FIRST FRIDAY- DEVOTION AND PROMISES

"Moreover, by the inspiration of God's grace, it has come to pass that the pious devotion of the faithful towards the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has made great increase in the course of time; hence pious confraternities to promote the worship of the Divine Heart are everywhere erected, hence too the custom of receiving Holy Communion on the first Friday of every month at the desire of Christ Jesus, a custom which now prevails everywhere."  - Pope Pius XI,  Miserentissimus Redemptor

 Like so many other superbly uplifting activities in the Catholic Church, the once time-honored First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated as thriving by Pope Pius XI in his 1928 encyclical “Misrerentissimus Redemptor”, has dramatically waned.  And, as I recently discovered at a Catholic Church in Florida, even when a First Friday service is held, there’s no guarantee that a single word will be said about the Sacred Heart. 

It’s tempting to speculate that people are simply unaware of the historical significance of First Friday and the Sacred Heart. Yet, blistering reality reminds us that it’s tough enough to get Catholics to go to Mass on Sundays these days, much less bother themselves to do so on any other day. 

 On December 27, 1673, Margaret Mary Alacoque had an encounter with Jesus in which he expressed his desire that there be devotion to “the heart that so loved mankind”.  

In subsequent visions, Jesus reiterated his wish that the Church honor his Sacred Heart.  He also made twelve promises, the last of which was 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.”  

Here are all twelve promises made by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: 

 (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.

St. Joseph Hill Academy on Staten Island was a small school on a lot of acreage when I was a student in its second grade. On this particular Spring day, the school was holding its annual “Country Fair” on its playground in Arrochar. 

New to St.Joseph Hill that year, I didn’t realize what the Country Fair was. Yes, I should’ve gotten an inkling from the title but, if I had, this wonderful story never would have happened. 

Having inexplicably failed to mention the Country Fair to my parents - another fortuitous development, as things turned out - I had only a nickel in my pocket as I stood on the playground surrounded by a cornucopia of attractions and mouthwatering delights. I had made a dreadful miscalculation. Or had I? 

Able to afford almost nothing, I was wandering about aimlessly when I found myself at a table of religious articles, including the most beautiful picture I had ever seen. It was a framed image of the Sacred Heart. Almost transfixed, I looked at it longingly even though purchasing it was beyond my meager means.  

The middle-age woman tending the table evidently saw the sadness in my eyes.  So, she had an offer for me.  if I would promise to always keep the picture in a place of honor, I could have it free of charge. “I promise,” I replied earnestly. “I will not let you down. Honest!”

We’ve been through a lot together in the ensuing years, the Sacred Heart and I. Refuge in times of crisis; compassionate guidance and consolation  (all I have to do is ask prayerfully and listen quietly); divine intervention when nothing else can alter the seemingly inalterable. 

Like the time my father was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and given only a few years to live. Distraught, I turned to the Sacred Heart, praying reverently before the picture that he be spared.  Remarkably, he lived another 19 fully-productive years. The doctor who had made the diagnosis said that he was “dumbfounded”. And there were many other favors asked, and many others granted. 

Skeptics will, of course, scoff at all this, intoxicated as they are with a modern-day arrogance so unbridled that it replays the prideful betrayal in the Garden of Eden.  Yet the Sacred Heart remains a repository of Christ’s boundless love for all who humble themselves to embrace it.

That image from long ago currently hangs in my den. It is my hope that by its reproduction here and my recounting the story behind it, my promise to that kind lady will be memorialized for the edification of generations to come.