Totus Tuus - To Jesus through Mary.

To impel the beauty of the new evangelization – this is the charism of the Heralds of the Gospel; Its founder, Monsignor João Dias explains."The Heralds of the Gospel is a private association of faithful with a very special charism based essentially on three points: the Eucharist, Mary and the Pope."

The Heralds of the Gospel are an International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right, the first to be established by the Holy See in the third millennium, during a ceremony which occurred during the feast of the Chair of St. Peter (February 22) in 2001.

The Heralds of the Gospel strive to be instruments of holiness in the Church by encouraging close unity between faith and life, and working to evangelize particularly through art and culture. Their apostolate, which differs depending upon the environments in which they work, gives pride of place to parish animation, evangelizing families, providing catechetical and cultural formation to young people, and disseminating religious Iiterature.



Tuesday 24 April 2012

The annual procession in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes.


                             Heralds of the Gospel
                    Annual Outdoor Procession
            MONTH OF MAY – MONTH OF MARY



Dear Friends
The HERALDS OF THE GOSPEL, in collaboration with the Sons of Divine Providence, the Knights of St Columba & Parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish, cordially invite you and your family to participate in:
The annual procession in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes.
followed by Mass
Sunday, 27th May 2012
      Venue: Don Orione House on Station Rd, between Lower Teddington Rd and Seymour Rd, Hampton Wick KT14EU.

Procession starts 5:00 pm from
Don Orione House on Station Rd, between Lower Teddington Rd and Seymour Rd
Hampton Wick KT14EU.

Followed by Mass 6:00 pm at
Sacred Heart Church, 262 Kingston Road, Teddington, TW119JQ
Followed by refreshments and light meal at the parish hall.

We look forward to seeing you on this special occasion
in honour of Our Blessed Mother.
For information contact Deacon Arthur or Br Michael at 02089434159



                                                                     

Sunday 15 April 2012

This is Divine Mercy Sunday. Divine Mercy - source of great Graces.


In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Blessed John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. 

The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. The most comprehensive revelation can be found in her Diary entry 699:

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.

In all, St. Faustina recorded 14 revelations from Jesus concerning His desire for this feast. 

Nevertheless, Divine Mercy Sunday is NOT a feast based solely on St. Faustina’s revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about St. Faustina — nor is it altogether a new feast. The Second Sunday of Easter was already a solemnity as the Octave Day of Easter. The title “Divine Mercy Sunday” does, however, highlight the meaning of the day. 



Learn how to observe the Feast and receive special graces.

Information from: http://thedivinemercy.org/celebrate/greatgrace/dms.php

Tuesday 10 April 2012

A Letter on Marriage from the President and Vice-President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,


This week the Coalition Government is expected to present its consultation paper on the proposed change in the legal definition of marriage so as to open the institution of marriage to same-sex partnerships.


Today we want to put before you the Catholic vision of marriage and the light it casts on the importance of marriage for our society.

The roots of the institution of marriage lie in our nature. Male and female we have been created, and written into our nature is this pattern of complementarity and fertility. This pattern is, of course, affirmed by many other religious traditions. Christian teaching fills out this pattern and reveals its deepest meaning, but neither the Church nor the State has the power to change this fundamental understanding of marriage itself. Nor is this simply a matter of public opinion. Understood as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, and for the creation and upbringing of children, marriage is an expression of our fundamental humanity. Its status in law is the prudent fruit of experience, for the good of the spouses and the good of the family. In this way society esteems the married couple as the source and guardians of the next generation. As an institution marriage is at the foundation of our society.


There are many reasons why people get married. For most couples, there is an instinctive understanding that the stability of a marriage provides the best context for the flourishing of their relationship and for bringing up their children. Society recognises marriage as an important institution for these same reasons: to enhance stability in society and to respect and support parents in the crucial task of having children and bringing them up as well as possible.

The Church starts from this appreciation that marriage is a natural institution, and indeed the Church recognises civil marriage. The Catholic understanding of marriage, however, raises this to a new level. As the Catechism says: ‘The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, by its nature is ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptised persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.’ (para.1601)


These rather abstract words are reflected however imperfectly in the experience of married couples. We know that at the heart of a good marriage is a relationship of astonishing power and richness, for the couple, their children, their wider circle of friends and relations and society. As a Sacrament, this is a place where divine grace flows. Indeed, marriage is a sharing in the mystery of God’s own life: the unending and perfect flow of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.


We know, too, that just as God’s love is creative, so too the love of husband and wife is creative of new life. It is open, in its essence, to welcoming new life, ready to love and nurture that life to its fullness, not only here on earth but also into eternity.

This is a high and noble vision, for marriage is a high and noble vocation. It is not easily followed. But we are sure that Christ is at the heart of marriage, for his presence is a sure gift of the God who is Love, who wants nothing more than for the love of husband and wife to find its fulfilment. So the daily effort that marriage requires, the many ways in which family living breaks and reshapes us, is a sharing in the mission of Christ, that of making visible in the world the creative and forgiving love of God.


In these ways we understand marriage to be a call to holiness for a husband and wife, with children recognised and loved as the gift of God, with fidelity and permanence as the boundaries which create its sacred space. Marriage is also a crucial witness in our society, contributing to its stability, its capacity for compassion and forgiveness and its future, in a way that no other institution can.

In putting before you these thoughts about why marriage is so important, we also want to recognise the experience of those who have suffered the pain of bereavement or relationship breakdown and their contribution to the Church and society. Many provide a remarkable example of courage and fidelity. Many strive to make the best out of difficult and complex situations. We hope that they are always welcomed and helped to feel valued members of our parish communities.


The reasons given by our government for wanting to change the definition of marriage are those of equality and discrimination. But our present law does not discriminate unjustly when it requires both a man and a woman for marriage. It simply recognises and protects the distinctive nature of marriage.


Changing the legal definition of marriage would be a profoundly radical step. Its consequences should be taken seriously now. The law helps to shape and form social and cultural values. A change in the law would gradually and inevitably transform society’s understanding of the purpose of marriage. It would reduce it just to the commitment of the two people involved. There would be no recognition of the complementarity of male and female or that marriage is intended for the procreation and education of children.


We have a duty to married people today, and to those who come after us, to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations.


With every blessing

Most Reverend V. Nichols Most Reverend P. Smith 11th March 2012


JESUS CHRIST TRULY ROSE FROM THE DEAD


Any rational person’s initial reaction to this claim should be a healthy skepticism. But not indifference, because the truth or falsity of that statement has extremely serious implications for every person who ever lived or will live. And no one ever would, or even should, come to believe it without solid evidence. The fact is that the evidence is overwhelming. And it consists of the eyewitness accounts by those who saw Him on one or more of the eight or nine times He appeared during the forty days that followed.

Christ’s resurrection is totally different from an acrobatic stunt by someone like Evil Kneevil, who promises to make a death-defying leap and if he doesn’t make it he’ll be killed. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite – Christ was dead to begin with but at the end He was alive.

He Really Was Dead

We can be absolutely certain that Christ was dead at the start. The first step leading up to His crucifixion was a Roman scourging; with no limit to the number of stripes many men died from the scourging alone. Then, after nails were driven through His hands and feet He was raised on a cross, where He hung for three hours.

The cause of death of a crucified man is asphyxiation since the lungs fill with fluid and make breathing difficult. So he uses his legs to raise himself to get a better breath, and when he cannot sustain the effort he slumps down again. One can always tell when a crucified man has died because he stops raising himself to breathe.

Two other men were crucified that day along with Christ. And since the following day was Passover, the rulers of the Jews asked the Roman governor to have the legs broken on all three men so they could not raise themselves and would die faster and their bodies could be taken away before the start of the feast. The soldiers broke the legs of the other two but they realized that Christ had already died and did not break His legs. These were Roman soldiers, who would have been killed themselves if they allowed a condemned criminal to avoid death.

Friends of Jesus took His body down, wrapped it in burial cloths, placed it in a nearby tomb and rolled a heavy stone across the entrance. The Jewish leaders, fearful that Christ’s followers would steal the body and claim that He had risen, arranged for a guard of soldiers at the tomb.

Yet on the third day Christ was seen in and around Jerusalem by the apostles and others.

They Positively Verified It was He

Christ gave the Apostles positive means of identifying Him. He showed them the wounds in His hands, feet and side; they spoke with Him, ate with Him, touched Him. (Luke 24:36-43) He worked another miracle similar to one He had worked near the start of His public life – a miraculous catch of a large number of fish on the lake (John 21:3-14)

The Apostles were not at all gullible in accepting Him. Although He had three times predicted His resurrection on the third day, it just had not clicked in their minds. At the time of His arrest they had gone into hiding, fearful

that the same treatment He received would be theirs. When the women brought the first news of having seen Him the Apostles thought the story was nonsense and would not believe the women. (Luke 24:9-11)

Most telling of all was the fact that one of them, Thomas, who was not there at the earliest meeting with Christ, refused to believe until he himself would see the wounds and put his hand into Christ’s side. But a week later, when Thomas did see, he acknowledged Christ as, “My lord and my God.” (John 20:24-29)

Christ appeared at least eight times (it’s difficult to tell whether two reported appearances are different or the same) over the next forty days, to all eleven remaining apostles (Judas had left) and to different subgroups of apostles and other followers. On one occasion He appeared to more than five hundred people. (1 Cor 15:6)

The Same, Yet Different

Yet, although the person they saw was definitely Christ, His body was different from before, with capabilities beyond those of the normal human body. He could appear and disappear at will, come through locked doors (John 20:19) and travel distances with the apparent speed of thought. St. Paul would later refer to this as a “spiritual body”, which is really a contradiction in terms, but the only way Paul could find to express the reality. (1 Cor 15:42-44)

This is consistent with the fact that no one actually saw Christ come forth from the tomb. The evidence we have is the testimony of His followers who saw Him after He rose. It’s quite possible that He either came through the stone at the entrance before it was removed or else walked out invisible afterwards.

And, unlike the case of Lazarus, whom Christ had raised from the dead (John 11:1- 44), Lazarus would have to die again while Christ’s body was now immortal, no longer subject to death.

The Testimony of Prophecy

The prophecies delivered to the Jewish people also attest to the resurrection of Christ. In proving to His disciples that the person who was speaking with them was really He, Christ referred to those prophecies.

The Jewish people had been expecting a Messiah and had expected Him to appear about that time, but they expected Him to be a military and civil leader who would rescue them from the domination of Rome. They did not expect a purely spiritual leader, and not a Son of God. When Christ had been rejected by their leaders and given the death of a common criminal there was danger that even His apostles, who had witnessed His many healing miracles over a space of two and a half years, would lose faith in Him.

Christ immediately referred to those early prophecies to show that the Messiah was to be mistreated and put to death, and also that He would rise again. He did this while speaking with a pair of disciples that first day while walking to the nearby town of Emmaus. (Luke 24:21-27). And He did it again while speaking with His Apostles in Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44-47)

Peter, proclaiming the resurrected Christ on the day of Pentecost, referred to the words of King David in Psalm 16, verse 10:

“For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.”

The meaning, not recognized originally, was that the body of the Messiah would never corrupt.

Discrepancies in Details Support the Case

All four gospels give an account of the events on the morning of Christ’s resurrection. In comparing the four accounts one finds there are discrepancies – in the number of women who went to the tomb, in the number of angels whom they saw there. But it is not unusual that different witnesses to an event report different details, often leaving out a feature that had not impressed itself on them.

But all agree on the fact that Christ had truly risen from the dead. The differences show the lack of collusion and thereby support the truthfulness of the reporting.

No Alternative Explanation

From the very start adversaries have attempted to provide alternative explanations that would deny Christ’s resurrection. But none of their suggestions can explain away the fact.

The gospels themselves mention the bribery attempt by the Jewish leaders to get the soldiers at the tomb to say that while they were asleep the Apostles stole the body. (Matt 28:11-15). But what soldier will admit he was asleep while on duty? If they were Roman soldiers and not Jewish guards, they could be put to death for allowing such a thing to happen. Besides, how could they testify to what had occurred while they were asleep? The apostles, demoralized by Christ’s arrest and execution, had gone into hiding and were not at all capable of carrying out such a scheme. Most of all, Christ’s enemies never found His body.

Others, even today, try to say that Christ never actually died, that the darkness over the earth that day prevented people from seeing that the Apostles took His body down and substituted someone else, even Judas Iscariot. But this ignores the fact that Christ was already half dead from the

scourging, plus the nailing, the pain of hanging on the cross and struggling to breathe while His lungs filled with fluid. Again, the apostles were just not capable then of doing it.

Others say the apostles simply lied about the resurrection. However, they spent the rest of their lives giving testimony to it in the face of persecution, torture and usually death. Men do not die for a lie and all the apostles were consistent in their story.

Other variations are easy to refute, such as that the women went to the wrong tomb, which could easily have been clarified by Christ’s friends and enemies alike.

There are others who claim that the story of Christ’s resurrection developed over time as a myth. But myths take several generations to develop and Christ’s resurrection was proclaimed after only seven weeks, and proclaimed in the very city where He had died. It was a time and place where many were in a position to offer contradictory evidence, but even those who refused to believe could not prove their point.

Still others claim that it’s merely an application of pagan myths regarding the death and return to life of certain gods. But those myths are never situated in history while the resurrection of Christ is an event involving a specific historical person and taking place on a specific date in a specific place.

Another attempted explanation is the claim that the women, in their love for Christ, simply imagined His resurrection. But the Apostles were not so easily convinced and accepted the report only after verifying His physical identity.

The only adequate explanation for the events of that first Easter morning is that Jesus Christ truly and bodily rose from the dead.

The Significance for Us

During His public life Christ had claimed to be God and had worked miracles on almost three dozen occasions to support His claim. It was that claim to be God that was cited by the Sanhedrin as their reason for condemning Him to death. (John 19:7).

Christ is both divine and human, both God and man. His death on Calvary was death in His human nature only; His divine nature and the fact that He was a divine person were not affected by it.

Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the culminating proof that He is in fact divine, that He is the Son of God.

Since He is God we can accept all His teachings – about Himself, about the reason He accepted death on the cross, about our purpose in life and our relationship with Him.

Since at His very first appearance to His apostles following His resurrection He gave them the power to forgive sins in His name (John 20:19-23), we can have confidence that He will forgive our sins if we are truly sorry for having offended Him and truly resolved not to offend Him again.

His painful death on the cross in order to make salvation possible for those who live by His teachings shows His self-sacrificing love.

His resurrection shows His power over death and is the reason we can have hope in His promise to bring us to eternal life with Him.

CATHOLIC EVIDENCE GUILD P.O. BOX 55 LARCHMONT, NY 10538 Phone or Fax: 1-877-635-8205 E-Mail: ceg@ureach.com Web Site: www.catholicevidence.org Copyright 2007 Catholic Evidence Guild New York

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