First Fridays of the month and
devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
General remarks on the meaning of popular piety
Very often we hear that the Eucharist stands at the center of the Church’s liturgical worship. It is true that the Eucharist we celebrate at Mass is the climax of the Church at prayer. The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium 11). Everything is directed toward the Eucharist which is the sign of unity (communion) with God and the holy people all over the world. John Paul II even started his encyclical letter on the Eucharist with these words: “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 1).
We put so much emphasis on the importance of the Eucharist because we believe that in it we encounter the living Christ. We believe that in the Holy Sacrifice of Mass we transcend time and space and enter the Calvary with Jesus who on the Cross offered His life for our salvation. Thus each Holy Mass must be treated with the highest reverence which also requires some time of preparation and reflection on the meaning of all its parts.
For that reason, from the beginning of Christianity the leaders of the Church encouraged various forms of devotion that would help the faithful nourish their spiritual life and deepen their appreciation for the Eucharist.
Unfortunately, after the Second Vatican Council, there was a lot of misunderstanding; and often popular piety was put against the Eucharist and vice versa. Some popular theologians perceived popular devotions as an obstacle to authentic faith. Some even saw them as superstitious practices as if they were taking away people’s attention from true faith in God. As a result, when people stopped cultivating healthy devotions in their parish churches, they also became more indifferent with regard to their practice of faith, especially with regard to the Eucharist.
Pope John Paul II encouraged popular devotions as a way of catechizing the faithful about the basic truths of faith. Each devotion, especially when it is practiced in a parish church, is to be a living catechesis (JP II, Catechesi Tradenae 54). It is not theorizing about faith but entering the mystery with heart and mind. Therefore devotions such as novenas, recitation of the Rosary, litanies, first Friday and first Saturday of the month devotions are not to replace the Mass but rather to deepen our dedication to and understanding of it. These are simple forms of spiritual practices that lead to the discovery of great mystical truths which then find their highest expression in the celebration of the Eucharist.
First Fridays
Our special attention certainly deserves the practice of the First Friday of the month which we would like to reintroduce in our parish. The First Friday Devotion is traditionally dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion originated in XVII century France and is associated with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque who was given the grace of mystical insights and speaking with Christ. Jesus told her how much He wanted that people would know Him as the loving and merciful Lord.
Jesus’ messages were given to St. Margaret as means to fight Jansenism, a common form of heresy in the Church in those days. Jansenists, instead of encouraging the faithful to come to the loving and merciful God, often presented Him as a distant, extremely demanding and at times vengeful God. This resulted in an unhealthy fear and anxiety in matters of faith. For example, very few people “were worthy” to receive Holy Communion on regular basis. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on the contrary, allowed the faithful to approach the throne of Mercy without unnecessary fear. The promises of Jesus to Sr. Margaret rather expressed God’s unconditional love and infinite generosity even for the most harden sinners.
Through praying the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, frequent confessions and reception of holy communion people will come to know the wonderful love of God. Each invocation of the Litany reflects an attribute of Divine Love shown in Jesus. Christ appears in them as always caring for all people, especially those who are lost.
The message given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque converges with the message of Divine Mercy spoken by Jesus to St. Faustina. There is a continuation between the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and novena. It seems that God has been gradually unveiling the deepest mysteries of His heart already revealed in Christ on Calvary but not fully comprehended by the people. The Church is also very clear that both devotions add nothing to the revelation contained in the Sacred Scripture. They only help to unlock those mysteries and see them through the lens of the heart.
Therefore the goal of the practice of the First Friday and devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is to prepare our hearts for the encounter with God. On a more practical side, this devotion is to prepare us for a worthy reception of Jesus in the Eucharist. Each First Friday of the month should be an opportunity to renew one’s relationship with Christ in the sacrament of reconciliation which is then sealed in the Holy Sacrifice of Mass.
First Fridays at St. Mary:
Always on the first Friday of each month
6:45 - 7:30pm - confessions
7:30 Mass and litany to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
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The
Promises of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary
For Souls Devoted to His 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 a large blessing upon all their undertakings."
6. "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy."
7. "Tepid souls shall grow fervent."
8. "Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. "I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.
10. "I will give to priests the gifts of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. "Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
12. "I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."
For more information, please visit the following websites:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm
http://www.miraclerosarymission.org/shj.htm
http://www.sacredheartdevotion.com/
http://www.fisheaters.com/sh.html
http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/First-Friday-Devotion/article/186
Peace,
Fr. Janusz