First Friday
FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
2 Maccabees, Chapter
15, Verse 23
And
now, Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to spread fear and trembling ahead of us.
St.
Michael appears as the guardian of the Hebrew people. In the book of Daniel,
God sent St. Michael to assure Daniel of his protection. The people of the
prophet were Jews. As such, it was accepted that the angel that the Lord had
assigned to the Israelits in the days of Moses to guide them through the desert
and lead them through the idolatrous nations which they would destroy, was St.
Michael himself. After the death of Moses, according to Jewish tradition, St.
Michael argued with the devil over the body of Moses. In obedience to the
command of God, St. Michael hid the tomb of Moses, since the people and Satan,
too, wanted to use it to lead the Israelites into the sin of idolatry. God
charged St. Michael with the task of accomplishing his designs of mercy and
justice for his chosen people. We see how Judas Maccabeus, before beginning any
battle in defense of the law and of the Temple, cried out for the assistance of
St. Michael and entrusted himself to his defense:
When Maccabeus and his
companions learned that Lysias was besieging the strongholds, they and all the
people begged the Lord with lamentations and tears to send a good angel to save
Israel...Suddenly, while they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman appeared at
their head, clothed in white garments and brandishing gold weapons. Then all of
them together thanked the merciful God, and their hearts were filled with such
courage. - 2 Mac 11:6
Calling
upon God, he spoke in this manner: “You, master, sent your angel in the days of
King Hezekiah of Judea, and he slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand men of
Sennacherib’s camp. And now, Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to
spread fear and trembling ahead of us. By the might of your arm may those be
struck down who have blasphemously come against your holy people!” With these
words he ended his prayer. - 2 Mac. 15:22
Today,
the Jews invoke the Archangel Michael as the main defender of the synagogue and
as protector against their enemies. On the feast of expiation, they conclude
their prayers saying: "Michael, prince of mercy, pray for Israel." In
the New Covenant the position of St. Michael is also very important in the New
Testament where he continues his powerful defense. With his angels, he wages
the victorious battle against Satan and the rebellious angels, who they cast
into hell. For this reason, he is venerated as the guardian of the Church. The letter of Jude refers also to St.
Michael inthe battle against Satan. The honor and veneration of St. Michael, as
the fathers of the Church testify, has been an essential part of the life of
the Church from its beginning. They have attributed to him countless spiritual
and earthly benefits. The emperor Constantine attributed to this archangel, his
victories over his enemies and so built a magnificent church in his honor near
Constantinople. This became a place of pilgrimage and many sick received
healing thanks to the intercession of St. Michael.[1]
Learn about devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the graces that come from observing First Fridays
It
is no wonder, therefore, that our predecessors have constantly defended this
most approved form of devotion — the pious devotion of the faithful toward the
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus [and] the custom of receiving Holy Communion on the
first Friday of every month at the desire of Christ Jesus, a custom which now
prevails everywhere.—Pope Pius XI Miserentissimus
Redemptor
What’s so special about First Fridays?
Our
parents grew up going to church every First Friday of the month and taking part
in Sacred Heart devotions, but in recent decades the pious practice has fallen
out of practice, and is dismissed by some as an “old-fashioned” anachronism.
A
main reason for the decline in interest in this devotion is probably rooted in
simple ignorance: people don’t
know what First Fridays all are about; families and parishes may not have
adequately passed down their importance to the next generation. Here are
five things to know.
1. How did the First Friday Devotion begin?
While
some saints referenced
the Heart of Jesus in their writings even centuries earlier, in
1673, a French Visitandine (Visitation) nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque
had visions of Jesus, wherein he asked the Church to honor His Most Sacred
Heart. In particular, Jesus asked the faithful to “receive Communion on the First
Fridays, for nine consecutive months.”
The request was connected to a specific promise made to all who venerated and
promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart. After Margaret Mary’s death, the First Friday practice
steadily spread in the Church —
endorsed by popes and promoted by saints — but it greatly
increased in popularity when Margaret Mary was canonized a saint in 1920 by
Pope Benedict XV.
2. Why nine consecutive months?
The
number nine is traditionally associated with a novena and finds its origin in
the nine days that the apostles spent in prayer before Pentecost. A novena
provides an extended amount of time for preparation and interior renewal.
3. What am I supposed to do on First Fridays?
Go
to Mass and receive Holy Communion with the intention of honoring Christ’s Sacred Heart. If you are not in a
state of grace, and thus unable to receive, you will also need to go to
confession.
4. What are the “promises” connected to this
devotion?
Jesus
said to St. Margaret Mary, “In
the excess of the mercy of my heart, I promise you that my all powerful love
will grant to all those who will receive communion on the First Fridays, for
nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my
displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my heart will be their
secure refuge in that last hour.”
This means that if a person faithfully receives communion for nine consecutive
months on First Fridays, Jesus will grant that person extra graces at the time
of their death, making it possible to repent of their sins and receive the last
rites (if needed).
This
promise is the last of 12 promises connected to the Devotion to the Sacred
Heart, particularly attached to the Enthronement
of the Sacred Heart in one’s
home:
(1)
I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
(2)
I will establish peace in their homes.
(3)
I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
(4)
I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
(5)
I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
(6)
Sinners will find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
(7)
Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
(8)
Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
(9)
I will bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored.
10)
I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
(11)
Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my
Heart.
(12)
I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will
grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine
consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my
disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine heart shall be
their safe refuge in this last moment.
5. Are the First Fridays a “ticket” to heaven?
It
is not as simple as going to Mass for nine months and then clocking out, never
going to Mass again and leading a sinful life! The entire purpose of this
devotion is to draw a person closer to the heart of Christ. If a person
fulfills these obligations with sincere faith, it is natural for he or she to
be closer to God and better prepared for death.The moment that this devotion is
observed in a superstitious manner, neglecting the need to live a virtuous
life, all bets are off and Jesus’
promise is null and void.
Jesus
wants us to rest on his heart, like St. John, and the First Friday devotion is
an opportunity for us to encounter him more than just on Sundays and to deepen
our love of him.
Coming
to know, love and trust that we may take rest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and
place our anxieties within, is what the First Fridays are all about.
ST. FRANCIS was born at Assisi, in
Italy, in the year 1182. His father, a rich merchant, intended him for trade,
and Francis applied himself with aptness to this employment, in which, though
fond of show, he exhibited, at an early day, a particular love for the poor.
Agreeable and amiable, affable and kind to all, he was beloved by all around
him, and the world sought to draw him to its side. But, enlightened from above,
and by heavenly apparitions rendered attentive to the call he was about to
receive, he followed the leadings of grace which drew him on to imitate Christ
in poverty and humility. Hearing one day at Mass the words of the Gospel “Do
not possess gold, or silver, or money in your purses, nor scrip for your
journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff” (Matt. x. 9, 10), he began to
regulate the whole manner of his life according to this precept of the Gospel,
and at once began to preach penance with such evangelical poverty, and with
such power, that all who heard him were moved to tears. Disinherited by his
father, who was greatly displeased at his poverty and open-handedness towards
the poor, he threw himself altogether upon the providence of his Father in
heaven, dividing with the poor the alms he thus received. The extraordinary
manner of his life soon brought around him disciples, and as the number of them
increased daily, he wrote for them a rule, and then set out for Home, to
procure from the Pope a confirmation of it. He came back, rejoicing in the Lord
that everything at Rome had gone according to his wish, and established himself
about a mile from his native city, at a small church belonging to the
Benedictines, which he called Portiuncula (little portion). Here he led a life
of the severest penance here he prayed day and night, and here he laid the
foundation of that Order which has filled the world with the splendor of its
virtues. Here in this church, dedicated to the virgin Mother of Jesus and to
the holy angels, he received from Christ Himself the celebrated indulgence
known throughout the whole Christian world as the Portiuncula Indulgence, for
while the saint was praying there with glowing devotion, on the day of the
dedication of the church, in the year 1221, the Lord appeared to him and said
“Francis, ask whatever thou wilt for the salvation of the nations.” He
answered: “I desire the remission of guilt and punishment, a plenary indulgence
for all who shall visit this church with contrite hearts and sincerely confess
their sins. The Lord replied, Go then to My representative, the Pope, and ask
the indulgence in My name. “Forthwith he went to Pope Honorius III., who first,
by word of mouth, and afterwards by a proper bull, confirmed to him the
indulgence. The same indulgence was, at a later day, extended to all churches
of the Franciscans, and by Pope Pius VII to all parish churches (at least to
all in Bavaria), and may be gained on the first Sunday in August of every year.
Burning with desire for the salvation of the people, St. Francis with his
brethren, whom he sent out two by two to preach penance and the peace of God,
labored to establish everywhere the kingdom of heaven. His love for sinners,
and his ardent zeal for the salvation of souls, impelled him to visit remote
parts of the world to preach the Gospel to unbelievers. For this he was
rewarded by God with miraculous graces, among which there is particularly to be
mentioned that which was granted him upon Mount Alverno. While he was there
engaged, separated from the world, in fasting and praying for forty days, as he
was accustomed to do often, the Savior appeared to him in the form of a seraph
on the cross, and imprinted the five wounds of His own body on the body of St.
Francis. On account of this, and for his ardent love for Jesus crucified, St.
Francis received the surname of Seraph. After this event the saint lived two
years in manifold bodily distress and sickness, without murmur or complaint,
with perfect resignation to the will of God. Sometime before his death he
caused his will to be written, in which he left to his brethren poverty as an
inheritance in which they should find great treasure for heaven. As the hour of
his dissolution drew nigh he had the passion of Christ read to him; he then
said the one hundred and forty-first psalms, and at the words, bring my soul
out of prison that I may praise Thy name, he expired happy in the Lord, October
4, 1226, in the forty-fifth year of his age. St. Francis founded three Orders,
the first and proper Order of Franciscans, or the Order of Friars Minor, then
the Order of Franciscan nuns, or Clares, so called from St. Clare, their first
superior and lastly, that called the Third Order, for people in the world, of
both sexes, who aim at perfection, but do not desire to make the vows of the
cloister. This last Order, which has been approved by many Popes, particularly
by Gregory IX., Innocent IV., and Nicholas IV., has spread throughout the whole
world, and is becoming in our day more and more flourishing.
We must as is sometimes do as attributed
to the sayings of St. Francis, “preach the gospel, and if necessary, use
words.”
This is the first premise of leadership.
As leaders, especially Christian leaders, we must demonstrate the Be, Know and
Do attitudes of Christ. That is we must become an “Alter Christus” or another
Christ. We must BE to others as Christ would. We must KNOW spiritual principals
as Christ does and we must act or DO in the world as Christ would.
This day emulate our Lord by reflecting and living the
prayer of St. Francis.
The Prayer of Saint
Francis
Lord, make me an
instrument of thy peace.
Where there is
hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is
injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt,
faith;
Where there is
despair, hope;
Where there is
darkness, light;
Where there is
sadness, joy.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to
console,
To be understood as
to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving
that we receive;
It is in pardoning
that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to
self that we are born to eternal life.
Things to
Do[4]
·
For
more reading, see the selections from the Catholic
Culture Library.
This page from the Franciscan
Archives
contains links about St. Francis of Assisi, including biographies, articles,
writings, Orders & Societies, liturgical texts and art.
·
Many
parishes have a Blessing
of animals or pets
on this day. See the Prayers column for other alternatives. St. Francis loved
all of God's creatures. Find the stories of the Wolf of Gubbio, the Sermon to
the Birds, his Canticle of Creatures to see some illustrations of his honoring
God's creation.
·
St.
Francis was influential on our present-day Christmas crib or creche.
·
Although
St. Francis is one of the most popular saints of the Church, and his feast is a
huge celebration in Assisi, there are no particular foods attached to that
festival. Tradition has passed on that on his deathbed he requested Frangipane
cream or Moastaccioli (almond biscotti). Fire is a symbol of St. Francis, first
of all because his heart was on fire with love of God, but there are other
stories in Little Flowers of St. Francis that deal with fire, particularly
when he prayed, the surrounding areas would become so bright that people
thought the areas were on fire. So a flaming dessert or wine would be an
appropriate ending of a wonderful feast. One could also try some Umbrian style recipes, or just
have "Italian night" at home, even just simple spaghetti or other
pasta and sauces.
·
Learn
more about the Franciscan order. The Catholic
Encyclopedia
has a wonderful entry on St. Francis, including his Rule. And from the Catholic
Culture Library you can read a detailed summary of the life of St. Francis and
his founding of the Order
of Friars Minor.
·
Learn
more about geography and history of the Umbria area, and how
much Francis has impacted that area.
·
Study
art and photos of Francis. Find out more about the Basilica of St.
Francis
in Assisi. Although the earthquake in 1997 damaged the basilica, it reopened in
1999.
·
Go
here for Saint
Francis of Assisi, The Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi, translated by
Fr. Paschal Robinson in 1906.
·
Read
Little Flowers of
St. Francis
by Brother Ugolino online or purchase a copy. This is a collection of many
stories and legends of the life of St. Francis. Of particular note is his
Sermon to the Birds,
"My
little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your Creator, and ye ought to
sing his praise at all times and in all places, because he has given you
liberty to fly about into all places; and though ye neither spin nor sew, he
has given you a twofold and a threefold clothing for yourselves and for your
offspring. Two of all your species he sent into the Ark with Noah that you
might not be lost to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither
sow nor reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst,
mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to build your
nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus favoured you with such
bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study
always to give praise to God."
St. Francis was a great respecter of life and viewed
all creation as a gift of God; he called the animals brothers and the moon
sister moon. If we have God’s breath and love in us we must respect and protect
all creation starting with the most vulnerable of human life.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will
give you the desires of your heart.”-Ps 37:4
Daily Devotions
Fitness Friday
Recognizing that God, the Father created man on Friday
the 6th day I propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on
how to recreate and renew yourself in strength; mind, soul and heart.
It's
brutally hard, but I've found it to be an effective way to pack on muscle fast!
In strength-coaching circles, this method is often called the Ten Sets Method.
Supersets and trisets allow you to perform a lot of work in a short period of
time. The rest-pause method allows you to use heavier weights, so you can
recruit the higher threshold muscle fibers, and eccentric training enables you
to overcome strength plateaus. The bottom line is that almost any training
method will work—provided you do it with intensity—at least for the few weeks
it takes for your body to adapt to it. There is, however, one training system
that stands above all the rest. It's brutally hard, but I've found it to be a
very effective way to pack on muscle fast! In strength-coaching circles, this
method is often called the Ten Sets Method. Because it has its roots in
German-speaking countries, I like to call it German Volume Training. To the
best of my knowledge, this training system originated in Germany in the
mid-'70s and was popularized by Rolf Feser, who was then the National Coach of
Weightlifting. A similar protocol was promoted by Vince Gironda in the U.S.,
but regardless of who actually invented it, it works. In Germany, the Ten Sets
Method was used in the off-season to help weightlifters gain lean body mass. It
was so efficient that lifters routinely moved up a full weight class within 12
weeks. It was the base program of Canadian weightlifter Jacques Demers, Silver
Medallist in the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Jacques was known in weightlifting
circles for his massive thighs, and he gives credit to the German method for
achieving such a spectacular level of hypertrophy. The same method was also
used by Bev Francis in her early days of bodybuilding to pack on muscle.
Goals & Guidelines
The goal of the German
Volume Training method is to complete ten sets of ten reps with the same weight
for each exercise. You want to begin with a weight you could lift for 20 reps
to failure if you had to. For most people, on most exercises, that would
represent 60% of their 1RM load. Therefore, if you can bench press 300 pounds
for 1 rep, you would use 180 pounds for this exercise.For lifters new to this method, I recommend using the following body-part splits:
Body-Part Splits
·
Day 1: Chest & Back
·
Day 2: Legs & Abs
·
Day 3: Off
·
Day 4: Arms &
Shoulders
·
Day 5: Off
[1]https://www.piercedhearts.org/theology_heart/life_saints/st_michael.html
[2]https://aleteia.org/2016/04/29/5-things-catholics-should-know-about-first-fridays/
[3]
Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
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