The First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is based on a promise made by Our Lord Jesus Christ during an Apparition to St. Margaret Mary. This promise was implicitly approved by the Catholic Church in her1920 canonization. The promise reads:
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 the Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
PROCEDURE
Reception of Reconciliation, Communion, And several prayers. They are, in the recommended order of their offering, as follows:
- Reconciliation (prior to communion if possible, otherwise within a few days of reception)
- Reception of Holy Communion
- Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Act of Reparation
- Concluding Prayers
LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed in the womb of the Virgin Mother by the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, united substantially with the word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Divinity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who invoke Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, saturated with revilings, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, crushed for our iniquities, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, made obedient unto death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord,
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart.
R. Make our hearts like unto Thine.
Let us pray,
Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.
Amen
ACTS OF CONSECRATION (use either)
Personal/Individual Consecration
O most Holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore You, I love You, and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and completely obedient to your Will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger, comfort me in all afflictions, give me health of mind, body and soul, assistance in my temporal needs, Your Blessings on all that I do, and the Grace of a holy death.
Amen
Consecration of Society to the Sacred Heart by Pope John XXIII
O Jesus, come back into our society, our family life, our souls, and reign there as our Peaceful Sovereign. Enlighten with the splendor of faith and the charity of Your tender Heart the souls of those who work for the good of the people, for Your poor; impart to them Your Own Spirit, a spirit of discipline, order, and gentleness, preserving the flame of enthusiasm ever alight in our hearts. AMEN.
Lord Jesus, Whose Heart was once pierced for love of us, we renew our baptismal promises to reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises to live only for You. Although we are already united to You through the Sacrament of Baptism, and this union is constantly perfected by the Eucharist, we give ourselves to You again today to fix more deeply in our hearts this resolve to live for You and to serve You more faithfully. Give us the grace to love and serve You always.
Amen
ACT OF REPARATION
Lord Jesus Christ, we look at the Cross, and we, Your Pilgrim Church, can see what sin has done to the Son of Mary, to the Son of God. But now You are Risen and Glorified.
You suffer no more in the flesh. Sin can no longer expose You to the Agony in the Garden, to the scourging, to the death on a cross.
But it can reach You through Your Mystical Body. This is part of You. Your Church on Earth still feels the strength of sin. For this we make our Act of Reparation.
We, who have sinned in the past, now consecrate ourselves to the healing of your Mystical Body, to the part in the mystical Body, to the part in the mystery of its well-being and its growth. Sanctify us for this task.
May Your Sacred Heart be the symbol, not of one loved, but of two. Your love for us and our love for You. Accept our love and help us make it real by serving You in all our brothers and sister, so that love and concern may lead all people to know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
Amen
CONCLUDING PRAYERS
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
St Joseph, pray for us.
All you angels and saints, pray for us.
May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
Amen
PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS TO ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE
- “I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.”
- “I will establish peace in their homes.”
- “I will comfort them in their afflictions.”
- “I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death.”
- “I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.”
- “Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.”
- “Tepid souls shall grow fervent.”
- “Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.”
- “I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.”
- “I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.”
- “Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.”
- “I promise thee 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 the Sacraments; My Divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.”
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