First Friday
Ezekiel,
Chapter 18, Verse 14-17
14 But, in turn, if
he (a sinful man) begets a son who sees all the sins his father commits, yet fears and does not imitate him— 15a son who does not eat on the mountains, or raise
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile a neighbor’s wife; 16who does not oppress anyone, or exact a pledge, or
commit robbery; who gives his food to the hungry and clothes the naked; 17who refrains from evildoing, accepts no interest or
usury, but keeps my ordinances and walks in my statutes—this one shall not die
for the sins of his father. He shall surely live!
It is easy and common for us to blame our character
defects on our parents. However, when God adopts a person through the blood and
work of the Holy Spirit a new person arises and begins doing works of mercy and
justice of His or Her heavenly father.
This is the beauty of discipleship it gives us time
to discern our spiritual leadership. To increase your leadership discernment:
[1]
·
Examine your past successes. What actions have
enabled you success?
·
Assess each person based on their particular
situation. Are you stereotyping? Are you treating people as things and not
people? Are you treating others as you wish to be treated?
·
Listen to your heart and your head-do the right
thing.
·
Learn from wise leaders. A Study and read the lives
of other leaders.
Prayer: O dear little St. Bernadette, humble little shepherdess, who
wonderingly beheld the Lovely Lady of the Grotto, pray for us to our Lady of
Lourdes that she may heal us of our ills. St. Bernadette, pray for the sick and
the afflicted. ---Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Nine
consecutive Fridays in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque
(1647-1690), a French nun in the Visitation Order, and gave her the special
task to spread devotion to His Most Sacred Heart at a time when religion was
growing cold in the hearts of mankind. He said to her:
“Behold this heart which, not withstanding the
burning love for men with which it is consumed and exhausted, meets with no
other return from most Christians than sacrilege, contempt, indifference and
ingratitude, even in the sacrament of my love [the Eucharist]. But what pierces
my heart most deeply is that I am subjected to these insults by persons
especially consecrated to my service.” Jesus asked for special prayers and
practices to make amends (reparation) for this great neglect to the proper
reverence owed to God. For those who did this faithfully, he made what St.
Margaret Mary referred to as the “Great Promise” which was the last and
greatest of the Twelve Promises of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“I promise you in the unfathomable mercy of my heart
that my omnipotent love will procure the grace of final penitence for all those
who receive communion on nine successive first Fridays of the month; they will
not die in my disfavor [the grace of final repentance], or without having
received the sacraments, since my divine heart will be their sure refuge in the
last moments of their life.”
Conditions
to Fulfill the First Friday Devotion
The specific conditions to receive the Great Promise
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are:
1. Receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive first
Fridays of the month (this assumes that the person is in a state of grace,
having made a sacramental confession for any mortal sins prior to receiving
communion).
2. Having the intention, at least implicitly, of
making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for all the sinfulness and
ingratitude of men.
Pilgrimage was an essential part of Jesus’ religious
life. As God was one, so he had only one holy city, Jerusalem, to which he
called his people to make pilgrimage: “Three times a year all your males shall
appear before the Lord your God.” These Tri-annual pilgrimages were required at
the feast of unleavened bread (Passover), at the feast of the weeks
(commemoration of the Torah & the 10 commandments) and the feast of the
booths (Sukkoth). Christ by his sacrifice has created a heavenly Jerusalem
which is not in a geographic location but is Eucharistic and is located in the
tabernacle of every Catholic Church. Jerusalem has still retained an attractive
power, because it contained the monuments of the Lord’s passion and is one of
the most popular pilgrimage sites. A modern Catholic map of the world will
offer many possible destinations for pilgrimage. Jerusalem and Rome remain
favorites as well as the Marian shrines of Lourdes and Fatima. Also since the
middle ages travelers have also thronged to Santiago de Compostela, the shrine
of St. James in Spain. Yet, here is the greatness of our God: we need not go to
the far ends of the earth to go on pilgrimage as God lives with us in the
Blessed Sacrament Chapel and we can always find local shrines to make small
pilgrimages. We could also make a pilgrimage to visit with holy people we know,
or travel to honor the graves of our ancestors, friends and mentors. A
pilgrimage is a sacramental: an outward sign of an inward grace. It reminds us
that we are wayfarers on earth till we are taken up into heaven.
Pray a Rosary to Our Lady with special intentions
for victims/survivors of abuse and the defense of the vulnerable. A Rosary
prayed in the USCCB Chapel will be streamed live on the USCCB Facebook and Twitter pages.
Daily Devotions
·
Manhood of
the Master-Day 6 week 10s
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
[1] The Maxwell Leadership Bible
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1221
[4]https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/what-is-the-first-friday-and-first-saturday-devotion/
[5] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic
Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 31. Pilgrimage.
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