First Fridays…
I am catholic in case there was any doubt at this point. Catholicism has a very rich history, most of which is now unknown by a lot of us. I used to describe myself as catholic but you know- not “catholic catholic”. I knew a little bit about my faith but not much at all. I stopped learning when classes were no longer required. The things I did learn, I learned as a child and I was not able to understand the complexity or richness of what was being given.
What I thought I did know was the world’s interpretation of a religion it was intolerant of. I love learning. I love learning about everything. I don’t like intolerance. Disagreement is good. It’s uncomfortable but it should not wound. Intolerance wounds. It creates division where none is needed. I tried for many years to find a different religion. I didn’t. I was indifferent for many years and yet there was always someone placed in my path bringing me home.
Everyday Graces came to being as I was finally able to start seeing the grace being given EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. to someone or to myself. It took me a long time to be able to see it and to be able to name it. It took hours of listening and reading. It took talking and discussing. It took listening to conversion stories and attending bible study groups. It took attending mass and developing a prayer life. It took consistency and the prayer to be able to see God’s grace around me. The rosary was the consistency that helped me establish a daily prayer life. Meditating on the mysteries of Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection as well as his public ministry daily has been crucial in my prayer life. It wasn’t easy. It still isn’t. I would like to be able to pray the entire set of mysteries (20) everyday. Currently I pray a standard rosary, which is 5 mysteries.
One of the first devotions that I did when my spiritual journey ignited was the First Saturdays. I went on a retreat and it just so happened that we did all of the requirements of the first saturday devotion. That retreat was the catalyst and I kept going. I attended First Saturday masses for about a year, maybe a little longer before some scheduling problems came up. During that time, I kept telling myself- I really want to go to First Friday mass. At the time, my church did not offer it. Then they started offering it. Then my schedule became packed. I didn’t have time. Our mass as at 7:30 pm and it was the end of the week. Most of the time I was just exhausted from a long week of work. I would make plans to go and then I would look at the clock and it would be 8 pm and I would have missed it. My next excuse was I didn’t really have a way that I liked to track it. I have been encouraged during spiritual direction to journal after praying. Since part of the first Saturday devotion is reflecting or journaling for 15 minutes after the prayer time, I started to think that it might be a great idea to have just a little journal. Something small I could easily fit into my purse. Something that would have the prayers and some space for reflection/journaling but still be very thin. The idea for the rosary and journal started there. I was determined to start with First Fridays. I have been to two First Friday masses since I’ve been working on these and I plan to keep going. Finishing a devotion is like the icing on the cake for me. I don’t go into it thinking about the end and what I’m going to earn. I go into knowing that I’m going to deepen my relationship with Jesus and get to be with him more. If I am able to do it all- even better. If I miss a first Friday and therefore won’t get the graces, I have still spent more time with Jesus than I did previously.
I hope that if you decide to try the first friday’s devotion that your relationship with Jesus deepens.
