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It is God Who has given each of us life, and various gifts, and promptings to do good. People who decide, on a selfish whim, to stop serving God and to fulfil their own selfish ambitions are like a chemist who, having been trained, and given responsible work to do, suddenly wanders off into the sunshine, leaving his work at a critical stage, and hindering and upsetting his colleagues. When millions act like this, we have today's world.

When an employer pays himself an outrageously large salary whilst leaving his workers struggling to pay for their own basic food and clothing, he is treating them unjustly. It's as if he is stepping over an employee as one steps over a mere obstacle, in order to achieve his ambitions and goals.

It is true that groups of Christians outside the visible unity of the Catholic Church join in Christ's saving work by baptising their members. But it is tragic that those young Christians are often taught mistaken things about faith and morals, and so encouraged to sin - even if their instructors thought they were right, in approving of contraception, divorce and remarriage, even abortion and other evils.

Long ago, people did evil. It was as though there was a thick cloud of sin covering the world - even before there was a huge river of dead babies, killed by abortion. But Christ pierced the cloud by His Incarnation. He made a way up to Heaven. He asks each of us to work beneath the cloud, in our societies, to change things for the better, until we rise up to Heaven.

What the Lord sees, amidst the muddle of a sewing kit, or the tools of a well-loved trade, are an enthusiasm for life, a delight in the skills He gives us, and a desire to enhance our lives on earth as sociable, being willing to work, to make efforts to improve matters or to create beautiful garments or objects.

The eye has a simple function: to enable us to see; yet its working depends on millions of cells in the brain and the optic nerve. The Godhead is simple; yet God has millions of means of dealing with human beings, in order to help us; so our Religion is not simple - although it's purpose is simple: to bring us to Eternal union with God.

Christ delighted in beautiful artistic works of ours, just as He delighted in the sight of the beautiful stars which He had scattered across the skies. He had created the whole universe, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Christ looks on with horror as unborn babies are killed. Those who are merciless towards their fellow-creatures will find themselves alienated from God when they die - unless they first repent. This is especially true of those who mercilessly work to make abortion more easily available. Christ said, "The judgements you give are the judgements you will get"

The gift of life comes from Heaven, as God gives an immortal soul to each person conceived on earth. But Satan is at work to destroy God's gifts. Disguised as a doctor, he kills in the womb, by the hands of doctors, millions of unborn babies whose mothers have tragically given permission for their own tiny infants to be destroyed.

It is too easy, in making decisions about everyday life, to weigh up the personal benefits and to forget the spiritual realities. Pregnant women deserve to be reminded that it is never God, or good angels, at work, urging women to destroy their own babies in the womb. Mothers must ignore selfish desires, or evil influences.

Christ looks on in horror, as He sees little infants slaughtered in the womb by people to whom He has given life. He asks everyone who loves Him, and who loves life, to work and pray, to put an end to the dreadful practice of abortion.

No theologian is right, who claims that it is all right for a man and woman to make their union sterile, not fertile, and who works to overturn the constant teaching of the Church on marriage, and the transmission of life. Christ looks on with gladness whenever a faithful Catholic speaks out to defend the truths taught by the Church.

Not speaking, here, of invincible ignorance, The Lord asks: Of what value is the praise of someone who declares: "O God, I love and praise You, but I am determined to ignore Your chosen teachers in the Church and to work in Government to extend the provision of abortions".

God is so great and good that He sometimes gives extraordinary gifts to people, in earthly life, so that they can do His Work in times of special difficulty, or undertake more swiftly a tremendous task. Just as an artist sees colours that others do not see, a person gifted by God can discern graces in souls, or evil forces, that others do not see.

When we pray for the living, and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we cast our minds over our families and towns, to pray for everyone; and when we do so by accepting our sufferings in patience, as penance for ourselves and for others, we do the powerful work that Christ did on the Cross, as He offered Himself, and prayed to the Father for sinners.

A very talented musician can produce work even more beautiful if she listens to the advice of her coach about very tiny improvements she can make; and so it is with people who already love Christ, and have sacrificed much for His sake. They can become even more saintly by following His guidance in even little details that could be improved, or little flaws that could be avoided.

The eternal truths expressed in the writings of generations of Popes are for all people. The Lord has enlightened the Popes ever since St. Peter. Two great works that the Lord wants people to examine are the Catechism of the Council of Trent, and 'Of Human Life' by Pope Paul VI - and then, in recent days, the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church'.

We must not become turned in on ourselves. There are some jobs in which it is difficult to avoid becoming 'me-centered', focused upon either more money or more praise or greater fame, for example, as bankers look for greater profit, athletes work for more medals, and actors yearn to be the greatest star. It is dangerous to forget about God or about people close to oneself, in self-idolatry.

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.