primer biernes

I would like to reflect with you on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus rather than on the gospel today.
Back in our time, before I even entered the seminary, the Sacred Heart devotion together with the devotion to the Mother of God preoccupied a great part of our religious fervor. It was a monthly devotion and for die-hards it was even a weekly devotion. Back in our time, we had the Hora Santa, the Holy Hour in every parish on the Thursday before the first Friday of the month. And in the more devoted town of Oton with Msgr. Calvo at the helm of the parish, we were always praised in the gatherings of parishes all over the archdiocese because we have retained the Kwarenta Horas devotion – a long 40-hour exposition of the Blessed Sacrament just before the First Friday. People came to church, and even when we were little boys then, we were herded to line up in the long queues of the confessionals. Confession was a necessary act connected with the devotion to the Sacred Heart because in the morning mass of First Friday, we have to receive Holy Communion and it was then as important as the Sunday communion – sometimes even more important to those who were less catechized.


First Friday was then called Primer Biernes. It may not be printed in red on the calendar, but days before, my grandmother would see it red, and she would remind us to prepare for the day.
Every year, after the town fiesta and the feast of the Corpus Christi, this is one of the biggest feasts having one of the most beautiful processions all over town. During that time the promises made by Jesus when he appeared to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque were repeated to us. I can’t remember now most of these promises. I just remember two. One is those who receive communion worthily every First Friday will die in the state of grace. To die in the state of grace. It was big deal for us then even when I was already a seminarian. Well probably it was instilled to us that early that the greatest joy of a struggling Christian is to die in the state of grace, and the greatest fear is the opposite – to die in the state of mortal sin, because when you die in the state of sin it can only mean one thing - sure damnation, sure hell.
The problem with this was one cannot be sure when he will die. It can be anytime, anywhere because when your time is up, it’s up. Thus, it was only logical for one serious of getting to heaven, to assuage this fear by getting hold of the promise of the Sacred Heart – that he shall not die in the state of sin. Thus, our preoccupation then to receive worthily Holy Communion on first Fridays, and thus, the preoccupation to confess on the Thursday before.
The second promise which I have not forgotten is the promise which says that he will bless the home where the image of the Sacred Heart is venerated. I can’t forget that because that is the reason why when we transferred to our new home 1972 in Oton my grandmother insisted that we have an altar built on our sala. And guess what image was placed there – the Sacred Heart of Jesus in that popular image those days wherein a light bulb is placed inside so that when it is lighted you could really see the Heart of Jesus glowing for love of us. And we had then the yearly enthronization of the Sacred Heart in our home presided by no less than our parish priest. That is why, when I came here in the seminary, I was not at all surprised why we had two images of the Sacred Heart enthroned in this big building.
However, veneration was not only understood as putting up an image on our altars at home. There was also that long consecratory prayer which my mother recited after every rosary. I can’t remember the prayer now but I sure did memorize it when I was small.
I think that’s enough - too much of the old. But I wanted to say these things because when I was in the seminary we were told by our formators then that seminarians who have a strong devotion to the Sacred Heart have a greater chance of persevering in their vocation. And that is the reason why I got the habit of invoking the Sacred Heart before I sleep and every time I pass by his image – “Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us; Jesus meek and humble of heart make my heart like unto thine.”
Today is Primer Biernes, and we are still doing the Hora Santa. May we learn to appreciate and recover once more this devotion and allow Jesus to form us in the priesthood - to make our hearts like unto his.