Search Page

The Lord sees irreverent Catholics, and He asks, Who are those people who refuse to bend the knee, and kneel before Him in prayer? Who are they, who fail to adore Christ, Really Present in the Holy Eucharist? Who are they, who offer praise which is banal, or careless, or frivolous or vain, to their God and Creator?

We are on a long climb, as if up a rope, on a cliff-face, in our efforts to reach Heaven in a state of holiness. We sometimes grow weary. We are in pain, or tempted to let go of the rope to enjoy some freedom from our daily routine of service. If we really let go - by deliberate mortal sin - we are doomed, except for a miracle. By faith and prayer, we can persevere to the top.

By fervent prayer, we can withstand evil spiritual assaults. When we share the truths of the Gospel with new fervour, or in new ways, we can find that we have stirred up the anger of the evil one, who tries to distract or disturb us in prayer, by horrible sights of the fires of Hell, or by problems in ordinary life; but we must remember that Jesus is stronger; Jesus is Lord, and we are right to trust in Him and to feel safe in His love.

Just as a flower in summer is wide open to receive the honeybee, so the Godhead is as if 'wide-open', always, to receive the thoughts and words of human beings. God is so loving that He is inviting us to bring all our problems, hopes and secret causes for shame, to Him in prayer. There is nothing He is not willing to hear about, and to help us through.

God our Father wants us to know that although He is holy, He is compassionate and understanding. If there are intensely shameful or embarrassing things in a person's life, that person should believe that nothing is too shameful to bring to God in prayer, in a search for help. Each of us should have faith in God's infinite love for us, which goes hand-in-hand with His desire to make us happy and holy.

God our Father wants us to know that although He is holy, He is compassionate and understanding. If there are intensely shameful or embarrassing things in a person's life, that person should believe that nothing is too shameful to bring to God in prayer, in a search for help. Each of us should have faith in God's infinite love for us, which goes hand-in-hand with His desire to make us happy and holy.

At the Consecration of the bread and the wine, these change into the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of Christ Who is therefore Present in our sanctuary. From our midst, He prays for sinners today, just as He once prayed from the Cross. That is why it is so important that we attend Sunday Mass, as the Church requests.

When we turn to Christ in prayer, in gratitude for His gifts and graces, all the Saints are close to us, glad to hear our thanks and praise for the One Who has brought them to Heaven. They long for us to find everlasting joy with Him, and help us by their prayers.

It is an immeasurable blessing, to be a baptised person who is forgiven, and who believes the Faith, lives in a state of grace, and prays in the name of Jesus Christ to the Heavenly Father. It is as if that person, when praying, is whispering into the Father's ear, in a loving intimacy, in combined reverence and trust, unlike others who shout to God as if from far away, not sure of being heard.

Whenever we pray in the name of Christ, as His children, it is as if Christ holds us on His outstretched hand, so that we stand before the Father at the very edge of Heaven, confident of being heard, and confident of being answered. Everyone can pray, if he or she wishes; but the certainty of being heard comes through union with Christ, established at our Baptism.

If we are tempted to give in to sadness or anger, but instead, take out the Rosary, and pray for people in great need, we grow in grace, and even save souls by our intercessions - through the grace of Christ and the prayers of His Holy Mother

Mankind has travelled a long road, since our first parents sinned, and turned a corner, exiled from God's presence. Another corner was turned when God made a Covenant with Abraham, and taught His People, and promised a Saviour. Another corner was turned with the arrival of Jesus, God and man, Saviour, Who died for our sins, to bring forgiveness, and union with the Father for all believers. To ignore Jesus and to prefer inter-faith prayer, in which He is not mentioned, is to deny the Christian faith; it says, in effect, that for union with God, and salvation,

God's entire place of salvation leads us to the saving death of Christ, when we were given access to Heaven and to the Father through Christ. For a Christian to choose consciously not to pray through Christ, by joining in the prayer of non-Christian religions, is in effect to say that God's plan of salvation in Christ was not necessary. It is a way of denying our need for Christ.

Through Christ's death on Calvary, it was made possible for us to be forgiven, to receive the Spirit of God, to live in the light, to be confident that our prayers are heard, and to be able to offer praise worthy of the Father. The Father wants people of every religion to open their eyes to the truth, and to believe in Jesus, His Son: the God-man Who can make weak people holy, and make them worthy of Heaven.

It is a terrible thing, for a person to die, who has tried to lead a good life but who has refused to believe in the Catholic Church, to discover that everything to do with the Catholic Faith is true: The Risen Jesus, the Church, the Papacy, the constant teachings about union with God, morality, and the sacraments and prayer!

Whenever we turn to Jesus with sincere hearts, He pours out His graces upon us: His power and His spiritual gifts; yet the greater the number of needy people we 'carry' to Him in our hearts, in prayer, the greater the number of graces.

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.

We who belong to Christ must not imagine that we go 'away' from Him when we leave the church building, or when we finish our prayers at home. Christ is very close to us, wherever we are, whether at work, or in leisure-time, or in our trips to the hospital or the shops.

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 wise to ask the Saints for their prayers. They are alive, living in glory, and love to intercede for us with God. As we pray, and work, it's as if by their love and companionship they help to form a fence around us, to protect us from evil, and to encourage us to raise up our hearts and minds to the Blessed Trinity, above.