The First Friday Devotion is a beautiful practice within the Catholic Church that is focused on honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion dates back to the private revelations of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun in 1673. In those apparitions, Jesus emphasized the importance of devotion to His Sacred Heart as a means of experiencing His love and mercy.

The main components of the First Friday Devotion include:
1. Receiving Holy Communion: On the first Friday of each month, Catholics are encouraged to receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of grace, meaning they should have recently confessed any mortal sins in the sacrament of reconciliation (confession).

2. Attending Mass: Ideally, Catholics should attend a special Mass held on First Fridays that is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. However, if such a Mass is not available, attending any Mass on that day is sufficient.

3. Repentance and Confession: Along with receiving Holy Communion, Catholics are encouraged to make reparation for sins and offer prayers for the conversion of sinners.

4. Observing Nine Consecutive First Fridays: It is recommended that the faithful make this devotion for nine consecutive months as an act of reparation and to express their love and gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice on the Cross.

5. Adoration and Prayer: Devotees are encouraged to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament or in personal prayer on First Fridays, meditating on the love and mercy of Jesus as represented by His Sacred Heart.

In 1674, Sr. Margaret’s spiritual director, Claude de la Colombiere helped promote the devotion, spreading it to others within the Church. As the devotion gained popularity, Pope Clement XIII granted a plenary indulgence for those who practiced it. Today, the devotion remains a cherished tradition for Catholics worldwide, reminding us of Christ’s boundless love and mercy.

While the devotion is not mandatory for every Catholic, it is a beautiful way to draw closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to experience His love and mercy. The devotion also comes with some promises that Jesus made to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, including the promise of forgiveness of sins, deeper relationship with Jesus, and abundant graces for those who faithfully practice this devotion.

The First Saturday Devotion was introduced by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. During her apparitions to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, Our Blessed Mother emphasized the importance of prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners.

On December 10, 1925, she appeared to Sister Lucia (one of the Fatima visionaries) and outlined the conditions for the First Saturday Devotion. She asked for the faithful to make reparation to her Immaculate Heart on the first Saturday of five consecutive months.

To fulfill the First Saturday Devotion, Catholics are asked to fulfil these conditions: -Confess and receive Holy Communion on the first Saturday. -Recite the Rosary. -Meditate for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation.

Our Lady also promised to assist those who practice the First Saturday Devotion at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation. The First Saturday devotion is a powerful reminder of Mary’s maternal care and intercession. It serves as a way to grow in faith, deepen one's devotion to Mary, and seek spiritual renewal.

Today, the First Saturday Devotion continues to be practiced by Catholics worldwide and many people continue to receive countless graces from Mary through the devotion. The devotion is a testament to the enduring message of Fatima and the desire to respond to Our Lady's call for prayer and conversion. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

We want to mirror the heart and mind of God. We want to see people, the world, and every situation with God’s eyes. We want to love as He loves. We want a heart like His. If we have such a heart, we will begin to love as God loves; yet we will also begin to know how much God is offended by the sins of the world. Then, with such love joined to such a horror of sin, we will want to make reparation for our sins and the sins of others.This is the way that Jesus and Mary loved: by offering their lives to atone for the failings of others.

As we meditate on the hearts of Jesus and Mary, we see the great love they have, even for sinners, and we see how God continues to reach out in love and forgiveness. But we also see how poorly people respond to this loving invitation to life and relationship with God. Some go so far as to actively reject God. We begin to obtain a glimpse of the injustice of habitual sin, which rejects God and abuses His mercy.

The suffering and rejection of the cross continues, but the mercy and grace of God continue to flow to men and women in our time.

Jesus and Mary, make our hearts like yours!

To Be United with the Heart of Jesus
O Heart all lovable and all loving of my Savior, be the Heart of my heart, the soul of my soul, the spirit of my spirit, the life of my life and the sole principle of all my thoughts, words, and actions, of all the faculties of my soul, and of all my senses, both interior and exterior. Amen.
— St. John Eudes

A Prayer of Adoration
From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before You, O Most Sacred, Divine, and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay to You all the homage of love, praise, and adoration in my power. Amen.
— St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Collect for the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Clothe us, Lord God, with the virtues of the Heart of your Son and set us aflame with his love, that, conformed to his image, we may merit a share in eternal redemption. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

To the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, to- gether with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully.