First, I would like to thank those who have been involved in the Vacation Bible School - Laura Huth, Helen James and all volunteers. Thank you for your time and talent shared for and with the children. May God bless you! T
his Sunday in my column, I would like to talk about the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the graces that come from observing First Fridays since I noticed that only few come to the first Friday adoration and they are the same faces. Somebody commented that maybe I need to talk more about it so people will understand the significance regarding this special devotion. So what is so special about First Fridays?
Our parents grew up going to church every First Friday of the month and taking part in the Sacred Heart devotions, but in recent decades the pious practice has fallen out of practice. Why is this? One reason probably is rooted in the lack of understanding. People do not know what First Friday is all about. Families may not have adequately passed down their importance to the next generation.
Here are four things to know:
1. How did the First Friday Devotion begin? While some saints talked about the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their writings even centuries earlier, in 1673, a French nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of Jesus, wherein He asked the Church to honor His Most Sacred Heart. In particular, Jesus asked the faithful to “receive Communion on the First Fridays for nine consecutive months”. The request was connected to a specific promise made to all who venerate and promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart. After Margaret Mary’s death, the First Friday practice steadily spread in the Church, endorsed by popes and promoted by saints, but it greatly increased in popularity when Margaret Mary was canonized as saint in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.
2. What am I supposed to do on First Fridays? Go to Mass and receive Holy Communion with the intention of honoring Christ’s Sacred Heart. If you are not in a state of grace and thus unable to receive, you will need to go to confession. If time permits, spend an hour in adoration to the Blessed Sacrament.
3. What are the “promises” connected to this devotion? Jesus made these promises to St. Margaret Mary for anybody who would devote his/her time on First Friday in honor of the Sacred Heart:
(1) I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
(2) I will establish peace in their homes.
(3) I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
(4) I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
(5) I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
(6) Sinners will find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
(7) Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
(8) Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
(9) I will bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored. (10) I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
(11) Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
(12) I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
4. What is the purpose of the First Friday devotion? The entire purpose of this devotion is to draw us closer to the heart of Christ. If we fulfill these obligations with sincere faith, it is natural for us to be closer to God and better prepared for death. Jesus wants us to rest on His heart, like St. John, and the First Friday devotion is an opportunity for us to encounter Him more than just on Sundays and to deepen our love for Him.
Coming to know, love and trust that we may take rest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and place our anxieties within, is what the First Fridays are all about.