The Sacred Heart of Jesus & The Eucharist: Reflections by Fr. John Croiset on the exceeding desire of Jesus Christ to unite Himself to us

On the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2013
Reflections on the exceeding desire of Jesus Christ to unite Himself to us from ch. 8 of 'Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus'
By Fr. John Croiset –  last Spiritual Director to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Introduction

Let us consider, that, the union of hearts is the final effect of love; it is also that which Jesus Christ willed when He instituted this august Mystery, wherein He treats us as being the Spouse of our sous. In this Sacrament, love impels Him, as it were, to go out from Himself, to live henceforth only in those whom He loves. “In this Banquet, He hath consecrated the Mystery of our union,” says St. Augustine (this TOB back in the 5th century here!!). It is true that by the Incarnation God united Himself perfectly to our nature, but this Hypostatic Union was not the end of Incarnation, whilst the sacramental union was the end attained by the institution of the Holy Sacrament. He united Himself to our nature in order to have a body capable of suffering the pains He willed to endure for us; but He only gives Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist in order to unite Himself intimately to us. By His promises He invites us to this Banquet: Come to Me, all you… and I will refresh you (Mt 11:28). He impels us to it by His threatenings: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, you shall not have life in you (Jn 6:54). He commands that we shall be compelled to go in: Compel them to come in (Lk 14:23). Indeed He leaves nothing undone to excite in us a great desire to go to Him, so that He may satisfy His loving desire to come to us and unite us with Himself. Could any proof of greater love be possible? Hast Though then, O my Lord, forgotten the ill-usage Thou didst receive amongst us? Hast Thou not foreseen that to which the excess of Thy love for us exposes Thee? The heart of one who is pure and fervent is an abode well pleasing to Thee, but how many such wilt Though find? Canst Thou endure the coldness of this crowd of lukewarm Christians who will receive Thee – their disdain, their feeble faith, and, above all, the terrible corruption of their hearts? Surely these obstacles seem insurmountable for a Heart that can suffer no spot nor stain, but the might of Thy love overcomes them all.

The greatest Mystery of Love

Let us endeavour, as far as we can, to imagine God’s hatred of sin. It is infinite. And yet it seems, in some sort, outdone by His desire to come to us, since He chooses rather to expose Himself to the sacrileges of the most infamous sinners, than deprive Himself of the delight He takes in uniting Himself closely to those who love Him. So exceedingly does our Saviour show His love for us in this adorable Mystery, that He, God Himself, wills therein to be our recompense: I am Thy reward (Gen 15:1). How great a marvel! But that Jesus Christ Himself should be our Food – My Flesh is meat indeed, and MY Blood is drink indeed (Jn 5:56) – is a miracle of love which passes all bounds, a generosity in which, as it were, our Lord Jesus Christ empties His reassure-house upon us. Such are the effects of the tender and immeasurable love of Jesus.

Reflections

1.    We believe all this, and yet remain cold before this excess of love.
2.    It is astonishing that our Divine Saviour wills to love mankind to this degree; and, oh, how strange that men should not love this Divine Saviour, and that no motive, no benefit, no excess of love can inspire in us any feeling of gratitude!
3.    Ungrateful and unfeeling man! What is there in Him that can repel you? Has He not done enough to win your love? Alas! He has done more than we could have dared to wish, more than we know how to realise, more in a certain sense, than seemed fitting for His Divine Majesty. And we still deliberate as to whether we will respond to such gracious advances, or whether we will continue to despise them.
4.    A token of friendship, an act of kindness, wins a man’s heart: it is only to Jesus, after having done for us, in this Mystery of love, all that can be done, and giving us all that He has to give, even Himself, that men’s hearts remain closed.
5.    Everybody owns that Jesus Christ infinitely loves us, that He is infinitely worthy of our love, that He has done more than anything we could have imagined to make us love Him, and yet how few persons truly love Jesus Christ!
6.    How comes that He so eagerly desires to enter into us, and that we must be urged and constrained to go to Him? It is because His love for us is infinite, and ours for Him is nothing at all.
7.    How is it that we return from Communion as cold as ice, in spite of having been nourished by the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is a living fire? It is because we go to It with a heart wholly taken up with the love of creatures, with a heart shut up and impenetrable to the darts of His love. It is because, however ready His Heart be to enter into ours, our heart remains aloof from entering into His: we should even, so to speak, be displeased to enter therein.
8.    Men would rather give up Communion than their vices. They would be obliged to love Jesus more, to lead a more regular life, were they oftener to partake of the Bread of Angels. The love of Jesus Christ would inconvenience them: they prefer to abstain longer from this Bread of Life, and even condemn frequent Communion, because their heart, in a certain way, revolts against the Blessed Body, and even the Sacred Heart, of Jesus Christ.
9.    With a great desire, our Lord Jesus might say to us, now, I would seek to unite Myself closely to you: With desire I have desired (Lk 22:15). Whence comes it, then that nothing is left undone to render MY desires of no effect? And how am I straitened? (Lk 12:50)
10.    Jesus desires to come often to us, knowing that by this means only an we be rendered less unworthy: and there are Christians, who, under the pretext that they are not worthy, make themselves still more unworthy than before, by withdrawing themselves from Jesus Christ.
11.    If this feeling arose from true humility, it would prove that they possessed the first virtue requisite for the reception of Holy Communion; but it arises merely from the distaste they have for the Sacred Body of Jesus Christ. This it is which makes them hold aloof themselves, and condemn those who approach the altar more frequently.
12.    The mistaken humility of St. Peter, which led him to refuse that our Lord should wash his feet, was so strongly condemned, that it would have been his perdition, had he persisted in it. If I wash thee not, thou shalt not have part with Me (Jn 13:8). How many persons, from pretended reverence and false humility, depart from the path of life, and lose themselves hopelessly, by absenting themselves from Holy Communion.
13.    When Pagans of Eastern lands heard of this Mystery, they exclaimed, in wonder, “Oh, how good a God is this God of the Christians! How beneficent! How gracious!” But what would they have thought had they been told that Christians have so little love for this so gracious God? That, not only have they no inclination for this Heavenly Banquet, but they have an aversion to It, and that there are those who avail themselves of the lowly and hidden state to which His exceeding love impelled Him, to commit the greatest sacrileges and the most hateful profanations?
14.    What must be the feelings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Source of purity, when buried, as it were, in a heart full of uncleanness – in a heart breathing vengeance, in a heart that is an imprecation against the Saviour Whom it receives? But what must be ours? We know with what malice this innocent Lamb is treated, while He keeps silence under insult and contempt, and suffers Himself to be offered a Victim on the altar for our salvation.
15.    Will not such exceeding goodness and so great gentleness speak to our heart? They softened the heart of His judge, they changed the rage and insolence of His executioners into respect and love, they have softened the hearts of the most barbarous peoples. Are our hearts alone to remain untouched?
16.    We shudder with horror at the story of the betrayal by Judas, and of the fury of the Jews. We are, it may be, witnesses, and even accomplices, of insults against Jesus in this adorable Mystery, and it does not affect us.
17.    In Thy sight are all they that afflict me (Ps 68:21). Thou hast before thine eyes those who treat Me such contumely in this Sacrament of love, He says to us by His Prophet, Thou art a witness of their acts of irreverence. My Heart, exposed to so much indignity, patiently suffers their outrages. And I had thought to find at least one who would grieve with Me. But there was no man. And one who, but his love, adoration, and homage, would try to make amends for the insults against My Heart, and the contempt shown for My love. And I found him not.


No, no, my Lord and Saviour! It shall not be said that Thou art forsaken this! I, for one, will hasten to render void these just complaints. Is it thus, O my loving Redeemer, that men repay Thy love? Why hast Thou so loved us? But why do we love Thee so little, and even not at all? What then? Not content to be callous to Thy tenderness and love, indifferent to the outrages against Thee, I myself have chosen to be one of those who committed them! My loving Saviour, Whose Heart is ever burning with love for me, ever open to receive me, ever ready to show me mercy, pardon my forgetfulness of Thee until this moment; pardon my lukewarmness, my feeble faith, my acts of irreverence, and accept the reparation which here I make Thee for them, humbly prostrate before Thy face. In this august Sacrament Thou dost ever remember me, dost ever love me; and then, that I should forget Thee, that I should treat Thee with indifference, that I should be cold and loveless towards Thee there! An, my God! Let me rather cease to live than go on loving Thee so little! Rather reduce my heart to nothingness than let it continue in its deadness to the greatest of all benefactors, even to Thee, O Lord, Who in giving us Thyself has given us all things.

Hear, Israel, what the Lord requires of thee (Deut 10:12). Listen, O Christian soul, to that which the Lord asks of thee: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart (Deut 6:5). He asks that thou shouldst love Him. He only asks thy heart. What? And hast Thou need, then, my Lord God, to ask for my heart, when Thou hast so long ago given me Thine own? Yes, it has come to this, that, not only I make Thee wait to ask for it, but I even refuse it to Thee, whilst I daily lavish and waste it upon creatures! Ah, my most loving Jesus, if now I offer it to Thee, wilt Thou indeed deign to accept it? A contrite and humble heart Thou wilt not despise (Ps 50:19). Lord, it is contrite, it is humbled. I may trust therefore that it cannot fail of being pleasing unto Thee. Receive it then; this heart which, with all the movements of which it is capable, I offer Thee, to honour Thee and love Thee for the remainder of my days. Most of the years of my life are passed away and wasted, because I have not loved Thee; but my happiest years are still to come, for I will love Thee from henceforth. I will love Thee, O adorable Heart of my most loving Jesus: I will love Thee, O Sacred Heart, pierced upon the Cross by my sins, wounded with love of me in the Holy Eucharist, diligam te. For the rest of my life I will honour Thee, and to Thee do I consecrate the residue of my days, Thee will I take as my rest, my dwelling-place, and my refuge (Ps131:14)). Let none seek me elsewhere, for, from this time forth I will only be found in the Heart of my loving Lord and Saviour Jesus. His Heart is my chosen abode; it is the Food of my soul; it is my rest in all my weariness; and, burning with one flame with His, the fire which He has kindled, it will be with Him and in Him that I will love Him, my Redeemer and my God.

Concluding Prayers

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Heart of Christ, inflame me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the Side of Christ, cleanse me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesu, hear me.
Within Thy Wounds, hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me.
And bid me come unto Thee;
That with Thy saints, I may praise Thee, for all eternity.
Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, by an ineffable miracle of Thy love, hast been pleased to give Thy most Sacred Body as the Food of our souls, to compel men to love Thee, hear our humble prayers, and pardon our transgressions. Graciously look upon us with the eyes of Thy mercy; guard us with Thy love, so that we may detest with all our souls the opprobrium, contempt, and sacrilege committed against Thee in all the world, in order that we may render Thee, in this holy Mystery, the worship due to Thee, may be inflamed with Thy love, and may, with heartfelt and acceptable thanksgivings, acknowledge the unspeakable loving-kindness of Thy Divine Heart towards us; Thou Who lives and reignest with God the Father and the Holy Spirit for evermore. Amen.

Thoughts on Redefining Marriage (but less on same-sex marriage)

This is an image of a beautiful couple... isn't it?! They are some of my friends from Youth 2000 UK. I've written this post as a response to something someone wrote on my fb page when I put a link up about a Bishop's response to the governments plans to enforce legislation in this country that redefines marriage, by legalising same-sex marriages. 
His words that struck me were "That's disgusting". And I thought to myself, that only about 2-3 years ago, I'd have given the same reaction. But I don't now! "Why" is that - I asked myself?! My response to my why follows:

... until I actively became interested in WHY the Church teaches what she teaches. I used to question "Why is she being so ignorant of contraception? What is the big deal about cohabitation - everyone's doing it? If two people REALLY love each other, why shouldn't they get married?".

The answer to this is very wide in spectrum, but I will just summarise only 3 points of what I discovered here...

1. Most people (even Catholics who go through a marriage prep course) DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT.
2. Marriage is a SACRAMENT
3. There is a CHASTE life to be lived in marriage between the couple.

Addressing point 1: Most people do not understand what love is all about

Love is not just some fuzzy feeling. Or words that you promise to someone. Love isn't self-seeking (but many of us seek pleasure for 'myself' in sexually active relationships). Love is a mutual self-giving... not just of your whole soul... but your whole body as well. Part of your body is the gift of your fertility. Love and Marriage are a) FREE = given without force. b) TOTAL = there is nothing of yourself that you hold back from the other (that is soul and body). c) FAITHFUL = a trusting exclusive committed relationship which INCLUDES God that is binding through the vows until death. d) FRUITFUL = all genuine love bears fruit. Another word for love is charity. Just as when you show charity (or love) to someone in need - their joy is a fruit of your charity. The nuptial union (i.e. sex) was Divinely Designed to bear fruit. There are only 5 possible fertile days in a woman's cycle... and couples are invited to know more about the woman's cycles if they wish to respect God's gift of their fertility but wait for the right time to have a child. Many of my Catholic couple friends I know use the Creighton Method to manage their family sizes naturally. This is NOT the same as contracepting. So as well as intimate bonding with your spouse, expect that one of the fruits of love-making is the love of a child!
Love is also willing the supreme and ultimate good of the others' soul. So, if my friend told me he intends to steal something, then in love, it is only right for me to inform him that his choice will have very negative consequences that cause others hurt, pain, unnecessary worry etc. In the end, I say it because I only will his good, rather than his bad. Same with love between a couple. God has entrusted a man's journey to heaven into the hands of his wife, and his wife is entrusted, by God, to reach heaven through her husband.

Addressing point 2: Marriage is a Sacrament

Marriage is not just some piece of paper that you sign as a binding agreement. It is a sacrament that is otherwise called the sacrament of matrimony. Marriage was always meant to be a sacrament. In other words, marriage, as all the other sacraments of the Church, communicate the spiritual reality of grace it signifies. Do you understand much about Baptism? It is a sacrament which places an indellible mark on one's soul, claiming him/her to Christ. In Baptism, you live a life of a Christian, IN Christ. First Holy Communion... again... a sacrament. Places an indellible mark on the human soul, to consume Christ and be one IN Christ. Same thing for the sacrament of Confirmation, except you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that you may live more fully IN Christ. It is to deepen your relationship with Christ. So what's my point about marriage and this sacrament business? Hopefully you see the picture here, as marriage is one of seven sacraments in the Church... marriage is a union between two people, IN Christ. That's not what you see in the movies these days, or in society in fact. The Sacrament has been taken OUT of marriage in today's culture. People have taken CHRIST out of marriage both outside and within the Church... and it is this utter lack of understanding about the sacrament of marriage that makes the government's actions extremely erroneous. Who is someone to change the definition of MARRIAGE (aka matrimony)? A civil partnership is NOT the same as a marriage. P.S Matrimony means "motherhood".

Addressing point 3: Chastity for all

All people within the family of the Church are called to live chastely - that includes married couples. For this, you'd need to understand what chastity means. Chastity is the virtue that orients sexual desire toward the supreme value of the person and the truth of self-giving love. Just as the nuptial union is Divinely Designed to bear fruit, so are our bodies Divinely Designed to "feel" both physically and emotionally. In the act of sex, both physical and emotional passions rise to an indescribable ecstacy. Many people (even within the Church) don't realise that this ecstacy is a foretaste of the continual ecstacy of heaven (which is why I don't get how someone doesn't think heaven is someOne worth gaining!) St. Teresa of Avila was a primary saint who experienced this in her prayer. Was this ecstacy oriented in the right way? Yes! Yet, she lived a chaste life. Within marriage, sex isn't something you just have when you're feeling aroused - although your body is giving you a big indicator that you could share it with your spouse. But what happens if spouse is at that time of the month? For her own good, hubby needs to make the ultimate sacrifice... and put it away! Also, if you wish to manage numbers of children without disrespecting your fertility, then chastity is the best way of looking at doing what is best for the other. Chastity isn't about don't's and 'rules', but about freedom from lust - which very easily enslaves many of us - as lust only transforms our intention to love, into intention to self-satisfy.

Where does that leave people who have same-sex attraction and want to get married?

Just like all my single "straight" friends, my gay friends are also in need of support and genuine love from the Church. We all (and that includes myself as a single person) need to build friendships and relationships that can help us to live chaste, and we need to be able to support each other and find avenues where we are able to express the gifts of our bodies for the good of the whole Church. At the moment, you can find lots of groups that help with people's differing needs, but very few can be found to support the need for love of our gay brothers and sisters. How do we go about helping them to feel loved by God? How do we help and support dating couples remain within the chaste love of God and His commandments during their dating time together? How do we help ourselves and our gay friends live by the commandments and the Church's teachings? Would support groups satisfy their need? I've had conversations with some of my gay friends about this, because it is important for us to remain united for love of each other, and we really need to support one another. What's a good way forward with this here in London for gay Catholics, is now my biggest question on this topic?

If anyone has constructive comments, please feel free to share.

I'm not interested in those comments that attest to me being homophobic, because I know I'm not... so don't bother if you are thinking to comment down that route.

In abandonment to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and Our loving Mother, Mary.

Prayer for the Holy Souls | Novena Day 6

The holy souls are, indeed, comforted by the recollection of the passion of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, since they know they are saved by the passion of Jesus Christ, and have received, and still receive, so much consolation from Holy Masses and Holy Communions. Nevertheless, they are greatly pained by the recollection of their ingratitude for these two gifts of love of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: O my Divine Redeemer, Thou didst die for me on the Cross, and have so often united Thyself with me in Holy Communion, and I have repaid Thee only with ingratitude. Now, however, I love Thee above all things, O supreme God; and I am more grieved at my offenses against Thee than any other evil. I would rather die than offend you again. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me, and at the same time, on the holy souls in purgatory.

O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
O most sweet Jesus, have mercy on them!
On Thy spouses have compassion,
on these suffering children Thine;
make these holy souls partakers
of Thy happiness Divine.

This has been extracted from Susan Tassone's "Praying in the Presences of Our Lord for the Holy Souls" and is a novena by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri. 
Susan's writing on the Holy Souls are all worth purchasing and reading.

LISS Day 3

God wants my heart

HE doesn't just want MY heart, he wants ALL our hearts! Very much! In Life in the Spirit's 3rd day of reflection, I am struck by this particular passage:

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the LORD." Jeremiah 29:12-14

It's a little bit funny this, because on the way home in Las' car on Thursday night, I was saying that it might not be possible to find the Lord if you FORCE it, and that the Lord would instead find you if you open yourself to Him. In essence, what I was saying is that 'as long as we open ourselves to Him, God might show us his Light and Love'. But according to The Word, which IS Truth, and IS God ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." John 1:1-2.), He invites us to seek Him, to find Him. With all our hearts, we are invited to actively find Him, not just sit passively with an open heart. The passage just above has put me back in my place, and shown me how little wisdom I have. I can see that John the Apostle and I are going to have a fantastic relationship throughout my time with LISS. I always wondered whose Gospel (witness of Christ) would be the one to whom I would feel closest to in my journey of faith, and I now realise it is John's, because everything he proclaims, my heart absorbs and rejoices with such fervent fire! This is not to say that I don't love all the Gospels, but for sure, my favourite and dearest is John's.

St. John the Apostle, I beseech you to pray that I, and everyone taking part in the LISS programme,  search, seek and find God through His most divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with all our hearts. You were so loved by our Lord, that He entrusted His Father's most favoured Lady, our Blessed Mother Mary, to your care, upon His dying breath. We thank you for the gift of your Gospel, so that we may come to know Christ in this special way of Scripture. Help us to seek Christ even more, through Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We ask this in the name of our Lord, Amen.

Invitation to Devotion

You may or may not be familiar with the Devotions on the Firsts. I know I wasn't... until my encounter with the Holy Trinity during my summer pilgrimages, when with all my body, mind and soul, I offered myself, sinner though I am, to the Will of God, begging His refuge; and to my wondrous surprise (understatement!), my empty heart was set alight with His love. It made me thirst to learn more about, and proclaim the Gospel truth, and become his servant in thought, word and deed, as well as becoming an everlasting witness to my faith, which I am to actively and publicly communicate. Through the Holy Spirit, God graciously planted in me a deep and growing desire for three things. I wish not to describe all these three things in this post - as it is not yet time for me to share with you my encounters during my pilgrimages. But I can tell you that the third one was a request for penance, reparation and a deeper devotion to our Heavenly Father through prayer, for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which by my lowly self, am not worthy of, yet need beyond the bounds of my own human capacity.


I thought the only way I would be able to offer this penance and reparation was by concentrating harder during my standard daily prayers, the Rosary, etc., but I realise now, that those who intercede on our behalf want more than this. By God's will, I stumbled across a beautiful book in which the Blessed Virgin Mary explicitly promised to assist all those at the hour of death if we make reparation to her Immaculate Heart. More recently, I discovered the devotion which the Sacred Heart of Jesus requests on the First Friday of every month, for nine months. So here, I share with you what I have discovered about these things; what they are, and why we are called to do them. I would love to invite you to share my spiritual journey, as a young Catholic discovering more about the depths of God's love and my desire to live a life of holiness. 

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Today is an ultra special day. It is not only the first day of the month dedicated to The Most Holy Rosary, which means that like last year, I strive to pray my rosary whenever I can - but at least once a day. It is also the First Friday of the month...


First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus  
(source: http://www.fatimaprayers.com/currentnews/the-9-first-fridays-devotion.html)

The First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is based on a promise made by our Lord Jesus Chirst during an Apparition to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. This promise was implicitely approved by the Church in the 1920 canonization of St. Margaret Mary.

The 12 Promises are contained in a letter written in May, 1688, by St. Margaret Mary to Mother Saumaise:

"On a Friday during Holy Communion, [Our Lord] said these words [...], if I mistake not: I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that Its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of the month consecutively, the grace of final repentance; they will not die under My displeasure or without receiving their Sacraments, My Divine Heart making Itself their assured refuge at the last moment."

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:
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 their afflictions."
4. "I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death."
5. "I will pour abundant blessings upon all their undertakings."
6. "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy."
7. "Tepid souls shall grow fervent."
8. "Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection."
9. "I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up 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, never to be effaced."
12. "The all-powerful love of my heart will grant to all those who shall receive communion on the first Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure nor without receiving the sacraments; my heart shall be their assured refuge in their last hour."
The following First Friday devotions are advantageous in honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

• - The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
• - Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• - Act of Reparation
• - The Litany To The Sacred Heart of Jesus 

I want so badly to please our Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm inviting you to do the same alongside me - from wherever in the world you are. Over the next 9 months, I will share more with you real-life experiences relating to the 12 promises, and how this devotion is sure to change my life. Perhaps I could even help you with finding that 'picture of My Heart', or give you examples of how peace in my own family home has come as a result of my outpouring of this devotion. For any young Catholics in the London area, I'll be heading to the 19:00 First Friday Mass at the parish of Our Lady of Fatima in White City.

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Tomorrow is also an ultra special day. It is the first Saturday of the month of The Most Holy Rosary - a month of Our Lady.

Devotion of the Five First Saturdays to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
 (source: http://www.fatimaprayers.com/currentnews/five-first-saturdays.html)

On July 13th 1917, Our Lady of Fatima, after showing the three Fatima seers a vision of hell, she said

"You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my immaculate heart... I shall come to ask for... the Communion of reparation on the First Five Saturdays."

On December 10, 1925, Our Lady said to Sister Lucia (who was then one of the three children)

"Look, my daughter, at my heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful [Children of God] pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me with your prayers and sacrifices. I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for their salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."

Why Five Saturdays?
Five first Saturdays of reparation were requested to atone for the five ways in which people offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
1. attacks upon Mary's Immaculate Conception
2. attacks against her Perpetual Virginity
3. attacks upon her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind
4. for those who try to publicly implant in children's hearts indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother
5. for those who insult her directly in her sacred images.

Letter of Sister Lucia explaining this devotion:
1 November, 1927, letter to Doña Maria de Miranda, her godmother, Sister Lucia wrote:

"I don't know if you already know about the reparatory devotion of the five Saturdays to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As it is still recent, I would like to inspire you to practice it, because it is requested by Our dear Heavenly Mother and Jesus has manifested a desire that it be practiced. Also, it seems to me that you would be fortunate, dear godmother, not only to know it and to give Jesus the consolation of practicing it, but also to make it known and embraced by many other persons.

"It consists in this: During five months on the first Saturday, to receive Jesus in Communion, recite a Rosary, keep Our Lady company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, and make a confession. The confession can be made a few days earlier, and if in this previous confession you have forgotten the (required) intention the following intention can be offered, provided that on the first Saturday one receives Holy Communion in a state of grace, with the intention of repairing for offences against the Most Holy Virgin and which afflict Her Immaculate Heart.

"It seems to me, my dear godmother, that we are fortunate to be able to give Our dear Heavenly Mother this proof of love, for we know that She desires it to be offered to Her. As for myself, I avow that I am never so happy as when first Saturday arrives. Isn't it true that our greatest happiness is to belong entirely to Jesus and Mary and to love Them and Them alone, without reserve? We see this so clearly in the lives of the saints...They were happy because they loved, and we, my dear godmother, we must seek to love as they did, not only to enjoy Jesus, which is the least important -- because if we do not enjoy Him here below, we will enjoy Him up above -- but to give Jesus and Mary the consolation for being loved...and that in exchange for this love they might be able to save many souls."

The following First Saturday devotions are helpful in honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
2. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
3. Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary*
4. Act of Reparation
5. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
6. The Sacrament of Reconciliation
*You may use any of the traditional forms or your own words in making the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Everything in Mary leads toward her Son, Jesus the Christ. Everything in Mary lifts up our hearts to praise God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

And so, tomorrow, I intend to celebrate this, by seeking the grace to offer my devotion in the above ways, and to celebrate the life she so willingly brought to this world, by joining the 40 days for life group, who are currently praying and fasting for the conversion of those who work at abortion clinics, and to end abortion in London (and indeed the UK). The power of prayer is wondrous, ladies and gentlemen - for two days ago, the Marie Stopes abortion clinic (where they prayed outside) closed for the day. Imagine the power this set of devotions would have for the conversion of poor sinners, and the reparation of our own sins against the Blessed Virgin Mary's Immaculate Heart!!

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A Day of Rest and Social Time!

Although I strongly encourage fervent prayer, I know that I am but a human being, limited to the needs of the human mind and heart too - so I am going to want some social time (Christian socialite that I am)! What better way for me to do this, than with my fellow young Catholics at First Sunday Plus @ The Church Of The Immaculate Conception in Farm Street?! I've never been before, but know a bunch of friends that do go! Promoted in London by the British Jesuits, it's a great opportunity for young Catholics to practice their faith in an Ignatian context. Mass kicks off at 19:15 and we'll be hitting the pub afterwards ^_^ 

I pray this blogpost may somehow encourage some of you to become active in some form of regular devotion, to contemplate and reflect on the requests of our merciful Jesus and Blessed Virgin Mary, and/or to even meet me at one of my First Fridays and/or First Saturdays over the next 9 or 5 months respectively. I especially ask all readers of this post to say at least one prayer for me in my devotions. ^_^

God bless you!