# The great promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the nine first Fridays
*2015-06-30*

> Bill Young discusses the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, exploring the promises made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the spiritual significance of the Nine First Fridays.

## Honoring the Martyrs

Today is June 30th, the feast day in honor of all the early martyrs and Christians. It is a reminder that over 2,000 years later, there are still men, women, and children who are martyrs for their faith in Jesus Christ. Let us pray for the martyrs of the past and the present; may God give them strength, and may He give us strength if we ever have to face those types of situations ourselves.

## The Symbol of Infinite Love

Since June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I want to go over the great promises of the Sacred Heart and the practice of the Nine First Fridays. The Church venerates and honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus, adoring the Incarnate Word whose heart allowed itself to be pierced by our sins. Jesus knew and loved each of us during His life, His anguish, and His Passion. As St. Paul says, 'The Son of God has loved me and has given himself for me.'

The Sacred Heart, transfixed for our salvation, is a perpetual symbol of the infinite love with which the Divine Redeemer loves the Eternal Father and all people. It is the symbol of the love for which the Son of God became our brother, died for us on the cross, and remains forever in the Holy Sacrament of the altar.

## The Promises to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Between 1647 and 1690, Jesus revealed His heart to St. Margaret Mary, saying, 'Behold the heart which has loved people so much and receives from them only ingratitude and contempt.' In various apparitions, Jesus made several promises to those who honor His heart:

He promised to give them all the graces necessary for their present state, to aid difficult families, and to bring peace to divided families. He promised to be a secure refuge in life and especially at the moment of death, and to shower abundant blessings on all their works. Sinners will find in His heart an ocean of mercy, and fervent souls will reach perfection in a short time. He also promised to bless the places where images of His Sacred Heart are exposed and to give the gift of moving the hardest hearts to those who work for the salvation of souls. Finally, the names of those who propagate this devotion will be written in His heart and never erased.

## The Great Promise of the Nine First Fridays

Among these is the 'Great Promise': Jesus promised that His almighty love would give the grace of final penitence to all those who receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month for nine consecutive months. He promised they would not die without being in a state of grace or receiving the sacraments, and that His heart would be their safe haven in their last hour. By this promise, Jesus puts the obedience of His love at our disposal to ensure our salvation. We should propagate this devotion, because whoever saves a soul ensures his own salvation.

## The Apparitions at the Three Fountains

The importance of the First Friday devotions was also highlighted in the apparitions at the Three Fountains in Rome, where the Virgin Mary appeared on April 12, 1947. She appeared to a man named Bruno, a bus conductor who had been studying the Bible to gather arguments against the clergy and the Immaculate Conception. The Virgin Mary spoke to him, identifying herself as the Virgin of Revelation and urging him to stop his persecution and enter the holy fold. She noted that the Nine Fridays of the Sacred Heart, which he had fulfilled before entering the way of falsehood, had saved him.

*By trusting in the infinite love of the Sacred Heart and practicing the Nine First Fridays, we can find a secure refuge and the grace of final penitence.*