First Friday Reminder

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today is the First Friday of August – the month especially dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Who but a Mother like Mary could help us better know, love and serve her Son Jesus? Today is also the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. (For more on this Feast, see HERE).

First Friday Devotion seeks to offer reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, requested by Him in a revelation to St. Margaret Mary:

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is of great antiquity in the Church. It was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, however, who made this devotion widespread. In 1675, within the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi, our Lord appeared to her and said: “Behold this heart which, not withstanding the burning love for men with which it is consumed and exhausted, meets with no other return from most Christians than sacrilege, contempt, indifference and ingratitude, even in the sacrament of my love [the Eucharist]. But what pierces my heart most deeply is that I am subjected to these insults by persons especially consecrated to my service.” For more see HERE

If we are unable to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today, and/or recieve Holy Communion in a spirit of reparation, let us make a “Spiritual Communion” asking Jesus to come spiritually into our hearts since we cannot receive Him sacramentally today. Let us offer Him ourselves – our whole hearts, souls, minds and strength, in fervent reparation for our sins and the sins of the world. Let us do everything today in that same spirit of love and reparation, thinking often of how Mary our Mother did very ordinary things with great love for Him. Let us ask her who was not only His Mother but also His perfect disciple, to interecede for us that we may follow Him as she did, with ever growing Faith, Hope and above all Charity.

 

[tawny]

Thank you MariaChristi.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you MariaChristi.

Dear tawny,

Hope yesterday was a fruitful day for you, of prayer and sacrifice offered in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was a “hard” day for me when several things came up unexpectedly – and I did not respond well. So instead of offering a “sweet offering” of uniting myself with the loving obedience of Jesus and Mary on Calvary, I needed to offer my humble admission of failure to cooperate with grace.

It was another grace God gave me, however: the grace of repentance and the deeper realization that my sins caused the pain Jesus endured for love. God willing, I’m hoping in His Holy Spirit to inspire me today to be more faithful to grace and to offer whatever the Lord permits in a loving union with Mary and Jesus on this First Saturday of reparation to her Immaculate Heart.

Thanks for your faithfulness to prayer and your love for Jesus and Mary! Please let us continue to pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy.