughtlessly walk or run around it. The hole has appeared through Christian societies introducing immoral laws, careless of the consequences: abortion, and other evils. Family life, and national life, are endangered.

We should think about God's nature, when we think about catechesis. Wherever a person whose duty it is to teach the Faith distorts it, or truncates it, to make it more palatable, that person does wrong. God Himself is Truth, so if we offer people a distorted truth, or a truth which leaves out essential elements or difficult-to-comprehend aspects, we insult God, even if we don't realise it.

In every age, since the time of the Apostles, priests have faced opposition and persecution as they have gone about their work. It is important that they are faithful to preaching the truth - the Faith in its entirety - and faithful to the Mass. That is his task: to teach the faithful how to lead good lives and prepare for Heaven, and to feed the faithful with Jesus Christ's Sacred Body and Blood: to transform them.

Just as sailors at sea know how to 'batten down the hatches' and survive in a storm, because of some basic duties and basic wisdom, so must we hold fast to some Catholic 'basics' that will help us to remain faithful in all the storms of life. We need to know and love Christ, to turn to Him in prayer and in the Sacraments, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and Confession. If we study the Scriptures, and ask for the prayers of the Saints and Angels, and show love to our families and to the poor, we do well.

A Pope hands on the Faith, telling us what must be believed if we are to live, pray and love and teach to live as faithful Catholics. He can impose discipline, and even decide whom he permits to teach in the name of the Church; but it is no part of his task to speak 'outside' his area of competence, for example, to tell us what to believe about fossils. He is no more an expert on these matters not directly relevant to the Faith than a farmer is an expert on how to cook the produce from his fields.