Level I · First Steps · practice 2 of 4

Friday as a day of devotion

Mark every Friday with some small act of devotion to the Heart pierced for love.

Why this practice

Friday is the day of the Cross — the day on which the Heart of Jesus was opened by the lance. The Church has always kept Friday as a day of penance for this reason; the Sacred Heart devotion adds love to penance.

While the first Friday holds a particular promise, the practice need not stop there. Every Friday is an opportunity: a small fast, the Litany, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, an act of mercy done quietly.

How to begin

1Choose one Friday practice that you can actually keep: the Litany, a visit, an act of fasting, a corporal work of mercy.

2Recall, sometime during the day, that it was on a Friday that He was pierced for you.

3Make a small act of self-denial, however ordinary — skipping a meal, dropping a complaint.

4Pray for someone hardened against God; the Friday Heart is the refuge of sinners.

Every Friday is a Calvary in miniature. The Heart that was opened for us still waits.

— Traditional

A prayer for this practice

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced for our salvation, accept this small Friday offered to Thee. May it be one drop of consolation poured back into the ocean of Thy love.

Amen.

When you're ready

Learn the Twelve Promises →