At the end of the 17th century, our Lord Jesus appeared to a great saint, St. Margaret Mary of Alacoque, and revealed his Sacred Heart to her. He asked her to promote devotion to his Sacred Heart, and one way St. Margaret Mary did was by sharing the Great Promise Jesus personally gave to her. The Great Promise is the 12th of the 12 promises of the Sacred Heart given to her by Jesus. He promised excessive mercy and refuge in his Sacred Heart at the time of death for any individual who completes a specific devotion. This devotion is called the Nine First Fridays Devotion.

The Nine First Fridays Devotion has three main conditions in order to receive the divine mercy promised, the first being attending Mass every first Friday of a month for nine consecutive months. Secondly, at each of the Masses, one must receive Holy Communion. Lastly, the individual should go to Mass with the intention of paying reparation to Jesus’ Sacred Heart for humanity’s ingratitude and sinfulness. While these are the primary requirements, there is some debate about whether Confession is necessary each Friday or not. However, if someone is not in the state of grace to receive the Eucharist, they are required to make a Confession in order to be able to eat of the Living Bread.

The Nine First Fridays Devotion is a beautiful way to show love to Jesus’ Sacred Heart. With daily enrichment here at Montrose, these upcoming nine months are a great time to begin praying it. Here, we can attend Mass every first Friday of the month from October to June; as June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it would be a perfect time to complete this powerful devotion. As we embark on this next school year, may we place our trust in Jesus and in His Sacred Heart.

By Cristina Florez ‘30, Clubs and Classes Editor

30cflorez@montroseschool.org