REPOST: The Nine First Fridays of Reparation to Christ’s Sacred Heart

(Originally posted May 28, 2013)

Hello Everyone.

This post is a bit special to me, as I am going to write about a devotion topic that I have participated in and has since held a place in my prayer life: The Sacred Heart of Jesus. More specifically, this post will be devoted to the practice of the First Fridays. This post is even more relevant, as Friday June 7, 2013 is the feast day devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Form liturgical calendars.

I will begin with some introduction and some history behind the devotion, and then will go through what is necessary to do the devotion and the indulgences/promises attached to the devotion.

Introduction: The Sacred Heart of Jesus and History behind the Devotion

What is the Sacred Heart of Jesus? It is commonly depicted as Jesus' literal heart, however it has the addition of two key components: The crown of thorns that is around the top perimeter of his heart, as well as a cross, the one he was crucified on, atop his heart. (This is not to be confused with the Immaculate Heart of Mary which usually has flowers around it and seven swords in it, representing the Seven Sorrows of Mary.)  Flames often surround the cross of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and some depictions also include a diagonal laceration, from being impaled by the spear of the Roman soldier ``Longinus?``, where out came blood and water from the wound. Here's an example:

Source unknown. 

While yes it is depicted as his literal heart of his incarnate body, it has more meaning than being his circulatory organ.

Theological History
Christ himself in the Gospel of John 7:37-39 says this: "And on the last and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and let him drink that believeth in Me. As the Scripture saith: Out of his heart there shall flow rivers of living waters.' Now this He said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in Him."(3). This was made all the more prominent and came true literally when the Roman soldier ("Longinus"???) pierced the side of Christ with his spear, and out poured out blood and water from the wound. Whether it pierced Jesus' actual organ of the heart, it is uncertain.

As is commonly used in literature and poetry, the heart is the organ associated with the deepest of emotions, especially that of love. In the pre-Vatican II encyclical, Haurietas Aquas, by Pius XII, which is devoted to the Sacred Heart, he describes to us more deeply what the Sacred Heart of Jesus is about and why veneration and devotion is to be rightly given:

" .... Holy Writ declares that between divine charity, which must burn in the souls of Christians, and the Holy Spirit, Who is certainly Love Itself, there exists the closest bond, which clearly shows all of us, venerable brethren, the intimate nature of that worship which must be paid to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. If we consider its special nature it is beyond question that this devotion is an act of religion of high order; it demands of us a complete and unreserved determination to devote and consecrate ourselves to the love of the divine Redeemer, Whose wounded Heart is its living token and symbol. It is equally clear, but at a higher level, that this same devotion provides us with a most powerful means of repaying the divine Lord by our own. (6, H.A.) ...."

".... The other reason which refers in a particular manner to the Heart of the divine Redeemer, and likewise demands in a special way that the highest form of worship be paid to it, arises from the fact that His Heart, more than all the other members of His body, is the natural sign and symbol of His boundless love for the human race. "There is in the Sacred Heart," as Our predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII, pointed out, "the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return ...."(16)"
(22, H.A.)

And so, the Sacred Heart of Jesus ...

" .... 55. is a symbol of that divine love which He shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit but which He, the Word made flesh, alone manifests through a weak and perishable body, since "in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily."(52) 56. It is, besides, the symbol of that burning love which, infused into His soul, enriches the human will of Christ and enlightens and governs its acts by the most perfect knowledge derived both from the beatific vision and that which is directly infused.(53) 57. And finally - and this in a more natural and direct way - it is the symbol also of sensible love, since the body of Jesus Christ, formed by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, possesses full powers of feelings and perception, in fact, more so than any other human body (54) .... " (55-57, H.A.)

Devotional History
The actual devotion of the Sacred heart that is practiced, originates with Saint Mary Margaret Alacoque in the late 1600's. From 1673-1675, the saint received a series of visions of our Lord, revealing to her his Sacred Heart. Jesus asked her in these visions to spread devotion of his Heart throughout the whole church, as reparation for sins and offenses against our Lord. (8, First Fridays and First Saturdays)

At the center of the revelations are twelve promises, made to her by Jesus. For those who consecrate themselves and make reparation to His Sacred Heart:

1. He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. He will establish peace in their homes.
3. He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honoured. (I have provided one above, though there are paper, gold-painted cross cards that seem to be popular for this purpose.)
10. He 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 His Heart.
12. In the excessive mercy of His heart, that His 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 His disgrace, nor without receiving the sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Of course, these promises are also bestowed onto the faithful who engage in this practice, not just St. Mary.

The Devotion of the Sacred Heart

1. The actual devotion of the sacred heart consists of going to Mass on the First Friday of the month for nine consecutive months, and receiving the Eucharist in the state of sanctifying grace. You MUST do this consecutively for nine months, without any break in the practice. I have found no document, be it in Church Law, Catechism, Papal/Vatican writings, nor writings from trusted Catholic sources that allow for such an interruption other wise, even for valid and legitimate reasons. Not even a priests' dispensation can allow for a valid break.Communion MUST be received on this particular day of the Month. The practice cannot be delegated to another day.

2. They must be done in honour of His Sacred Heart, and thus one must practice devotion to the Heart and have a great love for Christ.

3. Note: This devotion will not dispense you from obligations or from exercising vigilance necessary for leading a good life and overcoming temptation. You will however be bestowed graced to carry out obligations and persevere to the end.

In addition, associated with the devotion is Eucharistic Adoration before or after the Mass. Unfortunately, when it is done after, those parishes that do this tend to schedule confession then, not before the Mass, which deprives people from the ability to receive the Eucharist in the state of grace and perform the devotion. You absolutely cannot receive the Eucharist in the state of Mortal Sin, so you deprive the faithful of the ability to do this practice. Any clergy reading my blog, PLEASE do confession before the Mass, be it with or without Adoration!

Regardless, the beauty of having Eucharistic Adoration attached to this devotion, is that one can receive additional indulgences, which when obtained, remit the temporal effects of sins. A half hour of Eucharistic Adoration minimum, qualifies for the indulgent act. Better yet if one removes themselves from sin completely, the indulgence is plenary, or full.

Indulgences are obtained when one receives confession and communion within 8 days of the indulgent act, prays for the intentions of the Holy Father (which can be at minimum one of the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be), and removes oneself from attachment to all sin. An analogy I use is that sin is like a sticky snail. When we go to confession, we take the snail from his shell and boot him off your skin. However, that shell is taking up space on you. Think of that shell is the time in purgatory one will need to spend to become purified in such a state to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Indulgences remove the temporal effects of sin, that is, that shell is now removed from your body, and thus the complete effects of sin are removed from you, though how many and how much time is reduced is unknown.

Finally, while this is not a mandatory part of the devotion, there are also associated with the Sacred Heart of Jesus the Acts of Consecration and Reparation to the Sacred Heart. They are as follows:.

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.

I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
 I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants.

Amen.

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart

O sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for me is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Your alter (in Your presence) eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Your loving Heart is everywhere subject.

 Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying for from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow You, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Your Law. We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against You; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against You and Your Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Your Vicar on earth and Your priest are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Your Divine Love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which You have founded. Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Your divine honor, the satisfaction You once made to Your eternal Father on the cross and which You continue to renews daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of Your grace, for all neglect of Your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent other from offending You and to bring as many as possible to follow You.

 O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowing gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to You, so that we may one day come to that happy home, where You with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God, world without end. Amen.

Summary:
Therefore, to do this devotion to the Sacred Heart, you must do the following:
1. Be in the state of Sanctifying grace to receive the Eucharist worthily on First Friday. So go to confession, especially if you have one or more Mortal Sins on your soul. Without true repentance and ceasing of the situation, you will obviously not be able to receive the Eucharist in certain situations (e.g. co-habitation, 2nd marriage if 1st was not annulled, masturbation with/without pornography ...)

2. You must attend Mass on First Friday and receive the Eucharist in the state of sanctifying grace, for 9 consecutive months, with no break in between occasions. 

3. For the promises to be fulfilled, you must be promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart, whether it be by taking about the devotion, generally why you love the Sacred Heart of the lord, prayer to the Sacred Heart, etc.

In addition to these conditions,
3. You may also attend , and should, the Eucharistic Adoration that comes before and after the Mass. Under the usual conditions of Confession, Communion, and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (at minimum 1x Our Father, 1x Hail Mary, and 1x Glory be, or a specific prayer for His intentions), PLUS a minimum of 1/2 hour of adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, you will gain an indulgence aside from the usual benefits and graces.

4. While it is not absolutely necessary according to numerous sources, some recommend the addition of the Act of Reparation and Consecration to the Sacred Heart to be said during those First Friday sessions. I say, do it.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Works Cited
Pius XII. Encyclical of Pope Pius XII Haurietas Aquas On the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. May 15, 1956. [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_15051956_haurietis-aquas_en.html]. Retrieved 2013 May 28.

Catholic Truth Society. First Fridays and First Saturdays The Devotions Explained. Catholic Truth Society: London, UK. 2008. 

Mark, Buddy, You Got Real Pals and Siblings in Christ Who Get You and Have Seen the Truth

Hello Everyone, but specifically, Mark Shea,

The Church has been a trying time for many of us, especially with the Francis Papacy. Every off the cuff statement and interview he does with reporters can lead to a new fiasco, and another round of Satan's bile being thrown at the Holy Father by Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists of all people.

Sadly, even the more centralist "orthodox" people, are committing slander and calumny and sin, all in the name of religious purity and in being the Church's self-appointed liturgical and moral police officers. In reality, these "I'm with Stupid" (I.W.S.) Catholics, to coin the phrase, from blogger David Wanat at "If I Might Interject," are committing the same sins and violation of the 2nd Commandment, like their Radical Traditionalist brethen, despite not being Latin Mass afficionados. Their "sacred cow"/idols might not be the Latin Mass/liturgy, but it could be something like abortion, euthanasia, homosexual issues, women's issues, etc. They defend the issue in a manner so zealously with the writings of the Church, they become modern day Pharisees, often involving the slagging and contempt of Pope Francis. Their language is passive-aggressive, and the underlying meaning of it is truly hatred and disgust for the Holy Father.

However, the Holy Father is not the only target of their moral and/or liturgical purism. They target anyone who attacks their rigorist standards of what they think the Church "teaches" as its authority and final words on matters. I myself have been attacked online and in person, and even stalked at a parish, for daring to fight against these people's demands and desires.

Unfortunately, their actions have consequences, spiritually and mentally, on their audiences, such as despair, inordinate anger, etc. and they are accessories to the sins of their affected audience. One good veteran and Catholic family man has been afflicted, and he needs our support.

A good blogger I have admired throughout the years since I've entered the fray, Mark Shea of Catholic Patheos web portal, a convert to the Church, has written numerous books, and produced numerous articles and work for North America's leading Catholic apologetics apostolate, Catholic Answers. In his spare time, he blogs at "Catholic and Enjoying It!", though he did recently break from the blog for personal reasons. Now he's back in action, though someone, a good friend, decided to employ proper fraternal correction of him, as it seems Mark, to this friend, has gone past his usual defining snarkiness that makes Mark a fun Catholic blogger to read.

Personally, I haven't met Mark in Person. I do hope he comes to Canada again, to my Archdiocese of Toronto, where one day I will meet him. However, I have had some correspondence with him, being in a similar "blogger's circle" as it were (kinda like the analogy of cliques in high school lunch rooms) and despite the low popularity and power that my Servimus Blog yields, Mark has been kind and gracious enough to link to my blog a couple of times for when I've poured out my soul and stated things of importance.

The post where this happened, and Mark's reply, is here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2016/07/an-honest-and-heartfelt-exchange-with-a-friend-who-feels-that-ive-changed.html.

Mark decides to open up about this heart to heart discussion, revealing what has happened to him spiritually over the years. One of the biggest things spiritually that has happened is some despair, laced with disillusionment into thinking that the readers he was once evangelizing to, have revealed their true and darkest sides to him. Some of this also revolves around the Francis Papacy and this current 2016 election in the United States of America, with Catholics, surprisingly, defending narcissist :

"The past 15 years have been one long slow disillusionment which went into high gear with the election of Francis and the poisonous reaction of that whole subculture against him ... I’ve watched for *years* while the people who once were eager to hear the gospel have morphed into a people eager to battle the Church every time she says something they don’t like, who use the lamest sophistries to do it, and who consistently use the unborn as human shields and fig leaves for that project.... Times this by literally thousands of encounters. It grinds you down. You lose patience and you lose hope. These are the people you took to be the faithful remnant of the Church and it turns out they are consistently fighting the Church and regard the Magisterium as a threat–especially Francis. Meanwhile, I regard him as a gift and am heartsick at the warfare–open and naked, as well as subterranean and passive (like a tree burning at the roots)–that comes from one sector of the Church and one only: the people I trusted as “faithful Catholics”..."

Heartbreaking indeed! This is exactly like the betrayal of Judas Iscariot at the Passion of Jesus Christ, who turned his back on the Lord and turned him over to be crucified. Mark here is like Mary, sadly watching his Son be mocked, tortured, hurt, and rejected and abandoned by the people who were once his closest friends and allies. Surely, haven't you had a moment in your life, even in your childhood, when a friend you once had, dumped you because he say, found someone else they thought was better, or joined a clique and embraced their "lifestyle" to the point it had to exclude you cause you are against their new "friends?" That here, is exactly what Mark Shea is experiencing.

The hypocrisy and sins of the I.W.S. crowds and their self-serving need for hearing they are the Holy Remnant of Jesus' "TRUE" Church, and not the modernist one passing for it today, is the high source of frustration for Mark's writing and correspondence in the hopes at evangelizing, and counselling the (willfully) ignorant:

" ...  I find myself in the bizarre position of meeting Lefties who are genuinely interested in hearing what the Church has to say, all while having to explain to Righties that this does not make me ritually unclean for consorting with them in order to evangelize them .... They now seek a Fortress in which to remain safe from a world they fear while Francis has left the Fortress, flung open the door and is proclaim the joy of the gospel to the very people the subculture would pour boiling oil on before they let them into the Church.  It’s not merely that they think he evangelizes badly.  It that they want him to stop evangelizing lest riff raff get in and make life complicated .... I no longer felt as though I had an audience who wanted to hear the Church’s teaching in fullness. They wanted to hear me tell them they are awesome and righteous and the Remnant of the Faithful and they wanted to hear me tell them liberals and CINOs are the enemy, including Francis. "

And because Mark Shea refused to fall off the narrow path on the right side of the road to the gate of heaven, the very people who enjoyed his blog, have become his worst enemies, just like the Jewish people from Palm Sunday, whom by Good Friday were now his hecklers and detractors.

The prideful and wicked RMTs and I.W.S., rarely admit to their sins and when they do, still do it in a prideful manner with the utmost unrepentance and mockery of their opponents. Mark, in a humble, true, mea culpa, has admitted that he has allowed such worries of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, affect him spiritually and in his writing, as correctly pointed out by the concerned friend:

"It has affected my writing, I know. I have felt more and more blocked and frustrated. More and more aware of how profoundly out of step I am with my peers. And no small part of that is due to the fact that there are deep mental and social “structures of sin”, as the Church calls them, that most on the right are completely unaware of. That’s why they see Francis as a threat and it is excruciatingly difficult for them to understand what he means on even the simplest points .... None of this is to try to justify my sins of anger. They are real and I keep going back to the sacrament for them (just went again today). It’s more to say, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” I don’t *like* myself very much these days. I wish I was a better man, but I’m just not. I keep praying for daylight and trusting that it will come. I think I got a piece of it yesterday and so will explore in that direction.

_________________________________

If there is anything I can say, it's that Mark deserves our prayers and support. People who are more devout in their faith, should not be dividing their Brother and Sisters of Christ to ruin and sin. They should not be hurting and re-crucifying our Lord, yet they do. Even the best of our apologists and defenders, like Mark, are being hurt and wounded by these new allies and actors of the Devil's works. AND THEY TRULY DON'T DESERVE IT. NO ONE DESERVED TO BE HATED IN THIS WAY. 

Friends, I am happy that Mark does his service. I empathize with him. Despite his recent slump, he is truly one of the best faces out there for our Faith, warts and all, who is genuinely acting out his Faith.

Mark, let it be known that there still a few genuine "Orthodox," Traditionalist, even Latin Mass loving (ok, maybe just ONE or Two of us), Catholics who know you are practicing the truth of Jesus and have not fallen to the demons of your accusers. We care, and support you, and will continue to do so. You DO have online friends, and you can count me as one of them.

Friends, and true Catholics, please Give Mark your support and a shout, and your prayers.

Deo Gratias, and Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Off the Beaten Path: Heading into the Sacrament of Marriage Tomorrow. Please Pray for Us.

Hello Everyone.

Just a simple request. Please pray for my wife-to-be and I as we head towards the Altar of the Lord for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. May we be protected and guided by the Lord, against the assaults of the Devil who seeks, especially now to destroy all family life.

I might shed a few details later if I choose post-wedding, but for now, just the prayers are enough.

Pax, Julian.