Devotion

The Shrine has a Mass at 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.  This evening as I entered the church via the side entrance near the tabernacle, I noticed when I first started to crack the door open that it was brighter than normal inside.  I thought one thing, and then as I opened the door fully, the reality confirmed my suspicions.   There was Eucharistic Adoration!   (When there is Adoration, the area over the tabernacle is more lit than normal, there is an extra light on, so people can more easily see the exposed host. )
Every Saturday, the Shrine has Adoration.   With today not being a Saturday, I was kind of surprised to see there was Adoration.  Then I realized today was the first Friday of the month.   The Shrine also had Adoration every First Friday.  The crowd at Mass was almost double what it is on a normal weekday, so that was another sign that this was a special day.

First Friday is a devotion in the Church.  Our Lord appeared to Saint Margaret Mary and promised the following to whoever is in a state of grace, goes to Mass, and receives communion on nine consecutive First Fridays:

"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."

He promises to those who practice this devotion:

1. I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their houses.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their strength during life and above all during death.
5. I will bestow a large blessing 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 blotted out.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

We have lost a lot in the Church these days.  We have lost a sense of sin, a sense of the sacred, and a sense of the holiness of God.   We unfortunately have lost priests and nuns, and I am not just talking about physical death.  We also unfortunately have lost a lot of our people who do not practice their Faith anymore.
Another thing, we have lost are devotions.   We see fewer people praying the Rosary.  We see fewer people praying the Stations of the Cross.   We see fewer people kneeling and praying before the Blessed Sacrament, be it in the tabernacle, or exposed in the monstrance as it was at the Shrine today.
That is one reason it was inspiring for me to see today an example of devotion practiced again, to see people praying silently and praying out loud the Rosary together before Mass in front of the exposed Host, to see lines at the Confessional (the priest was late starting Mass because he was hearing so many confessions, again probably because it was First Friday), and to see a large crowd at a Daily Mass. 

The definition of a devotion is an "external practice of piety".   Yes, external devotion does not necessarily translate to an internal heart aflame for God, which is the ultimate goal.   However, most of us I think could benefit from more devotional practice to help us with our internal life.  The more we practice devotion, the more trained we become to be attentive to the things of God, which can only help our interior life.

So, take our your Rosaries, open your drawer and take our your Miraculous Medal or scapular and wear it, say a Novena, find out when you local parish has Eucharistic Adoration and get down there. Let's get our own spiritual lives in order by practicing devotion,  be it First Friday, and/or any other type, and in doing so, help strengthen the exterior and interior life of ourselves, and the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Joseph, devoted to Mary and Jesus like no other, help us with our devotional life.  We seek your intercession to bring us closer to your Son and Our Mother.   Amen.