FIRST FRIDAY DEVOTION
An Act of Love and Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The devotion of the First Fridays is a traditional Catholic devotion centered on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It has its roots in the revelations of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a seventeenth-century Visitation nun in France. Christ entrusted St. Margaret Mary with a special mission to promote devotion to His Sacred Heart, revealing the depth of His love for humanity and His sorrow over the indifference, ingratitude, and sin by which that love is rejected. Among the practices associated with this devotion is the reception of Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, offered in reparation to the Sacred Heart. But what does it mean to make reparation? To make reparation is to respond to an offense against love by offering love in return. Sin is not merely the breaking of a rule; it is a rejection of God's love. Because Christ loves us perfectly and gives Himself completely for us, our sins wound the relationship He desires to have with us. Reparation does not mean that we can somehow "make up" for our sins apart from Christ. Rather, we unite our prayers, sacrifices, repentance, and acts of love to Christ's own sacrifice. We ask Him to accept our imperfect love and use it to repair, in some small way, what sin has damaged. This is why the First Friday devotion is especially connected to the Eucharist. In the Blessed Sacrament, we encounter the same Jesus who gave Himself for us upon the Cross. When we attend Mass, receive Holy Communion worthily, and spend time before the Eucharistic Lord, we can consciously offer ourselves in reparation for our own sins and for the sins and indifference of the world. The traditional practices of First Friday (Confession, Holy Communion, Eucharistic adoration, prayer, and acts of sacrifice) all serve this same purpose. Confession allows us to repent of the ways in which we have personally rejected God's love. Communion unites us to Christ and His sacrifice. Adoration gives us time to remain with Him and offer Him our love. Acts of self-denial and charity allow us to turn away from selfishness and make a concrete gift of ourselves to God and neighbor. The next time a First Friday comes around, consider making time to enter into this beautiful devotion. Eucharistic Adoration is offered from 9am-5pm, with Confessions from 9-9:30am, followed by Benediction at 5pm and Holy Mass at 5:30pm. In the presence of His Eucharistic Heart, we can learn to love Him more deeply and to make reparation for the love that the world so often refuses to give Him.
PARISH PICNIC
Sunday, November 1st, 11:45am
Join us Sunday, November 1st for our annual Parish Picnic! This free parish-wide celebration will include lunch, bounce houses, face painting, lawn games, and plenty of time for fellowship and getting to know your fellow parishioners. Bring the whole family and join us as we celebrate the St. John community together!