Level I · First Steps · practice 4 of 4

First Friday Mass

Attend Mass and receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, for nine consecutive months.

Why this practice

Of all the promises Christ made to St. Margaret Mary, this is called the Great Promise. He pledged the grace of final repentance — that those who complete the nine first Fridays shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving the Sacraments. The promise is not magical; it presumes a soul willing to receive it. But it is a real promise.

Croiset places this practice near the heart of the devotion because it unites the three things Christ asked for: love expressed through the Eucharist, fidelity expressed through repetition, and reparation expressed through the choice of Friday — the day of the wound.

How to begin

1Find the date of the next first Friday. Mark the next nine consecutive ones in your calendar.

2Receive the Sacrament of Confession beforehand if needed, so that you can receive Holy Communion in a state of grace.

3Attend Mass and receive Holy Communion with the explicit intention of honoring the Sacred Heart and asking for the grace of final perseverance.

4Spend a few minutes after Mass in thanksgiving. Speak to His Heart simply, in your own words.

5If you miss one, begin again. The nine must be consecutive — but the Heart is patient, and there is always another first Friday.

I promise thee, in the excess of the mercy of My Heart, that Its all-powerful love 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 in My disgrace, nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

— The Great Promise, to St. Margaret Mary

A prayer for this practice

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.
Take my heart, poor as it is, and make it like unto Thine own.

Amen.

Go deeper — Level II

The Morning Offering →