Search Page
Showing 21 - 40 of 66
Do you live in an 'ordinary street', in an ordinary town? Whether we come from poor and humble backgrounds, or rich families, from terraced houses or mud huts or palaces, we are all called to be Saints. We can achieve this by loving Jesus Christ and doing His Will. The Church tells us what is His Will; and she gives us all we need to be obedient and faithful.
Christ showed me Hell, where poor sinners go, at death, if they have refused to love Him, refused to take the safe road to Heaven. By their own choice they shut themselves away from Him, and endure the torment of regret, the darkness and flames of Hell, and loss of hope, forever.
We are right to pray for people in need: for the poor, the sick, those in prison or held hostage, and many more; but there are people in need of prayer who are often well-fed and physically strong, but left in darkness by their atheism: their lack of belief in God. Large areas of the world are afflicted by this tragedy.
It is a dreadful surprise, when a true follower of Christ approaches Him after death, only to discover that she had been fervent in prayer, but had neglected to help her neighbours and relations, or that she had been of service to the needy but had failed to praise and thank God for all His gifts. In Purgatory, the soul can be purified.
As well as being fervent teachers, the Church's greatest sinners, when forgiven, have been the most lyrical in their expressions of gratitude to God for helping the weak and hopeless: for example, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. Francis of Assisi.
When societies in which abortion is common-place offer help to poorer countries, they sometimes make their offer of aid conditional upon the adoption of immoral practices such as contraception, abortion, and sterilisation. They damage families, and foster an anti-child mentality amongst women by their extreme feminist propaganda. It is a modern form of colonialism.
It is important to help women to picture the future, if they plan to abort their babies. These poor women will not only feel guilty about killing their own children, they will find themselves looking, through tears that blur their vision, at other children whom theirs will never play with in the park, and at the bright balloons their children will never see, as they play beneath the trees.
When we pray in the name of Christ for the poor or the needy, our prayers reach Heaven as swiftly as when shopkeepers once sent money speeding in a metal capsule from one department to the next - so great is God's concern for them. As scripture says: "The Lord hears the cry of the poor".
When people are poorly-instructed about reverence, and when a church has few signs and images that indicate it is a sacred place, the faithful sometimes act, for a Mass, as if at a rally or a pop-concert. Even if a few pictures of the Saints are then put up around the walls, this is as effective as sticking a small plaster in a big wound. Change comes from clear instruction; and from effective signs of decoration at the entrance.
In the play called 'Pygmalion', a rich man gave lessons to a poor working girl, and transformed her speech and outlook, and clothing. Christ works an even more marvellous transformation, by His grace acting within a willing soul. He transforms the whole person, leading each to Him, to find security, joy, peace-of-soul and fulfilment in sharing His life, and also to grow in wisdom, purity, courage, hope and charity.
Just as a doctor with a patient in poor health can be pessimistic, or can choose to say: "There is life still. Celebrate it, even if we don't know what the future holds", so a Catholic can say either: "The Church is failing; we have fewer priests", or, "God exists, Christ is alive and at work in the Church, which is growing word-wide. We can meet Christ in Person in the Blessed Sacrament!" The hopeful Catholic gives joy, as well as truth.
The Lord showed me a town, in which I had attended a funeral. He wants everyone in the town to ask: "Where am I going to spend Eternity?" Everyone needs to reflect upon that question, whether old or young, of one religion or another, sick or healthy, rich or poor, and whatever their background, race or occupation.
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.
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 are right to help the poor; but Christianity is more than good deeds. In Christ's sight, modernism flourishes where people do not have sufficient awe of God. Many good hearted Catholics, through poor instruction, have a faith that revolves around what humans need, rather than what the Father requests and deserves. They have a too-exalted view of man, in relation to God, which distorts the whole picture; whereas Catholics really grateful to God for Jesus Christ accept the Church's teaching without constant grumbling, shoulder the Cross, and strive for holiness like the Saints, out of love for their Saviour.
Many people have a poor understanding of the purpose of the Priesthood. It's as if they peer at these men through a great cloud of incomprehension, and yet expect Baptism, marriage services and burial. If more of the Clergy did what the Lord has called them to do - asking sinners to repent and to avoid Hell, and to accept the grace that leads to Heaven, people would understand them more clearly, and some would respect them for their courage.
Although the Pope hands on the truth, there is a cancer at the heart of Europe, which consists of disbelief in God and His laws, which leads to the promotion of wicked laws, and the encouragement of immoral acts and attitudes. It is not so elsewhere, in some societies called poor or primitive, but which live a vibrant, full-bodied Catholic Faith.
There is one great blessing received by many poor people in so-called 'third world' countries. They receive a full account of Catholic teaching, and embrace it with fervour and joy - unlike many European Christians who have been offered a distorted or truncated version of the Faith that can neither inspire nor hold them.
No-one ought to suppose that a person who kills himself is wise. In every life, there is some suffering. The way in which we respond to it reveals our character. Whether sick or well, rich or poor, we have free will. We can respond with recognition of what is good in our lives, even in difficulties, or we can give in to self-pity and resentment. All people - including suicides - are judged by God, at death: by God Who is both merciful and just, but who gave life as a gift, not to be carelessly thrown away. Suicide is a sin.
Some parents are automatically banished to a care home. Some people neglect their elderly relations, and lead busy and joyful lives even though their old parents are hundreds of miles away in poor accommodation, with little care and no luxuries. The Fourth Commandment is about honouring our father and mother, which means, no matter how old or frail they become.
Showing 21 - 40 of 66