LIVESTREAM: Watch the First Friday Devotion with the Marians of the Immaculate Conception via the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy now! Link below.
Jubilee Indulgence reminder (published since May 13, 2024) to offer your prayers for a Holy Soul in Purgatory when you receive a SECOND communion in one day, after going to two masses.
THE ROSARY HOUR PODCAST NEWSLETTER | FIRST FRIDAY DEVOTION
NOTES:
Practices of the Sacred Heart Devotion
Jesus asked for devotees of the Sacred Heart to make a holy hour on Thursday night. This commemorates the time Jesus suffered greatly in the Garden of Gethsemane and when he asked his closest apostles to stay with him. After finding his apostles asleep, he asked: “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” In his great suffering then and now, Jesus wants us to spend time with him and to be close to him.
He also asked for there to be a feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after Corpus Christi. This feast would be another opportunity to make reparation for all the offenses against the Eucharist.
Lastly, he requested that individuals receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of each month. He made generous promises to those you follow this devotion for nine months: “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.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT ST. MARGARET MARY’s SPRITUAL DIRECTOR: “St. Claude de La Colombière – Faithful Servant and Perfect Friend of the Sacred Heart”
ARTICLE EXCERPT...
... Before completing the stipulated time he was admitted to solemn vows at age 34, on February 2, 1675. Soon afterwards, he received the office of superior of the Jesuit house in Paray-le-Monial. His soul was ideally forged for the great mission that awaited him.
Three hearts united forever
Little did Father de La Colombière know what he would find in this small town, but his superiors, privy to the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the furor they had sparked, chose him precisely for his balance of soul. Father Claude was consummately capable of upholding the proper criteria in face of controversy within and without the convent.
Indeed, not swayed by unfavourable criticisms and judgements, he soon discerned the hand of God in the visions of Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque and reassured and supported her, receiving in return, messages and favours from the Divine Master.
One of these took place one day during a Mass celebrated for the community. When the nun went up to receive Holy Communion she saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a burning furnace and two other hearts being absorbed into It: that of Father de La Colombière and her own, while she heard these words: “It is thus My pure love unites these three hearts forever. This union is destined for the glory of my Sacred Heart. I desire that you discover these treasures; he will help you to know their value and benefits. Therefore, be as brother and sister, sharing equally these spiritual goods.” 5
She hastened to transmit this to the priest and afterwards described his reaction. “The profound humility and gratitude with which he received this message and several other things concerning himself, which I told him in the name of My Sovereign Master, touched me so much, that I profited more thereby than I would have done by all the sermons I might have heard. ” 6
Apostolate of confidence and rekindling fervour
In the short span of eighteen months in Paray-le-Monial, Father de La Colombière did perhaps more for souls than in all the previous years of his life.
France of that time was in the grip of Jansenism, which undermined the soul’s confidence in the goodness of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, and drew the faithful away from the Sacraments, especially Holy Communion.
The apostolate of St. Claude through letters, preaching and spiritual guidance countered this current, promoting confidence in Mary and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, drawing many straying sheep back to the Saviour’s fold.
He united the Catholic gentry of the city by founding a Marian Congregation for nobles and bourgeois. He also reorganized one for the students of the Jesuit College. He restructured the hospital for pilgrims and indigents, and preached missions in the neighbouring villages, gathering abundant fruits of renewed fervour.
SOURCE: https://catholicmagazine.news/st-claude-de-la-colombiere-faithful-servant-and-perfect-friend-of-the-sacred-heart/REMINDER THIS MONTH TO STRIVE TO PRAY FOR A SOUL IN PURGATORY BY RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION FOR THEM AS A PROXY when you go to TWO masses in ONE DAY.
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2024/05/13/0392/00808.html#po
II.-Works of mercy and penance
In addition, the faithful will be able to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if, with a devout spirit, they participate in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, held in a church or other suitable place, according to the mind of the Holy Father.
Despite the rule that only one plenary indulgence can be obtained per day (cf. Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, IV ed., norm. 18, § 1), the faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in Purgatory, if they receive Holy Communion a second time that day, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day, applicable only to the deceased (this must take place within a Eucharistic celebration; see can. 917 and the Pontifical Commission for the authentic interpretation of the CIC, Responsa ad dubia, 1, 11 July 1984). Through this double act, a praiseworthy exercise of supernatural charity is carried out, through that bond by which the faithful still journeying on this earth are united in the mystical Body of Christ, with those who have already completed their journey, by virtue of the fact that “the Jubilee indulgence, thanks to the power of prayer, is intended in a particular way for those who have gone before us, so that they may obtain full mercy” (Spes non confundit, 22).
In a special way "during the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind" (Spes non confundit, 10). Therefore, the Indulgence is also linked to certain works of mercy and penance, which bear witness to the conversion undertaken. The faithful, following the example and mandate of Christ, are encouraged to carry out works of charity or mercy more frequently, especially in the service of those brothers and sisters who are burdened by various needs. More especially, they should rediscover these “corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead " (Misericordiae vultus, 15) and rediscover also "the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead" (ibid.).
In this way, the faithful will be able to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if they visit, for an appropriate amount of time, their brothers and sisters who are in need or in difficulty (the sick, prisoners, lonely elderly people, disabled people...), in a sense making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them (cf. Mt 25, 34-36) according to the usual spiritual, sacramental and prayer conditions. The faithful can repeat these visits throughout the Holy Year, even daily, acquiring a plenary indulgence each time.
The Jubilee Plenary Indulgence can also be obtained through initiatives that put into practice, in a concrete and generous way, the spirit of penance which is, in a sense, the soul of the Jubilee. In particular the penitential nature of Friday can be rediscovered through abstaining, in a spirit of penance, at least for one day of the week from futile distractions (real but also virtual distractions, for example, the use of the media and/or social networks), from superfluous consumption (for example by fasting or practising abstinence according to the general norms of the Church and the indications of the Bishops), as well as by donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor; by supporting works of a religious or social nature, especially in support of the defence and protection of life in all its phases, but also by supporting the quality of life of abandoned children, young people in difficulty, the needy or lonely elderly people, or migrants from various countries “who leave their homelands behind in search of a better life for themselves and for their families” (Spes non confundit, 13); it can also be obtained by dedicating a reasonable portion of one’s free time to voluntary activities that are of service to the community or to other similar forms of personal commitment.
PORTUGUESE:
III.- Nas obras de misericórdia e de penitência
Além disso, os fiéis poderão obter a Indulgência jubilar se, com ânimo devoto, participarem em Missões populares, em exercícios espirituais ou em encontros de formação sobre os textos do Concílio Vaticano II e do Catecismo da Igreja Católica, que se realizem numa igreja ou noutro lugar adequado, segundo a intenção do Santo Padre.
Apesar da norma segundo a qual se pode obter uma só Indulgência plenária por dia (cf. Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, IV ed., norm. 18, § 1), os fiéis que terão praticado o ato de caridade a favor das almas do Purgatório, se se aproximarem legitimamente do sacramento da Comunhão uma segunda vez no mesmo dia, poderão obter duas vezes no mesmo dia a Indulgência plenária, aplicável apenas aos defuntos (entende-se no âmbito de uma celebração eucarística; cf. cân. 917 e Pontificia Commissione per l’interpretazione autentica del CIC, Responsa ad dubia, 1, 11 iul. 1984). Com esta dupla oblação, cumpre-se um louvável exercício de caridade sobrenatural, através daquele vínculo pelo qual estão unidos no Corpo místico de Cristo os fiéis que ainda peregrinam sobre a terra, juntamente com aqueles que já completaram o seu caminho, em virtude do facto de que “a Indulgência Jubilar, em virtude da oração, destina-se de modo particular a todos aqueles que nos precederam, para que obtenham plena misericórdia” (Spes non confundit, 22).
Mas, de modo particular, precisamente “no Ano Jubilar, seremos chamados a ser sinais palpáveis de esperança para muitos irmãos e irmãs que vivem em condições de dificuldade” (Spes non confundit, 10): a Indulgência está, portanto, ligada também às obras de misericórdia e de penitência, com as quais se testemunha a conversão empreendida. Os fiéis, seguindo o exemplo e o mandato de Cristo, sejam encorajados a praticar mais frequentemente obras de caridade ou misericórdia, principalmente ao serviço daqueles irmãos que se encontram oprimidos por diversas necessidades. Mais concretamente, redescubram “as obras de misericórdia corporal: dar de comer aos famintos, dar de beber aos sedentos, vestir os nus, acolher os peregrinos, dar assistência aos enfermos, visitar os presos, enterrar os mortos” (Misericordiae vultus, 15) e redescubram também “as obras de misericórdia espiritual: aconselhar os indecisos, ensinar os ignorantes, admoestar os pecadores, consolar os aflitos, perdoar as ofensas, suportar com paciência as pessoas molestas, rezar a Deus pelos vivos e defuntos” (ibid.).
Do mesmo modo, os fiéis poderão obter a Indulgência jubilar se se deslocarem para visitar por um côngruo período de tempo os irmãos que se encontrem em necessidade ou dificuldade (doentes, presos, idosos em solidão, pessoas com alguma deficiência...), quase fazendo uma peregrinação em direção a Cristo presente neles (cf. Mt 25, 34-36) e cumprindo as habituais condições espirituais, sacramentais e de oração. Os fiéis poderão, sem dúvida, repetir estas visitas no decurso do Ano Santo, adquirindo em cada uma delas a Indulgência plenária, mesmo quotidianamente.
A Indulgência plenária jubilar também poderá ser obtida mediante iniciativas que implementem de forma concreta e generosa o espírito penitencial, que é como que a alma do Jubileu, redescobrindo em particular o valor penitencial das sextas-feiras: abstendo-se, em espírito de penitência, durante pelo menos um dia, de distrações fúteis (reais mas também virtuais, induzidas, por exemplo, pelos meios de comunicação social e pelas redes sociais) e de consumos supérfluos (por exemplo, jejuando ou praticando a abstinência segundo as normas gerais da Igreja e as especificações dos Bispos), assim como devolvendo uma soma proporcional em dinheiro aos pobres; apoiando obras de caráter religioso ou social, especialmente em favor da defesa e da proteção da vida em todas as suas fases e da própria qualidade de vida, das crianças abandonadas, dos jovens em dificuldade, dos idosos necessitados ou sós, dos migrantes de vários Países “que deixam a sua terra à procura duma vida melhor para si próprios e suas famílias” (Spes non confundit, 13); dedicando uma parte proporcional do próprio tempo livre a atividades de voluntariado, que sejam de interesse para a comunidade, ou a outras formas semelhantes de empenho pessoal.
Todos os Bispos diocesanos ou eparquiais e aqueles que pelo direito lhes são equiparados, no dia mais oportuno deste tempo jubilar, por ocasião da celebração principal na catedral e nas igrejas jubilares individuais, poderão conceder a Bênção Papal com a Indulgência Plenária anexa, que pode ser obtida por todos os fiéis que receberem tal Bênção nas condições habituais.
Para que o acesso ao sacramento da Penitência e à consecução do perdão divino através do poder das Chaves seja pastoralmente facilitado, os Ordinários locais são convidados a conceder aos cónegos e aos sacerdotes que, nas Catedrais e nas Igrejas designadas para o Ano Santo, puderem ouvir as confissões dos fiéis, as faculdades limitadamente ao foro interno, como se indica, para os fiéis das Igrejas Orientais, no cân. 728, § 2 do CCIO, e, no caso de uma eventual reserva, o cân. 727, excluídos, como é evidente, os casos considerados no cân. 728, § 1; para os fiéis da Igreja latina, as faculdades indicadas no cân. 508, § 1 do CDC.
A este propósito, esta Penitenciaria exorta todos os sacerdotes a oferecer com generosa disponibilidade e dedicação a mais ampla possibilidade dos fiéis usufruírem dos meios da salvação, adotando e publicando horários para as confissões, de acordo com os párocos ou os reitores das igrejas vizinhas, estando presentes no confessionário, programando celebrações penitenciais de forma fixa e frequente, oferecendo também a mais ampla disponibilidade de sacerdotes que, por terem atingido limite de idade, não tenham encargos pastorais definidos. Dependendo das possibilidades, recorde-se ainda, segundo o Motu Proprio Misericordia Dei, a oportunidade pastoral de ouvir as Confissões também durante a celebração da Santa Missa.
