Reflection on the first Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

     We at Holy Savior dedicate our daily Mass on the First Friday of the month to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, praying the litany of the Sacred Heart at the end of Mass.  First Friday practices date to the last decades of the 17th century, when Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary and spoke to her of His Sacred Heart. Among the promises Our Lord revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647 - 1690), a cloistered French nun and mystic of the Order of the Visitation of Mary.  Among the promises the Lord revealed to her in his visits to her included this:  “In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.”  

     Devotion to the Sacred Heart grew after the death of St Mary Margaret. In 1856, the devotion was added to the church calendar by Pope Pius IX. Pope Pius XII explained that the devotion to the Sacred Heart is connected to our worship of Christ as God incarnate: “It is altogether impossible to enumerate the heavenly gifts which devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has poured out on the souls of the faithful, purifying them, offering them heavenly strength, rousing them to the attainment of all virtues…..That all may understand more exactly the teachings which the selected texts of the Old and New Testament furnish concerning this devotion, they must clearly understand the reasons why the Church gives the highest form of worship to the Heart of the divine Redeemer.”
      Jesus’s profound love for us is demonstrated through his willingness to sacrifice his life for our sake. The love from his heart motivated all his actions: His inner life manifested in his heart demonstrated virtues and sacrifice. Yet this great love is often received with ingratitude, even by the faithful. The purpose of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is to focus our hearts on receiving and returning his love with gratitude, with all of our heart, soul, and strength, that he may be glorified.
      In 1889, Pope Leo XIII permitted priests and bishops worldwide to offer a votive Mass of the Sacred Heart on the first Friday of each month in churches or oratories where special devotions to the Sacred Heart were held,  This devotion has been followed by many faithful in the Church to this day. 
     We will celebrate a votive Mass to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday, December 2, at 8:30 am.  We invite you to come and pray with us.  Father Lincoln.