BACKGROUND: 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 [1]. This promise was implicitly approved by the Church in the 1920 canonization of St. Margaret Mary. 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: Such Devotion may be adorned by the offering of several prayers. They are, in the recommended order of their offering, as follows: 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
Lord, have
Mercy-----------------------------------------------------Lord, have Mercy
Christ, have Mercy--------------------------------------------------Christ, have
Mercy
Lord, have Mercy-----------------------------------------------------Lord, have
Mercy
God the Father in Heaven,.........have Mercy on us
(Repeat this response after each invocation)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,...
God the Holy Spirit,...
Holy Trinity, one God,..
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,...
Heart of Jesus, Formed in the womb of the Virgin Mother,...
Heart of Jesus, One with the Eternal Word,...
Heart of Jesus, Infinite in Majesty,...
Heart of Jesus, Holy Temple of God,...
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,...
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,...
Heart of Jesus, Aflame with love for us,...
Heart of Jesus, Source of Justice and Love,...
Heart of Jesus, Full of Goodness and Love,...
Heart of Jesus, Wellspring of all Virtue,...
Heart of Jesus, Worthy of all praise,...
Heart of Jesus, King and Center of all hearts,...
Heart of Jesus, Treasure-house of Wisdom and Knowledge,...
Heart of Jesus, In Whom dwells the fullness of God,...
Heart of Jesus, In whom the Father is well-pleased,...
Heart of Jesus, From Whose fullness we have all received,...
Heart of Jesus, Desire of the Eternal Hills,...
Heart of Jesus, Patient and full of Mercy,...
Heart of Jesus, Generous to all who turn to You,...
Heart of Jesus, Fountain of Life and Holiness,...
Heart of Jesus, Atonement for our sins,...
Heart of Jesus, Obedient even to death,...
Heart of Jesus, Pierced by a lance,...
Heart of Jesus, Source of all Consolation,...
Heart of Jesus, Our Life and Resurrection,...
Heart of Jesus, Our Peace and Reconciliation,...
Heart of Jesus, Victim for our sins,...
Heart of Jesus, Salvation of all who trust in You,...
Heart of Jesus, Hope of all who die in You,...
Heart of Jesus, Delight of all the Saints,...
Lamb of God; You
take away the sins of the world--------------------have Mercy on us
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world--------------------have Mercy
on us
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world--------------------have Mercy
on us
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Touch our hearts and make them like Your Own.
Let us conclude our prayer: Father, we
rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the Heart of Jesus, Your Son.
Open our hearts to share His Life and continue to Bless us with His Love.
We ask this in the Name of Jesus the Lord. AMEN
ACTS OF CONSECRATION (use one or the other)
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 sisters, 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